Handling Difficult People
It's 30 minutes before service time and you're still waiting for John, who has the major role. It's too late to do mic checks and you're starting to wonder if he's even going to show. Or there's Debbie, who wants a part so desperately you worry about her leaving the congregation unless you give in. Or maybe it's Sheila who always seems ready to critique everyone except herself. Like any other ministry in the church, drama will attract a certain percentage of difficult people. And because we're the church and not a local theater group, we can't and shouldn't just cast them away. We need to find ways to use the talents they bring. But how do you do it? Let's take a look at the most common kinds of difficult people you'll likely encounter.
Stage Potatoes
These people have great acting potential. They have the natural ability. But for some reason, they're low on motivation. They don't learn lines until the last minute and even then, only casually. What they say only remotely resembles the lines on the page. They forget their blocking and tend to wander wherever they like. Still, they're so good-natured and jolly it's hard to correct them without feeling like their evil stepmother.
Stage Potatoes need firm direction and need to have the meaning of accountability impressed upon them. Explain to them that there's a deadline for knowing lines, and if they're not ready, you'll either have to replace them or shelve the sketch. Tell them they must ask your permission before changing any line from the way it is written. While commending them for their strengths, be frank about their failures. Don't be afraid to say, "That was bad drama. That's not what we want."
Stiffs
These actors have good intentions and lots of interest in the team but just plain can't act. All their lines sound canned and distant. And what's worse, they don't notice it. It sounds just fine to them. It's the dramatic version of being tone deaf or colorblind.
Find a place for the Stiff to serve that doesn't include major roles on stage. Start with a cameo role or one that has only a few short lines. If the rest of the cast is acting convincingly, a minor line or two from an overly stiff actor won't damage the sketch. Include them in rehearsals and acting exercises (some do improve over time); keep them involved with moving things on-stage, working the sound booth or videotaping the performances. But don't give them a prominent onstage part until they're ready.
The Slip Slider
These people are hard to figure out. Sometimes they seem to be active in their faith and growing. Other times you wonder why they come to church. They don't evidence a strong commitment to spiritual things and might be involved in questionable activity. You suspect they're more interested in drama than God.
The people you put on stage should represent the church and their Lord well. If they have a reputation for living outside the lines, their involvement won't help your ministry. Still, don't kick them out. Drama may be the doorway God uses to reach their hearts. Use the messages of the sketches to reach out to them. Explain that as participants in worship leading, they need to be able to live out the messages of the drama with a fair level of consistency. If there's a lifestyle or moral issue that they need to resolve first, you could (in consultation with your pastor) ask them to take a break until they sort it out, but why not let them stay involved
with the team in off-stage responsibilities? Let the combined influence of the team be a witness to the person. But don't put people on stage whose personal lives are in shambles. It won't help you or them.
The Director Wannabe
These people continually overstep the bounds of actor and director. Whether they're in the sketch or not, they feel completely free to give well-meaning suggestions at every point in the process. The hard part is that they actually do have good ideas now and then. But you sense it's hard for people to take contradictory directions from multiple sources. Somewhere you have to explain the director's unique role to the entire group. Tell them how it's important for directions to come from only one person. Solicit their ideas before or after but not during rehearsal. If they still don't get it, pull them aside and speak directly to them. Kindly forbid them from giving directions during rehearsal.
As with any challenge, pray and ask God's help in dealing with His children. And remember, with any sort of difficult person, you do have a last resort. When all efforts to deal with the person privately have failed, ask your pastor about what to do next. As in any church ministry, on rare occasions, you and other church leaders might need to ask the person to step down permanently. But usually that can be avoided with kind but clear personal direction. Don't avoid the problem. It won't go away. Don't be afraid to direct: both on and off the stage.