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More than Make Believe More than Make Believe More than Make Believe More than Make Believe By: Ray Deck III Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction to: : to: : to: : to: : Acti ng Acti ng Acti ng Acti ng For For For For non non non non- - -actors actors actors actors A publication of:

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An eBook about acting as a ministry

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Page 1: More Than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

By: Ray Deck III

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

to:: to:: to:: to:: Acting

Acting

Acting

Acting

For

For

For

For

non

non

non

non- ---actors

actors

actors

actors

A publication of:

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More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

By: Ray Deck III

Acting is one of the most misunderstood artistic disciplines around. Most people have no respect for acting as an art form or as a legitimate min-

istry. Let me tell you, it can be an extremely powerful tool of communication. Acting is easy to practice but impossible to master. It is the king of

Communication arts. Okay… so maybe not on that last one. I am a little biased.

It is my goal in this eBook to demonstrate to you the basics of serious acting. I believe in excellence – in doing

things well in order to glorify God. The church today is full of lousy dramatic arts. It saddens me to see poorly

executed drama and weak skits about the most powerful topics ever conceived. Hollywood cannot compete with

our material! What we talk about has eternal ramifications, and yet we often do a worse job with our drama than

many public, elementary schools assuming that “God will use it anyway.” If we’re gonna do it, let’s do it right!

That mentality makes me sick. We should be excellent in what we do in order to bring glory to God and to do

justice to the messages of God’s Word.

� If you are not an actor, but you would like to be, this is the right place.

� If you are interested in enhancing your lesson or sermon with living illustrations of Biblical truth, you’re in the right pace.

� If you have never done this kind of thing before, you’re in the right place.

� If you are a serious actor who is interested in moving from secular theatre to dramatic ministry, this is the place for you.

Introduction to

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“If we’re

gonna do

it, let’s do

it right!”

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Before we get stared, let’s make one thing very clear.

Drama will never EVER replace the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.

That being said, it can greatly increase the amount of preaching that your audience remembers. The truth being taught or preached isn’t going to

matter if it doesn’t stick. Drama can act as an illustration, introduction or conclusion. It could even contain the message itself on a rare occasion.

BUT (big but) it can never do any of those things unless the hearts of those involved are right with the Lord. God will not use an unclean vessel.

Just like any other ministry, acting requires spiritual and mental preparation. The actor is highly susceptible to attitudes of arrogance, selfishness

and self-gratification. The spotlight can quickly melt the heart of a Christian. Do not operate under any illusion that you as an actor are any better

because of your position on the stage. Recognize that God is choosing to use you, and it is He who has gifted you in this area. Without His bless-

ing and sustaining hand, you will not succeed. Always Remember that always.

Ask yourself: why do I want to be an actor?

If the answer is: ‘to communicate the Gospel’, or ‘because there is a need’ then great!

But if the answer is something more like, “applause, recognition, to be in front of people,” you need to lock up that kind of thinking right now. You

will never succeed as a minister, regardless of how much talent you may have. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. ( James 4:6-

7) That applies to Actor’s too.

James spends quite a bit of time talking about the dangers of speech. You would do well to memorize the entire chapter of James 3

before you ever set out to memorize a script. Take special note of verse 1. The more people that hear you, the more strictly you will be

judged for what you say. This is not a reprimand, just a sober word of caution. We all need a reminder ever now and then.

Words are powerful; be careful with them.

Hey, words are powerful. Just be careful with them.

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If your motives are pure, I’m glad you’re on board! Let’s get started.

There are basically three schools of acting: Method Acting, Form Acting & Improvisation. There are others, but no one uses them.

Method Acting – Russian in derivation. First taught by Stanislavski. (never heard of him? Don’t worry.) He was a pretty eccentric gen-

ius. He used to teach in a costume, posing as other people. Many of his students never knew they had been taught by the master. An

actor in the truest sense. Anyway, this form of acting is basically a display of genuine emotion on cue. Instead of pretending to be angry

(or whatever), an actor recalls from memory what it feels like to be angry and displays it.

