“Saints on Stage”

“Mormon” drama has had a long and winding road from Brigham Young's advocacy¹ (beginning in the late 1840s) and Orson F. Whitneys' prophetic: “We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own” (1888).² If you are amongst those who do not know the history (and vision) of “Mormon” drama, playwright Mahroni Stewart's, Saints on Stage: An Anthology of Mormon Drama is a good place to begin. If time is limited, the preview found here³ gives a flavor of that long and winding road.

Here are two quotes from Part 4: “Yet to Reveal Themselves”: The Future of Mormon Drama:

Stewart's concluding paragraph before the anthology begins is:

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1. One example: Brigham Young: “Upon the stage of a theatre can be represented in character, evil and its consequences, good and its happy results and rewards; the weakness and the follies of man, the magnanimity of virtue and the greatness of truth. The stage can be made to aid the pulpit in impressing upon the minds of a community an enlightened sense of a virtuous life, also a proper horror of the enormity of sin and a just dread of its consequences. The path of sin with its thorns and pitfalls, its gins and snares can be revealed, and how to shun it. // ... I wish those who perform to select a class of plays that will improve the public mind, and exalt the literary taste of the community.” Journal of Discourses, Vol.9, pp.243 & 245
2. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_F._Whitney ; also http://mldb.byu.edu/homelit.htm 
3. URL: https://books.google.ca/books?id=9qGCAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Where Are Our “Shakespeares”?

(One-hundred-thirty-one years in the wings?)

One of the most quoted phrases when speaking of gospel-based art is from an 1888 prophecy by Orson F. Whitney:

We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own.¹

So far as we know, our latter-day Shakespeares—our playwrights combining great language, historical knowledge, prescience, humor, understanding, insight, courage, vision, etc., etc.—are still in the wings OR are struggling to find audiences in this age of “Amusing Ourselves to Death.”².

Here are some recent thoughtful comments and insights:

▪ Where are the Mormon Shakespeares and Michelangelos?
by Jana Riess, June 30, 2017 at
https://religionnews.com/2017/06/30/where-are-the-mormon-shakespeares-and-michelangelos/

▪ Miltons & Shakespeares: a new direction
Thmazing 03/31/2014 at
https://motleyvision.org/2014/03/31/miltons-shakespeares-a-new-direction/

▪ Unrealistic Expectations of Mormon Miltons and Shakespeares
Posted on November 10, 2013 by jettboy at
https://www.millennialstar.org/unrealistic-expectations-of-mormon-miltons-and-shakespeares/

▪ Mormons Offer Cautionary Lesson on Sunny Outlook vs. Literary Greatness
by Mark Oppenheimer Nov. 8, 2013 at
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/09/us/mormons-offer-cautionary-lesson-on-sunny-outlook-vs-literary-greatness.html

Perhaps, we don't have to be or aspire to be a “Shakespeare.” Perhaps we need only to find and fulfill the measure of our own unique creation with the divine gifts and life experiences we have each been given.

We may also need to serve in “the role of artistic Eliases” as Eric Samuelsen wrote in 1995:³

Certainly, the Mormon Shakespeare will come in God’s good time; we must have patience, and we must continue to hope. But we must also begin doing what we can to prepare the way for future genius. Perhaps we must serve in the role of artistic Eliases [bold emphasis added] for the Shakespeare who will come. Yet, when I look at the question of building a Mormon drama today, I feel a greater sense of urgency than ever before. As the Church moves into greater prominence in American and world society, I am convinced that we, as a people and a culture, must begin defining ourselves dramatically.

Samuelsen's insight may be the key to revealing good and great playwrights—the artistic Eliases that go before. Can MV.NP Forum establish itself as one of those artistic Eliases?

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1. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_F._Whitney ; also http://mldb.byu.edu/homelit.htm
2. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, succinctly explains why so much latter-day greatness, in every culture, has been and is being, stillborn.
3. See https://mv-npforum.blogspot.com/2009/08/another-voice-in-theatre-wilderness.html

“Gospel Vision of the Arts”

(The Gospel Vision of the Arts is the title of a July 1977 Ensign article adapted from a 1967 BYU Speech given by Spencer W. Kimball—52 years ago)

For those interested in past "LDS Arts" speeches and the somewhat current state of “LDS Arts,” here are a few resources:

▪ Education for Eternity: September 12, 1967 • BYU Speeches
SPENCER W. KIMBALL of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Audio (47:12) but begin about minute 28 for the "Arts" portion of the talk at
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball/education-eternity/
Text (adaptation) at
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1977/07/the-gospel-vision-of-the-arts?lang=eng

▪ The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord: February 1, 1976 Devotional
BOYD K. PACKER of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Audio (48:19) and text available at
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/boyd-k-packer/arts-spirit-lord/

