Unreasonable Doubt. from Unreasonable Doubt & Other Soul Searches by Jill Mackavey and Rick Tagliaferri

Transcription

1 Lillenas F Drama Presents Unreasonable Doubt from Unreasonable Doubt & Other Soul Searches by Jill Mackavey and Rick Tagliaferri Themes (bold face indicates primary themes): Bravery Judgmentalism Calling Perfectionism Courage Promises Doubt Rejection Expectations (negative) Risk Failure Self-Image Faith Superstition (vs. Gifts (trust in) Faith) Humor (healing power of) Trust Scripture References: Judges 6:11-16; Psalms 5:11-12; 121 Cast (may be done with an additional puppeteer if desired): SUZANNE MARGARET DEKMAR Female, 20ish, excellent singer. If necessary another talent, such as playing an instrument, may be substituted by altering the text where appropriate. DOUBT Female/male, any age, sock puppet BRAVERY Female/male, any age, sock puppet Setting: Act I Living room/sitting room, two entrance/exits (to bathroom, to exterior) Act II Backstage and onstage Props/Costumes: Attractive outfit (e.g., pant suit or flattering dress [SUZANNE]) Two sock puppets representing DOUBT and BRAVERY Large arm chair Magazines Tumbler of water Act II blocks to mask puppeteer Sound: No special requirements. Depending on the size and configuration of your space, you may wish to use a microphone for the singer. Overhead Projections/Signs: No special requirements. Projections indicating the names of the characters and the settings of the two acts may be used if desired. Lights: No special requirements; dimmers, area lights, blackouts recommended Synopsis: SUZANNE MARGARET DEKMAR is a talented, ambitious singer, vulnerable to DOUBT. DOUBT is a sock puppet that attempts to kill joy, hope, courage, risk-taking, peace, fortitude, and SUZANNE S confidence, all in the name of safety and security. DOUBT and BRAVERY can be played by the same actor/actress. Act I SUZANNE MARGARET DEKMAR wishes to sing in a talent contest. The prize is a scholarship. However, as usual, her nerves get the better of her and she is debilitated by nausea. Two sock puppet characters, DOUBT and BRAVERY, visit, each trying to win her over. By the end of the act it s BRAVERY by a nose, and SUZANNE heads out to the contest with DOUBT hot on her heels. Act II SUZANNE is backstage at the talent contest, attempting to keep her courage up as DOUBT pecks away at her. Finally her name is called, and SUZANNE sings bravely and beautifully, her confidence in full bloom. By the end, she finds the courage to cast DOUBT aside completely and to approach Demetri, the very attractive piccolo player, to ask for a date. Note: All biblical quotes in this script are from Today s English Version. Act I (An apartment interior, a large armchair, behind which the actor/actress playing DOUBT and BRAV- ERY is hidden. When the scene opens, DOUBT is the only character on stage. SUZANNE can be heard offstage, groaning.)

2 DOUBT (very pleased with himself/herself): I told ya so! What did I tell you? What did I tell you? Suzanne? Didn t I tell you this would happen again? Huh? Didn t I? Didn t I? SUZANNE (very sick, whimpering moans from offstage): Uuuuuuahhhh... DOUBT (pleased with himself/herself): What was that, Suzanne? SUZANNE (another groan): Uuuuuuahhhh... DOUBT (singsong, mocking): I didn t quite hear you. SUZANNE: What? DOUBT (self-satisfied): I told you this would happen again. Didn t I? SUZANNE (staggering on, holding a tumbler of water. She is dressed for a talent show and sick from nerves.): Yes, Doubt. Yes, you did. And you were right, Doubt. Right again. (Plops down in the chair) DOUBT: Yup. Right is right. SUZANNE: Absolutely right. Very good. DOUBT: You re not so bad yourself. You were right on cue! And I ask you how many people can get sick on cue? A rare gift. One hour til show time and you hit the stalls. (Makes a retching noise) SUZANNE: I ve got to get over this. I really wanted to be in this talent show. DOUBT: I can t believe you re trying this again! Do you remember what happened last time? SUZANNE: Please don t remind me. DOUBT: I consider it my duty. You threw up right before you went on, came out with toilet paper stuck to your shoe, couldn t remember anything but the chorus, and nearly passed out on the high note! In the name of safety... SUZANNE: But I practiced really hard this time. DOUBT: SUZANNE! STAY HOME! SUZANNE: You re right! What was I thinking?! DOUBT: You ll forget the lyrics. SUZANNE (almost simultaneously): I ll forget the lyrics! DOUBT: You ll stand there like a big lump. SUZANNE: I ll stand there like a lump. DOUBT (correcting her): A big lump. SUZANNE: A big lump! DOUBT: You ve probably even picked the wrong song! SUZANNE: I ve probably even picked the wrong song! DOUBT: All wrong. SUZANNE: Totally wrong. DOUBT: Completely wrong. SUZANNE: Stupid in fact! DOUBT: Right. (They slap a high five.) Now. Let s stay here tonight. We ll curl up with a good little fashion magazine and not make fools of ourselves. SUZANNE: Thank you. Thank you for saving my neck. Who needs to sing in public anyway? There s always the shower. DOUBT: And the car. SUZANNE: And the car. DOUBT: If the windows are up. SUZANNE: Right, if the windows are up. OK. So, we ll do a little light reading and call it a night. (Looking through some books) I wouldn t have won that stupid contest anyway. A scholarship. I certainly don t need a scholarship if I m just gonna stay home. (Picking up a magazine) How about this one? DOUBT (cuddling up on her shoulder): Perfect. SUZANNE (reading): 101 Ways to Play It Safe. DOUBT: My kind of article. SUZANNE: Number 1. Always stay at home. DOUBT: Good. SUZANNE: Number 2. Entertain all your doubts. DOUBT: Yes. SUZANNE: Number 3. Stick your head in a bag. DOUBT: Oooo. I never thought of that. Good one...

