Devised Theatre

The Society of Jesus has long been recognized for the significant role it played in the development of modern European theatre.  By 1551, three years after the founding of the first Jesuit college, full-scale theatrical productions were being staged in Italy and, eventually, at hundreds of Jesuit schools throughout Europe. Drama was embraced as an integral part of Jesuit education, not only as a means of imparting moral and religious lessons, but also to develop students' skills in public speaking, physical expressiveness, and facility with Latin.  Music and dance were incorporated fully in many performances, and Jesuit theatrical productions became famous for their technical ingenuity and special effects.  Significant financial resources were invested in their scenery, stagecraft, lighting, and costumes.  The Jesuits invented or perfected the scrim, the trapdoor, and numerous other complicated mechanical devices to create such effects as people flying, storms at sea, and thunder, even representing on stage, centuries before Cecil B. DeMille, the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites.

The Jesuits also influenced the development of modern theatre through the large number of major European playwrights who received their education at Jesuit colleges.  Among these were  Pierre Corneille, Molière, Jean Racine, Voltaire, Lope de Vega, Pedro Calderón, and Carlo Goldoni. 

Though the great age of Jesuit theatre came to an abrupt end with the suppression of the order in 1773, active Jesuit involvement with the theatre resumed upon the restoration of the order in 1814.  Jesuit teachers continue to work with their students to stage theatrical productions in high schools and universities around the world, and Jesuits are active in theatre companies that advance the faith and promote social justice.