Act 3 — CHAPTER XV THE ORGANIZATION OF A CHURCH DRAMATIC CLUB

The kind of dramatics described in this book may be undertaken with success in connection with any Sunday school. The most necessary element is a leader in charge who is wide awake to the aims and purposes of such work and who has the ability to deal with little children. A trained teacher is preferable.

This dramatization can be most effectively presented to children between the ages of six and thirteen. In case the Sunday school is very large and more children join than can be easily managed by one leader, it would be best to divide the members into two or three smaller groups, each with a competent leader in charge. One person should be able to handle well from twenty to twenty-five children.[2]

This training ought not to stop with younger children, but may well be carried on with pupils of high-school age. This would involve problems slightly different from those here presented, but on the whole the same aims may be achieved.

It is sometimes the case that a few of the children outgrow the club. They begin to realize that they are much larger than the others, and they decide that they do not care to take part in the acting, yet they are still interested enough to come to the meetings. If there is no other dramatic club into which they may go, then they may be used as assistants in the younger club and made to feel that they are a necessary part of it. There are many ways in which they can be of valuable help to the leader, at the same time experiencing a development through the training.

During one year in the history of the dramatic club here described three girls of fourteen came regularly to the meetings. They could not be persuaded to take part in the dramatizations, but they expressed an eagerness to help in the direction. They entered into the discussion and criticism of the plays that were being acted each Sunday, and their suggestions were always very much to the point. They had the ability of explaining what they meant to the children so that it was easily understood. These girls would write out the scenes, sometimes while the children were actually giving them; or, again, they would write them at home and bring them for discussion at the next meeting. They took entire charge of the costuming, and would meet outside at sewing-bees, where they mended, pieced, or made over the costumes on hand. Then at the plays they always took the responsibility of dressing the little children, putting on their headdresses, tying their sashes, and seeing that their costumes were draped in the right way.

When a dramatic club is first started, it is advisable to dignify the organization by electing a president and secretary from among the children. The president may take charge of the meetings and then turn them over to the director, and may help in many ways to keep the club together. The secretary may call the roll and be responsible for sending notices to the members. Children always delight in this amount of formality, and through it each one becomes a much more vital part of the group; the responsibility as far as possible is placed upon the children, and they usually rise to meet it.

It is hardly practical in most cases to attempt to hold more than one meeting a week. The time should be set according to the convenience of the majority of the members. Sunday afternoon was found to be the best time for this little club to meet, but any week day will do as well. Occasionally, just before a play is to be given, a few call meetings may be necessary.

It is desirable that the club own the simple costumes which the members wear. A costume box is a convenient place for keeping them. The same garments may be used over and over again, and should be kept where they may be easily obtained at each meeting. The older girls in the group will be glad to take charge of the costume box, and they should see that all of the garments are kept in order. The supply of costumes will grow, for children will be constantly bringing new things to add to it.

There are various methods of getting a number of costumes on hand. The children may bring from home old sheets and bright-colored shawls and ribbons, which may be used to advantage. Often the Sunday school will appropriate a small sum in order to help buy materials. A very small amount of money need be spent, for the costumes must be extremely simple and they should be planned and made by the children.

The construction work which the children do in connection with the dramatization is an important part in the working out of a play. As already noted, the greatest value of it lies in the fact that it represents the efforts of the children. There is hardly time at one of the regular meetings to have the construction work done. A discussion of the articles needed may be necessary, after which the children should be encouraged to make them at home. The older ones are able to look up pictures and descriptions which will help, while the younger ones need to have the matter frequently talked over in order to give them the correct mental pictures of what they are to make. It is always surprising to see how readily children take hold of this kind of work. They bring in very many interesting things which they have made—often things which they have thought out for themselves and which they had not been asked to make. There are times when all the members are working on the same problem, such as lamps for the Wise and Foolish Virgins. It may be best under these circumstances to have a meeting outside where they all work together. (Descriptions of these constructed articles may be found in a previous chapter.)

A word of warning may be in place at this point. Parents of the children are usually anxious and eager to help in making costumes and the constructed objects. The very best aid that they can give is to see that the children have the opportunity for making these things themselves; they may encourage and guide wisely, but the finished product must be the child's, not the mother's. Some mothers have thought that they were doing the right thing to have a carpenter make the spears and other weapons for the soldier. The boy derives more benefit if he looks around for some sticks which will serve his purpose, no matter how crude they may be.

The order in which plays are given in this book should not be taken as the proper sequence for a dramatic club. The story of Joseph is described in detail first because the method used there may be followed with any of the shorter or longer stories. This particular story, however, should not be the first one presented to children who have never had such work before. Such stories as David and Goliath, Abraham and the Three Guests, or any of the parables should come first. Joseph, Ruth, and Esther are well worked out by children after they have had a little experience with dramatization.

As a final summary, let it be ever kept in mind that this dramatization functions as a factor in religious education only when the highest development of the children is the aim. It should be so conducted that it forms an essential part of the religious training of the Sunday school, and also one of the valuable activities of the church.

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