Midrashic Moments- Putting art and spirit into action
Shawn Israel Zevit      Email This Article

Rabbi Shawn Zevit, author of Offerings of the Heart, has over 25 years experience in spiritual leadership, organizational consulting  and training, educational arts, writing, recording, teaching and performing. He is a founding member of Shabbat Unplugged and the Davenning Leader’s Training Institute. He teaches at the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School in Philadelphia, and is a  the Director of Outreach and Tikkun Olam for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation. See www.rabbizevit.com.

Read the accompanying article, The Tapestry of Creation: Creative Drama and Music, that appears in this issue.

Let us look at an example of how to put creative drama and music into action so that our theology and artistic expression become partners in co-creating new expressions along with our heritage of old. I am using the Book of Ruth from the Hebrew Bible as an example because God is actually absent as a character. This gives us room to bring God’s voice into the scene, or discuss where we think a Higher Source is operating behind the scenes, or through the characters themselves who see no burning bushes, hear no voices, and make no cultic sacrifices. This also gives us the opportunity to open discussions throughout the creative process as to how we experience and understand God in our own lives.

The Book of Ruth is traditionally read during Shavuot, the spring Festival of Weeks, a first fruit and harvest festival that was later linked by Jewish sages to the revelation of the Torah. It is one of the most beautiful and richly woven wisdom stories in the Hebrew Bible, and is one of the few biblical texts that sets women explicitly at the forefront of the story. It is also a story about faith across many cultures and religious expressions.

A creative drama and music process can work well for any size group, though groups of more than 12-15 should probably be broken up into smaller size groups with parallel or different assignments. You may want to write some lines down, have photocopied texts available for bouncing ideas off of, and have a variety of instruments, percussion pieces, even household or classroom items that produce sound available.

1. Spend time familiarizing yourself with the text with which you are working, even if you have studied it in the past. In this case, of course, the text is the Book of Ruth.

2. Prepare hand-outs of the text well ahead of time. Depending on the time you have, number of sessions, and size of the group, divide the book into narrative sections (say between 6-10 sections). If you are scrambling at the last minute for material, you will interrupt the flow of the process. Be sure to have more than enough copies. 3. Plan your introduction. If the group is not already familiar with improvisation you may want to take a few minutes to explain the process. Be sure to let participants know that they can control their level of participation and that they may choose to be an observer instead of a participant at any point in the program. You may also want to provide some context, especially if the program is to be used as part of a holiday celebration.

4. Plan your warm-up exercises. Most groups will require some warming up. This can be done in a variety of ways. For example, you may want to ask the group if they are familiar with creative drama or music, the Book of Ruth or the festival of Shavuot. Alternatively, simple improvisational games, such as asking participants to say their English or Hebrew names along with a gesture, or to adopt a pose of biblical character with which they are familiar, or to create a story by having each participant add one word or sentence can be helpful. While people do this, the musicians and/or vocalists can add their soundtrack to the images.

5. At least a few minutes before the start of the program, be sure to check out the set up of the space. You will need space for as many break-out groups as you decide, as well as a space in which the whole group can convene and watch each others’ presentations.

The Program

1. Welcome the group and introduce them to the process. Take time to answer any questions or concerns that the participants may have.

2. Do the warm-up exercises that you have selected.

3. Divide the group into break-out groups of a minimum of 3 people each, and provide each participant with a copy of the text.

4. Instruct each break-out group to develop a scenario with enacted scenes, dialogue and sound-scape, from one of the narrative points. For example, you could ask each group to develop 3 or 4 tableaux (still images, like embodied photographs) and present them in sequence, with perhaps one line spoken by a member of the tableau, and others singing a song or playing instruments that support the context of the scene. The group might also create a short scene around the narrative, and provide the dialogue. This does not have to be limited to the setting of biblical text. For example, a group may decide to present their scene as a newscast: This just in: Ruth and Naomi sighted at border of Israel! Allow only 10 or 15 minutes for this work. I like to avoid lengthy time periods that create a production mentality and rob spontaneity. This is not about being stellar; rather, it is about being present. If there is not enough participants to the number of groups you want, or there are participants who are shier and do not want to be up n action, you can plan to simply read the missing moments from the text provided.

5. Reassemble the whole gathering and have each group present their work in sequence. In this way, the entire story is re-enacted and can be experienced in a more creative way than a straight reading might allow.