Form Acting – British school. Some method actors call it “mechanical acting”. That’s a little harsh in my opinion. The basic idea is that

the appearance of emotion is manufactured. Form acting is kind of like playing copy-cat. An actor may mimic what another person has

done, or act according to a, “do it this way” style of direction.

Improvisation—The American school of acting. Improvisers literally make up their lines, characters, and even the plot while standing

on stage. It is a unique style of performance that is usually associated with comedy, but the best improvisers can be dramatically stoic

as well as comical. This school is underappreciated. Maybe someday I’ll write an eBook about it specifically. Hmm…

There is a whole lot more that goes into each school of acting, but this should give you a starting place and the ability to tell them apart. If you are

serious about acting, it would be good to study the methods practiced by others.

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By: Ray Deck III

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Some books to read (if you are interested)

All of these books will approach the craft from a Method Acting point of view. I am a

method actor.

In truth, Method acting is a more complete approach to acting, and form acting is a

shortcut. Stanislavski’s Method allows for a more believable and realistic display of hu-

man emotion. Method Acting begins from the premise that all men are capable of feel-

ing the same sensations. While our response to those sensations may vary, we all feel

the same things in the same way. Using one’s own experiences to conjure up genuine

emotion will lead to an accurate interpretation of the character.

The argument then follows that an actor is not able to play a role unless he has experienced those specific

circumstances himself. This is flawed thinking. It may be easier for you to play an abuse victim if you have

been abused, but it is certainly not required. While you may not have first hand experience with abuse, cer-

tainly you know what despair, helplessness, anger and sorrow feel like.

Is Method Acting better? Yes.

Harder? Also yes.

It can be extremely difficult to portray genuine emotion on the stage. It means opening up, and exposing

yourself. That is no fun. Most of us would rather hide behind our character, rather than bear our souls in this

way. Criticism hurts much more when it is your own heart on display, but no good art is done without risk.

Do you have the courage to expose your heart on the stage?

...no good

art is done

without risk.

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As you begin to prepare for a role, one of the most helpful things that any actor can do is study the background, setting, characters, and original

intent of the playwright.

Do your homework.

Research.

Study.

Ask as many questions as you can think of:

How old?

How tall?

What do others think of him?

How does he want to be perceived?

What does he think of himself?

The answers may be in the script

itself, or you may have to go to an

outside source. If you are playing a

historical role, many of these ques-

tions already have answers but if

not, use your imagination. Double

check your findings with your direc-

tor. You always want to be on the

same page with him/her. What you

decide should affect how you play

that particular role.

Political

views had a

lot to do

with how I

played the

character of

Judas.

What are his motives?

What is his character like?

How does he dress?

What are his political views?

Religious views?

How was he raised?

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By: Ray Deck III

As a director, I tell my actors regularly,

“You’re role in this production will be as big as you make it.”

It doesn’t matter how many lines you have, or even if your character is called by name. If you believe in the role that you are playing,

the audience will too.

You will be amazed how much all of the random information that you accumulate will affect your acting. I never thought that it would matter

until I started doing it. Learn as much as you can before you ever step onto a stage or start memorizing lines. If you believe in what you’re

doing so will the audience.

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Judas again...

How do you think a porn addict thinks?

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When it comes to actually learning lines, determine how you learn best. I could never memorize a script just by reading it over. I must hear it.

That’s just how I’m wired. I memorize by hearing. I record myself delivering the lines and replay it until my family is sick of it. I sneak away to a

private place and read through the script out loud.

Some other memorization ideas for you:

Read out loud: My Dad does this. He reads a section over and over again to himself until he can do it

without looking.

Memorize small chunks: Don’t try to take it all on at once. You will probably have better success if you

are patient and memorize smaller portions and then piece them together.

Don’t procrastinate: If you get in a jam and have to memorize a large portion in a short amount of time,

you could really be in trouble. Start on it as soon as possible.

