Richard Schechner suggests four steps he uses to prepare his actors:
- Getting in touch with yourself
- Getting in touch with yourself face to face with others.
- Relating to others without narrative or other highly formalized structure.
- Relating to others within narrative or other highly formalized structure…
For our purposes, the fourth step – ‘’Relating to others within narrative and other highly formalized structures” is our goal, and translates into being able to pray or worship utilizing the words of our script, the Jewish liturgy. All too often our teaching approach focuses on the goal and leaves out the important steps or process of opening Gates of Prayer,
Prayer and the script of our liturgy is perhaps the most difficult drama of all – and needs the greatest preparation. The first two steps for us is the process necessary to create community – a vital component to worship . Creating community is far from easy , as Schechner comments on the relation between steps one and two.
In elaborating the first two steps, Schechner relates:
”Once there is trust, almost anything can happen. Before you can trust others, you must first learn to trust yourself.
The first step of performer development takes the most time because it is so difficult for a person to learn to trust his own impulses. The second step expands the circle of trust to include at least one other person.” page 147-148