Why Christian Theater Matters

MainStage Theater is a student-run theater club at Union University. They have put on two major performances every year since the spring of 2023. MainStage is dedicated to excellence in their craft and keeping Christ at the center of their organization.

While their plays often have moral messages in line with the gospel, MainStage does not always perform specifically Christian works. Some plays do have an overtly Christian tone, but many do not. All of which raises the question: how can Christians perform art that is not explicitly in line with their worldview in a way that causes both them and their audience to grow?

I interviewed Professor of English Gavin Richardson, MainStage’s faculty advisor and a frequent actor himself, about his thoughts on how a Christian worldview should influence the plays we perform.

“I think that there’s something to be said for the spirit in which something is depicted or performed. Are you depicting it as part of the human experience, or are you depicting sinful behaviors and seemingly celebrating them?” Richardson said.

Secular media does not often make this distinction. Stories — whether in literature, film or on stage — tend to glorify sins of all sorts. The problem is that many of these stories are also excellent artistic work and fun to act.

As a director or actor, it is usually possible to change the tone of the play to be more Christian. Depending on the story, however, ‘fixing’ the morals can alter the essence of the play; the difficulty is staying true to the original intent. Richardson said, “Where the line is when it comes to altering a play, that’s a real question. But I think you can cross a line into doing violence to the artistic vision.”

When a Christian does anything — any hobby, job or passion — they can either do it in a godly frame of mind or not. It often seems easier to see one’s faith as a barrier to efficiency or enjoyment, and maybe sometimes it is; but there is a loss to that kind of mindset. If you are willing to look for Christ in everything and pursue that intentionality, you will find that the deepest joys in any field come from striking a balance.

Richardson said, “Theater is a human art — a human art and a humane art. Christianity is a human art and a humane art. And so I think those two things complement one another.”

Plays, like any work, take on a deeper kind of joy when informed by faith. Finding joy in theater is not an exclusively Christian experience, but it offers a kind of happiness that I would call delight, a profound joy in seeing the opportunities for faith in all things.

This is exactly what junior education major and MainStage president and director Chloe Benson is trying to instill in her actors.

“We want to be people who are serving our audience by giving them a story and finding ways to show the light of Christ,” Benson told me.

Benson has been an assistant director for several shows, but the upcoming “Little Women” is her first to direct solo. As director, she has focused all her efforts on creating what she describes as a mission field in MainStage, where students encourage each other and grow in Christ through the close-knit community of theater. Her theme for MainStage this year is “serving through stories,” using stories and the people behind them to benefit the greater Union community.

Acting is a unique experience in many ways. You and a group of people you might not even know get the wonderful privilege of rehearsing together for around a hundred hours and spending untold hundreds more outside of the theater learning lines and blocking. You meet people from almost every major, club or organization; even wildly different groups usually boast at least one person with a heart for the stage.

Through the hard work and stress, those seemingly random people become a sort of family, tied together through a mutual investment of time and effort. I couldn’t speak on this kind of community outside of MainStage, but Richardson testifies that this experience is not unique to us.

“I think if people behave in ways that they are called to by their faith, there could be a supportive spirit. A spirit of kindness and empathy, in doing this thing together,” Richardson said.

I have certainly found this to be the case.

My very first play was in 2024, which seems far longer ago than it really was. I was even more wildly introverted then than I am today (which, if you know me, is saying something). That play (“Machinal,” in case you care), and the experience of putting it on, taught me how to work with people, how to act, how to ground work in faith and so many other lessons I carry on. Every play I’ve done since with MainStage has only reinforced those lessons and added more.

I cannot say for certain, but I desperately hope that the audiences felt a small portion of that depth of kinship and joy we carried onstage every night—that in our words and the careful vision of our directors, a shining example of Christian community was visible.