Use m

emory cues: What will bring it to your mind? A song? A visual association? Use whatever it takes.

Bottom-line: do whatever you gotta do to get it done. Everybody’s different. Identify how you memorize best, and do it that way.

One of the best pieces of advice that I ever received on memorization was to memorize thoughts rather than lines. Memorize the thought pat-

terns instead of just a collection of words in order. If you memorize the thought process of the character, then each time you rehearse or perform

it, the inflection will be there as well.

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Memorize

thoughts,

not lines.

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A technique associated with Method Acting that has come in handy for many actors is called Image Trans-

ference. In short, Image Transference is attaching personal thoughts to elements of the plot, or the char-

acters with w

hich you are interacting.

For Example: In playing the disciple John, an actor might think of his own father when relating to Jesus. We

know that Jesus had a special mentorship relationship with Jesus, and that the disciples respected and

loved Jesus, much like a son would a father. Thinking of one’s own father in the situations such as Jesus

faced can help an actor portray honestly the relationship between John

and Jesus.

Some have called image transference a crutch. I don’t agree. It is a tool,

and if it is effective for you, then use it. Personally, I struggle with using

image transference. It just doesn’t jive with the way my mind works. I do

better with just imagining what it must be like to… fill in the blank.

I hope you are getting the point that in order to act effectively you must be personally invested in what is going on. Emotional investment is not

cheep. It will cost you something to do a good job acting, but the return in people’s lives being changed is well worth it. That’s why I call it emo-

tional investment rather than cost.

Where are you investing your emotions?

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What personal life situation could you think

of to conjure the emotion of despair?

When was the last time you were

genuinely in awe?

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Rehearsal is the actor’s laboratory.

It’s your place to experiment, struggle through difficult lines, and build chemistry with the other people on stage. Nail down your cues, get a

handle on your lines and the blocking and then start trying new things. Quality rehearsal time is the major difference between a professional

and an amateur. You must view rehearsal as work (not play). Sure, work can be fun, but it should also be productive. Don’t expect to throw

away your rehearsal time and have a good show anyway.

Do your absolute best to be “off book” as fast as possible. The sooner you put your script

down, the faster your character will really come alive.

The m

ore tim

e that you spend “in character”, the better. Your role will be more developed

when performance time rolls around if you have spent time and effort working through the nuances of

how your character thinks. This can only happen if you actually spend time “in character”. Talking

about it, reading about it, thinking about it just don’t have the same effect as being the part.

Be consistent with your rehearsals. Try to do each scene/line/gesture the same way every time. Even if you are experimenting with

something new, keep all of the other elements surrounding it consistent.

Experiment with one element at a tim

e.

If you don’t know, try it! The only way to find out if a line/gesture/movement/inflection is going to work is if you try it out in rehearsal.

Never EVER experiment in a perform

ance. If you didn’t do it in rehearsal already, don’t try it live.

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My 5 biggest tips

on rehearsal time:

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An important part of rehearsal time is enunciation. Every line must be heard, and rehearsal is the time to work out the kinks and find out if you are

being heard and understood or not. It is a battle that every actor fights, and I am no exception. I’m a redneck from North Carolina, so you can

imagine the kind of accent that comes with that sort of background. I had a speech coach actually break my

accent. It took hours of work, but we did it. I can speak perfect accent-free American (distinctly different than

English). You can too. You may need to break an accent, and it’s going to be hard, but you can do it.

“Consonants give the word identity!” My director used to shout with perfect diction. He was right, of course; it

is just irritating to get called out because my picture perfect performance was totally wasted due to sloppy dic-

tion. Enunciation can be a frustrating fight for the actor. As I was just beginning my own struggle, that same

speech coach classified consonants into three groups based on how they feel in the mouth.

Crackly – c, k, ch, t, x

These are the easiest to execute with precision, but can be awkward if there are many in close proximity.