3 SUZANNE: Number 4. Rid yourself of all dreams and longings. SUZANNE: Yes! Sing for joy! Yes, singing is my joy. (Of course!) They can always sing for joy! DOUBT: Bravo! SUZANNE: Number 5... (BRAVERY, a sock puppet of faith and good humor, forcefully pops up from behind the chair.) BRAVERY: Enough! Enough already. I m feeling sick. DOUBT: There s a lot of that going around here. BRAVERY: Suzanne, put the magazine down. Right now. (Grabs magazine and tosses it) DOUBT: Who do you think you are?! BRAVERY: BRAVERY! Or if you prefer Courage, Valor, Daring, Faith, Fortitude, Pluck! SUZANNE: Wow! DOUBT (unimpressed): Troublemaker s more like it! Am-scray! BRAVERY: Suzanne, it s time to go. You don t want to be late for your big comeback! SUZANNE and DOUBT: We re not going. BRAVERY (quoting with passion from Psalm 121): I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. SUZANNE: Psalm 121. My help will come from the LORD. Yes! (Tries to brush DOUBT off her shoulder. He/she hops back on.) BRAVERY (jumps up on her other shoulder; continues with Psalm 121): The LORD will protect you from all danger; he will keep you safe. He will protect you as you come and go now and forever. (SUZANNE is feeling better and more confident and pushes DOUBT off her shoulder, hard.) DOUBT: Ouch! (Recovering) OK. OK. But, the real question is, will he take the toilet paper off her shoe?! SUZANNE: Ssssshhhh! (Puts the now empty tumbler over DOUBT S head) BRAVERY (quoting again, Psalm 5): But all who find safety in you will rejoice; they can always sing for joy. DOUBT (loud and bitter from underneath tumbler): Yeah, if they can remember the LYRICS! (Finally tosses off tumbler) SUZANNE (to DOUBT): I know em all. I know em all by heart! BRAVERY (quoting Judges): The LORD s angel appeared to him there and said, The LORD is with you, BRAVE AND MIGHTY MAN! SUZANNE (standing, excited, ready to go): Yes, of course. What was I worried about! The Lord is with you, BRAVE AND MIGHTY MAN! DOUBT: You re a woman! A WO-man. It doesn t say Brave and Mighty WO-man. He s talking about someone else. Some guy. Some guy, Suzanne. SUZANNE and BRAVERY: Don t be so literal! SUZANNE (stands up): I m ready. Here I go! (SUZANNE begins to exit.) BRAVERY: Great! DOUBT: Wait! Don t forget the Pepto-Bismol! (She s gone.) Suzanne! Wait! (BRAVERY and DOUBT look at each other for a moment, then disappear.) Interlude (Note: Action is continuous. While SUZANNE, DOUBT, and BRAVERY move into position to begin Act II, the PASTOR/PRIEST reads the scripture interlude.) PASTOR/PRIEST: Judges 6:11 16, Today s English Version. Then the LORD s angel came to the... tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him. The LORD s angel appeared to him there and said, The LORD is with you, brave and mighty man! Gideon said to him, If I may ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if the LORD is with us? What happened to all the wonderful things that our fathers told us the LORD used to do how he brought them out of Egypt? The LORD has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites.

