Intersections of theatre, activism, and born-again Christianity: American evangelical theatre from 1974 to 2004

Although there have been many studies about American evangelical politics and the influence of born-again Christianity in popular culture, few scholars have given attention to evangelical theatre. My studies examines four aspects of evangelical theatre: evangelical publishing houses and theatre networking conferences; theatre programs in religious higher education; the megachurch seeker service dramas of Willow Creek Community Church; and the Jesus monodramas of Tom Key, Max McLean, and Curt Cloninger. Together, these four case studies explore how evangelicals forged their theatre interests, performed their religious dramas, and used drama to speak to the larger evangelical community.