Throughout its history, theatre has had a complex relationship with religion. As we noted with the Greeks, theatre seems to have originated from rituals and religious practice, and theatre performances were dedicated to the gods. With the rise of Christianity, theatre was denigrated and finally banned. Yet theatre made its comeback through the church service, and then expanded out of the church to the morality plays such as Everyman. Later still, we will see religious subjects banned from the theatre in Elizabethan England, and theatre banned entirely under Cromwell and the Puritans. Since that time, plays have been banned for sacrilege, and plays have been used to evangelize. What elements of theatre might be useful for religious practice? What about theatre might cause some to perceive it as dangerous or a threat to religious ideals? There are no right or wrong answers- these are your opinions. However, back up your opinions with your experiences, observations, and reasoning. Use examples when you can.
