Playwrighting a Sacred Story that Resonates, Entertains and Inspires

The Chosen tells a sacred story with compelling, very human protagonists

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to see two musical workshop stagings of sacred stories, based on scripture and religious histories. I’ve found them both touching and tricky. There’s tremendous power and resonance in the skillful blending of music and drama to convey a story that revolves around the divine, as in Joseph King of Dreams and the 1998 version of Prince of Egypt. But it’s also exceedingly difficult to treat a subject on which people anchor their faith in a manner that is both inspirational and dramatically satisfying. This matters to me, because I am also working on a musical about a scriptural story which needs to be world class. So today, I want to explore some tips on how to approach such stories effectively. 

Tip 1: Emphasize the story arc over doctrines or histories. 

Compelling stories are driven by character, not plot. And characters need to develop in a way that brings home the unifying theme that gives depth and compelling contours to our story. Neither characters nor theme can afford to get lost in a bunch of inspiring weeds. So, sacred storytellers need to practice selective neglect. We cannot tell the entire story of the founding of a faith or the life of a mystic or miracle worker in a single musical. We need to narrow in on the one important story arc that will drive this particular narrative, make room for subplots that support the main plot, and let the rest of the rich history serve as a backdrop, much of which will never be seen. We need the courage and discipline to let details that aren’t relevant to that become like the multitude of carefully crafted details on the set of Lord of the Rings, which never appeared on camera. 

Perhaps the best way to be sure we zero in and stay focused on what matters is to start with a solid logline that helps us define the necessary contours of our story. 

Tip 2: Choose protagonists carefully

Deities do not make good protagonists, at least, not deities that we regard as perfect. That’s because our protagonist needs to start the story burdened by a misbelief that will drive the story’s conflict until he or she achieves some enlightenment that will bring about resolution (unless it’s a tragedy, in which case enlightenment comes too late to save them or their dream). This is why, although The Chosen is billed as “the first-ever multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus” the series has a multitude of protagonists, none of whom are Jesus. Mary Magdalene is the main protagonist for the first episode, where Jesus doesn’t even show up until the final minutes. But when He does, her world changes. 

Revered religious leaders can also be problematic protagonists if our target audience holds them in such awe that any exploration of their foibles borders on heresy. If we have the freedom to show them failing forward, wrestling with the gap between divine direction and their human failings (like Joseph’s braggadocio in King of Dreams), they can be excellent protagonists. But if that’s not something our audience can tolerate, the sacred story may need to be driven by someone in the revered leader’s circle. 

That said, accusers and detractors that stay that way don’t make good protagonists either.  I just finished watching much of Jesus Christ Superstar as background for this newsletter, and realized that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice intended that as a more mundane than sacred story. They wanted to explore Jesus’ final days from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, emphasizing Jesus’ humanity and leaving the question of divinity open. Jesus’ actions and teachings were presented with the self-justifying perspective of the man who betrayed Him. It was a novel idea that was warmly embraced by enough fans to produce the longest West End run on record, until Cats. But I wouldn’t call it inspiring. For me, the story was just, well, sad. Someone who sees the sacred as profane can not be the protagonist of a sacred story because their perspective is going to linger with the audience.

Tip 3: Don’t be afraid of the dark on the way to the light. 

Mortality is messy, and conflict, born from damaging misbeliefs, drives the story. All this will resonate better and offer deeper insight if we let it show up authentically. We just also need to be careful not to stay in the dark, but lead our protagonist into the light. For example, in The Chosen, it’s okay that Simon (Peter) is something of a never-do-well when the story begins, that Matthew has betrayed his family and his people to become a tax collector, that Mary Magdalene belongs to the Red district, that Simon the Zealot thirsts after Roman blood. All of these things make them massively interesting and give them space to change mightily. If we sanitize the history, we rob the audience of much of the story’s inspirational power. 

Tip 4: Let God be Good

If the story is going to be inspirational, God needs to be good. The divine does not need to be comprehensible, nor do all the searching questions need to be wrapped up in a tidy package. Sacred stories can hold space for mystery while affirming that light and goodness are at the core of the divine.

That doesn’t mean we can’t build the Beloved Community with stories containing a pantheon of gods that represent power instead of goodness. As Percy Jackson would tell us, we can, provided that our protagonist is committed to goodness despite the grasping gods. It’s just that such stories belong to a different genre. God needs to be good if the story is going to be sacred. 

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