Sunday Drama at JW Convention: Not Bad, Really

by Room 215 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Room 215
    Room 215

    In the ``giving credit where credit's due" category, I must say that while curiosity drew me to spend an hour or so last Sunday morning at the convention in Philly, I must confess to having been pleseantly surprised by the drama.

    Sure there was the usual hamming it up with over-the-top histrionic gesturing and laughable synthetic beards we've come to expect; but since it stuck nearly verbatim to the events chronicled in the book of Acts from Pentecost through the trial and martydom of Stephen it was remarkable for its Christ-centricity and for the total absence of Watchtower spin or any reference to ``the Governing Body," the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" and ``organization."" Except for a few spurious ``Jehovahs" here and there, it might have easily been mistaken for some sort of Baptist pageant.

  • blondie
    blondie

    This is the first WTS drama not placed in the OT historical context or a "modern-day" one.

    But having seen the dramas from the beginning, the quality has slipped and they have been "simplified" to the point that the color is gone. They used to drop the house lights, but no more (at least in my area).

    Blondie

  • minimus
    minimus

    maybe they're setting up that everyone's going to go up to heaven afterall.

  • Room 215
    Room 215

    Blondie, I noticed that they didn't dim the lights either, and thought that was interesting... paranoia, perhaps? (I don't know what was said to the ushers or whether they were briefed but one such guy told my wife that he planned on being vigilant, not lowering his head during the prayers and was going to bring a camera with him to photograph anything ``untowards") .

    You're right about the slippage in quality; the loss of Ulysses Glass is doubtless one contributing factor; but at least it wasn't Dathan, Korah and Abiram or Jonah, thank God.

  • Matty
    Matty

    Yes, I noticed this too. I'm kinda disappointed as the drama is usually the worst/best example of Watchtower propaganda of the whole convention.

    Next year lets go back to normal and have more first century Christian families acting like 1950's middle class Americans, lets have more hyperbole and mincing around from the bible characters, more bizarre conjecture and references to a Governing Body in Jerusalem please!

  • SadElder
    SadElder

    Found this year's drama a little thin. In times past they used nice sound effects and music. This year little of anything to spice up the material, music between scenes only. Yes U.V. Glass is sorely missed, I knew him personally and found him to be a kind and considerate person.

    Bet you didn't know that the chief of the Bethel CIA aka Service Department - Ted J. was responsible for stopping many of the things the brothers found interesting in the dramas, Gilead grads, and Branch dedications. No longer allowed to have special musical presentations at any of these events, too worldly per Ted J. "The Boss" Sad indeed.

  • rocketman
    rocketman

    Kind of goes to show that when, on rare occasions, they just teach the Bible and not their propaganda and "modern-day" parallels, the religion can be somewhat okay. Too rare an occurance though.

  • integ
    integ

    THE DRAMA SUCKED.

  • RunningMan
    RunningMan

    I found the Drama to be uneventful. It was neither offensive (like the one about Korah a couple of years ago) nor embarrassing for its exceptionally poor script (like last year). Don’t get me wrong. The script WAS poor, it just wasn’t so outstandingly poor that you retched into your briefcase. It was just dull. A bunch of men in bed sheets, delivering an arm flapping performance worthy of parking attendants.

  • Euphemism
    Euphemism
    This is the first WTS drama not placed in the OT historical context or a "modern-day" one.

    Sorry, I can't help being anal-retentive... but wasn't there a drama about Paul's missionary journeys sometime in the 70's?

    Gotta agree, though, first NT drama in a while. Probably because the NT doesn't have much narrative.

    Re dimming the lights... they haven't done that in a long time, as far as I can recall.

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