The Festival Music Drama

The festival music drama as described here is a type of drama in which the entire congregation plays a role. It involves many of the traditional elements in a worship service, reordered so that their dramatic quality is realized. The central theme is always that of the life of Jesus Christ, which is presented in dramatic fashion to give believers an opportunity to celebrate Christ's victory and to present the gospel narrative to unbelievers. An example of a festival music drama is included in the next chapter of this volume. The festival drama is an innovative type of musical drama that enacts the significant events in the life of Christ for the purpose of celebration and evangelism. Its unique characteristics are (1) the full participation of the congregation in a group role, and (2) the incorporation of many worship elements such as singing, Scripture reading, prayer, confession, and sermon. In each festival music drama, Christ is the central character. All the dialogue and actio…