Director’s Notes:
I decided to bring Horace and Wendy back since Horace has always been a perfect example of someone who takes things to the extreme. Life can sometimes seem so useless or we can get fatalistic when we look at the world around us. We can get into a rut where we feel like we’re just on a big, blue treadmill. True joy and meaning come from knowing and walking with Christ daily. Unfortunately, Horace has no clue…
Cast:
Horace: Quite the fatalistic fellow
Wendy: A woman Horace met on the internet
Props:
A bench (or chairs put together)
A cassette tape of park noises (birds, kids, etc) – if available
Setting:
A park bench
(LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE on Horace. He is sitting on a park bench anxiously awaiting the arrival of Wendy, once again. Wendy comes walking up…)
Horace: Wendy? Wendy! Over here.
Wendy: Hi Horace.
Horace: Wendy. Hi. Um, please sit down.
Wendy: Oh, I don’t know what I’m doing here. I must be nuts. (turns to walk away).
Horace: Hey, c’mon Wendy, just stay would you?
Wendy: Horace Wimp, do you remember what happened last time we went on “date?”
Horace: Yeah, you ran away screaming.
Wendy: And do you remember why?
Horace: Well, I kinda had a little problem.
Wendy: Little? Horace, you carried a book the size of a small country around with every failure you ever had in there. In fact, they were indexed, cross-referenced and, if I’m not mistaken, posted on your web page and every newsgroup on the Internet.
Horace: That was before! I’ve changed Wendy. See? No book. Now, c’mon, give me another chance ok?
Wendy: (long pause) Ok Horace. Everyone deserves a second chance.
Horace: Great! That’s the spirit! Okay, let’s start over. Hi, I’m Horace Wimp. I’m a computer programmer.
Wendy: Okay. Okay. Hi, I’m Wendy Jones. I’m a 3rd grade teacher.
Horace: Oh. Wow. I’m sorry.
Wendy: What do you mean?
Horace: Well, you know? I’m sorry about the kids.
Wendy: What kids?
Horace: The kids that you have in your class. I mean, nothing personal, but do you realize that you are spending all this time trying to teach them important values when in no time, they’ll be teenagers, getting into all sorts of problems, smashing their parents car, robbing convenience stores, and ending up in the big house! I mean, it all seems so useless. Why bother?
Wendy: Uh. Horace. I’m not sure what you’re talking about so let’s just call that ‘strike one’ and forget it. Now, what do you want to do today?
Horace: Anything you want, Wendy.
Wendy: Well, how about we go for a bike ride. That’s a lot of fun.
Horace: A bike ride? Why bother?
Wendy: What do you mean?
Horace: I mean, why bother? Okay, we’re going to go on a bike ride and we’ll go round and round some bike path in circles and lose some weight and feel better about ourselves for, what, like 60 minutes and then you eat lunch and you eat too much and you gain that weight back and more and then you ask yourself “Why did I go on that bike ride if I’m going to get fat?” and then you end up on the couch eating bon-bons to 3am watching old reruns of Starsky and Hutch. I mean, what’s the point?
Wendy: A simple ‘no thanks’ would have been sufficient Horace. I’d say that’s ‘Strike 2.’
Horace: Hey, I’m sorry Wendy. Okay, c’mon what do you REALLY want to do? Anything!
Wendy: All right Horace. Something simple. Let’s play fetch with my dog.
Horace: Why?
Wendy: Because it’s fun.
Horace: Yeah, fun, but for how long. I mean, you buy this cute little puppy and everything’s wonderful and you come home from work every day and he waits for you and boy are you happy and you count on this dog to make you feel important and needed. But then what happens? He lives, what, maybe 13 or 14 years if you’re lucky or if he doesn’t get hit by a passing ice cream truck. I mean, life seems so insignificant then. Why don’t you just ship him off to China where they have dogs for dinner? Literally? And then…
Wendy: (stands up) Enough! Okay, Horace I gave you a second chance. You may view life that way but not me. Goodbye Horace! (storms off and then comes back) By the way, STRIKE 3!!!
Horace: Strike 3? Oh, I get it? As in baseball? Baseball, I mean, what’s the point? Old men hitting a little ball with a stick. What’s that all about. You run around bases over and over and people cheer for you for what? Blah blah blah….(fades out while Horace chases her…)
(LIGHTS FADE SLOWLY)
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