Description

The Fork around the Bend
Life changing drama offerings for summer camps, conferences, clinics, and church programs

The Fork around the Bend

Table of Contents
“Ice breaker” sillies:

How to Win a Girl Page 4-8
The Emergency Room Page 9-11
The Three Headed Girl Page 12-14
“Keep them coming” five part story Three Brothers of Flanders* Page 15-25
“Make them think” substantials:

A Piece of Candy Page 26-28
Rosie Page 29-31
The Purse Snatcher Page 32-34

“Bring them in” clinchers
The Waiting Room Page 35-37
Unrequited Love* Page 38-42

NOTE: “Three Brothers of Flanders” and “Unrequited Love” are also available as individual scripts from DramaShare

Dear drama leader,
These drama offerings are the result of four summers in Belgium with an organization called SportQuest. We worked through local churches in the Flanders part of the country, holding clinics to teach children and teens the fundamentals of various sports. While our Belgian and American athletes ran the sports, we drama people performed our vignettes during the break times and at evening programs.You will note a Belgian flavor in some of these dramas. Just in case you’re not in Belgium, feel free to adjust certain references to fit your locale. You may also have noticed the funky names given some of the characters. That’s just a quirk of mine. I like funky names and can’t stand being normal. Change them and be normal if you must. Western Europe in general and Belgium in particular has a reputation for being a spiritual wasteland, which makes for a formidable challenge in writing drama material that can properly till the soil around resistant hearts. These vignettes, which were translated into and performed as much as possible in Flemish, proved effective and we saw many come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Some of those have stuck around and are actively developing into what God would have them to be. We have also performed most of these vignettes in America and found them just as effective.
Why is this work entitled “The Fork around the Bend”? Because “The Bends” of life are an inescapable part of the human condition in this fallen world. Every young person who comes to your camp, clinic, or whatever is suffering from some form of “The Bends.” There might be a family breakup going on at home. He might be friendless. She might have just been cut from the team. He might have a bully terrorizing him at school. She might think she is ugly. There are health problems, scholastic problems, job problems, boyfriend/girlfriend problems and innumerable other “bends.”
“The Fork” is that period of time when that young person’s life intersects with yours. The young person didn’t see it coming, but you have been strategically placed to point him or her towards “the narrow road that leads to life.” This has to be more than just performing good drama and speaking gospel truth. You have to be a safe person who genuinely cares. You must be that accepting, stabilizing force a young person will never forget.
I can hear you protesting. “I’ve got my own case of ‘The Bends’. You have no idea how much I’m hurting right now.” No, I don’t. But I do know that your hurts will help you sympathize with their hurts and that you will be amazed at how your “Bends” will seem to diminish in significance as you zoom in on others. And as you help others, so too will increase your ability to deal with your own problems. “But I’m not good enough. I’m too weak. I’ve failed too much.” So have I.
Rise up to your calling! Call upon the Lord to forgive you for your failures and to make you more than you are. It will happen.

“Ice Breaker” sillies

How to Win a Girl

Characters:
Introducer
William
Bradley
all the girls who will participate:
Vana
Jana
Lana
Hana
policeman

Materials needed:
table and chair, deck of cards, book, policeman’s Billy club (or a soft substitute), whistle, mace (small spray bottle containing water), purse with mirror

Sample of script:

WILLIAM is playing solitaire on a table. He looks totally bored.

Introducer: You people might think that all we ever want to talk about is religious things. That just isn’t true. We’re interested in the whole person and in helping you every way we can. And to prove it, we’re putting on this drama to help you guys figure out the best way to win a girl.

(BRADLEY enters from stage right with an entourage of girls following and swooning over him. WILLIAM notices. They go to extreme stage left.)

Bradley: Hey girls. I love you all and I’ve enjoyed every minute of our time today. See you again tomorrow.

(The girls all scream with rapturous ecstasy.)

Bradley: All right. Bye girls.

(BRADLEY turns around and sees WILLIAM.)

Bradley: Oh hi, William. I didn’t see you. What are you doing there?

William: Playing solitaire. How do you do it, Bradley? Every time I see you, you’ve got girls all around you. I can’t even get my dog Bessie to follow me to the mailbox.

Bradley: Sorry to hear that, William. But I’ve got just the thing for you.

(He hands WILLIAM a book.)

William: How to Win a Girl in Five Easy Steps. You think it will work?

Bradley: It worked for me.

William: No kidding?

Bradley: No kidding. Just do what it says and you’ll have girls coming at you from every direction.

(BRADLEY exits to stage right. WILLIAM opens the book.)

