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sample drama from cora alley

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Title: Resurrection Theories

Scripture: Matthew 28
Theme: Three Resurrection theories: The Swoon Theory, The Theft Theory, and the Hallucination Theory.
Objective: This skit helps people understand that there are 3 theories that try to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each of these theories is examined and shown to be ridiculous.
Performance Time: 5 minutes
Number of Players: 6, 3 men and 3 women

Synopsis: This skit examines three resurrection theories: Patrice, a believer is arguing with her friend, Josh, a skeptic. He insists on the Swoon Theory, that Jesus just passed out, then rolled away the stone and left. Mike, a believer, argues with Tracy, a skeptic, as she advocates the Theft Theory, that the disciples of Jesus simply took the body. Finally, Andi, a skeptic, tries to prove to her husband, Jim, who has a simple faith in the Bible, that the Hallucination Theory is correct and the disciples only thought they saw the body of Jesus. In each case the scene ends with the line, "No man can resurrect from the dead." This sets up the pastor's sermon to argue the case that Jesus was not an ordinary man: He is God!

Cast:

Props:

LIGHTING NOTE: This skit is done in three light pools. Only the scene that's active is illuminated; the other two are in darkness. This is a light show in that the lit spots direct the audience's attention to the next scene. When one couple ends their scene, they freeze in position. This is a tableau or freeze-pose sketch. The audience is able to see all three couples at one time; however two of the three are always frozen.

LIGHTS UP ON SCENE 1: Stage Right. The rest of the stage is dark.

Scene 1: Couple At The Coffee Shop: "The Swoon Theory"

Patrice: Now, let me get this straight. You don't think Jesus resurrected from the dead?

Josh: Of course not, Jesus never really died. He just passed out on the cross.

Patrice: (Trying not to laugh) He just passed out?

Josh: That's right. The guards thought he was dead when they took him off the cross, but really, he just passed out! He swooned.

Patrice: Oh. I get it. After Jesus was beaten within an inch of his life, hiked down main street carrying a cross twice his weight, then spent the day hanging from a cross suffocating to death, and after all that --

Josh: He passed out. Then he came to.

Patrice: Oh! (in disbelief) After all that physical suffering, he had the strength to roll away an enormous stone, knock out the Roman guards, and leave?

Josh: That's right.

Patrice: You're nuts.

Josh: No; that's the only theory that makes sense. The fact is, there was no body in that tomb, and no man can resurrect from the dead.

  1. LIGHTS OUT ON SCENE 1
  2. LIGHTS UP ON SCENE 2

Center Stage

Scene 2: Couple At The Bus Stop: "The Theft Theory"

Mike: How can you think that?

Tracy: Because it's the only theory that makes sense. The disciples snuck up on the Roman guards outside the tomb, beat 'em up; rolled away the stone, and stole the body. That's it -- that's why the tomb was empty.

Mike: The tomb was empty because Jesus rose from the dead. It's called the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's the central fact upon which the Christian faith is based. Without it, we have no hope!

Tracy: Come on, I thought you were a rational guy. The disciples stole the body; that's the only theory that makes sense.

Mike: No it isn't.

Tracy: Look, the fact is there was no body in that tomb, and no man can resurrect from the dead.

  1. LIGHTS OUT ON SCENE 2
  2. LIGHTS UP ON SCENE 3

Stage left

Scene 3: Couple At Home: "The Hallucination Theory"

(Andi's engrossed in a Theory of the Resurrection book. She looks up and tries to get Jim's attention. He is focused on a TV screen that is just over the heads of the audience, so he is facing the audience. He has the remote control in his hands and is flipping back and forth between sports stations. He points the remote at the audience.)

Jim: Would you pipe down on the psycho-babble? I'm trying to watch TV.

Andi: No. Listen, this is fascinating.

Jim: To you maybe. (He points the remote at her and tries to "click her off")

Andi: To hallucinate means "to affect with visions or imaginary perceptions; to perceive or experience as a hallucination."

Jim: (oblivious to her) Uhhhuhhh.

Andi: (wide-eyed) I think that's what happened to the disciples of Jesus.

Jim: (eyes fixed to the TV) Uhhhuhhh.

Andi: They were hallucinating when they say Jesus rose from the dead; they only thought they saw Jesus, but they didn't really. What do you think?

Jim: (eyes fixed to the TV) Uhhhuhhh.

Andi: The disciples wanted him to resurrect so badly, that thought they saw him, but it was really somebody else. That's it; they hallucinated. What do you think?

Jim: About what?

Andi: Haven't you been listening?

Jim: Sure, the score in 10-8.

Andi: No, (exasperated) to my hallucination theory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You don't think he really rose from dead, do you?

Jim: Sure I do.

Andi: How can you believe that?

Jim: (looking at her intently) The Bible tells me so.

Andi: Look, the fact is there was no body in that tomb, and no man can resurrect from the dead.

  1. LIGHTS OUT ON SCENE 3
  2. LIGHTS OUT FOR A MOMENT
  3. LIGHTS COME BACK UP ON ALL THREE POOLS

Sermon Option 1:

All players remain in tableau, (frozen stage picture) and the pastor walks around each set, making his comments about their theories. The players do not respond to the pastor. At a given point, cued by the pastor, the players leave the stage, and the pastor continues his message.

Sermon Option 2:

All players exit the stage during the blackout. The pastor approaches each scene and sits where the characters sat, to remind the audience of the discoveries reflected in that scene.

The End

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