Summary: A man's life is analyzed using the obituaries. Keywords: service, wasted life,
Style: Drama Duration: 5 minutes
Actors: 1M, 1F, VO
Scripture: Matthew 16:26
Characters:
George,
his wife, and
Voice
Script:
Setting: George's house.
(Lights on. GEORGE, in his early twenties, dressed in work clothes, is seated at a small table reading the newspaper. Paper is spread out over the table.)
WIFE: (offstage) George, are you reading the obituaries again? That's sick!
GEORGE: (looking up from paper) No, it's not! You find out what's important to people. What they spent their life doing. (starts reading again) (to himself) Here's an interesting one. (continues acting as though he were the one reading, even though VOICE is doing the reading)
VOICE: (offstage) John Terry...age 74...graduate of University of Tennessee...spent his career in manufacturing management jobs in Ohio, Illinois, and Tennessee ...coached baseball, basketball, and softball... a very special father who spent his entire life loving, teaching, coaching, influencing, and making life special for his four children and his wife whom he loved unconditionally.
GEORGE: (to himself) Now there is someone who did something with his life. (begins reading again) What's this? (continues reading)
VOICE: (offstage) Jesus of Nazareth...age 33...never held a job...unemployed...seemed to cause trouble wherever he went, although some people said he helped them...tried to tell everyone how they were supposed to live their life.
GEORGE: (to himself) What a wasted life!
WIFE: (offstage) George, aren't you supposed to be mowing the lawn?
GEORGE: (grabbing the paper and rushing offstage) Yes, dear!
(Lights off- they stay off longer than usual.)
(Lights on. WIFE, in her sixties, dressed in funeral clothes, walks slowly and dejectedly onstage, places a small funeral flower arrangement on the table and slowly walks offstage.)
VOICE: (after pause) George...age 68...had good jobs...was a good husband and father...did some charity work...a good man...never went to church...never thought about God...or Jesus...(pause)...a wasted life.
(Lights off)
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© Bob Denison, all rights reserved. The script may not be reproduced, translated or copied in any medium, including books, CDs and on the Internet, without written permission of the author.
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