Tenebrae

I attended, and took part in, my first (as far as I can recall) Tenebrae service this evening.
Apparently the word means 'shadows' and the idea is that, as we read through what's known as the 'Passion narrative' (Jesus's last supper, arrest, trial and crucifixion), a candle is extinguished at the different points in the story. By the end of the service the church is in relative darkness and we leave silently to go out into the night.

As a piece of 'theatre' it works by adding a bit of visual commentary to the familiar (for many) words. And we got to the end without setting off the smoke alarms!