CAST
BREAKDOWN:
5 characters, either gender
THEME: Evangelism; Outreach
CHURCH YEAR SEASON: Any
SUGGESTED USE: Youth Service, Worship Service
SYNOPSIS:
A person is reading a book entitled, “How to Build a Bridge.”
As a conversation develops with the passers-by, they all begin to realize
that the book refers to building spiritual bridges.
CHARACTERS:
TAMMY,
MARK ANTHONY, BRENDA AND THOMAS
PROPS: Book 1 entitled “How to Build a Bridge”;
Book 2 entitled “How to Get Others to Cross the Bridge”;
Book 3 entitled “How to Show Others the Way to the Bridge”
COSTUMES: Modern day garb
SOUND: Five cordless microphones
LIGHTING: General stage
SETTING: Stage
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:23-25;
Romans 15:5-6
Scene opens as TAMMY is sitting a center stage silently reading
a large book with the words, “How To Build a Bridge”
written on the cover. Enter MARK.
MARK:
Good book?
TAMMY:
Yeah. It’s a “how-to” book...“How To Build
a Bridge.”
MARK:
Cool. (Pause) Well?
TAMMY: Well what?
MARK: How do you build a bridge?
TAMMY: Well...it says here....
Enter
ANTHONY
ANTHONY:
What are you guys doing?
MARK: Learning how to build a bridge.
ANTHONY: Really? I’ve always wanted to know that. So, how
do you build a bridge?
MARK: Well, see it says here that....
Enter
THOMAS carrying basketball
THOMAS:
Hey, you guys wanna go out and shoot some hoops?
ANTHONY: No, man. We’re gonna build a bridge.
THOMAS: For real? Count me in. How do you build it?
ANTHONY: The book says that....
Enter
BRENDA
BRENDA:
Hey, you bunch of bookworms. You’re wasting a perfectly spectacular
day, ya know.
THOMAS: Shhhhh! We’re trying to build a bridge here.
BRENDA: A bridge? Sweet! Do you like put tab “A” into
slot “B”?
THOMAS:
No. It says here you “start with two pieces of old wood”.
MARK: What? That can’t be right.
TAMMY: And then , “take some rusty nails.”
ANTHONY: What kind of book is this?
TAMMY: “...using a hammer, drive the nails into the hands
and feet of a sinless man.”
THOMAS: That’s disgusting!
MARK: Then what does it say you do?
TAMMY: It says, “The bridge is already complete.”
BRENDA: I don’t get it. Is that all it says?
ANTHONY: Isn’t there a diagram or a list of instructions?
TAMMY: No. But in chapter two there’s more.
BRENDA: I would think so.
TAMMY: “In order to now cross this bridge, you must take
one step at a time.”
ANTHONY: That’s all you do?
MARK: Sounds pretty scary.
THOMAS: Then what?
TAMMY: Then it says, “To learn how to get others to cross
the bridge, see Volume Two entitled, ‘How to Get Others to
Cross the Bridge.’
BRENDA: Catchy title.
ANTHONY: Must be a boxed set.
MARK: Have you got Volume Two?
TAMMY: Uh...yeah. Right here.
MARK
picks up book with words, “How to Get Others to Cross the
Bridge” written in large letters on the outside cover.
TAMMY:
(Opening the book) “To get others to cross the bridge,
you must tell others how you crossed it.”
MARK: Makes sense, I guess.
TAMMY: “Then you must show others the way to the bridge.”
ANTHONY: Yeah....then what?
TAMMY: Then....uh....“In order to show others the way to
the bridge, see Volume Three entitled, How To Show Others the Way
to the Bridge.
MARK: Oh brother!
THOMAS: (Picking up and reading from book entitled How To
Show Others the Way to the Bridge) “In order to show others the way to
the Bridge, you must first build a bridge....”
ANTHONY: I need therapy!
THOMAS: “Sometimes you must tear down a few walls in order
to build this bridge.”
BRENDA: All right. That’s it. I’m outta here!
TAMMY: No, wait. I think I’m starting to get it.
ANTHONY: Then you need therapy.
TAMMY: Don’t you see? The first volume said that the bridge
must be built out of two pieces of old wood.
MARK: Yeah?
TAMMY: The cross!
MARK: Yeah!
TAMMY: Rusty nails driven through the hands and feet of a sinless
man...that’s Jesus, of course.
ANTHONY: Yeah!
TAMMY: The bridge is already complete, it said. All we have
to do is cross it. Trust God.
MARK: Oh, I get it. Symbolism.
TAMMY: Yeah. The bridge we build is to get people to “the
bridge”...the cross.
THOMAS: But what’s this about tearing down walls?
BRENDA: Symbolism again, right?
TAMMY: Sure. What are some of the “walls” that would
keep other people from trusting the Lord?
MARK: Fear? Anger, maybe?
ANTHONY: Prejudice? Guilt?
TAMMY: All those things.
THOMAS: What can we do to tear down those walls?
BRENDA: Yeah. I’ve got a sledge hammer at home. I’ll
go get it.
TAMMY: No. The only tools that will tear down those walls is
love...and compassion...mercy. And we can do that...together.
BRENDA: So, you’re saying you don’t need my sledge
hammer.
TAMMY: No...just your hand. (Reaches out to take Brenda’a
hand)
Brenda
takes the hand and extends a hand to Thomas, who takes the hand
of Anthony, who takes the hand of Mark.
DIRECTOR'S
NOTES: How to Build a Bridge
This script poses some blocking problems, so you’ll need to be
creative in your approach. Avoid the pitfall of having Tammy sit the
whole time while the others just file in, say their parts and stand
there. That creates a static picture and isn’t visually or dramatically
interesting. See Staging Notes for some ideas to make this script visually
appealing.
