Like my most popular Christmas plays, this has NO lines to learn! Written for Easter, but good for Mother's Day or anytime, this easy-to-do 52-minute script with narrative soundtrack presents a powerful message about Jesus' obedience to His Father, and His atoning sacrifice, in the form of a dream of a young man on the verge of an important decision. His believing mother's prayers for her son result in a life-changing experience that will touch your audience!
Click here to preview the script and listen to an audio preview of the soundtrack!
While I do have some plays on the site that can be used for Easter, such as "Jerusalem's Most Wanted," and several others, I have never written one specifically focusing on the events of the cross. There are many plays out there that recount the events of Good Friday and Easter in very accurate ways, and many churches do the traditional re-enactments. What could I do that would add to that? I wanted to do one that was like some of my others, in our unique "Play/Act" format, which has all the narration, music and sound effects on the soundtrack CD, meaning that there were no lines to learn. These kind on our site are very popular for Christmas... but writing one for Easter was problematic. The Nativity is much easier to depict than the crucifixion. Many smaller churches have less people and room on stage than is needed for a large-scale production of the events of the cross, which can be difficult to pull off.
This means that if I did do a narrated CD for the events, that many smaller churches would not be able to do it. If they could do an Easter play portraying the events, chances are they have already done so or are planning on it, and another script would not be needed. I struggled with a way to do a meaningful and moving play based on Easter events that could be done by smaller churches as well, with the CD making it easier to learn. After much thought and prayer, I believe I have come up with a workable yet dramatic idea that revolves around the action surrounding the Lord's suffering and triumph, that allows for a narrated soundtrack, and a smaller cast and stage. This is done by having the audience see only the reactions of the main character, as he witnesses several parts of the Biblical events. We, as the audience, only hear the sounds of the scourging and crucifixion, as the young man sees it happening in front of him, looking toward the audience.
The scenes he sees are brought to life by the narration, music and effects, and we see the impact it has on him and the Biblical characters with him as they watch, the action they see "offstage" in the direction of the audience watching them. Make sense? What they are seeing is happening in the direction of the audience, so the audience sees up close the character's reactions to it. The soundtrack will make it sound real, and it will be brought to life in their imaginations. The story is more about the impact the events have on the young man, than an actual re-enactment on stage.
Oh, by the way, the present-day part of the play itself will not refer to any particular time-period that it takes place during. Although the scenes in the dream are from the events of the crucifixion, the play can be done any time, not only at Easter, and would work equally well as a Mother's Day drama, since the mother's prayers are primarily responsible for the conviction the son experiences. It will also speak to sons and daughters of praying mothers. So, it could work equally well for Easter, Mother's Day or any time!
Update: performance reports are starting to come in! Here is the first...
Hello, Fred,
"The Legacy" was very well received! Our elderly esp. appreciated it because they could hear every word. Also, a retired minister, who is going blind, called to tell me how much he appreciated the drama. I know there were unsaved people in attendance, so I know seeds were planted. I was able to get people to act who were really out of their comfort zone. It was such a great time with people coming together to present God's salvation story. I didn't know at the beginning how this was all going to come together, but I trusted God that he would make it happen. The "no lines" format worked beautifully!
Fred, if you have time, go to our church website, http://www.bunkertownchurch.org. Click on the photo gallery, and you will be able to see a slide show. The soundtrack was fantastic! God sure did bless you with "The Voice". I hope we can work with you again in the future. Thanks again for a wonderful, wonderful drama!
Blessings to you,
-Hannah
You can view many photos of the presentation here.
Fred,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved it and so did our whole congregation. I wish you had more plays like this where we don't have to say lines. It was powerful and many tears were shed during the play. But more importantly a husband and dad of two of my actors came back to the Lord and had an emotional time with Jesus just because of the play. He is now serving the Lord just because he came to watch his family in the play. So praise the Lord for the work that you do. -Gail
Bethany Pentecostal Church
Manchester, Ky