Creating the Contemporary Christian Theatre: An X-Ray of Sight & Sound Theatres

Abstract

The proliferation of media technologies has redefined theatre performance in contemporary times. This modification which includes mixed-media and mediatization; interactive media; social media; aesthetic communication and spectacle have resulted in a high level of change. As audiences visit the theatre with an increased level of aesthetic taste and newer lens to view performance, theatre directors and designers struggle to find newer methods to tell the dramatic story and create performances to meet the high demand. Sadly, for Christian theatres, especially in Nigeria, the handful of theatre directors and designers actually embracing these new developments have barely scratched the surface of the ongoing renaissance in theatre performance. And this is due to a dearth of documentation on the modus operandi necessary for the creation of these contemporary Christian theatre performances. Sight & Sound Theatres (USA), is a faith-based Christian Theatre in the league of Broadway Theatre with several biblical stories presented on sophisticated stages. This paper engages Ole Thyssen’s ‘Aesthetic Communication theory’ as theoretical framework. It is a descriptive study which engages a content analysis of Sight & Sound’s performance of “Joseph”, and documents the technical details of creating contemporary Christian performances with the example of “Joseph”. Observably, Sight & Sound Theatres prioritizes the inclusion of media and technical elements into performance to enhance performance quality and ensure effective communication of the dramatic story. Hence, by documenting these elements, Sight & Sound Theatres provide a template for the creation of performance in contemporary times, indeed, Christian theatrical productions around the globe.