CHURCH SKITS



aCTING AND DIRECTING, tips



as well as organizing dramas, kids drama camps and worship services



ACTING TIPS



IN GENERAL
- try to be as professional as possible (this will help practices to go a lot quicker and smoother with less frustrations).
- the actor must remember that the most important thing about each project is that the audience see and hear the message you are trying to bring across, so every action and every word is critical
- I tell actors to figure out their character’s motives for everything that is said and done, and then direct them to - NOT act - but FEEL the part
- If you are doing a comedy – NEVER try to be funny! Rather really COMMIT to the character, by staying in character, and by being very sincere about what you are saying and doing (believe that you mean what you say and do).
- in MOST dialogues, especially in dialogues that are arguments, before the other person has finished speaking their sentence, butt in, overlapping just slightly (naturally)
- silent gaps or pauses between lines should only be used if it lends to dramatic effect (if it makes sense)
- never distract from the main focus or impact of dialogue or actions, even if you are to react to what is being said or done, do it in such a way that enhances. Sometimes it will be best f or you to hold absolutely still. The director should have a good sense about this as well, and will let you know.
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AT HOME:
- memorize your lines/songs ASAP so you can then focus on working on the blocking and refining your role
- if you have huge issues with memorizing, you could figure out clever ways to have cheat-sheets (if the director approves)
- then everyday practice going through all your lines and/or songs with blocking and/or choreography
.AT PRACTICE:
- turn your cell phones off
- save the chit-chatting and goofing around for afterwards
- listen to the director and try as best possible to do as they say
- respect what the director says, because they can see how everything is coming across or not coming across o do not take instruction personally, but consider it a way to learn, improve, and to do your very best possible to God's glory
- remember that this is a very important ministry, with an important message. A lot of people learn best "visually", through examples so you are in a sense "preaching" or "teaching" others
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WHEN ACTING ON STAGE:
- most often, face forward, or slightly at an angle, especially when speaking.
- if your character is speaking to someone specific or a group, look at them with purpose, and then face forward to speak (the congregation will know to whom you are speaking) on rare occasions you might have some unique blocking where you are to face away from the congregation, like if you are to scream out, etc. OR sometimes when speaking (BUT ONLY IF you are mic'ed, and this technique should rarely be used)
- speak slow enough, clearly, loudly (especially if you are not mic'ed). Exaggerate speech and actions just enough, as if to reach the person in the very last row with your energy, while still being very real about it. The people in the back should be able to hear and see what is happening! If they cannot, then it is all pointless.
- do this even if you are being recorded, because a stage production is directed in such a way for everything on stage to be seen at once, and from a distance. Because it is directed and acted this way, cameras should refrain from doing close ups. Cameras should capture, not necessarily the entire stage, but the entire scene with all characters in the shot, as the audience sees it. Everyone has put in the work to be in character and part of the scene
– to be viewed as a whole.
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WHEN ACTING FOR A VIDEO OR FILM PRODUCTION:
- while still being very real about it, minimize speech and actions giving just enough energy to reach the camera, and/or the other actor/s. Basically, be very natural and keep it real, whether you are interacting with someone who is right beside you, or with someone who is off in the distance.
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A GREAT IDEA IS TO RECORD THE ACTING (AND SINGING) IN PRACTICE: so that actors can view it later to see if and what they need to work on to make improvements. Often actors think they are "appearing" a certain way, but what is translating can be completely different. I'll use myself as an example: in one production, I had to make a grand comment and gesture. From a few feet away it looked good, but from the back, it was too fast and not noticeable at all. I needed to slow down both my words as well as my actions.


FILMOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY TIPS



FOR LIVE PERFORMANCES:

- record from an audience's viewpoint

- keep camera static and capture entire set/scene (not necessarily the entire stage, but make sure to include the entire area where the action takes place

- NEVER do close-ups (never anything closer than full body shots) otherwise acting will look too cheesy and over-the-top as stage actors emote to the people in the back row

- the director and actors have put so much time and effort into making the entire production look good, so it is important capture the entire stage and overall effects.

- on stage, EVERYTHING and EVERYONE is important. And when watching the recording back, people will want to see the production as the director intended. ESPECIALLY IF, for instance, grandma couldn't make the live production! She will want to see every second that her grandkid was on stage even if they were “only” standing way off on the sidelines!

