27 May 2026

Peter Brook, celebrated theatre and film director, wrote ‘The Empty Space’ in 1968. It’s all about the theatre. Among the different types of theatre explored is ‘The Holy Theatre’, the theatre of the invisible made visible. The book made me think about the church and encouraged connections.

Whilst giving a talk to university students, he asked for a volunteer. He gave the volunteer a sheet of paper on which was typed an extract from a play about the Holocaust. Whilst the volunteer read the script, the rest of the students began chattering to each other.

Because the volunteer was so struck by what he was reading, Brook writes, ‘Something of his seriousness and concentration reached the audience and it fell silent.’ Brook invited the volunteer to read the script aloud. The content was ghastly.  The audience became one with him.

‘Not only did the reader continue to speak in a shocked attentive silence, but his reading, technically speaking, was perfect – it had neither grace nor lack of grace, skill nor lack of skill – it was perfect because he had no attention to spare for self-consciousness, for wondering whether he was using the right intonation.’

I immediately thought about the ministry of the Word and the importance of reading the Bible in our worship. Two things are important. The first is the attentiveness of the congregation. They are required to exercise self-discipline, be alert and listen.

The second is the importance of the reader immersing herself in the text. A pre-requisite for reading the Word in such a way that people listen is to read with understanding. This requires preparation. Having understood the text, the reader must then immerse himself in it with ‘no attention to spare for self-consciousness’.