This group is going to require you to slow your delivery in order to use them effectively, but can bring a

large degree of clarity. Substitute one of these sounds whenever possible (i.e. k in place of g, or t in place

of d)

Bubbly – b, p, j, w, q, h, d, g

These tend to color the vowels. Your accent will be determined most readily by how you manage these consonants and the vowels that are

associated with them. They often have similar sounds (b & p). Be aware, and make them as crisp a “bubble” as you can.

Fuzzy – s, l, v, z, m, n, f, r

These are the tricky ones. The fuzzy consonants are easy to drop, and doing so likely changes the word entirely. All of the other consonants

cannot be sustained, but these can be drawn out for as long as you have breath. They don’t dead end the word in your mouth. A crisp finish

with one of these takes work.

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Consonants

give the

word identity.

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The key is work hard. I know that doesn’t sound like much of a “key,” but I’m telling you diction just takes work. Work at it; don’t be lazy and you

can speak clearly. Listen to yourself and remember that if it sounds exaggerated to your ear (inches from your mouth) then it probably sounds

just about right to your audience. The problem comes when we are unwilling to sound weird to ourselves. You must be willing to accept the fact

that your voice will sound different in the house than it does in your head. If you must, make a recording of yourself and listen to whether or not

you can be understood.

Avoid the trap of trying to overly enunciate the vowels. Enunciation is in the consonants. If you work hard at enunciating the vowels, you will end

up sounding like… well… really funny. The emotion is in the vowel while the identity of the word is in the consonant.

The best tip that I can give you is to listen to your critique and make adjustments as your director rags on you for being unclear. If you don’t re-

ceive any critique about diction, ask.

Whatever you do, never assume that you are being understood. Find out. Like anything

else, clarity comes with quality practice time. But in time, good diction is like riding a bike.

Once you get to a certain point, it never really gets away from you.

Some have suggested using a mirror or a video camera at rehearsals to work out the deliv-

ery kinks. These tools can be helpful, but be careful not to become dependant with them. If

you never practice without a mirror, when performance time comes you are really going to

miss the instant feedback.

Work slowly from a rehearsal environment to performance environment. Start eliminating

elements like mirrors and video cameras for rehearsal and slowly start introducing perform-

ance elements like costume, makeup, microphones, lights and finally audience. Rehearsal

should be a steady buildup to performance environment.

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Rehearse to the point of, “No surprises.”

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Above all, listen to your critique. I know that I just said that, but it’s really worth a second (and probably a third) mention. Critique is extremely im-

portant. Whoever happens to be watching your rehearsals is going to have an opinion. Your director is going to see the big picture, and a random

bystander is going to catch isolated elements and form an opinion. The feedback is not going to be hard to find, but what you do with it can be

challenging. It’s humbling to accept criticism, but doing so is only going to make you better.

There is a balance to be struck here. You know what you want to accomplish, and the critic may

not understand that. You must be careful to communicate what you intend, and sometimes that

means ignoring criticism. Other times it is going to mean that you listen to feedback and make

adjustments. What you are looking for is comments like, “I didn’t really understand what you

were trying to do.” If that person should have understood, then you have some work to do. If that

person didn’t see the whole product, then evaluate if that would have changed their opinion. Be

careful that it isn’t your own pride that is preventing you from accepting correction or criticism.

Some of the most valuable critique for me is from non-drama people. They can see a skit or a

play and tell me what the average audience member is thinking. I might appreciate the artistic

flair that we have brought, but if the average person doesn’t understand it isn’t going to be effec-

tive.

I tell my drama team that critique is my love language. Please understand that your director and

the other actors are not going to criticize you just to put you down (hopefully, if not, find a new

drama team), but rather to make you better. Critique does not mean that you are doing poorly, it

means that you could do better. Critique means that you are on the right track. Never let critique

discourage you.

Think about this: What is the difference between critique and criticism?

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Critique is my love language

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After rehearsal comes… you guessed it, performance. I have a few words to say about it.

