  |
 |
  |
BRINGING
DOWN THE HOUSE
61080
by
Steven James
GENRE: Light Comedy
TIME: 7 minutes
CAST BREAKDOWN: 3M, 1F
THEME: Friendship; Forgiveness; Judging Others; Faith; Surmounting Obstacles
CHURCH YEAR SEASON: Any
SUGGESTED USE: Worship Service
CHARACTERS:
FRIEND– (male) a guy unashamed to bring his FRIEND to Jesus
OWNER– (female) the lady who opens her house up to Jesus
HEALED MAN– (male) a man who gets more than he hoped for
PHARISEE– (male) a judgmental man who worries about what others will thinkSYNOPSIS: Seeking despite the obstacles brings us onto unexpected paths and brings results beyond our expectations.
PROPS: a stepladder, a big fat Bible, grilling utensils and apron, a rolled up mat, couch
COSTUMES: Contemporary. Owner is wearing an apron to grill outside, Pharisee is wearing an expensive suit, Healed Man and Friend are wearing jeans and a comfortable shirt.
SOUND: Four wireless microphones
LIGHTING: General
SETTING: Bare Stage
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Mark 2:1–12; Matthew 9:1–8; Luke 5:17–26
FRIEND: We'd been friends for a long time. Even though he was, you know…disabled. Couldn't walk or even move his legs. But we stuck by him. Helped take care of him. We gave him money so he wouldn't have to beg. And we told him all about what was happening in town. Kept him informed. He'd just lay there on his mat and listen. Taking it all in.
HEALED MAN: Not many people at the synagogue would hang out with me. I guess maybe I made 'em uncomfortable. Because I wasn't like them. But there were a few friends who cared. They would have done anything for me. In fact, one time, they did.
OWNER: (Dressed for a cookout; excited and a little over the top) Of course we'd heard about Jesus! He was like a hometown hero! Out there on the road, preaching and healing and helping the poor. I know, I know, he wasn't born here in Capernaum—just moved here after he started hitting the circuit—but still, when he came back we always threw a big welcome party. This time around, my husband and I offered to hold it at our place. And we couldn't wait to tell the neighbors!
PHARISEE: (Carrying a big Bible) News spreads fast around here. We knew all about Jesus. So we were there that day. He was preaching and then people started coming forward to be healed. I kept thinking, "What are the other people at the synagogue gonna say?"
FRIEND: (Walking toward the stepladder) We'd heard all about Jesus. And we believed. After all, that's why we brought our friend to him. We wouldn't have carried him through town and circled that house a half a dozen times looking for a way in unless we had. We knew Jesus could heal him. That much, we knew.
HEALED MAN: (Standing up and carrying his mat) I wasn't quite sure what to think. When they first brought up the idea I got my hopes up. Maybe Jesus was the answer. Maybe he could heal me. But when we got there, the crowd was so big that there was no way we were gonna get in there. Four guys carrying a man around on a mat could never squeeze through a crowd like that.
OWNER: My house! The teacher was standing in my living room! Of course, that was a little bit unusual. Most of the time when he came to town he'd teach in the temple or out in the streets or up in the hills. Especially when a big crowd came. But that day, he just stayed inside, even when the crowd started spilling out the door. Out my door!
PHARISEE: It was outta control. People everywhere. Sick people. Blind people. Prostitutes. Cripples. This Jesus character always brought out the lowlifes. Huh. He didn't do anything by the book—rules and order just didn't apply to him. (Sarcastically) It was all about people. He didn't let anything get in the way of reaching out to the people.
FRIEND: I don't remember whose idea it was. I think it was Jacob who said, "Hey, let's go up on the roof!" I'm like, "How?" "Well, we'll find our own way in!" he says. So up we went. (Climbs a few steps of the ladder and freezes)
HEALED MAN: As soon as they started taking me up the steps, I knew they'd lost their marbles. "You think maybe we can see better from the roof?" I asked. But they just laughed and one of my buddies smiled down at me. "Don't worry," he said, "I've got an idea."
OWNER: I should have suspected something when I heard the noises on the roof. On my roof...and then the first few pieces of dirt and mud started falling on the crowd...I had no idea. (Looking up at the ceiling)
PHARISEE: All of a sudden, a whole shower of ceiling tiles and sticks came crashing down. Right on top of Jesus. The whole place became silent. Jesus just brushed the dirt off his shoulders and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. And he laughed.