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FOR ACTORS TO GET FEEDBACK:

- again, NEVER do close-ups, the feedback won't be "true"

- actors need to see if they are actually emoting to the back row as they should. But you could record it from the very back as well as from the front row to get a few perspectives.

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FOR ON-SCREEN VIEWING ONLY:.

- get creative, shoot on site, cheat your angles, do close-ups, use editing tricks, etc.



ORGANIZING & DIRECTING TIPS



CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE SKIT OR DRAMA

- find out the purpose, and/or topic or scripture being used by the pastor or ministry leader

- find out when this will be

- find out how much time you will be given for the actual performance, which will determine if you look for a short skit or a longer drama

- find out if there is a budget and what that amount is

- get the pastor or ministry leader to approve the choice if required

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MAKE A SCHEDULE FOR PRACTICES AND DRESS REHEARSALS

- depending on the size and difficulty of the project:

.....- short skits typically need 2 to 4 rehearsals (some need more)

.....- big dramas/musicals typically need 3 to 4 months, with 1 to 2 practices per week. Then 2 days of technical run-throughs to work out sound and lighting, and 2 days of full dress rehearsals right before performance night/s

- (when you purchase a director's script package from my website, there is a tab on the excel with a suggested schedule outline and details to consider)

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HOLD AUDITIONS IF NECESAARY

- choose people who best suit the roles in the skit or drama

.- in a lot of my skits I have left the characters gender-nonspecific, just make sure the lines and names “go” (make sense) with your actor’s gender

- in a few skits, I have chosen a gender, but they still could be changed

others are very specific and should not be changed

- (I leave this to your discretion)

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BEGIN PRACTICING:

- do a "read-through" (table-read), which is meant for everyone to get familiar with the material and words and intention of the project

- if needed, explain the meaning and impact behind each portion of dialogue and/or action so actors will know which emotions they need to use and which words they maybe should emphasize

- coach them using the acting tips (above)

- have everyone read through the skit over and over until they are comfortable with their lines and expressions

- they should be working on memorizing lines at home, but if they are having problems, maybe hold an extra workshop to help them out (in some scripts I have provided ways to “cheat”)

- the sooner they memorize the better, and THEN - you can work on tweaking the delivery

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BLOCKING THE STAGE MOVEMENTS:

- take the actors through everything step by step, letting them know where they will be standing and what they will be doing throughout the lines or song

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Use these stage directions:

------------------------------------------------------------ .

.......UR.........URC........ UC.........ULC.........UL .

.....(upper.... (upper.... (upper......(upper....(upper .

......right)........right......center)....... left.........left) .

....................center)....................center) .

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.........R..........RC...........C.............LC...........L .

.....(right).....(right.....(center)........(left........(left)

...................center).....................center) .

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.......DR.........DRC..........DC.........DLC........DL .

.....(down.....(down .......down.....(down.....(down .

.......right)......right........center)........left........left) .

...................center)......................center) .

----------------------A U D I E N C E ----------------------

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BLOCKING TIPS:

- I do try to write each skit with blocking in mind so it is fluid and natural and easy enough

- figure out the best way to block the action so people are not moving in front of key actors, or those who are speaking, unless it helps to add to the drama, making it visually interesting (as long as it doesn’t distract)

- make sure the actors who are speaking or have important facial reactions in the scene are facing forward or slightly angled, especially if they are not mic'ed. The actor can look at the person they will address, and THEN face forward to keep speaking out to the congregation. The audience will know who they are speaking to.

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DO A SLOW RUN-THROUGH WITH LINES AND BLOCKING:

- work out any rough spots

- you can either stop at every spot and explain, tweaking the lines or movements as you go, as long as it isn't too often

- or you can take notes during run-throughs and read the notes afterward and/or send them via e-mail so they can remember to do these the next time

- be positive and encouraging as much as possible, maybe even have one day of notes only pointing out all the things that are really good so people can see what to aim for overall

- once in a while it may be necessary to work a tiny part over and over until it is smooth, especially if it has tricky timing issues, and in that case you may even want to go through it slow-motion at first and then pick up the pace

