Wednesday, March 26, 2008

DRAMA NIGHT!!

Drama Night's comming this Friday in my church! I gonna be acting! Here's my script (story taken from "Youth Walk"):
The Train to Columbus
Characters
Traveler – a mother/father who takes the train to pick up a daughter who is having marriage problems
Gay Man – a gay man who has a poor relationship with his father
Young mother – a young mother with a baby who would not stop crying
Old Woman – an old woman who is going to reconcile with her sister
Traveler’s Mind – The voice of the traveler’s thoughts
Announcer – the voice that tells the train’s arrival or departure
Daughter (Susie) – The Traveler’s daughter
Gay Man’s Mother – well,… the gay man’s mother
Sister – the old woman’s sister
Jesus – Is not seen or verbally heard but makes a difference to the characters…


Setting: Susie in Columbus, Ohio calls her mom in Atlanta, Georgia.
Telephone rings
Traveler – (picks up the telephone) Hello?
Susie: (Is stressed and desperate) MOM, MOM. I am glad that you are there!
Traveler – Susie? Is there something wrong? Have you been having trouble with your husband again?
Susie – Yes, he is just unbearable! He just won’t listen to me at all…
Traveler – How is the baby?
Susie – Tommy is not a baby anymore; he is two now. Well, we haven’t been doing well with all the arguing… Mom I want to come home for a while. Can you take the train to Columbus to ride back with us to Atlanta.
Traveler – Well… Do you think that is the best thing to do? Maybe I can come and stay with you for a while?
Susie - No, Mom, could you please, … please… just take the train here and ride back home to Atlanta with Tommy and me?”
Traveler – Okay, okay… I will take the 9:05 tomorrow morning and meet you at the Columbus station at 11:00 am. I love you! Good-bye.
Susie – Thanks, Mom! Love you, too. Good-bye.

Setting: A Train Station
Enter the Traveler (slow and tiring voice)
Traveler’s Mind – BIG Sigh … Well, here I am, at the Atlanta station, waiting for the train to take me to Columbus. A two-hour trip to Columbus… Oh! This place is chaos – no nice restaurants or clean restrooms. No orderly lines or luggage carts. Oh, sure enough, this is the train station – one huge room with the ticket counter at the end, - smoke, - stale grease, - and lingering sweat ev-ery-where. I don’t want to be here with THESE people. Just look at how they are dressed – with odd, rumpled, wrinkled, clothes - and some are torn, or even dirty. And those tattoos… they seem to be glaring at me.
(Pause) I must be in the wrong place.

Traveler walks to the platform. Old woman is asleep on the floor
Traveler’s Mind – Well, here is the platform for the train
Enter Gay Man and Young mother (Jesus stands in the background, attentive and listening.)

Young Mother to Traveler – (Baby is crying) Do you think that old woman is alright over there laying on the floor?
Traveler – She probably has no other place to go. I don’t know how she can sleep on that hard, cold, filthy floor. She is just resting her head on her grocery bag with the clothes tumbled out and saliva dried at the corner of her mouth. Disgusting!
(Baby cries. The Young Mother tries to comfort the baby)
Traveler – (tentatively asks) Is…is that your baby??
Young Mother – (Boldly) Yes.
Traveler – Well, how old are you?
Young Mother – I will be 17 next month.
Traveler – Oh that is so much responsibility for such a young girl…(baby cries)
Gay Man– Well, I think it is quite normal. My mom was 17 when she had me. And I turned out fine. I am also proud to say that I am gay!
Traveler’s Mind –Did that man just say that he was gay? And proud of it? And a 16 year old mother?! Please don’t tell me they will be on the train too.

(Announcer: Train to Columbus has arrived. Please board)

Everyone boards the train

Traveler’s Mind – Oh No! … Great. They are riding the train too. Ugh. Well, in two hours I will get off the train and I will never have to see these people again.
TWO HOURS! WITH A CRAZY OLD WOMAN, A TEENAGE MOTHER, A CRYING BABY, AND A GAY MAN!
I don’t belong here. Oh, Lord,…please. two hours! Just let us get there soon.

(Announcer: Leaving Atlanta station)

Traveler sits and looks around uncomfortably. She slowly reaches into her bag and pulls out a book. Looks around one more time and slowly buries her face in the book.

Gay man walks over and taps Traveler’s shoulder.