William: Step one: Find something nice to say to the girl. Girls love hearing words like Every time I look at you, my heart skips a beat. Just be sure to use your own words to keep it genuine.

(He closes the book.)

William: All right.

(He closes his eyes.)

William: Every time I look at you, my heart skips a beat. My heart stops beating. My heart what? How do I say that in my own words?

(VANA enters from stage right, heading left.)

William: Good morning, young lady. How are you today?

(He gives her a deep bow. VANA is impressed. He takes each of her hands and utters the next words in his romantic best expression.)

William: Looking at you gives me a heart attack.

Vana: Ohh!

(She whams him with her purse, knocking him to the ground.)

Vana: How could you say such a dreadful thing?

(She takes a mirror out of her purse and looks at herself as she continues towards stage left. She thinks maybe WILLIAM was right.)

Vana: Oh no!!

(She covers her face and exits crying.)

William: That didn’t go too well.

(He re-opens the book.)

William: Let’s see. Step two: When you’re with a girl, try to steer the conversation her way. Show that you are genuinely interested in knowing about her. All right.

(He puts the book down. JANA enters from stage right, heading left. WILLIAM goes up to her and asks the following questions as JANA back peddles away from him.)

William: Hi. Where do you live? Where do you work? What’s your email address and telephone number? What is your greatest insecurity? What’s your biggest secret?

(Finally JANA assumes a martial arts stance. She whams WILLIAM with a blow to the stomach, a backhand to his back and then a judo chop behind his neck. WILLIAM goes down in a heap on the judo chop. All this is done to the sound effects on her line below.)

Jana: Aw-yah!! Huh! Huh! Huh!

(JANA exits to stage right. WILLIAM slowly recovers.)

William: Oh, my aching body.

(He re-opens the book.)

William: Maybe step three will get me a little further along. Smile. A big smile tells a girl you’re glad to see her.

(LANA enters from stage right. WILLIAM stops her with a hugely overdone smile.)

William: Hi. I’m glad to see you. Aren’t you glad to see me?

(LANA blows her whistle.)

Lana: Help!! Police!!

(A POLICEMAN arrives immediately. He pounds WILLIAM in the stomach, behind the back and on the neck. WILLIAM goes down in a heap on the blow to the neck.)

Policeman: Are you all right, ma’am?

Lana: My hero!

(She grabs the POLICEMAN’S hand and they go walking off together to stage left. WILLIAM slowly recovers from his third beating. He opens the book again.)

William: The way this is going, I may not live long enough to get to step five. All right. Step four: Remember a girl’s name. The more you remember about her the better.(HANA enters from stage right. WILLIAM stops her.)

William: Hi Hana. I’m William.

(HANA is scared.)

Hana: How do you know my name?

William: Oh listen, Hana. I know way more about you than you realize.

(He takes a step towards her. She grabs mace out of her purse and sprays him with it.)

William: Ahhhh!

(He goes down in a heap, covering his eyes. HANA exits to stage right. WILLIAM slowly recovers.)

William: This just isn’t working.

(He throws the book down and starts to walk away.)

William: But then there’s the fifth step. Maybe if I just try the fifth step, everything will come together.

(He picks up the book and opens it again.)

William: Step five: Just be yourself. Girls like a man who has no pretenses. All right.

(He sits down and begins to play solitaire. VANA, JANA, LANA and HANA come walking by from stage right. They see him happily playing solitaire and become curious.)

Vana: What are you doing?

William: Playing solitaire.

Jana: It looks so interesting.

William: It’s fun. I love it.

Lana: Would you show us how to play?

William: Sure. First, you shuffle the cards—like this…

Hana: That is soooo cool!

(He continues showing them. BRADLEY enters with his entourage of girls following him.)

Bradley: Hi William. Looks like you’re doing okay now.

William: Yeah. Thanks for the book.

(BRADLEY continues on, but all the girls stop and want to learn about solitaire. BRADLEY suddenly notices he hasn’t got a following anymore.)

Bradley: Hey girls. Come on. We’ll be late to the ice skating rink.

Vana: This is too interesting. Maybe some other time, Bradley.

Lana: Do you know any card tricks, William?

William: Sure. Pick a card—any card.

(JANA picks a card.)

William: Five of clubs.

Hana: Oh William—you are so amazing. Why don’t you come with us?

(WILLIAM gets up and exits with all the girls to stage left.)

Bradley: How did he do that? Maybe I really should read this book.

(He picks the book up and exits reading it to stage right.)

The complete script, plus all 2,000 other DramaShare scripts, are available at no charge to DramaShare members, non-members may purchase the individual script.