Enduring Principle: Worth of All Persons

Type: Multi-Part Drama

Characters:

Green Shirt
Person #1
Person #2
Speaker of the Sermon

Props: None

Costumes: Contemporary

Special Instructions: None

(The characters could be either male or female. I will write as if all were female, and if an actor is male, just change the dialogue. A person wearing a green shirt sits down in front next to the podium or where the speaker intends to speak. The Green Shirt person needs to sit or lie down very quietly throughout the service. The Green Shirt is simply there without drawing attention to herself while others are leading the worship service. This must be respected. If the Green Shirt could position herself in such a way that people leading the worship service needs to either step over or walk around the person, that would be best. Until the Speaker does at the end, the leaders of the service do not pay attention to Green Shirt at all. The Speaker of the sermon has a role to play in this drama.)

Part I – Before the Service Begins:

(Two people enter after the Green Shirt has settled down, before the service begins. They cross to Green Shirt.)

Person #1: (to Green Shirt) You're not going to sit there, are you? (no answer) Come on, now. You can sit over there.

Green Shirt: (looks up) Tell me Jesus, is it all right if change my name?

Person #1: You don't belong here! Come on!

Person #2: Oh, just leave her alone. People are looking at us.

(Person #1 and Person #2 exit. They need to be free to enter and exit.)

Part II – Before the Invocation:

(Person #1 and Person #2 enter and cross to Green Shirt.)

Person #1: I can't stand it! Look, you don't belong here.

Person #2: Don't get so upset. It doesn't matter.

Person #1: She's a Green Shirt. Of course it matters! (leans over the Green Shirt)

Person #2: (pulls Person #1 back) Don't touch her!

Person #1: I'm not going to touch her! I'm not stupid, you know. Nobody in his right mind would touch a Green Shirt. (leans over) Tell me right now what you want. Then get up, and get out.

Green Shirt: (looks up) Tell me Jesus, is it all right if I change my name?

Person #2: She thinks you're Jesus!

Person #1: Pathetic.

Person #2: What are you doing? Leave it.

(Person #1 and Person #2 exit.)

Part III – Before the Scripture Reading:

(Person #1 and Person #2 enter and cross to Green Shirt.)

Person #2: You don't have to do this, you know. Come on, let's go back.

Person #1: (to Green Shirt) You're a pain, you know that? You do nothing. You're just a drain and I don't want my taxes to take care of you. Come on, go on out and get a job. You can get up. You don't need anybody's help. You're just pretending. Come on. Nobody wants you here. Nobody wants you.

Person #2: Just ignore her. She's invisible. Everybody just ignores her.

Green Shirt: (looks up) Tell me Jesus, is it all right if I change my name?

Person #2: Come on, just ignore her.

(Person #1 and Person #2 exit.)

Part IV – Immediately Before the Sermon:

(The Speaker of the sermon crosses to the podium to speak. Then Person #1 and Person #2 enter and cross to Green Shirt. The Speaker looks on.)

Person #1: (to Green Shirt) People talk about you, you know. They say you make a spectacle of yourself all the time. They say you're incompetent. You're a bad person and you've done some really bad things and you deserve everything you get. You're strange. Nobody likes you.

Person #2: You don't need to do this.

Person #1: (to Person #2) Why don't you just leave? You don't understand anything.

Person #2: What has she done to you?

Person #1: (pause) She exists.

Person #2: She's just a Green Shirt. That's all.

Person #1: Are you really this dense?

Person #2: Why do you care about her? Nobody even looks at her, so why are you so upset? I wouldn't be.

Person #1: Get away from me.

Person #2: Fine. (exits)

Green Shirt: Tell me Jesus, is it all right if I change my name?

Person #1: Who cares about your name? (exits)

Part V – Immediately After the Sermon:

(The Speaker gives her sermon. Before she moves to sit down, she looks down at Green Shirt.)

Speaker: Hi. How are you?

Green Shirt: (looks at the audience, not at the Speaker) Tell me Jesus, is it all right if I change my name?

Speaker: Yes.

Green Shirt: (looks at the Speaker) Really?

Speaker: But Jesus loves your name just as it is.

Green Shirt: (ponders) Really.

(Person #1 enters and crosses to Green Shirt. The Speaker looks on.)

Person #1: Enough of this. (to Green Shirt) Nobody wants a Green Shirt around. Nobody. Why can't you just leave us alone? Look at these people here. They don't want you. You're just being disruptive. (Green Shirt stands) Oh good. Now go on your way. Get out.

Green Shirt: You're beautiful.

Person #1: (surprised) What? What?

Green Shirt: Don't you know how beautiful you are?

(Person #1 is completely taken off-guard.)

Person #1: You ... you don't know what you're talking about.

Green Shirt: I see what I see. And you are beautiful.

Person #1: Why are you saying this to me?

Green Shirt: Because you're worth it.

(Person #1 breaks down as her masks have been destroyed. Green Shirt crosses to her and holds her.)

Person #1: My mother's dead. She's dead and I don't know what to do. She died last night.

Green Shirt: It'll be all right. You're not alone here. You're not alone.

(Green Shirt and Person #1 exit together.)

Speaker: (to the audience) Go and do likewise.

END

Copyright 2008 Debra Bruch