The Fiery Serpent: A
Paul Kuritz
Theater
is the expression of human emotion conveyed to the world in a form that
each
individual can relate the emotions to their own lives in a very
personal way.
This is how I have always viewed the theater arts. Kuritz has a view
that builds
on that principal of a personal connection with an external sensation
to an internal
meaning. Specifically Kuritz is talking about the connection of the
Arts and
how God works in each of us. He believes that theater and movies is a
way for
us to better connect with the kingdom of god.
There is the use of knowledge, beauty, truth, goodness, in
theater that
combines the external work of God to the internal faith and
understanding of
God.
The
theme that binds this book together is the “Fiery Serpent” which is,
for those
of you who went to Sunday school less than I did a reference to the
staff that
Moses had. This staff was a response to the attack of poisonous snakes
that God
sent the wayward Israelites who began worshiping false gods. Many of us
have
seen this image recreated on many medical emblems. This symbol of
healing has
dominated western culture since biblical times. In Kuritz’ book he uses
the
parody of the external object with the internal meaning to produce a
new found
understanding and love for God.
Kuritz
does a great job of not running off on a tangent of Fundamentalist
views on the
use of theater and film but simply explains the dynamic relationship of
the
theater arts to a person understands and how god can be ever-present in
its
creation. Kuritz ties the book up with the “Working Christian Theater
Artist”
and how a modern Christian thespian, which by the way I am, can better
serve
God through the use of theater, even if it does not seem to be directly
related.