The most overlooked element of performance is warming up to it. No one think about how to prepare for a show. As an actor, I was blessed to

have directors who ingrained in me the importance of warm-up and I am thankful that I had those directors early in my career. At the urging of

one director in particular, I developed a pre-performance routine that I still maintain to this day. The routine does a number of things beyond just

warm-up. The familiarity can calm nerves and the routine can help you find a groove over a long run.

Pre-show routine can go a long way in making your more consistent as an actor. Professional

are consistent. Build a routine, be a professional.

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The finale of The

Sights and Sounds

of Christm

as pro-

duced by Word of

Life in Hudson, FL.

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My routine contains four distinct warm-ups.

Voice – Acting can be as hard (or harder, depending on the accent required) on your voice as singing. With proper technique neither should be

damaging to your vocal chords. Part of proper technique is warm-up. Regardless of the time of day, your voice requires some attention before a

serious workout. Practice good breathing habits and stretch your range slowly by gradually moving from your normal speaking range into the

higher and lower extremes of your register.

Mouth — There is a different discipline involved here. The voice box generates raw sound and those sounds are converted into coherent sylla-

bles in your mouth. The tongue, lips and facial muscles are all involved. Those muscles can be sluggish when cold. Why do you think we slur our

speech early in the morning? Try tongue twisters. They are a great way to warm-up your mouth for precise diction.

Mind — Serious acting requires a sharp mind. It can be tough to keep your mind engaged. Actors tend to switch into auto-pilot at some point dur-

ing a long run. Professionals are proactive in preventing this. It can be discouraging to get a critique like “stale” or “shallow” from your director

when you didn’t feel any different. The difference could have been your level of mental dedication to your work on that particular day. Don’t feel

bad, it’s easy to slide into flat performances. Mental warm-up is the best preventative medicine. I usually take about ten minutes to clear my mind

before a show (or skit, size of performance is arbitrary). Find a quiet place and evaluate your own heart for motive, and spiritual focus. If we are

not walking with our Savior, how can we expect to be an effective minister of His message?

Body — Identify any muscle that you are going to be using (hands, legs, arms, shoulders, and face) for a particular piece. Don’t leave anything

out, even the smallest muscles are still muscles and require warm-up just like biceps. Flex and relax each individually until you feel loose. It may

seem like overkill, but the day that you step onto stage and are unable to duplicate the face that you made everyday in practice, you’ll be back. It

feels silly, I know, but it is worth it.

Hokie-Pokie — In High School, we did the Hokie-Pokie right before going on stage. It is a tradition that has faded over time, but it still brings a

smile to my face when I think of “putting-my-right-leg-in.”

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Okay, you’ve rehearsed and

warmed-up. You have done everything to ensure a stellar performance, and then… it happens.

You:

… what then.

Let’s be honest, these things happen. I had one director who used to call them “hiccups”. It was a pretty good

term for things like this, because they happen regardless of how well you have prepared. Stuff happens. When

you run into hiccups on stage, it is important to remember that people hiccup in real life too.

Realism is a crucial but unsung element of effective dramatic communication. Many times the playwright will use

the first scene to establish his reality, and invite the audience to buy into the legitimacy of what is happening on

the stage. In other cases, a particular character will be chosen to bring authenticity to the stage. In The Importance of Being Earnest, for exam-

ple, Algernon is introduced playing the piano. His first few lines are apologetic for the quality of the music. He does not play perfectly. He plays

realistically. The scene that follows benefits from the realism of a man who loves music but cannot play as well as he wished that he did.

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And

then…it

happens.

Miss your cue

Lose your prop

forget your lines

Fall down the stairs

Get a cold

Pass out on stage (hey, it’s happened)

Sneeze in the middle of a line

Break your microphone

Call a character by the wrong name

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For example:

Using the wrong name could be covered by a minor laugh, “ha ha, I just called him

_____.” No break of character required. In a different emotional setting, a simple

correction may be sufficient.

