Director’s Notes:
Anxiety and worry can incapacitate us. If we don’t trust that the Father will provide and care for us, we can literally worry ourselves to a spiritual death. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I go to bed, even though I’m physically exhausted, I won’t be able to fall asleep because a million anxious thoughts are bouncing around inside my head. I decided to write this drama based on that where every sentence was a question.
Like many dramas I’ve written, the dialogue takes place inside the person’s head. I’ve recorded it at (http://www.dave-marsh.com/dramas/audio/1001.mp3) if you wish to use it. Simply right click on the blue link, select ‘Save Target As’, and save the MP3 file to your hard drive…
Cast:
Dave: A man who worries way too much
Props:
Remote control
Mail
Setting:
The family room
(LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE where Dave comes walking up.)
Dave: What’s up with this grass? Didn’t I just cut it like last week? And what about that paint under the porch? Is that water damage? How do you fix water damage? Do you have to put on a new roof? Is that thunder? Is it going to rain? How am I going to cut the grass if it rains again? And what about the leak? Who’s going to fix that? Do I need a new roof? How much is that going to cost? How can I afford that? (takes a deep breath) Where’s Sandy? Where’s the kids? Where could they be? Isn’t it 6 o’clock? How come there’s no note? Doesn’t she always leave a note? Is she ok? Is her car here? Has she been in an accident? Should I call the police? Or the hospitals? What if they’re hurt on some road somewhere? Wouldn’t they talk about accidents on the news?
Dave: (turns on the TV) Why is the news always so depressing? Why can’t they just stop killing each other in the MidEast? Why are we getting involved? Don’t we have enough problems of our own? I mean, what’s happening to kids these days? Why do they have to put metal detectors in schools? Does Logan’s school have a metal detector? Is he safe there? What about the bus? What happens if the bus goes off the road? Do kids where seat belts on the bus? Should I drive him to school? Wouldn’t that be safer?
Dave: (lifts his arm on that last line and feels numbness in his arm) What was that? Why is my arm a little numb? Did I pinch a nerve or is it something more? Isn’t it my left arm? Doesn’t that have to do with a stroke or something? Is it just circulation problems? Are my arteries getting clogged? Am I going to have a heart attack? When is the last time I visited the doctor? When did I get my last physical? Shouldn’t I get x-rays like once a year? What if there is something inside me and I don’t know about it? Could I have something like cancer? Is that it? Could I have cancer and not know it? How would Sandy and the kids get by? How would she survive?
Dave: (looks down and sees the mail) And what about these bills? How can we have so many bills? How much is this VISA for? How much??? How can I pay this? Where’s the money going to come from? Aren’t they talking about layoffs at work? Could I be one of those? Could it happen this week? Where else would I work? How are we going to get by? Are we going to have to move? Where would we go? And where’s Sandy anyway? Why isn’t she home by now? Shouldn’t she have left a note? Are they ok? Are the kids in an accident? Why isn’t God doing something about all this? Isn’t He supposed to help me? Why isn’t He blessing me? Why is all this happening to me? WHERE’S GOD WHEN I NEED HIM?
(LIGHTS SLOWLY FADE as the pastor comes up to speak )
END
(c) 2001 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