FRIEND: I felt kinda bad about the hole, but what can you do? We had to get our friend to Jesus. We could pay for the damage later. Today was his day to meet Jesus. What if Jesus didn't come back to town again? No, nothing was gonna stop us. Not a crowd. Not a packed house. Not a ceiling. Nothing.
HEALED MAN: I just lay there, staring up at the sky as they lowered me down into the house, thinking, "I hope that rope's as strong as it looks!"
OWNER: (Staring at the ceiling in shock, humorously) My roof! They dug a hole in my roof! Who is going to pay for this?
PHARISEE: Jesus just stood there.
FRIEND: We lowered him down in the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
HEALED MAN: As I bumped gently onto the ground, I looked up into Jesus's eyes.
OWNER: My roof. They dug a hole in my roof…we didn't need another chimney…
PHARISEE: I leaned closer to see what Jesus would do.
FRIEND: Jesus looked up at our four faces poking through the hole in the roof, and then, then, he looked down at our buddy laying there at his feet.
HEALED MAN: "Friend, your sins are forgiven," that's what he told me. That my sins were forgiven!
OWNER: Didn't even mention my roof. Just told the guy he forgave that his sins were forgiven. Now there's a hole in my roof. Look!
PHARISEE: When I heard him say that, I started thinking, "Who does this guy think he is! He's blaspheming God! He's speaking heresy! Only God can forgive sins!"
FRIEND: And then Jesus turned to the Pharisees and smiled. Like he knew what they were thinking. 'Cause he says, "Why are you thinking those things? Which is easier to say to this man, "Your sins are forgiven,” or to say "Stand up, pick up your mat and be on your way"?
HEALED MAN: And he says, "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…" He was looking right at me, and reaching out his hand, he said, "Get up, pick up your mat and be on your way."
OWNER: And the paralyzed guy did just what he'd said. Right there in my living room. The guy just stood up, picked up that mat and headed for the door. And everyone moved out of the way to let him pass. It was pretty amazing.
PHARISEE: I watched him leave. I was seething mad. He did it to mock us. I looked at the other Pharisees and their jaws were set just like mine was. But none of us knew what to do. After witnessing something like that, what can you say?
FRIEND: We were in awe. We'd never seen anything like it before! And we just burst out praising God. You should have seen us jumping around on the roof, clapping each other on the back. I almost fell backward through the hole! And I didn't care what people thought!
HEALED MAN: My friends brought me to Jesus that day. And he gave me more than I'd asked for, more than I'd ever hoped for.
OWNER: I wonder what would have happened if we hadn't opened up our house that day.
PHARISEE: I wouldn't be caught dead bringing a guy like that to worship. What would people think? (Turns his back to the audience and freezes)
OWNER: I think I'll leave that hole up there for a while. I don't care what the neighbors think. Something incredible happened here today. (Turns back to audience and freezes)
FRIEND: We were gonna find a way to bring him to Jesus. We didn't care what people thought. (Turns and freezes)
HEALED MAN: He forgave my sins! Where would I be without Jesus? Where would I be…without my friends? (Tosses the mat to the side, turns, puts an arm around the shoulder of the Friend and freezes.)
Lights out.
DIRECTING Bringing Down the House
With a script like this, you almost have to treat it as four separate but intertwining monologues. The director won't have to focus on interactions between characters, but rather on the individual characters and the person they're speaking to (in this case the audience), as you do with any monologue. Your two main areas of concentration will need to be 1) creating interesting stage pictures with the placement of the actors and the furniture, and 2) working with the actors to make their speeches active rather than reflective (see definition).
ACTING EXERCISE :What did you do today?
Have your four actors make a list as simply and straightforwardly as possible, of what they did today:”I got up at 7:00, took a shower, got dressed, ate breakfast, rushed out the door, etc.” Then have them stand in a fairly wide circle so they have some room to move. Each one should share their list with the group. Not necessarily all that interesting, right? Then give each one a strong motivation for telling their story, related to the particulars of their day. If one works in a factory, have him or her to tell another actor about his or her day in order to convince him or her that a factory is the greatest place on earth to work! See what a difference that makes? All the characters in this sketch are telling us about a day in their lives. If it's just a list of events, even some events they feel strongly about, we're just getting some interesting information. BUT, if they tell us their stories for a strong reason, we will be drawn in and affected.