- if a particular section requires a lot more work with a few actors, go through the entire scene or script, then send everyone home except for those in that particular scene (or schedule a separate time to get together with those particular actors) - keep running through everything at practices until smooth and ready

- if you are nearing the performance date, you might have to add a few more practices (for the entire cast or just a few key actors)



TIPS FOR WORSHIP TEAMS



If your purpose is to facilitate the congregation’s involvement in singing, praise and worship, one needs to assess if you are achieving this as best possible. I’ve been in many churches around the world, and there have been a few who have brilliantly created an atmosphere of worship and praise, enabling congregation to just raise their voices in song while staying focused on God. After a few experiences like this, I had to jot down the reasons as to what makes this possible:

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- the worship leader/s do very little or no talking at all, maybe reciting a short scripture as music is playing

- remember the focus is to allow the congregation to sing praises without interruption (don’t say or do something that snaps someone out of their deep “worship-zone”)

- there are 3 to 4 people singing at all times, in harmony

.....- with two to four parts always being sung, a person can always sing along with at least one of them! (Being a tenor-alto, when melodies tend to be bass-soprano, it’s usually outside my range. And – I WANT TO SING!!!

.....- when teams start each song with one person singing softly, people are sometimes not sure if they are welcomed to singing along

.....- when the song is too quiet, most people become self-conscious about being heard and they will just stop singing

.....- when a leader stops singing altogether in order to hear the congregation, MOST OFTEN, people just stop singing (unless the entire sanctuary is confident in the song and everyone is already singing loudly)

.....- when a team holds back or stops singing all together, thinking that less focus will be on them and more focus will be on God, the opposite actually happens. When teams do this, people actually take their focus off of singing, and put their focus on the team, waiting for them to start up again

- the music should not be so loud that the congregation cannot hear themselves at all

- the singers should be heard over the accompaniment music, as the words of songs take priority, and so the congregation can hear what they should be singing

- the strongest voice/s should always be singing the main melody line, so even if someone sings a stylized bit or descant, no one will get lost

- leaders sing confidently, with body languages that say, “sing along with me!” (if they are tentative, a congregation might not be sure if they are meant to sing or not, and if they do, they certainly will not be singing confidently)

- singers use enough expression and energy to lead the congregation (this is NOT drawing attention to you, it actually allows the congregation to then focus on singing what is being sung, and hence, it actually allows the congregation to focus on praising God)

- leaders know what they are to sing and when (when someone doesn’t seem to know the song, they tend to lag behind the beat, and then the congregation following will lag behind the leader, which makes the entire song a real drag)

- leaders sing with enthusiasm and energy, which inspires the congregation to match that (instead of the worship leader using praise-shaming by saying thigs like, “Come on, you can do better than that” or “Let’s sing it like we mean it”. If I'm not in a great mood and I hear that, I actually wanted to do even less. It is not inspiring. It’s actually insulting. What is inspiring is when leaders lead by example!)

- the singing session flows from one song right into the next, without pauses in between songs (keep the music going, figuring out a smooth transition that doesn’t take too long)

- the songs are simple enough to just jump right in, even when you’ve never heard the song before (save the stylized songs for special numbers which maybe happen as an intro, or when someone is being baptized…)

- as the Bible says, “sing a new song” (so you don’t get stuck in an era-style-rut, and so people don’t become used to “old songs” only, keep introducing new songs, still easy enough for people to sing, even though they’ve maybe never heard it before)

- the song lyrics are always there (never assume that everyone knows the words or the songs, no matter how simple, keeping in mind there might be visitors, or people with short-term-memory)

- let the song speak for itself (leaders don’t have to stop or explain the songs, and if the words are up on the screen, you don’t have to let them know which lyrics are next)

- unless the pastor wanted a sermonette to be a springboard to his message, don’t preach yet another message (especially if your gift is not preaching)

- and even during the very last song of the entire worship service, don’t say or do anything that will distract from the message the people have just received (although well-intended and sincere, resist the urge to insert another sermonette here. It can come across like your agenda is more important than others, or like maybe you felt the pastor did not do a good enough job. Everyone will be inspired, and so this can all be discussed after the service during a time of fellowship)

- all of the songs fit the theme of the pastor’s message

- the last song of the opening singing session should fit the tone of the sermon (if you know how the pastor is going to begin, for example: if he wants to jump in with some excitement, end with an upbeat song. If he wants to begin with a more somber tone, end with quieter.)



