Written by Carly Kester
Did a group of Harding University students ever come to your school, perform skits and share God’s word with you? If so, the group you remember is probably Theatron.
Theatron is a student-led drama ministry that travels across the country and ministers to teenagers, according to Theatron member Julya Bentley.
“We strive to encourage and uplift teenagers, as well as learn from them, as they try to be like Christ in a society that pushes him out,” Bentley said.
Bentley said establishing friendships with the kids they meet is an important aspect of what Theatron does. They emphasize that Theatron goes deeper than what happens onstage, Bentley said.
“We usually open a skit with something humorous, then close with a more serious lesson about how God works in our lives,” member Spencer Carroll said.
The Theatron members also desire to spread their method of ministering to those they meet. They do this by teaching people how to do the kind of mission work they do, according to Carroll.
Theatron started around 1994 and was originally part of the youth corps. It eventually grew and became what it is today, Theatron member James Buce said.
This year Theatron started out with only five members because of the large number of students graduating and student teaching Bentley said. There were three people inducted into Theatron: Spencer Carroll, Amanda Abla and Barrett Smith.
Theatron has several events lined up for the current school year. They will be going to Rogers, AR for CrossWalk youth rally On Sept. 26-27 where they will be performing and teaching a class.
During fall break they will go to Cincinnati, Ohio for Fall Fest and have other trips planned for Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi.
So, why does Theatron seem like such a mystery to many on the Harding University campus? The focus of the group seems to be outreach to teenagers, not campus ministry.
“Theatron is a drama ministry focused on teenagers and our skits try to speak to them,” Buce said. “We have not advertised on campus much because we don’t want to lose the focus of our ministry.”
Although Harding students do not hear much about Theatron, many junior high and high school students are learning more about God through what Theatron accomplishes.
“I know that just like me, there are tons of students here currently at Harding who first heard of [Harding] because a group of eight college students […] performed skits that not only made them laugh, but made them think,” said Bentley. “I think that is why Theatron has been so productive and strong for fifteen plus years.”
