Seeking Redemption

     I have the privilege of taking Theatre as Ministry with Ben Tisell at the same time as acting in the production he is directing, Oliver! The Musical.

    In Theatre as Ministry we are making our way through the book Art and Faith by Makoto Fujimura, as I have previously mentioned. If you are any kind of artist, or a person of faith, and you haven’t purchased this book yet, please do…you will not regret it, and if you can’t tell from my blog posts, it has been pretty formational for me as an artist of faith. 

    The beautiful gift of engaging in this class alongside the production process for Oliver! is that we get to think about the concepts we are learning in relationship to the show we are creating together.

    A common theme of discussion is how we, as artists of faith, are telling a story of redemption in the work we do. 

    From the beginning of the Oliver process, Ben has articulated that Oliver is a story full of redemption.

    This may seem surprising. 

    If you know anything about Oliver, it is based on the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist. It is full of gruesome moments. Young orphan Oliver is taken from a workhouse of starving boys and is sold into apprenticeship to an undertaker who sings of death as though it is the joy of his profession (I play the lovely undertaker by the way). 

    Oliver ends up alone on the streets of London where he joins a gang of pickpocket children who show him the most care, yet make their living from thieving. As the play continues we discover an abusive relationship and experience horrible murder. 

    Without spoiling it for those of you who have not seen or read this story, I hope to give you a glimpse of the dark bitter events that occur. 

    It would be very easy to tell this story as one of hopelessness and despair. 

    Yet, perhaps more intriguing and beautiful, is the story of redemption present in this darkness. 

    We can not tell this story of redemption and shy away from the gruesomeness that is present. By leaning into the darkness these characters face, we create space for a need for something else. Something different. 

    Like I said before, I do not want to entirely spoil the events of the story for those unfamiliar. So without risking a spoiler, I will simply say that after perhaps some of the most traumatizing events Oliver witnesses, the show ends in an act of sacrificial love, the healing nature of family, and the hope for change in a particular individual. 

    It is my deep hope that people will leave the show with a sense of hope and redemption. With a wonder if people can change. With the light that there must be something better than this life and this world. 

    An experience of abuse, starvation, and loneliness that turns to hope, love, strength, friendship, and a hope in something greater. 

    I think this story isn’t about showing off our fancy costumes or our acting skills (though the costumes are pretty stunning). I think it is about engaging in a story together. Seeing the brokenness of this world. And hopefully experiencing the light of something greater shining in that brokenness.

    I’m not gonna lie–as we have been going through this process, I have struggled to find the redemption in this story. I am continually putting on the glasses of redemption, looking for it in our story.

    It is present, but it’s taking some work for me to find.

    This week is our first work-through week. We finally have a skeleton frame of the show and are stopping and working moments to find the flesh and blood of the story. I am living in a place of trust right now. We do not yet have a ‘finished’ show. But God is working in and through what we do have. And I am increasingly surprised at the redemptive moments present in the text. The strength present in brokenness. The love shared in scary places. The deep desire for something beyond the struggles of this life. 

    I am seeking redemption. And I hope together we will find and create something beautiful with this story. 

    After all, the audience is a part of the process too:)

    Blessings. May your day be filled with peace, and moments of redemption.

    Sincerely, 

    Sophi