Director’s Notes:
This is the setup drama for a stewardship series. The following sketches (I got me some bills, I got me no time, and I got me no job) will show that we need to make sure that we give God charge of our time, treasures and talents.
Cast:
Dave: An average man
Teri: Dave’s wife
Lucas: Their son
Isabelle: Their daughter
Props:
A chair
CD of happy music (I used the “Peanuts” theme – Lucy and Linus)
Setting:
Home
(LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE)
Dave: Teri! Teri! Where are you!
Teri: (offstage) I’m upstairs!
Dave: Well come on down here! Hurry!
Teri: (offstage) Okay okay hold on!
Dave: Hurry up!
Teri: (comes in) Okay, okay. I’m here. What’s so important?
Dave: You’ll never believe what happened to me today!
Teri: What? Tell me!
Dave: (Starts Singing:)
Dave: I got me a job.
Teri: A job? A job!
Dave: I’m working for Bob.
Teri: For Bob! Who’s Bob?
Dave: Some marketing snob!
Teri: Oh Bob! That Bob.
Dave: He gave me a job!
Teri: A job! Good job!
Dave: I got me a job! It’s a job! I’m no longer an unemployed slob!
Teri: Honey! That’s Great! When do you start?
Dave: Immediately! He told me that I can start on Monday!
Teri: Great! Soooo, how much will you be making?
Dave: Hold your horses! You are looking at the new assistant, assistant market director, making…. $55,000 a year!
Teri: $55,000?!?! You’re kidding?
Dave: Nope! We’re rich! Rich I tell you. 55 grand and it’s all mine!
Teri: Ours you mean.
Dave: That’s what I meant! We’re rolling in the dough and it’s all ours! We can buy whatever we want now! We can get that new big screen TV!
Teri: An a new washer! And a snow blower and some new clothes for the kids and…
Dave: And anything you want!
Teri: And… wait a minute. I just thought of something. How many hours do you have to work to make that kind of money? Are we ever going to see you?
Dave: Oh sure. I asked Bob about that. He said I’ll be working the standard hours. I assume that’s just 9 to 5. I can’t imagine any more than that.
Teri: Oh. Ok. Well, what exactly are you going to be doing?
Dave: Well, I’m not really sure. I mean, I’m a man of many talents so I assume that he’s going to be calling on my skills in marketing, page layout, customer retention, artwork, webpage design, you know.
Teri: Well,… That sounds great! I’m soooo excited for you!
Dave: I know! Isn’t it great! (kids come in)
Lucas: Hey, what’s all the yelling about?
Teri: Daddy got a new job! We’re loaded!
Isabelle: Let’s Dance! (Start music – Everyone dances)
Dave: Let’s go out to dinner to celebrate! You kids decide!
Kids: McDonalds!!!
Dave: Doh!
Teri: Smooth move, Exlax.
END
© 2004 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