The liturgy as drama

Abstract

This thesis seeks to show that the presentation of the liturgy and the presentation of dramatic performances have something in common. The liturgy is a dramatic method” of presenting the message of salvation within a gathered worshipping community. It is a drama whose scenes are set in a whole range of contexts, each of which will have a bearing on the methods and appropriateness of presentation. The motivation for preparing this thesis lies in the fact that it is too easy to stumble across ill-conceived, ill-prepared and directionless liturgies where insufficient attention has been given to the sort of detail which is required if the drama is to succeed. We shall look at a number of contexts in which the liturgy is set, among them, the cultural context, the context of folk religion, of language and music and of the physical space before moving towards making recommendations about the ways in which the dramatic impact of the liturgy can be enhanced. Throughout the thesis we shall use a number of major examples drawn largely from the worshipping life of Durham Cathedral to illustrate the points being made.