CHARACTERIZATION
NOTES:
It would seem at first read that characters 2–5 are just foils
for Tammy: They set up her lines and have little personality on their
own. Don’t be fooled! Work with your actors to develop a personality
for each character. For example, Mark seems genuinely curious and interested
in what the books have to say. He also seems like a friend, not just
a passerby. A careful reading of just Anthony’s lines reveals that
he is a little fickle. He is on board at first, then gets skeptical
as the task gets more difficult. He’s looking for diagrams and
exact instructions and declares that he needs therapy when things get
difficult. Go through each character’s lines separately to glean
clues to his or her personality. Then work with each actor to determine
how to show those personality traits to the audience so they feel like
they have some connection with these people.
STAGING
NOTES
While the script says the scene opens with Tammy sitting center stage,
don’t place the chair or bench facing directly center. Put it on
an angle to make it more visually appealing and more accessible to the
audience. When chairs and benches are parallel with the edge of the
stage and actors are facing the audience head-on, it can get a little
unnerving for the audience. Take the edge off by putting benches at
a slight angle.
Once
you’ve figured out each character’s personality, go the next
step to decide how that personality plays out physically. For example,
Mark seems like the kind of person who would come right in and sit close
to Tammy and not leave her side until this thing is figured out. Anthony,
on the other hand, seems more like the type to distance himself physically
as he gets more skeptical. Look to the personality of each character
to determine blocking. Remember to keep it interesting, but make sure
the blocking supports the text and doesn’t distract from it. If
we’re spending all our energy trying to figure out why the characters
are moving the way they are, we’re missing the point of the script.
A primary rule of blocking is that it enhances what is being said and
that it has a purpose.
DIRECTING
TIP: Using Story-Propelling Props
This script calls for the use of props that propel the story. The script
falls flat if Tammy is sitting there reading the phonebook or the latest
Left Behind novel. The script is built around the fact that the character
is reading very specific books. Don’t worry about making the books
larger than life so that the audience can read the titles. The characters
say plenty about the books and Tammy even tells us what the titles are,
so there’s no need for the audience to be able to actually read
the lettering on the book. That said, you should still have book covers
that have the actual titles of the books as written in the script. The
props should be realistic to help support the story. If you make them
larger than life, they become the story.
LEAVE
THE PREACHING FOR THE PULPIT
At the end of this sketch, the characters make some rather obvious realizations.
To make this play innocent and not “preachy”, the actors have
to really work to make the characters believable. The characters have
to actually just be figuring this all out for themselves. Take it too
far, and it seems like the actors are preaching to the audience. Our
job as actors (and directors) is to enlighten and to open the door for
the message, not to preach. So don’t put the emphasis on Tammy’s
lines at the end; rather, focus on the humor of Brenda and the confusion
of Thomas. The fact that they are just plain obtuse is a source of dramatic
irony. By now, of course, the audience has figured out what the symbolism
is. It’s dramatic irony when the audience knows something before
a character does. Then the audience ends up silently cheering on the
characters until they come to realize what the audience already knows.
By focusing on the dramatic irony and not the message itself, you’ll
do the script justice. If, instead, you choose to hammer the message
home (as if borrowing Brenda’s sledge hammer), you’ll do both
the script and your audience a huge injustice.
Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is
faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are
in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the
more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25
THOUGHTS
FROM THE PASTOR
At
times our congregations can become islands in our communities. Although
clearly marked entrances may abound, the average outsider sees no access
point into our “church.” This usually occurs because the individuals
that make up the church have become islands as well. The result is a
sort of closed society.
I have never been recruited to join a “closed society”—lodges,
country clubs and the like. However, I have been approached by many
other groups—cults, multi-level marketers, etc.—to climb aboard
and join them. Granted the motivation of these groups is often self-interest
and promotion, but there seems to be an important principle at play:
the more you contact, the more you get.
Recruiting can be a very daunting process. The average church member
doesn’t try to “show the way” because of all of the fears
connected with sharing their faith. If that is true in your congregation,
then this sketch might assist in underscoring some important aspects
of our lives as Christians.
God calls us to “build bridges” into the lives of unbelievers.
In our relations with unbelievers, we can “show others the way
to the bridge”—Christ.
We cannot force people to cross the bridge.
STUDY/DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS:
1. Who showed you the way to the bridge? (Often, it is more than one
person.)
2. What are the walls that separate us from others?
3. What are examples of sledgehammers (coercive ways of breaking down
walls)? Tell specific stories of other ways to bring down barriers to
God.
4. Can you think of someone you could team with in building a bridge
to someone?
WORSHIP
THEME:
Evangelism/The Great Commission
WORSHIP
IDEA :
Try having your group read the whole passage or excerpts from The Great
Commission found in Mark 16: 15-18 as the hymn “Rescue the Perishing”
is played softly in the background. If appropriate, begin singing the
last chorus of this hymn after the passage is read to the congregation.
WORSHIP
LINKS
Performance
Songs
“The
Great Divide”
(Salvation)
As performed by Point of
Grace off the recording
The Whole Truth, Word Records
Tempo: Moderate
“Carry
the Cross”
(Evangelism)
As performed by Regi Stone
off the recording
One Day Closer at
www.registone.com
Tempo: Upbeat
“Be
The One”
(Evangelism)
As performed by Al Denson
off the recording Be The One
Tempo: Moderate
Hymns
“Reach
Out and Touch”
(Evangelism/Outreach)
Charles F. Brown
Tempo: Moderate
“Rescue
the Perishing”
(Evangelism)
Worship Today Music Services
www.worshiptoday.com
Tempo: Moderate
“Share His Love”
(Loving Others)
William J. Reynolds
Tempo: Moderate
Performance and photocopying rights: