Running Time: 8-10 minutes Themes: Christmas, salvation, God s love, eternal life Description: This narrated story with pantomime and brief dialogue communicates the cost and exchange involved in Christ s coming to earth. Scripture References: John 1:12, 14; 3:16; 2 Corinthians 8:9 Quick Start Method: Narrated story with echo dialogue A narrated story that uses the Narrator as the anchor and storyteller.actors participate in actions called for by the Narrator. Many times, the actors simply repeat or echo what the Narrator says. It creates security for actors and helps you emphasize something other than memory work. Rehearsal Hint: This piece will need at least one short rehearsal. The dialogue lines are very easy, many with obvious cues from the Narrator. Play Echo Me, using the lines from the play.you can also use Freeze Scenes to help get the most out of the short scenes in this play. Cast: NARRATOR Consider an adult who has an expressive storytelling style PRINCE Confident but not haughty KING Father of the Prince PAUPER Father of the Pauper family MOTHER Mother of the Pauper family DAUGHTER Daughter of the Pauper family SON Son of the Pauper family STAGE HANDS At least two to add simple set pieces or signs Props: Lillenas Black binder for Narrator Cardboard trifold background showing the outline of a palace or large sign that says Palace (Optional: a table with a gold cloth and candelabra or anything that identifies luxury) Cardboard trifold background showing the outline of a poor house or large sign that says Poor House (Optional: A rough table, wooden crates, dirty cloth, anything to suggest poor) Four large, red cutout hearts for the King to give to the Prince Costumes: Rich robe for King and Prince Very poor clothes for Pauper family Tattered shirt or tunic for Prince 1 Drama Presents The Prince and the Pauper from Quick Start Drama for Kids: Christmas by Debbie Salter Goodwin
(NARRATOR enters to stand or sit on a stool CS.Actors enter as introduced by NARRATOR.SL represents the palace of the PRINCE. SR represents the home of the PAUPERS. The NARRATOR divides the stage.) NARRATOR: This is the story of a Prince... (PRINCE enters and stands SL.) PRINCE: I m the Prince. NARRATOR:... and the Pauper. (PAUPER enters to stand SR.) PAUPER: I m the Pauper. (Turns to the NARRATOR scratching his head and asks) What s a Pauper? NARRATOR: A Pauper is someone who is very poor. PAUPER:And I m the Pauper? NARRATOR: You re the Pauper. But don t get discouraged. You get a promotion later in the story. PAUPER: I do? All right! (With more enthusiasm) I m the Pauper! NARRATOR: Now, the Prince lived in a very nice palace. (STAGE HANDS bring in a palace background or sign.) PRINCE: I live in a very nice palace! NARRATOR: But the Pauper lived in a very poor house. (STAGE HANDS bring in a poor house background or sign.) PAUPER: I live in a very poor house. NARRATOR:The Prince enjoyed the wonderful love of his father. (KING enters and hugs his son.) PRINCE: I enjoy the wonderful love of my father. NARRATOR:The Pauper had a family but it wasn t always loving. (SON and DAUGHTER enter arguing. MOTHER follows with hands on hips. PAUPER stands with sad expression in the middle of the chaos.) DAUGHTER: He hit me! SON: She hit me first! DAUGHTER: No, I didn t! SON:Yes, you did! (etc.) MOTHER:What am I going to do with these kids? (PAUPER s family freezes.) NARRATOR: For a long time the King, the father of the Prince, had been concerned about the lives of the Paupers. He told his son that he was sending him to deliver a message to the Paupers. 2
KING: I m sending you to deliver a message to the Paupers. NARRATOR: But the Prince had a question. He asked his father what would happen when he knocked on the doors where the Paupers lived and they saw his fine robes. PRINCE: Father, what will happen when I knock on their doors wearing my fine robes? KING:You must leave your robes here and dress as a Pauper. NARRATOR: So the Prince took off his beautiful robe and left it with his father.then, he put on the clothes of a Pauper. (PRINCE removes his royal robe to put on a tattered shirt or tunic.) NARRATOR:The Prince wanted to know what message he would deliver. PRINCE:What is the message? NARRATOR:The King took his heart and gave it to the Prince and said... (KING takes the four hearts from his robe and gives them to the PRINCE.) KING: Show them my heart. (PRINCE takes the hearts.) NARRATOR:Then the Prince left his father and the beautiful palace to go to the world of Paupers and show them his father s heart. (PRINCE hugs the KING and pantomimes walking while facing audience. KING waves at PRINCE while backing toward exit to simulate the increasing distance between them.) NARRATOR: As soon as the Prince arrived, he knew this was not like his home. It was not as beautiful. And there was very little love. He walked until he found where the Paupers lived and knocked on the door. (PRINCE looks around and walks to the PAUPER s house and pantomimes knocking. PAUPER opens imaginary door to let the PRINCE in.) NARRATOR: The Prince explained that he came to share a gift that would make them rich. (PRINCE pantomimes talking to the PAUPERS.) SON / DAUGHTER: Did you say rich? PRINCE:Yes. NARRATOR:The Prince took his father s heart and gave it to the Paupers. (PRINCE shares the KING s heart with everyone in the family.) SON / DAUGHTER: This will make us rich? NARRATOR:The Prince explained that with his father s heart came everything his father owned.they would no longer be Paupers. PRINCE:You are no longer Paupers. PAUPER: But you don t understand how much we owe... NARRATOR: The Prince explained that when they receive the King s heart, the Prince pays the debt. 3
PRINCE:When you receive my father s heart, it is no longer your debt. It is mine. I will pay it. NARRATOR:The Paupers couldn t believe it.they were no longer poor. SON / DAUGHTER:We re rich! NARRATOR:And more than that, he told them they could live with the King forever. MOTHER / PAUPER: Forever? PRINCE: Forever. DAUGHTER: But what about you? PRINCE: I will live here as a Pauper until I have paid the Pauper s debt. NARRATOR: So the Paupers hugged the Prince and left their poor house to live with the King. (PAUPERS hug the PRINCE, wave good-bye and walk to SL where the KING has entered to welcome them.) NARRATOR:And the Prince lived where the Paupers lived. (All step forward to make a line on either side of the NARRATOR to address the audience.) DAUGHTER (steps forward to speak directly to the audience): For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. SON:The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. MOTHER:Though he was rich, yet for [our] sakes he became poor, so that... through his poverty [we] might become rich. PAUPER:To all who received him... he gave the right to become children of God. NARRATOR: So the Prince became a Pauper... (PRINCE bows.) NARRATOR:... so that the Paupers could live like the Prince. (PAUPERS bow.) DAUGHTER: And everyone lived happily ever after, right? NARRATOR: Not exactly. But that s another story. Let s just say that everyone with the heart of the King lived with love and that is better than happy. PAUPERS:The end. NARRATOR: No.The beginning. (All stand in a row across the front of the stage and bow.) Optional: Sing Joy to the World 4
The purchase of this sketch entitles the purchaser to make photocopies of this material for use in their church or nonprofit organizations. Please include the copyright statement on each copy made. Sharing of material with other churches or organizations not owned or controlled by the original purchaser is strictly prohibited. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV ). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Questions? Please write, call, or E-mail: Lillenas Publishing Company Drama Resources P.O. Box 419527 Kansas City, MO 64141 Phone: 816-931-1900 Fax: 816-412-8390 E-mail: drama@lillenas.com Web Site: www.lillenasdrama.com The Quick Start Drama for Kids: Christmas (0-8341-7561-4) collection 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 www.lillenasdrama.com. 5