An Experiment in Creating Theater

CG Jung believed creativity rises up from our unconscious, and that finding ways to express our innate creativity is essential to vital living. Giving expression to creativity requires that we accept uncertainty, take risks and embrace mystery. In this class we will seek to build together the trust required for risk-taking in order to enter the creative process of producing a play from scratch. We will follow the threads of characters and plot lines that arise among us, developing a script, and culminating in the staging of a single public performance.

Class members will be actors in the performance, or they may choose to participate in other ways, for instance, by contributing music, movement, visual art or pieces of script. Working collaboratively, I will edit the evolving script from the ideas generated in our sessions and serve as director. This is an experiment in shared self-discovery in which we reflect together on the mystery of creativity.

No past experience in theater is required to be a part of this class – only a willingness to commit to the process. We will seek to let go of our grasping egos in order to create something greater than the individual parts. Towards this end, participants can expect to spend time between class sessions working towards our collective goal.

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Instructor: Jeff Edwards

I am a graduate of Earlham College and Yale Divinity School, retired from forty years of serving as a pastor in New Jersey. Throughout my ministry, I wrote and directed plays, inviting anybody who was willing to join me in engaging the creative process of theater. I’ve taught two classes at Belfast Senior College on CG Jung and his ideas regarding spirituality and the second half of life.

Photo credit: theSpaceUK @ Venue 45