4 Act II (SUZANNE is seated USL; next to her are DOUBT and BRAVERY. The puppeteer should be masked behind blocks or a table.) SUZANNE (praying/muttering scripture under her breath): Brave-and-mighty-man-the-LORD-iswith-you-brave-and-mighty-man-sing-for-joybrave-and-mighty-man, etc. BRAVERY (excitedly): Demitri! SUZANNE (flirtatiously): Demitri... DOUBT: Come on. Let s leave. Now! SUZANNE: Hush up! Come here, Bravery. Let s go talk with (enraptured) Demitri. (Pulls BRAVERY off puppeteer s hand) You re coming with me! DOUBT: What about me?! (Continues this under her breath as DOUBT and BRAVERY converse) DOUBT (a loud whisper to SUZANNE): Look at all those people out there! Suzanne, look! (Gasps) Oh, no! Demitri is here! SUZANNE (in love): Demitri, the piccolo player? BRAVERY: Demitri, sounds more like cello to me. (With import, resonance) Demitri cello. DOUBT: Demitri s a piccolo player! SUZANNE (to keep them quiet): The-LORD-is-withyou-brave-and-mighty-man!-brave-andmighty-man. DOUBT: Oh no! It s your turn. Oh no. (Buries himself/herself in SUZANNE S lap/neck) BRAVERY (announcer voice): And now, ladies and gentlemen, Suzanne Margaret Dekmar! SUZANNE (takes a deep breath, touches BRAVERY, walks to CS with poise): Hello. DOUBT: Oh no! SUZANNE: Tonight it is with pleasure that I will be singing [Insert Song Title of Choice] by [Insert Name of Song Writer/Composer]. DOUBT (whispering loudly): You don t have an accompanist! BRAVERY: Let the lady sing. (Quietly) Sing for joy... (SUZANNE sings [Song of Choice] beautifully. Song ends.) SUZANNE: Thank you! (Returns to seat) BRAVERY: You were great! DOUBT: You should have had an accompanist. Look out. (Hiding) There he is. There s... (nervously) Demitri. SUZANNE: You re just no fun. Bye-bye. (Saunters toward offstage Demitri, putting BRAVERY on her own hand and waves with it, calling...) Demitri! Oh, Demitri. DOUBT: He s too short for you. SUZANNE (over shoulder to DOUBT, using puppet): Oh, not true. He s a brave and mighty man! (DOUBT collapses and SUZANNE exits with a smile on her face. Blackout.) The End Script Notes: SUZANNE has had a horrible past experience singing in public when DOUBT completely overtook her and she, sick and dizzy, blew it. Good news failure is not a permanent condition. And DOUBT, as powerful and as reasonable as it may at times seem, is conquerable. SUZANNE could sit in her home listing, as DOUBT does, all of the reasons why she should not sing in the talent show. Gideon, in Judges, argues with the Lord when commissioned to strike down the Midianites, that his is the smallest clan and he the weakest of them. BRAVERY, bearing the words of Judges, promises to accompany SUZANNE to her contest; the Lord, promises to accompany Gideon to face his seemingly impossible and irrational challenge. When we are called to do something, either by God, or by God s voice speaking from a deep place within our souls, we know immediately that it is important. And we get scared. We don t want to botch something so important. Enter DOUBT. Conviction and commitment invite DOUBT. Passionate callings invite DOUBT. Without DOUBT perhaps we d abandon our challenges or pursue them only halfheartedly. But the extra focus and courage it takes to conquer DOUBT allows us to pursue the calling, be it God s charge or a personal trial we must face, with nostrils flared and prayers bellow-

5 ing to the hills. To slay DOUBT we need God s word and His company and comfort. I will help you (Judges 6:16). My help will come from the LORD, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). He will protect you as you come and go now and forever (v. 8). The LORD is with you, brave and mighty man! (Judges 6:12). Then our strength is doubled, our passions fueled, and the weakest of us, like Gideon and SUZANNE, can rise to our challenges. F The purchase of this sketch entitles the purchaser to make photocopies of this material for use in their church or nonprofit organization. The sharing of this material with other churches or organizations not owned or controlled by the original purchaser is strictly prohibited. The contents of this sketch may not be reproduced in any other form without written permission from the publisher. Please include the copyright statement found below on each copy made. Scripture quotations are from Today s English Version (TEV). Copyright by American Bible Society, 1966, 1971, 1976, Used by permission. Lillenas Publishing Company Drama Resources P.O. Box Kansas City, MO Questions? Please write, call, or Phone: Fax: drama@lillenas.com Site: The sketch collection Unreasonable Doubt & Other Soul Searches (MP-841) is available for purchase from Lillenas Drama or from your local Christian bookstore. For a full description of the rest of this collection, or to purchase other individual sketches, refer to < Web