A Mighty Experience of Steiner’s Mystery Dramas

by Lori Barian

A magical festival mood united three hundred fifty people from across the United States and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe during “Rudolf Steiner’s Four Mystery Dramas — A Festival & Conference, August 8-17, 2014, at Threefold Educational Center in Chestnut Ridge, New York.

The nine-day event gracefully wove the day-long plays with alternating days featuring lectures, artistic workshops, and conversation groups, plus a comedy night and a day off, into a satisfying whole. The breathing rhythm helped participants experience and understand the plays and their significance to their own lives and to the anthroposophical movement while giving everyone space and time for cultivating and renewing friendships.

This huge feat was made possible through the inspiration and leadership of director Barbara Renold and the leadership and collaboration of the staff of the Threefold Educational Foundation and the Anthroposophical Society in America, as well as the many actors and stage hands, conference organizers, lecturers, and workshop and conversation group facilitators.

Barbara Renold

“It’s a miracle,” Barbara Renold said to everyone present, “and you’re part of it.” It was also the first time that all four of Rudolf Steiner’s mystery dramas have ever been per- formed consecutively in one place by the same cast and crew in English. Many people noted the fertile ground of the Chestnut Ridge-Spring Valley community in which this could happen, led by the Threefold Educational Center and featuring Green Meadow Waldorf School, Eurythmy Spring Valley, the Rudolf Steiner Fellowship Community, Sunbridge Institute, The Pfeiffer Center, the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, the Otto Specht School, the Seminary of the Christian Community and more, this community had nurtured the mystery drama impulse for years.

Johannes listens to others’ conversations after a spiritual lecture; opening scene of the first play. — All mystery drama photos courtesy of Threefold Educational Center.

“A mighty experience.” Cheryl Martine, Lincolnville, ME

“An initiation.” Robert Enno, Austin, TX

“A pilgrimage to the source.” Rachel Pomeroy, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

“Transformative.” Albert Spekman, Bronx, NY

“Cathartic.” Else Wolf, Glenmoore, PA

“Anthroposophical Woodstock.” Stephen Usher, Austin, TX

Virginia Sease, Executive Council member who attended from the Goetheanum, reminded participants that thirty-three years ago the whole Executive Council came to Spring Valley and met with 700 society members. That important event planted a seed that has been tended. Stephen Usher, one of the lecturers and conference organizers, spoke a number of times about the importance to the life and cultivation of anthroposophy that the plays be performed and seen. This event was a milestone for the Anthroposophical Society in America, and for the anthroposophical movement worldwide.

“These incredible works of art are an entirely new impulse in the history of human drama,” Barbara Renold said. “They are as significant as the Greek tragedies, as Shakespeare’s plays. These are the next step…” Barbara herself was recognized for her boldness and initiative to bring all four plays to life; even she thought it was a “crazy” idea at first. “There’s always a forerunner at the turning points of time when something new is coming into the world,” said actor Laurie Portocarrero, who portrayed Maria through all four plays, when introducing Barbara on the final Sunday.

Franz Eilers portrayed Felix Balde and his various incarnations and helped organize and carry the conference. He described in the atmosphere of the event the central gesture of Rudolf Steiner’s sculpture, “the representative of man.” As he raised his arms to imitate the gesture, he talked about the inner space created as well as the activity of moving forward into the world to meet another person. “When we provide a space in ourselves for our own true being, there is an atmosphere, and when two people meet, that atmosphere creates the ground for their meeting. And that is the ground for the future of the Anthroposophical Society.” More than how many schools or farms there are, he said, “I am interested in creating the space with you and everyone else so that the future comes out of us. It is us. It is that activity, that ground, that is the future of the anthroposophical movement.”

Joan Sleigh, newest member of the Executive Council at the Goetheanum and originally from South Africa, brought a number of these themes together when she spoke, also on the final Sunday. “Through the dramas one can have a strong sense of our interconnectedness—how we as human beings and the spiritual beings are interrelated—and of the complexity of destinies, our karmic knots, and the detours people have to go through.

Medieval incarnation: the advanced spiritual pupil Maria is guided by her dead teacher in meeting spiritual opposition.

“We know the contents of the dramas are the content of the School for Spiritual Science. We know the Goetheanum is the home of the mystery dramas and the School. We’ve had a small ‘Goetheanum experience’ here. Can we see ‘Goetheanum’ as a process in continuous development through deeds like this? Can we manifest many ‘Goetheanum events’ in many places?”

Joan also spoke about our interconnectedness relative to the School for Spiritual Science. “We have all experienced that the School has the task to manifest deep esoteric truths with the greatest possible openness. The deepest possible esoteric is something we do alone. On the human level, we are brothers and sisters, interconnected; how do we manifest openness?” Community building, she said means first being with oneself—knowing, accepting, integrating various levels of oneself and, second, being with every other human being and with spiritual beings, creating places for connectedness. “In between, we take gentle steps, feeling that in-between space. With gentle loving care that we nurture with consciousness, we go with courage and vulnerability with one another into the complexity of our time.”

The dramas, Daniel Hafner’s lectures, the talks on each of the four main characters, and opportunities to converse— all this was inspiring for participants. “It was humanizing and humbling,” said Cheryl Martine. “It’s helpful to be aware of how idiosyncratic our journeys are.”

Each of the main characters at some point tumbled, Johannes more than once, but the other members of the community were there in support and to help, Cheryl noted. “We matter so much to each other and to our leader, to Steiner,” Cheryl remarked.

Opening the fourth play, a business meeting: trying to bring spirit into the modern economy.

“We’re all going together,” said Fred Janney. “We’re brothers and sisters, whether you’re on the other side or here.” Gary Lamb, a conversation group facilitator, commented on the experience of the event and its impact individually and in community life. “The dramas give one more awareness of the way one lives personally with Lucifer and Ahriman,” he said. “They also highlight the importance of our pre-earthly relationship as anthroposophists and in the Michael School in the supersensible world.” Gary has been seeking to bring that knowledge and mood into the School for Spiritual Science and into his work with community initiatives. “It helps us sort the essential from the nonessential and get to the real work,” he said. “I wish for new generations that they start out where I am now and do not have to go through decades of trials and lack of respect. We don’t have time to waste. We have to get going.”

If one can imagine three hundred and fifty people being so inspired, then one can grasp that something real happened. Participants were changed through their experience over the nine days together. The karma and biography of the Anthroposophical Society itself has been affected. The results in our various personal lives and our communities will be seen over the coming months, but there’s no doubt that the anthroposophical movement has been quickened.

Lori Barian is a teacher, administrator, and trainer of teachers. She was editor of the Central Region’s newsletter The Correspondence and represented the region for several years on the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America. She lives in Wisconsin.

Capesius (foreground) ponders while his friend the scientist Strader experiences the isolation of his soul’s abyss.