▪ The Gospel Vision of the Arts + the Mormon Renaissance
by Seer [Mormon Art] with Jessica Bingham Young (Time10:56), published Nov 30, 2017 at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWxMULY8-Kg

▪ My Thoughts on Spencer W. Kimball’s Gospel Vision of the Arts
J. Kirk Richards, MAY 27, 2012 at
https://jkirkrichards.wpcomstaging.com/2012/05/27/my-thoughts-on-spencer-w-kimballs-gospel-vision-of-the-arts/

▪ Interview: J. Kirk Richards and the Gospel Vision of the Arts
November 17, 2016 by ASHMAE at
https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/11/17/85019/

▪ The future of Mormon art? Scholars and artists gather in New York to explore the possibilities
by Mariya Manzhos for the Deseret News, published: July 5, 2017 at
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865684235/The-future-of-Mormon-art-Scholars-and-artists-gather-in-New-York-to-explore-the-possibilities.html

▪ First-Ever Mormon Arts Festival Set to Open in New York
by Madeleine Tolk | Jun. 27, 2017 Mormon Life at
http://www.ldsliving.com/First-Ever-Mormon-Arts-Festival-Set-to-Open-in-New-York/s/85733

▪ Zion Art Society at https://www.zionartsociety.org/

In President Kimball's 1977 Ensign article his first words were:

"In our world, there have risen brilliant stars in drama, music, literature, sculpture, painting, science, and all the graces. For long years I have had a vision of members of the Church greatly increasing their already strong positions of excellence till the eyes of all the world will be upon us."

And yes, since 1977, we have seen some great progress in support and recognition for artists creating (or performing) music, literature, sculpture, and painting, yet drama, the first mentioned in the list, remains, to large extent, the neglected child in terms of opportunities and support. So, perhaps it is time now for MV.NP Forum to step-up to the NPD stage and do what it can in the cause of drama.

The task may seem overwhelming because, in part, theatre often encompasses all the other arts in its development and presentations: music, literature, sculpture, and painting, not to mention the need for many active, committed participants. Yet, working together, we can begin. Let's do it, Mountain View. Let's take up the torch for drama and NPD.

Theatre of the Good?

In the year 2000 and 2001, Douglas Abel—actor, educator, and playwright—wrote a series of articles for Theatre Alberta News¹ (TAN) titled, Theatre of the Good. Here are three quotes from the first article:

The particular epiphany [about “theatre of the Good”] occurred during a lunch time discussion session with special guest Joy Coghill, celebrated actress, director and theatre pioneer. ... She began by describing how she got started in theatre, mentioning the fact that her father was a clergyman, and that her family had a strong missionary background. She had even considered missionary work herself when she was young. She was asked how and why, with such a church tradition behind her, she had decided to pursue a career in theatre. Her answer—not word for word but as close as I can remember it—was. “Well they're very similar, aren't they? I never really saw much difference between working as a missionary and working in the theatre.” ...

Ms. Coghill went on to describe [her introduction to] the powerful concept of “theatre of the Good.”

... [A]s I began to understand it fully, it involves the conviction that theatre can, and must, do good for people and the world, that it must strive to make both better. Theatre can be used for trivial, frivolous, or even harmful purposes. It should be used to promote the good in all its forms. That purpose comprises its link to the divine, and comes, somehow from the same spiritual sources that drive the best of “religious” impulses. Theatre people are missionaries because they are doing the same essential work as those who spread “the word.”

What does “theatre of the Good” mean to ... [Douglas Abel] ... ? [I]t does not mean that theatre becomes a dry sermon with dialogue, or a “Back to the Bible”—any bible—with intermission. It does not demand the joyless, prescriptive, pedantic or “preachy.” Theatre of the Good does not eliminate comedy, entertainment, enjoyment, mischief, wonder or plain fun. It does give all these things a purpose, as well as a standard against which both day-to-day and long-term work can be judged. It provides a benchmark for deciding which work should be chosen for performance, and how it should be performed.

This was written almost 20 years ago. If Theatre of the Good had been instituted as a standard and benchmark for even half of our influential theatre companies, would the world be a different place, today?

Sometime ago, I wrote this observation:

When we glorify the anti-hero—that "natural man" who strides so boldly and pervasively through our modern drama, cinema, and literature—we miscalculate the measure of our creation. But when "all things are done unto edifying," then our gifts redound to the glory of God, and His light expands a little more into the darkness.

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1. Theatre Alberta News, Winter 2000:1, p. 3

Community Theatre Forms

PDFs of several Community Theatre Forms

    are now available for downloading

on a pay what you wish (or not) basis at 

       https://www.zanthymhouse.ca