Teaching Scripture Lessons through Drama
by Mary Ann Halloran
When Father Rick Thomas was alive, we used to do lots of skits or dramas at Mass to reinforce the Scripture that we had just read and gone over. After Father's homily, he would instruct some volunteers (old and young) to go and prepare a skit while the rest of us praised God for a while. So a group would go to the linen closet, grab a sheet or towel for a costume, and get something quickly together on whatever Father had just taught from the Scriptures.
We had soooo many amazing dramas that we still remember today. Dramas are a great tool to teach us and to help drill in the message. Sometimes the skits were funny and other times they were more serious. Both were effective.
This time of year makes us remember a few of the classics. Like at the Easter Vigil reading of Moses leading the people out of Egypt crossing the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his army following close behind. In this Ranch skit, the guy playing Pharaoh was being pulled in a yellow mop bucket on wheels (his chariot), following after those who had passed through the Red Sea (two tables that had been pulled apart) as he held up a mop as his sword. My kids talk about that skit every year.
The Abraham and Isaac story was always a great production of Abraham trying to make conversation with his son as they walked up the hill together where Abraham plans on sacrificing his son in obedience to God only to be stopped by an angel. Whew! Once at the end of one of the versions of this skit, the boy playing Isaac said, “Uh Dad, can you pray for healing of memories for that one?”
Then there was Easter morning after Jesus had resurrected. The soldiers are playing dead on the ground while the women have to walk over them with their spices to try to get into the open tomb. It demonstrated how silly the mighty Roman soldiers looked against the Power of the Resurrection, the awe-inspiring angel, and the simple defenseless women.
I could go on and on, but my point is that these informal dramas taught us lessons that we still remember today.
I teach First Communion preparation now, and we often do skits in class. I have seven children in the class, and sometimes, after I teach a lesson, the children all participate in acting it out. Just two weeks ago, we acted out Jesus going after the lost sheep.
Drama. I recommend it. Use it to teach your children stories and parables in the Bible. They will love it and most likely remember the lesson. It certainly helped me and my family.
Happy Easter!
Mary Ann / Mother Hen