An early entrance can bring an ad-lib line such as “Is this a bad time? Should I

wait?” I watched an actor deliver just such a line and slip back out between the

tabs. The director was horrified, but the actors on stage covered it well and the

audience was completely unaware that a “mistake” had been made. If anything,

the scene was more realistic. His entrance a few minutes later was clean and

natural.

A dropped line can be picked up by another character with a simple, “I rather ex-

pected you to say, ___________.”

The stage, like the real world, should be full of people who have faults. Many

times as producers or directors, we cringe when an actor miss-speaks, uses the

wrong name, or enters early. Those “mistakes” seem to be non-existent in a pro-

fessional production, but they can add an element of realism that was missing

before.

The key to being able to execute a successful ad-lib cover like these is practice.

That’s right: practice is the key to ad-lib. If a mistake in practice leads to a full

break of character and scene, then it will in the show too. When a mistake comes

along, as a director, use the opportunity to teach.

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One time, while playing Sir Joseph Porter, in H.M

.S Pinafore, I was

standing in the wings awaiting my entrance. The cue line snuck up on

me, and I bolted onto the stage without my hat. My jacket was un-

zipped, and my hat was on a chair in the actor lobby. My stately and

sophisticated Porter had become uncharacteristically unkempt. I was

well on the way to a disaster, but my acting coach had prepared the

whole cast for just such a happenstance. The setting was at nighttime

on the main deck of the ship, and in the storyline, I was supposed to be

coming from my cabin. Losing some of the characteristic propriety was

not horrible in this scene, because Sir Joseph could very well have

been sleepless that night anyway. I ran my hands through my hair,

quickly creating a bed-head effect. One ad-libed line about being em-

barrassed without my hat, and I was back on track.

A comment by a protégé of mine

after the show told me that I had

succeeded. He said, “Nice touch

with the hat. I liked the decision

to leave it off for the duet scene.”

It is impossible to prepare for everything that might happen on stage, but you can prepare mentally to im-

provise. I had a director that used to teach this principle by saying, “We make each other look good.”

Meaning, we cover for each other’s mistakes.

Never be afraid of your scene becoming more realistic because it has real people in it.

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Never be

afraid of be-

coming more

realistic.

The HMS Pinafore by Gilbert & Sullivan

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More than Make Believe

By: Ray Deck III

Well there you have it, a crash course in acting for non-actors. Honestly, there is no teacher like the stage. You will learn more by stepping up

and giving a line or two than I could ever convey in a book like this. Start piling up experiences and watch your skills develop. It’s going to take

time, but you can do it.

So what are you waiting for?

Take the plunge.

Start acting.

I wish you the best as you minister through the dramatic arts. It is an incredible ministry, and I have seen

countless hearts affected by a ministry from the stage. Allow me to make one final observation.

Your heart should be the first one to change. It should be your own spiritual life that is impacted first. Only growing Christians are able to help

other Christians change. One of the people that I work with at Word of Life Bible Institute is known for saying that every Christian should study

theatre because of how drastically it has affected her view of God and the Christian life. Beware the gremlins of pride and self-gratification that

always seem to be creeping around. If you let it, the dramatic arts will change you… dramatically.

Introduction to

Introduction to

Introduction to

Introduction to

Acting

Acting

Acting

Acting

What are

you waiting

for?

Page 20: More Than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

More than Make Believe

By: Ray Deck III

About the

About the

About the

About the

Author

Author

Author

Author

Ray Deck is an actor, dramatist and playwright.

He has been actively involved in creative arts

ministry for ten years. His experiences have

ranged in variety from the conventional to the

non-traditional, from small skits to Broadway

style musical productions. In his career he has

written or co-written over thirty skits and six min-

istry plays. He currently coaches two traveling

drama ministry teams from Word of Life Bible

Institute in Schroon Lake, NY.

It is Ray’s personal mission to equip and em-

power other Christians seeking to use the me-

dium of drama to communicate the Word of God

and the message of the gospel.

He can be reached via Email : [email protected] .

He Blogs at::

Language Revolution

The Preaching Thespian

Ministry LIVE