Theater, Religion and Sacred Space: The Similarities May Surprise You

 

“This is my church,” they say, but you’re not standing in one.

“This is synagogue/mosque/Buddhist/Hindu Temple,” they say, but it doesn’t look anything like one.

They are standing on a stage when they say these things, or behind stage, or near it. They may be marking up a script with highlighter or they may be in the audience, watching a friend perform.

If you spent any time in a theater community — and by that, I mean actors, writers, directors, and everyone who makes a show run — then you know what I am talking about.

You may be on a rehearsal break outside. You may be in a corner with your dramaturge (if you’re a playwright), discussing an especially tricky moment in your play. Or you may have just finished a performance and then hear the audience call you out onstage one more time, with the sound of applause so loud you can hear it in your dressing room.

Is that a church? Is that a mosque or synagogue? Buddhist or Hindu Temple?

You can only answer truthfully if you’ve been in one — but if you have, I think you would agree that yes, theater and religion have a lot in common— starting with sacred space.

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Photo by Vitaliy Lyubezhanin on Unsplash