STAGING NOTES:
The author's notes indicate that the characters should move during each speech, and then freeze when they're not talking. If you follow this convention, you'll need to think through what kind of stage pictures you want to create. If you use only the mat, couch and ladder indicated in the script, that will give you some interesting levels. To inform your choices, consider the characters themselves and whether they go through any radical changes, discoveries, etc., during the course of the piece. The Pharisee seems like he never changes, so would you want him moving around much or staying fairly still? What about the healed man, by contrast? Let those factors motivate their movement, not just "let's have him cross stage left because he hasn't gone there yet." Another factor will be what they're fighting for at a given moment.
CHARACTERIZATION NOTES:
Work with the actors to identify what they're fighting for. With any monologue you need to ask three basic questions: who is this person, who are they talking to and why are they telling them all this stuff? The script gives you a good idea of who the characters are. You may decide they're talking to the audience, to an invisible friend or to themselves. It may change. But they can't just be addressing the room, and they can't just be talking because they feel a certain way. They need to be recounting their stories because they want something to happen. Example: "I'm telling the audience that my friend met Jesus because I want them to believe that the same thing could happen to them." would you want him moving around much or staying fairly still? What about the healed man, by contrast? Let those factors motivate their movement, not just "let's have him cross stage left because he hasn't gone there yet." Another factor will be what they're fighting for at a given moment.
DIRECTING TIP:
The four actors freeze while the other people are delivering their lines. Each is telling his or her version of the story and comes to a slightly different conclusion. Work on the blocking and movement so that the actor or actress who is speaking moves across the stage, or to a different position onstage and then freezes while the next person speaks. As the scene opens, there is a couch at center stage and a stepladder stage left. The Pharisee is frozen behind the couch, the owner is standing next to it, the healed man is on the floor down-center and the friend is down-stage left.
ACTING TERM: Active versus Reflective
Active versus reflective choices: Particularly in monologues, and in speeches where a character is retelling a past event, it's tempting to make reflective rather than active choices. What's the difference? Look at the friend's first speech. He could play it reflectively, that is, reflecting on the years he'd stuck by his friend, helped him out, etc. Nice information, but where's the drama in that? Unless a character is actively fighting for something, there is no drama! An actor or director might approach that speech in a reflective way: "Let's see, he's remembering his history with this friend, all he's done for him and how the friend would just lay there." So, he's fighting for... what? How could you make a more active choice? Consider this: "He's fighting for the audience to think of disabled people as valuable" or "he's talking to his family and fighting for them to have courage." Remember, too, that fighting doesn't have to imply anger. Not every passionate character in the history of drama is angry. But they are fighting for something they care about, encountering obstacles and choosing active ways to win the fight. That's what makes memorable characters memorable.
MUSICAL LINKS
Performance Songs
"Favorite Song of All"
(God's redemptive work)
As performed by Philips, Craig and Dean from their recording Favorite Songs Of All on Star Song Records
Musical Style: medium tempo
“Window to the World”
(evangelism)
L. Boldman (www.northlandcc.net)
Musical Style: pop medium tempo
"The Wonder of His Love"
(God's mercy)
www.worshiptoday.com
Musical Style: SATB; fast tempo
"The Robe"
(we come as we are to God)
As performed by Wes King from his recording The Robe on Reunion Records
Musical Style: strong ballad
Hymns:
"I Will Sing of My Redeemer"
(redemption)
J. McGranahan
Musical Style: medium
"Lift High the Cross"
(missions)
G. Kitchin; M. Newbolt; S. Nicholson
Musical Style: medium tempo
"Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners"
(love for sinners)
J. Chapman; R. Prichard
Musical Style: medium 3/4
"They'll Know We Are Christians"
(love towards the lost)
P. Scholtes
Musical Style: medium tempo
Choruses:
"Here I Am, Lord"
(evangelism)
D. Schutte, S.J
Musical Style: medium tempo
"Beautiful, Scandalous Night"
(Christ's sacrifice)
S. Hindalong (Glasshouse Music)
Musical Style: lilting 6/8
"By His Grace"
(God's grace)
S. Frye (Deep Fryed Music)
Musical Style: intimate ballad
"Come And See"
(Christ's sacrifice)
G. Kendrick (Make Way Music)
Musical Style: medium tempo
Performance and photocopying rights:
Your purchase of this script grants your church unlimited use of these sketches within your programs and worship services. You may photocopy the script for each cast member in your church. Scripts and performance rights are not transferable between churches and cannot be resold. You may not use the sketches for any commercial or fundraising purpose, and usage rights do not extend to video, radio, television or film.Copyright © 2002 by Steven James