ORGANIZATING TIPS FOR WORSHIP SERVICES



There are certainly times when we can enjoy being “entertained”, but this shouldn’t be the reason why we go to church! On Sunday mornings, we should be yearning to hear God’s word, and desiring to worship and praise Him with a joyful, thankful and giving spirit! it is not just about what we can get from a service, but also what we can sacrificially give – of our time, energy, resources, gifts, voices, encouragement and fellowship! When we go with an expectation and attitude of “giving” to God and others, we will get so much more out of a service.
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With that said, this shouldn’t be an excuse to have a badly planned, mismanaged or executed worship service. We should keep in mind that even when prepared, people might be “learning on the job”, mistakes can be made, or various things can go wrong. These are just opportunities to learn and improve, as well as put into practice love, patience and graciousness. But overall, the people who are leading the service should desire to use their gifts and talents to glorify God to the best of their abilities, all in God’s strength and guidance.
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Once the purpose and topic or theme of a worship service is determined, it is beneficial that everything in the schedule support and align with that. When the entire service is cohesive in its message, people will go home confident about what they should keep in mind for the week ahead of them.
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The best laid out worship services are those that flow and keep everyone’s attention, especially considering that people have very short attention spans, and can be very easily distracted. And no matter what, people do like to be led and given clear and simple directions. For example: when to stand or sit. It is off-putting when people feel lost or stupid because they weren’t sure what to do when, and hence did the wrong thing at the wrong time. Always assume that there will be visitors in the congregation, and so, you want to do your best to have them feel welcome and at home.
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TIPS FOR GETTING PEOPLE’S ATTENTION
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Maybe begin the service with special music, like a song or portion of a song that wouldn’t be right for congregational singing, but is something that introduces the theme of that service.
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Open in prayer.
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If one even has announcements, you can move on to this or open with this. Maybe video-tape them in advance in order to maintain control of time and content. If done at all, these should be brief and interesting, getting people excited not just to be there that morning, but to be excited for the week and weeks to come. The worship music can begin right after. Or just start the entire service with congregational singing. If you like to encourage people to greet each other, do that during a longer introduction to the first song. Then get everyone’s attention and “bring them back” by starting to sing. Have all the songs keep to the topic or theme of the service.
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PRAYER (if the pastor is going to start with prayer or jump right into his message, he can walk onto the stage and get ready as the worship team is still singing. And then as the pastor starts speaking, have the worship team exit quietly. Don’t think you have to wait for people to be totally on or off the stage. It is an unnecessary down-time, and it will drag out the worship service. Have people know and be ready to move on or off the stage.)
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TIPS TO TIE IN SPECIAL FEATURES WHICH ENHANCE THE SERMON’S MESSAGE
.It’s a great idea for pastor/s to figure out a schedule of topics or themes ahead of time. Even if one preaches through a particular book of the Bible, each message will have topic (a takeaway point). In this way, special features or sacraments can be planned and worked into the service/message itself. These could be a springboard into the sermon, or something to insert into the sermon, or something to be used as an application example.
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Just for example: if a sermon is on serving, use this as an opportunity to feature a particular ministry, or give the announcement that there will be a ministry fair in the gym following the service…
.EVENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR SACRAMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED:
.- skit (live or video-taped, a good skit will not be preachy or cheesy. It can be humorous, allegorical or gritty but like Jesus’ parables, it will be a visual and therefore a memorable illustration, drawing people in to get their attention and curiosity, and to get them thinking)
- special musical number
- personal testimony (live or video-taped)
- baby dedication
- baptism (one idea is to have the person’s video-taped testimony play while the last person leaves the water and that person gets into the water to be baptized)
- communion
- new members being received
- missionary commissioning
- missionary update
- ministry features
- upcoming event announced
- church anniversary
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Palm Sunday
- Good Friday
- Easter
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- offering (which can be part of the sermon’s message, or done on its own, or even right after the sermon and closing prayer and during the last song/s of the morning)
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CLOSING PRAYER, (OFFERING) AND MAYBE CLOSING MUSIC




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