Director’s Notes:
Every now and then I wear a rubber band around my wrist that reminds me of something I need to do. I thought, “what if someone had something on them to remind them of stuff they’ve given (and need to continue to give) to God?”
Of course, I took this to the extreme…
Cast:
Dave: An average Joe.
Tina: Dave’s wife who is trying to practice Lordship
Props:
Lots of yellow ‘Post-its’
A list (could be page 2 of the script)
Setting:
A family room
LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE where Dave comes walking in looking for his wife.)
Dave: Tina? Tina? Come on, we’re gonna be late. You know how your rents get when we don’t show up on time. TINA?
Tina: (Tina enters, her clothes covered in Post-its) Okay, I’m ready to go!
Dave: (Looks at her, speechless)
Tina: What?!
Dave: (can’t come up with the words then finally blurts out…) What do you mean, “what?” Look at you?
Tina: What, (looks around) Oh, my goodness, you’re right! I have two different colored socks on! Oh, I gotta go change!
Dave: No, not the socks! Look at you, you look like some nightmare from a Staples commercial!
Tina: Oh, you mean these?!?
Dave: Yes! Those! You can’t leave the house with those on… those…?
Tina: There’s called Post-its, Dave.
Dave: I know what they’re called, darling, I just want to know why for God’s sake you have them stuck all over your body.
Tina: Exactly!
Dave: Exactly what?
Tina: I’m doing this for God’s sake.
Dave: Um, come again?
Tina: Okay, well, at church we’ve been learning about Lordship and I’ve decided to get practical about it.
Dave: Yeah, practically losing your mind… What’s on these anyway? (takes one off her). “My car?”
Tina: Yes. My car. I want to make sure that God is Lord of my possessions.
Dave: You want God to be the Lord of your car?
Tina: Yeah. Look, Dave, don’t you get it? If we call God our Lord, he has to be Lord in all or not Lord at all. (nods head) I heard that at church.
Dave: And all those Post-it’s are things you’re giving over to God’s Lordship?
Tina: Yes. I have a list. Want to help me check them off? (pulls out a list)
Dave: Check them off?
Tina: Yeah, you know, accountability.
Dave: Sure… (take list and looks at it). Whew, this is a lot of stuff.
Tina: Yeah. I mean, I really want to practice Lordship.
Dave: (Takes a step back and looks at her and her sincerity) Okay hon. It wouldn’t have been the way I would have gone about it but I appreciate your desire. Ready?
Tina: Ready. (Get’s ready to start taking them off her clothes)
Dave: Okay, here we go… (As Dave reads these, Tina says ‘check’ and takes a Post-it off.)
1.Job (check)
2.Diet (check)
3.Finances (check)
4.Personal time (check)
5.Marriage (check)
6.Car (check)
7.Artistic ability (check)
8.Past (check)
9.Present (check)
10.Future (check)
11.Pride (check)
12.Kids (check)
13.Relationship with dad…
Tina: Che…. (looks around) Wait a minute. That’s not on the list.
Dave: I know. (long pause)
Tina: (drops the Post-it’s to the ground)
Dave: (Starts picking them up) Hey, look Hon. I didn’t bring that up to make you feel bad. It’s just that if you’re gonna be serious about this lordship thing, then you need to at least try working on the relationship with your dad. I’ll tell you what… why don’t we talk about this in the car, okay? We’ll get some ice cream or something on the way.
Tina: Yeah, okay.
Dave: (Dave puts his arm around her and they walk off) Good thing you didn’t use the stapler huh?
Tina: (She elbows him and smiles as they walk through the door.)
(LIGHTS OUT)
END
(c) 1998 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