A drama about Evangelism
Director’s Notes:
Ray did a series on how to invite people to an event we have called Friend Day. Basically, it comes down to the fact that most of us are nervous/scared/worried about inviting people to church for fear of rejection.
This drama uses a tape with voice over on it. Basically, everything in parenthesis is what Mark is thinking…)
Cast:
Mark: A Christian
John: Mark’s non-Christian friend
Props:
Couch
Setting:
Livingroom
(LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE where John and Mark are sitting on the couch watching a football game.)
John: Explain it to me one more time.
Mark: I can’t explain it.
John: 4th and 5, on their own 42 and Norv Turner goes for it. Explain that to me!
Mark: It’s unexplainable.
John: Man.
(START TAPE HERE)
Mark: (Okay, I’ve been sitting here watching a football game with John now for how long? 2 hours or something? We’ve managed to eat 3 bags of chips, 2 boxes of Little Debbies, and a 12 pack of Mountain Dew. It’s only by the grace of God that we’re still functional. Speaking of, this would probably be a good time to ask him out to Friend Day. But how do I do it? I mean, I’m no preacher! I need to find some sort of “in” – something that will lead the conversation that way so I can ask him. Hmmmm…)
John: Ahh! Our offensive line is terrible! How are we going to get the running game going if we can’t open up a big enough hole?
Mark: (talking kinda weird) Yes. I agree. Too bad we don’t have Moses here to part the defensive line like he did to the Red Sea that I heard about at church. (grins)
John: (looks at him like he’s weird) Uh, yeah. Okay.
Mark: (Oh, that was just great. Good job Einstein. “Too bad we don’t have Moses here to part the defensive line!” Alright, maybe that wasn’t the best tactic. Hmmm. Wait a minute! I know. I was trying to do it all on my own! I need to let the Holy Spirit do the work! Yeah! I’ll pray about it and watch the Holy Spirit do his thing! It’s brilliant! Okay, here goes….)
(Mark squeezes his eyes shut and makes prayer/hand gestures like he’s splashing water in Johns face)
John: Maybe we should watch another game. The skins look terrible. They… (notices Mark) Er, Mark. Uh, are you ok? I told you not to have that 7th can of Dew.
Mark: I’m fine. What are you thinking?
John: I’m thinking you’ve lost your mind.
Mark: (Looks up) Yeah, heh. Just joking around. (Oh, this just gets better by the minute. Why don’t I just put a sign around my neck that says “I’m insane.” What was I thinking? I can’t just expect God to do the whole thing. Ok. Let’s face the facts here. I’m scared to death of asking him to go. What if he says “no?” Then when would I ask him again? How will this affect our friendship? What if he runs out of here screaming? Or worse yet, what if he asks me some questions about God that I can’t answer? What would I do then? What if he laughs at me? I couldn’t take that kind of rejection! What if he thinks I’m some dweeb Christian loser? What then? WHAT WOULD I DO?)….
Mark: (Yelling) LOOK, DO YOU WANT TO GO WITH ME TO FRIEND DAY AT MY
CHURCH OR NOT???
John: (pause) Okay.
Mark: Look, I don’t want to ask you agai… what did you say?
John: Okay.
Mark: Okay?
John: Okay.
Mark: Oh-kay.
John: (back to TV) All right, finally. I decent run.
Mark: Do you think it’s good enough for a first down?
John: Gonna be close. Only Moses would know. (laughs)
Mark: Yeah, yeah. Mr. Funny-guy! (punches his arm) Do you want another Dew?
John: (imitating Mark’s prayer) You read my mind. Bring it on!
Mark: (get up) heh ok. One Dew coming up…
(LIGHTS OUT SLOWLY)
John: Oh, come on. It’s first down? What are you thinking? Blah blah blah…
END
(c) 1999 Dave Marsh
Hello and welcome to Stage Right, the online drama ministry of EXW. My name is Dave Marsh and there are a few things you should probably know about me. First, I’m not a ‘theatre guy.’ I’ve never quoted Shakespeare (at least seriously), and I’ve never played Daddy Warbucks in Annie. Second, I received my ‘training’ in writing, directing, and acting at a church called Willow Creek (in Illinois.) Third, I’m an online games producer by trade but my real passion is found in telling others about Christ through contemporary church drama.
I have a few opinions about drama in the church as well. I think that contemporary drama is both underutilized and misunderstood. I believe it is something like 5-10 years behind contemporary worship. When many churches think about using drama, it usually involves the Passion Play or a children’s Christmas musical. Many people don’t have the opportunity to experience what are called ‘slice of life’ dramas. These dramas may last only 3-4 minutes long but create a powerful (and many times humorous) illustration on any given Sunday. I also believe that any church, no matter what size, can use drama effectively, giving God glory, and inspire/convict normal folks like you and I to walk closer to God
So, what’s Stage Right all about? It’s about offering you the advice and resources you need to help you create and act in contemporary Christian dramas. I’m no expert, but I’ve seen lives changed as I continue to strive for excellence in this area, constantly praying that God would use me to tell others about how to live for Him. Over the coming weeks and months, I hope to provide you with articles about creating a drama philosophy, working with your pastor, developing a team, writing short effective scripts, directing actors, and acting on stage. I also look forward to hearing from you, taking suggestions on topics that you feel should be covered
Over the last 3 years, I’ve written over 45 dramas that are easy to memorize, require few actors, and are highly humorous and relevant. These dramas are available to you for free and will be added to this site over the course of the next few months. You can currently download all of these dramas from my personal site (www.dave-marsh.com) and can contact me personally if you wish (dave).
I look forward to serving you here at EXW and want to thank Steve for asking me to jump on board.
In His hands
Dave Marsh