Gay Man: Hey, what ya reading?
Traveler shows the cover of the book
Gay Man: Oh, I’ve heard of him. Didn’t he write a story about a lion and some children?
Traveler: M-m-m, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis.
Gay Man: Yeah, that’s it. My mom read it to my sister and me. It was neat.
Traveler: Is…that why you’re going to Columbus - to be with your family for Christmas?
Gay Man: Yeah, - well, kinda… I haven’t been home for six years. My dad - hates me. (pause) He threw me out because I’m gay. He hasn’t spoken to me much since my partner and I opened a gift shop in Helen. You ever been there?
Traveler: Uh-huh. Once. It was nice.
Gay Man: (Jesus is near) Yeah, well, you see, I’ve only talked to my dad once a year for the past six years. Every time he just spouts Bible verses telling me being gay is a sin. He’s a deacon in our church and he’s embarrassed by me. He can hardly stand to see me. I’m going home now (pause) for mom. She asked me to come to the church Christmas program tonight and then to stay over to see my sister’s family tomorrow. Dad had a heart attack in June and Mom is just hoping we can make up before anything happens. I guess - I’m hoping so too. Maybe something will change Dad’s mind.
(pause) So, anyway, what about you? What do you do for a living?
Traveler: I work for a Christian Ministry.
Gay Man: Oh … I see. (pause) Can I ask you something? What do you think the Bible says about homosexuality?
Traveler: I can only tell you what the Bible says – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all sinners and fall short of God’s standard. You have to examine the Bible yourself.
Gay Man: Let’s say – if God really thinks it is wrong for me to be gay, do you think He will forgive me?
Traveler: Ehe Bible does say that God will forgive you and all you need to do is ask. He loves you no matter what. The important thing is to believe in Jesus Christ. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gay Man: Do you really believe that?
Traveler: (pause) Yeah. … Yes, I do.
Gay Man: (pause) Huh. Thanks. It was nice talking to you.
Traveler: Can I pray for you, now?
The Gay Man slowly nodes his head.
Gay Man: Yes, I would like that…
Traveler and The Gay Man quietly pray and Jesus is there.
(Announcer: One Hour to Columbus!)

Baby cries and cries…
Young Mother moves outside the train and tries to calm the baby down.
Baby still cries.
Jesus nudges the Old Woman.
Old Woman: (moves to the Young Woman) Oh, can I hold him? I like babies! (baby cries)
Young Mother: (looks concerned at whether to trust The Old Woman) Uh…Okay.
Tentatively passes baby to Old Woman
Old Woman’s face brightens.
Baby stops crying.
Old Woman coos the baby and is totally engaged with the baby, like an old Nana or Auntie.

Gay Man returns to his seat.
Traveler returns to her book.

Old Woman: I had me a baby once – a sweet little boy.
Young woman: What happened?

Traveler appears to read her book but increasingly is drawn into the Old Woman’s story…
Old Woman: (Jesus comforts the Old Woman as she recants her story) He was killed. In a fire. My sistuh, she was keepin’ him and, … and well, somehow … she and her baby got saved. But my baby boy died. It was almos’ 30 years ago. I never had no mo’ babies – seems like after that somethin’ jus’ took me over and drug me down, and down. I ain’t seen my sister for nigh on twenty years. She got a passle o’ kids. Grandkids too. I couldn’t stand it. But God tole me I got to get on home to her this year. I been riding trains for three days – day and night. Mercy, I be so tired, but I gotta let muh sistuh know I don’t blame her no more. It warn’t her fault, and what happened to me warn’t her fault neither. I jus’ gotta let her know.
Old Woman hands the baby back.

Traveler’s Mind: (moves out of the train as she thinks) How could I have presumed to judge this woman when she lay exhausted on the floor? (Jesus is near in prayer and reassurance) Oh, how could I have ever, ever thought that I didn’t belong on this train to Columbus? … I am right where I belong. Just like these travelers, I am also sinful and needy. I am grounded down by life’s sorrow, separated from family and friends by sin, pride, and selfishness.
Yet, every one of us is filled with a kind of longing and hope –
For reconciliation…
For restored relationships…
For finding meaning in life…
For forgiveness and love…
For healing.
(prayfully) God, you have been speaking to me. You have sent your son. Your gift is always love, healing, and hope. It’s only when we take your son that we can become the radiant, beautiful person You designed us to be. It is You who give new life to those who receive Jesus.

(Announcer: We have arrived in Columbus.)

The Traveler turns to watch her fellow travelers depart the train.

Everyone gets off the train.(Gay Man, then Young Mother, last the Old Woman each after the previous character departs the stage)

Enter Gay Man’s mother and Old woman’s sister

Gay Man: Mom!
Gay Man and his mother hug
Gay Man’s Mother: Welcome Home, Son.
Gay Man and his mother walk away
Gay Man: Mom, I have missed you so much and --

Young Mother: Taxi! Come on, my dear. We’re almost home.
Young Mother leaves


Old Woman and her sister hug.
Old Woman: Sistuh!
Sister: Sister, I am sorry.
Old Woman: It’s okay. Everythin’ is okay.
Old Woman and her sister walk off

Enter Traveler’s Daughter
Daughter: Mother!
Traveler and her daughter hug.
Traveler: Come! Let’s go home!
As Traveler and her daughter walk off, Traveler’s mind speaks
Traveler’s Mind: (with great joy and boldness) I will never forget this day when need and vulnerability let me see what God sees when He looks at us. (Jesus approaches) The day I saw why Jesus came and how He works in human hearts. I’ll remember those precious people – because it’s good to examine our imperfect hearts. It’s good, so to speak, to take the train to Columbus. So I hope you’ll remember folks that train ride too, because I know, without any doubt, that if Jesus had been here this cold day, He would have ridden the train to Columbus. In fact, I think maybe He did.

Very long, I'm gonna play "The Young Mother.." Nice, short, parts... :D So I can memorize it RLY easily. (lol, I have BAD memory)

No comments: