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Home > Ministries & Missions > Dramas & Plays for the Lent Season
Dramas & Plays for the Lent Season
WESTERN NEW YORK CONFERENCE RESOURCE CENTER
DRAMAS & PLAYS FOR THE LENT SEASON FOR ADULTS MARY OF NAZARETH: A DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE FOR LENT OR EASTER Mary of Nazareth lived a dangerously demanding, yet holy life. She knew loneliness and poverty and endured extreme hardships of faith while maintaining a close relationship with God. During the crucifixion she knew raging and numbed pain which challenged her sanity. But her joy was overflowing after the Resurrection. Her story provides powerful information about God's sovereignty in the universe toward those who believe in Him and seek Him. Based primarily on the Gospel of Luke, the sole New Testament writer to interview and consider the female point of view, this dramatic monologue comes complete with an order of worship. It provides powerful insight into Mary's suffering and, likewise, the joy she felt from her conquering son. Divided into five sections, the presentation can be used as a five-week series, allowing five different women to participate instead of just one. Hymn suggestions which help to amplify the monologue are also provided. This easily yet effectively prepared service offers a profound experience any time during the Lenten season. Shadows To Sunrise: 6 Worship Resources for Holy Week Are you looking for fresh, vibrant material for Holy Week worship? Do you want your congregation to experience the unforgettable drama of Jesus' suffering, so that they more fully appreciate the celebration and joy of Easter? If so, then you'll want this anthology that provides several innovative choices for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter sunrise worship. Copying privileges are included for all six segments. Beyond The Shadows combines communion with gradually extinguished candlelight to create a moving Maundy Thursday tenebrae experience. As each part of the Passion story unfolds, more candles are snuffed out, and the service concludes in total darkness. By reminding us that the Light of the World came to us, yet was engulfed in total darkness as his life slipped away, Beyond The Shadows focuses worshipers' attention on the coming resurrection, and how that brightness contrasts with the darkness of the crucifixion. WHOSE CROSS IS IT, ANYWAY? A series of Lenten sketches 1. First Sunday of Lent 2. Second Sunday of Lent 3. Third Sunday of Lent 5. Fifth Sunday of Lent 6. Easter Morning THE LOVE ATTITUDES 1. Burying the Past 2. Love is Patient 3. Love Does Not Envy 4. Love is not Rude 5. Love Does Not Delight in Evil, or, Can we Talk? 6. The Love of God, or, How Charlie the Dog Was Saved from Certain Death THEY ROLLED THE STONE AWAY AFRICAN AMERICAN EASTER DRAMAS This resource contains skits, recitations, and poetry for Easter that engage the African American experience. Children and youth will enjoy an innovative Easter rap, as well as more traditional poems. Included are two skits: one that reflects a historical point of view, focusing on the contributions of Harriet Tubman, and one that deals with how God changes the lives of people in contemporary times. Both celebrate the story of the Resurrection! They also have material for a wide age range, from preschoolers to adults. COME TO EASTER THE CUSTOMS OF THE LENTEN & EASTER SEASONS In Come to Easter, information about the customs of the Lenten and Easter seasons is presented in a highly graphic, easy-to-access format. Includes explanations of customs and symbols of the seasons and disciplines to observe during Lent. Explains Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Tenebrae, and other days in Holy Week as well as joyful symbols of Easter including the egg, Easter bunny, butterfly, and lily, and special liturgical elements such as Paschal candles. ABINGDON’S EASTER DRAMAS AND PROGRAM COLLECTION These Easter dramas and programs emphasize the importance of Christian faith and values. Includes short monologues, recitations, Lenten Selections, Pentecost Selections and Tenebrae Service. Reproducible. Includes: Maundy Thursday Last Supper Reenactment, An Easter Story, The Guardians, Where is the Proof?, Sunrise, Come Holy Spirit: A Dramatic Worship for Pentecost Sunday, Poetry and Recitations. WERE YOU THERE WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD? Six Plays for the Lenten Season Featuring Persons at the Passion These six biblical, yet contemporary dramas provide an opportunity to reenact the sacred events of the Passion in a way that deepens our understanding and awe of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each play features a key character of the Resurrection Story. The plays are flexible, versatile, brief ( 15-20 minutes each), and adaptable to different situations and settings. These plays can be presented by high school teens, youth groups, and adults of any age. Plays included in the collection: The Leader - Peter The Churchman - Caiaphas The Politician - Pilate The Mother - Mary The Friend - Magdalene The Skeptic - Thomas WERE YOU THERE? Drama For Lent Or Easter The story of Good Friday and Easter Day is dramatizes through the device of “man on the street” interviews with some of the characters who witnessed those events. As a radio reporter tries to obtain details of the crucifixion, we hear the viewpoints of many people, from children to a Roman soldier to a rabbi to some of the disciples. And when the resurrection occurs, the radio announcers are present to report the good news. With parts for 6 men, 2 women, and 3 children, Were You There? Is an excellent way to bring the Passion story to life while involving many members of your congregation. ABINGDON’S EASTER DRAMA COLLECTION 5 SHORT DRAMAS INCLUDING TENEBRAE SERVICE Audience: Adults, Youth A Service of Tenebrae uses fourteen readings from the Gospels to tell the story of Jesus’ passion and death. Strike Down the Shepherd, a drama for eighteen men, leads us through the events of Holy Week culminating with the resurrection. Holy Communion may be observed as part of this service. Roll Away the Stones is an Easter program for children and youth. The program may be used indoors or outdoors, and suggestions are given to modify the program to fit particular needs. The Burden is a one-act play for one woman and one man who represents Jesus Christ. Peter, A Dreamer for Christ Jesus is a monologue about the power of God. An excellent addition to the worship service on Pentecost Sunday. Caterpillars is a skit for youth inspired by the concept of caterpillars and butterflies used in the Chrysalis movement. Prayers, Poems and Readings round out the collection. ABINGDON’S EASTER DRAMA COLLECTION 2 6 SHORT DRAMAS Audience: Adults, Youth Jesus Is Coming uses four characters, additional singers, and the entire congregation to dramatize Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city. A simple ten-minute praise service. (Use of a live donkey is recommended.) Keep Praising celebrates Palm Sunday in as simple or elaborate a production as you choose. Ten main characters, singers, and a crowd. Fifteen minutes. Supper with Jesus is a dramatization of the Last Supper. Playing time is approximately thirty minutes; characters are Jesus and the twelve disciples. Three Monologues by Mary, each runs ten minutes: As the Crowds Cheer Him At the Crucifixion After the Resurrection All This Power, a drama of resurrection. Eleven cast members, playing time fifteen minutes. The Holy Lamb. This presentation moves from prophecies concerning the coming of the Lamb of God, through Jesus’ life. Running time is forty-five minutes, but may be shortened. Seventeen characters and a crowd. FOR CHILDREN’S Ministries A ROOSTER’S TALE EASTER DRAMAS, SPEECHES, AND RECITATIONS FOR CHILDREN This collection will enable churches to create an Easter program whether they are blessed with a large number of children or only a few children. SHARING the EASTER FAITH with CHILDREN Materials for Children from Birth to Age 12 for Congregations and Families. Includes Reproducible Booklet for Parents It is easy to share the Christmas story and faith with children. The story is beautiful and lends itself well to pageants and other celebratory events for children. It is not so easy to share the Easter story and faith with children because the message and images are complex. Many parents have trouble articulating what Easter means to them personally much less answering their children’s questions. In many congregations children are featured in palm parades on Palm Sunday, but they are not specifically planned for at other Holy Week services. When schools schedule an Easter break, many families go away and thus unintentionally bypass the whole Easter message for years. This book explores what the Easter message can mean to children as they grow up. The author helps congregations and families share the Easter message with their children and include the children meaningfully in Lent, Holy Week and Easter observances. Included are materials for children from birth (in the church nursery) to age 12. Also included are reproducible pages to create a booklet for parents. The first section of the book describes the particular parts of the Easter faith that are important to children at different ages and comments on the biblical Easter texts from a child’s point of view. The second part of the book works through the Lenten season, describing ways congregations can include children and providing program and worship plans, including: *Lenten disciplines for children and their families *Ash Wednesday *Celebrating Palm Sunday or looking ahead on Passion Sunday *Maundy Thursday: Recalling the Last Supper *Keeping Good Friday *The church-sponsored Easter Egg Hunt *Easter Sunday Morning MYSTERY OF THE SHAKING GROUND Easy Dramas, Speeches, and Recitations for Children This collection will enable churches to create a Easter program whether they are blessed with a large number of children or only a few children. Includes DRAMAS (10-15 minutes each), speeches, recitations, and very short dramas for Lent and Easter. For children ages 3 to 12. Reproducible. Bimbim’s Palm Sunday Parade Hosanna! Breaking Bread Garden of Gethsemane Bimbim’s Zoo Friends and Rooster Trouble will help children understand that even though Peter betrayed Jesus, Peter was forgiven and God used Peter to do God’s work. Could It Be? is a drama about Peter’s denial and can be used with several children of all ages. Simple lines are included for very young children. Jesus Before the Council can be used with any number of children. No props necessary. Eyewitness News Reports has six parts for older children. Interviews with the Chief Priest, Judas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and the Roman Centurion will give children background about Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion, Mystery of the Shaking Ground helps children imagine the mystery of the stone being rolled away from Jesus’ tomb. Speaking parts for older children. Younger children can make the sound of the earthquake. Poems, prayers, a rap, finger plays, and reflections complete the collection about Lent, Holy Week and Easter. AN EASTER COLLECTION FOR CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS Build excitement with your children by using these dramas and program pieces to highlight the most exciting time in the life of the church - the resurrection of our Lord! Choose from full length dramas, worship pieces, recitations, and fingerplays. • No Flowers for Easter tells the story of a group of children faced with an Easter Sunday and no flowers. Their solution? Spread the Good News through their actions! Adaptable for 3 to 20 children. 20 minutes. • Six Who Pass on Their Way to Easter helps children recall the true meaning of Easter while honoring family and church traditions. Thirteen children, 20 minutes. *Praying in the Garden, The Rooster Crowed, and What Happened at the Tomb? are reader's theater pieces that can be used separately or combined for one drama that tells the whole Easter story. Ten to thirty minutes. * Lenten Worship Readings provides a reading for each Sunday on Lent and for Easter Sunday. Appropriate for use in church worship or in the classroom. SIMPLY EASTER This collection will enable churches to create an Easter program whether they are blessed with a large number of children or only a few. Blessed is the One is a short drama in three scenes which takes us from Palm Sunday through the resurrection. The Ride to Jerusalem is a very simple drama for Palm Sunday, suitable for enacting during a worship service. That They May Be One helps us see that even as he struggled with his approaching death, Jesus continued to pray for us. Told in poetry with a refrain that can be said by any number of children, Cock-A-Doodle-Do, tells the story of Peter's denial and ends with the observation that Peter became on of Jesus' strongest followers. I Have Seen the Lord is based on John 20:1-19 and is a very brief story of Mary's encounter with the living Lord. Several poems about Lent, Holy Week, and Easter round out the collection. Also included are three interactive teaching stories that can be used with children or the whole congregation during Holy Week. CELEBRATE EASTER In addition to the three dramas detailed below, Celebrate Easter offers speeches and recitations for children from preschool through elementary grades for the seasons of Lent and Easter, for spring time, and for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Hosanna! Alleluia! is a reader's theater piece that can be done using children in grades three and up. It is perfect for involving the whole Sunday school or in a worship setting. Running time: eight minutes. Sonrise! is a full-length play written with middle school students in mind, but it can also include younger children in the chorus. Twenty-two speaking parts, nine scenes. Running time: forty minutes. The Easter Story and Go and Tell are both simple dramas for elementary students that can be performed with few props and few actors. They are easily added to worship services or Sunday school assembly times. Running time: eight minutes. SHOUT HOSANNA! Three Easter Dramas for Children He’s Not Here! is a drams that tells the Easter story from the point of view of the man (Nahuh) who gave Jesus his donkey to ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Nahuh retells the story from Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem to his Resurrection on Easter Sunday. 30 Minutes. The Miracle is a drama for tweens and youth who discover the true meaning of Easter by explaining it to a visitor who has come to be part of their youth group. Together, they discover what they understand about Jesus, his death, and his Resurrection. 30-40 minutes. What Was Going On Up There? is a drama about the disciples waiting for Jesus’ return in the upper room in Jerusalem after his death. They discuss their fears, their excitement. Their concern for the future, and what Jesus meant to them. The parts of the disciples can be played by as many as eleven. 20 Minutes. GOD SENT A SAVIOR Easy Dramas, Speeches, and Recitations for Children This book is brimming full of Easter and spring readings, poems, litanies, prayers, simple songs, dramas, and activities. It is designed for all ages including preschoolers, middle elementary children, older elementary children, and tweens. Even adults will enjoy learning about such events as Shrove Tuesday. Includes: Holy Thursday, Jesus loves His Friends, I the Garden, A Pax Service, A Strange Parade, Going to the Tomb, Alleluia! Jesus Lives!, On this Happy Easter Day, Shake, Shake, Shake, Clap, Clap, Clap, Jesus Is Alive, Easter Alleluia, An Easter Alphabet. EASTER PROMISE Easy Dramas, Speeches, and Recitations for Children Us these very short dramatic pieces alone as part of a worship service, Sunday school class, or assembly; or use several together along with familiar hymns for an entire Easter pageant. Includes: The One Who Comes In Peace, The Easter Promise, GNN Reports, Remember Me, In The Garden, From a Parade to a Tomb, On Easter Morning, I Have Seen the Lord, When Is Ester Real?, Jubilation Song, Easter Rap, What Would We Do?, Easter Questions, Finger Plays, The Hands of Jesus, An Easter Thing A JELLY BEAN EASTER Three Dramas for Children A Jelly Bean Easter The Easter Story Son Power Saves the Day THE LENTEN TREE DEVOTIONS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS TO PREPARE FOR CHRIST’S DEATH AND HIS RESURRECTION The Lenten Tree contains Lenten devotions for children and adults. It also includes questions, prayers, a memory verse, and songs. BIBLEVENTURECENTERS: JESUS- DEATH DESTROYER 4 WEEKS WITH JESUS Build your kids' Christian faith as they travel in small groups to four learning centers where they'll connect with Bible truths in fresh, fun ways - through drama, art, games and music! Includes: Four ready-to-go, one hour sessions, photocopiable student handouts, reproducible CD. SLEEP ON IT! AND 5 DRAMAS FOR TWEENS New in the Tween Drama Series, Sleep on It! offers six dramas for tweens. These entertaining and engaging dramas include Lent and Easter material such as: ? Jesus the Servant (biblical drama about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet) ? Arrest and Crucifixion ? Sleep On It! ? The Escape (Peter’s escape from prison) ? Through the Roof (four friends lower paralytic through the roof to Jesus) ? A Wild West Mellerdrammer (about David and Abigail) ARE YOU SLEEPING? Easy Easter Dramas, Recitations, and Speeches for Children All Resources are available for free loan to all Ordering Is Easy! When ordering we need the resource number or title, the intended show date(s), your church, your name, and a daytime phone number. If you wish to preview a resource, please return it promptly. Phone: (716) 564-2316 Fax: (716) 564-2365 E-mail: resource@wnyumc.org | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
