Across the country, Christian theater companies — including nationally recognized productions such as Sight & Sound Theatres — use live performance to present stories rooted in Scripture and faith.
Jayme McGhan, executive artistic director of A.D. Players, a prominent, professional Christian resident theater company in Houston, shared how theater is ministry and why the stage is such an effective platform for communicating biblical truth.
Where it started
Founded in 1967 by actress and playwright Jeannette Clift George, A.D. Players has spent decades producing plays and programs that uphold human and spiritual values. The company stages its productions at the George Theater, a 440-seat proscenium theater in Houston’s Galleria area, and offers drama classes for children, teenagers and adults.
For McGhan, joining the A.D Players was a call to ministry. He came to the Players from higher education — having served as a professor, department chair, school director and dean at five universities across the country.
While serving as dean of Houston Baptist University (now Houston Christian University), he was commissioned to write a play about Apollo 8’s historic Christmas Eve 1968 lunar orbit, during which the astronauts read the opening passages of the Book of Genesis. That commission led to his connection with the Players.
“I’ve been a believer since I was 13 years old. I didn’t grow up in a church-going home, but God hit me like a ton of bricks through miraculous means when I was a teenager. And shortly after that, he put it on my heart that my work on this Earth is to be a storyteller that would glorify him,” McGhan said.
“A.D. Players is a dream for me … because it allows me to do exactly what he’s asked of me. It allows me to marry my faith with my craft and to serve others and love others through exceptional storytelling on the stage.”
How theater communicates the gospel
Theater, McGhan explained, is no substitute for church fellowship, but it offers a unique sense of unity through a shared narrative.
“To be clear, we’re not a church. We’re members of the church … who happen to be pretty good at making theatre. And to be in fellowship with hundreds of other fellow travelers while experiencing a shared narrative told on stage by live actors is about as powerful an experience as you can get.”
Through the sharing of these stories, McGhan said, audiences are moved to something beyond themselves, a shared sense of greater purpose. In a world divided by technology, theater fosters real unity and love, a reflection of principles Jesus expressed in the gospel.
“Theatre, at its very core, is simply the sharing of stories that move us towards something greater than ourselves. It’s a mimicry of our reality for a greater purpose. In a heavily digitized world where every fool has a platform that divides, theatre has the unique ability to gather and bolster unity and love,” McGhan said.
“I think that’s pretty well in-line with what Jesus asks of us — love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, and spirit, and love your neighbor as yourself. We try to do exactly that at A.D. Players. And when we fail … we repent, turn, and start again.”
Art’s unique ability to reflect Christ
According to McGhan, the arts uniquely reflect Christ because God is the ultimate Creator and supreme Storyteller. He created humanity in his image, equipping us with creativity to mirror his character, steward his creation, and glorify him through the distinct gifts and talents he has entrusted to each of us.
McGhan also explained how the arts embody God’s grand narrative by portraying the choices, conflicts and redemptive possibilities that define the human experience.
“If you think about story as a series of intersecting choices that move characters in and out of both conflict and harmony, you start to see that grand narrative come to life in full. Every choice we make stacks on to previous choices and informs future choices. And those choices can go awry very quickly … for both ourselves and for others.”
This form of storytelling, McGhan said, has roots in ancient Greek culture. The Greeks, whose religion was pantheistic, embraced the concept of hamartia, a Greek word meaning “to miss the mark” or “to err.” In Greek tragedy, hamartia often described the error or fatal mistake that led to a hero’s downfall. The same Greek noun, hamartia (ἁμαρτία), appears approximately 173 times in the New Testament, where it is the standard term for “sin.”
“The Greeks … dramatized it frequently on their stages, specifically in tragedies, giving a glimpse into the brokenness of humanity. We call that sin. Every major society that’s ever existed has recognized that brokenness — even if they also desperately try to hide it,” McGhan said.
Art offers a unique way to point people toward Christ by reflecting humanity’s brokenness, sin, and need for redemption. McGhan argued Christian artists have the privilege and opportunity to direct audiences to the Creator, who alone can make people whole.
“As Christians, we understand that the only escape from our shattered selves is through the salvific grace of Jesus. And so, when we explore that brokenness, that sin, that painful way of living, we have the opportunity to point towards the One who can make us whole once more, the One who has re-united us with our Creator through his sacrifice. And what a blessing, privilege and responsibility that is.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Faith Pratt and originally published by Baptist Standard.
