Going Off Script
John Scritchfield (center) works with the cast on staging for the play "Much Ado About Nothing."
John Scritchfield is the creative director for the Calvin Theatre Company at Calvin University. It’s his dream job.
“This is absolutely everything I wanted to do from when I was 18. When I got involved in college theatre, I knew I wanted to be a college theatre professor,” said Scritchfield.
But Scritchfield says it’s a good thing the Calvin position wasn’t open or on his radar then.
“If I had known that I could end up here at Calvin in this position, I probably would have tried to make that happen,” said Scritchfield. “Instead, I listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit and God has zig-zagged me all over the place to prepare me for this place at this time.”
Cast for a Different Role
Scritchfield was on his way to becoming a pastor. “I was told my entire life ‘you are a man of faith, you know the Bible, you should be a pastor.’”
But, there was a problem. “I didn’t really have a heart for people,” said Scritchfield. Knowing this, a friend of his encouraged him to consider another career. “But I felt God telling me this is where I want you to be,” said Scritchfield.
So, while Scritchfield finished up a degree in pastoral ministry, he picked up a minor in drama. He was able to leverage that when he auditioned for the highly competitive MFA program at Regent University, which auditions thousands for just 10-12 spots each year. Scritchfield was accepted in on his second try.
“It’s the only MFA and acting program that I know of in the world that’s taught from a Christian perspective,” said Scritchfield.
From there, he and his wife started sending resumes out all over the country, and his wife Brandy got an opportunity to work for Baker Publishing Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Led by the Holy Spirit
“We’d never been there before. We packed up our entire lives, Brandy was 7-8 months pregnant with our second child, and we had no idea what life would look like,” said Scritchfield.
While his wife began work, Scritchfield picked up acting opportunities in the area and through it made some connections. Then, in 2021, an opportunity to be an adjunct teaching acting for stage and screen came about at Calvin. And God’s providence became apparent in that moment.
Scritchfield was interviewed on August 2nd, his first son’s birthday. He was offered the job on the 7th, his wedding anniversary. Then, on the 13th, Scritchfield’s birthday, Calvin said they were looking for a new creative director and offered him that job too. Finally, on his daughter’s birthday, the 19th, he was asked if he could direct an upcoming play.
“It was uncanny,” said Scritchfield.
Seeing How it All Makes Sense
While Scritchfield could see the fingerprints of God on his entrance into Calvin, he started to see how his nontraditional path to get there was exactly the preparation he needed.
“It wasn’t until I came here that I realized all those pastoral skills I learned in my undergrad were directly applicable to this role,” said Scritchfield. “The common thread amongst many faculty members here is there’s a pastoral component to teaching. It’s not like that at other places, they don’t nurture their students in the same way. So having those same skill sets isn’t what I should have. Had I known this is where I was heading, I would’ve transferred from that college preparing me for pastoral ministry to a place like Temple to get a degree in fine arts. But, if I took that path, I wouldn’t have been as prepared to tend to the needs of my students.”
At Calvin, Scritchfield is focused on creating an environment in the theatre program where everyone is welcome, where community is valued.
“There’s a presentness here where we bear one another’s burdens, where we give sacrificially of ourselves for the better of the theatre company and the individuals involved,” said Scritchfield. “It took me a long time to fall in love with people, but I hope that’s the difference. Like Christ telling the church, people will know you by your love for one another, I hope people who have had varying theater experiences from high school would see the love we have for one another. Yes, we are educationally sound. Yes, we are excellent in what we produce. But, first and foremost, we support one another, and everyone has a place at the table.”
Excited to Create More Opportunities for Students
Scritchfield is excited to welcome more and more people to the table too. And he’s excited to expand theatre opportunities further.
“This program is 91 years old and with that there comes a great structure to build on. We have an enormous scene shop, fully functioning turntables, one of the largest black box theaters in western Michigan. And we have totally new lighting apparatuses in both of our performance spaces,” said Scritchfield. “Seeing the investment from our liberal arts university is exciting, because it isn’t a pattern we’re seeing across the nation in Christian higher ed.”
Scritchfield has dreams of continuing to expand the theatre program at Calvin and he knows he’s right where he’s supposed to be.
“To feel you are walking the path God has for you is deeply fulfilling and gives you a sense of responsibility that I don’t know I can adequately articulate.”
There's still time to catch the Calvin Theatre Company's fall play "Much Ado About Nothing," which is directed by Scritchfield. The original "enemies to lovers" Shakespearean story is given a 2004 twist with the setting being the Messina Mall. The performance takes place in Calvin University's Gezon Auditorium with showtimes of Friday, November 8 (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, November 9 (2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.).
