Bibliodrama is an unusual method of diving into the Scriptures. The group of participants do not just meditate on God’s Word, but can actually play it out, becoming one of the characters in the biblical story. Victor Zhuk, a Jesuit from Vitsebsk (Belarus), facilitated a master class on bibliodrama for the students and alumni of Zygmunt Lozinski Catechetical College in Baranavichy on May 1-3. It was an opportunity for the practicing and aspiring catechists to experience a new way of encountering the Word of God for themselves and learn some techniques to work creatively with their pupils. The method of bibliodrama allows to take one more step compared to the Ignatian contemplation: it’s not just involving one’s imagination, but also acting on stage spontaneously as if one is a biblical character, and thus bringing in one’s own life and feelings into the scene.  

The group dynamic usually begins with the so-called "warm-up": games and special exercises to activate the feelings and group bonds. Then the main part takes place: a spontaneous setting on stage of the biblical story. The facilitator stops the action in some places to allow the participants to go deeper into the feelings and reactions of various characters in the scene. In the end there is a sharing of the participants, focused on the links of the biblical text with their lives. 

Here are some testimonies of the participants:

Ekaterina: “Participating in this master class gave me the opportunity to look at the Bible from "inside out", as if “breathing life” into the biblical text. When you take on the role of different characters, you begin to meditate on the Word of God in more depth. You can’t stay indifferent; the whole group is one thing."

Natalia: “It turns out that the Bible can not only be read. Bibliodrama is not just about a theatrical production or acting, but something else: it is about allowing the Holy Spirit to act in the heart and body of a human person."

Tatsiana: "I liked experiencing the biblical text not only with my mind and feelings, but also with my whole body. This means that the whole person is involved in the process, and nothing remains passive and indifferent in it. I also liked the fact that inanimate things come to life. That, for example, a talent and the land [where it was buried] also have something to say. I think that this way of reading of the text helps a person to approach a passage of the Scriptures in a very close and personal manner, and makes the meditation multifaceted and vivid. In the course of bibliodrama I was able to listen to my inner self, identifying myself with a specific biblical character, looking at the situation through his or her eyes and thus discovering the well-known story anew. It is also an opportunity to hear the thoughts and feelings of the other participants."

Written by Tatsiana Prakopchanka and Victor Zhuk SJ