Description

The mother of the two thieves on Golgatha, Veronica, is putting her life on the line for her daughter and friend, standing up for Biblical truth of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The pastor in these scenes, (Pastor Wes Pilate, irony intended), has started his own church and even written his own Bible for reasons of popularity and profit.

The traditional arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus is covered in impacting detail in the first 3 scenes of this 8 scene drama, the final 5 scenes are contemporary scenes which cover the story of a mother, Veronica the same name as the mother of the two thieves (twins) on the cross), this done intentionally to create on-going awareness. These five scenes speak of the drift there has been in our perception of the meaning of Easter
Scene VI is a bar scene, with a confrontation over drugs and prostitution.
We have optionally split the first (traditional) area of this script, “My Sons,” and the contemporary portion, Paying Their Price, giving our members and clients their choice, either or all would be an excellent outreach or dinner theatre piece.
There is an ongoing song, (Beautiful Scandalous Night), which helps link the contemporary back to the crucifixion and resurrection.

Cast:    30+ (some actors could cover multiple roles)

• Veronica, mother of the thieves and mother of Becky
• Mary, mother of Jesus
• Jesus
• Abir, thief, twin of Eliran
• Eliran, thief, (the one who believed), twin of Abir
• 4 Roman Soldiers
• Caiaphas
• Herod
• Pilate
• Newsy Newsham, tacky newsman
• Easter Egg in costume
• Willy Rabbit, in costume
• Charlie, likely child, male or female
• Becky Adams, (as a pre-teen child), Veronica’s daughter
• Becky Adams, (as an early teen), Veronica’s daughter
• Becky Adams, (as a late teen), Veronica’s daughter
• Pastor Wes Pilate
• Tina Pilate, (as a pre-teen child), daughter of pastor
• Tina Pilate, (as an early teen), daughter of pastor
• Tina Pilate, (as a late-teen), daughter of pastor
• (NOTE – Becky and Tina could all be played by the same actors by costuming)
• Link, 20’s rough character
• 2 “clients” 20’s +
• doctor
• extras as available/desired
• Singer
• Narrator
• OSV woman’s off-stage voice

Bible Reference:    Luke 22:47-24:9

Set:      Scenes/Sets

• Scene I – Arrest and Trial of Jesus and of the two thieves. Set is a jail, hint of bars
• Scene II – Crucifixion. Set is crucifixion with 3 crosses, use lighting so the 3 can stand on floor
• Scene III – On The Road to the Tomb (Mary and Veronica)
• Scene IV – Modern Day Meaning of Easter (is it Easter Egg, Easter Bunny or Jesus)
• Scene V – Current Day Church Service.
• Scene VI – Bar Scene. Tables with glasses
• Scene VII – Hospital Waiting Room

Lighting:        spots required

  Sound:     wireless mics if available

Song: 

• Song, based on “The Beautiful Scandalous Night” which as written by Derri Daugherty & Steve Hindalong
  • On YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qahF83maIo  
  • © 1992 Never Say Never Songs / New Spring Publishing, Inc. / ASCAP (both adm. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)
  • Arrangement and lyrics for this drama by DramaShare, the 3 MP3 clips are available from the DramaShare site
• Please support the writers and performers of these songs

SFX:       none

Costumes:

• Costumes: Scene I-III traditional costumes
• Scene IV-VIII are contemporary
• In Scene IV have costumes for Easter Egg and Willy the Wabbit, (can be as creative or as simple as you wish)

Props:     other than soldiers equipment and knife, little is required

Special Instructions:   none

  Time:

Sample of script:

lights up on Singer

Song: Music clip1 (begins with intro):

Good friends prayed in the dawn, Mount of Olives
Was a meeting place Judas knew well
He led the crowd down
Brought Jesus to town
On trial for being God’s son
Although Pilate and Herod found no guilt
The crowd wanted that Jesus would die
Gave him thorns for a crown
And the guards beat him down
He carried his cross to the hill.

lights down on Singer, after a few seconds up on stage

Scene I – Arrest and Trial

Crowd noise rises, in a few seconds three Roman soldiers push Abir and Eliran in through the back doors and up the aisle toward the front stage.

Abir: Get your filthy Roman hands off me, now!

Soldier1: Look around you swine; you are in no position to offend anyone, particularly not those who hold the power of life and death over you.

Abir: Give me 5 minutes alone, just you and me in a back alley; we’ll see who has the power of life and death.

Soldier2, slaps Abir: Brave talk from someone whose next breath is a gift from these Roman hands you despise!

Abir: Touch me again and I will walk on your grave, or my name isn’t Abir!

Soldier3: Abir is it? . . As I recall, in that disgusting language of yours, that means “strong”!

Soldier1, laughs, pushes Abir, roughly into  cell:
A few hours in this cell and you will live up to your name . . Abir . . strong . . the only thing strong about you will be the smell!

Eliran, to soldiers: You have no call to treat my brother in this way!

Soldier2: Abir is your brother is he? And what is your name, brother of Abir, the strong one?

Eliran: I am Eliran.

Soldier3: Eliran, some name! . . “God is my joy”! . . How appropriate! . . The world will see you, “God is joy” . . . hanging from a cross! . . What joy indeed there shall be for your God and all your lot as we all watch as the life slowly and excruciatingly leaves your wretched body!

Veronica creeps slowly on stage, watches from the shadows, Soldier2 notices her

Soldier2: You, . . . woman! . . What reason do you have to be hanging around this stinking prison?

Veronica, hesitatingly: They are . . I am . . . Veronica.

Soldier1: Perhaps then Veronica, you want that we toss you in this holding pen, amongst more than 50 deranged men who haven’t had benefit of a woman’s presence in their lives for many months?

Soldier3, moves toward Veronica: Excellent idea! . . Will break our boredom of watching over this lot!

Eliran: Leave her alone! . . She has done nothing wrong! . . (to Veronica) . . Mother! Leave now!

Soldier2, taunting: Oh “mother” is it? . . And has Mommy come down to the jail to bring honey doughnuts to her starving little boys?

Soldiers laugh mockingly

Eliran: Mother! . . Leave!

Veronica cautiously moves toward off stage position, looking back over her shoulder

Soldier2, moves toward Veronica: I will go and bring her back . . .

noise, as Jesus who shows signs of being beaten, wearing a scarlet robe and crown of thorns, forced on stage from opposite side to Veronica, thrown into the cell by Soldier4
Mary cautiously comes on stage, stands near Veronica

Soldier1: Oh my, what have we here? . . . . Another guest?

Soldier4: No not just . . another . . guest! . . What you have here is . . none other than . . the King of the Jews!

Soldiers1,2 and 3 bow low, mocking

Soldier2: Our apologies your highness that we are unable to provide you with our customary salute of 1,000 buglers, it so happens they are out of town today.

all soldiers laugh uproariously
Soldier3 notices Herod, Pilate and Caiaphas come on stage

Soldier3: Attention!

soldiers line up and stand attentively

Caiaphas: What is this? Only four soldiers on guard here, guarding the Nazarene?

Pilate: Caiaphas, you saw yourself that all the followers of the Nazarene turned tail and ran for cover! You are being paranoid!

Caiaphas: Pilate you will do as you are told! I demand that you bring out many more of your best soldiers!

Pilate: Next thing you know you will expect to have a full century turned out . . (mocking) . . Will a full 100 of our best fighting soldiers satisfy you my lord?

Caiaphas: And why would you not have a full century here on duty? Besides, everyone knows that a century of soldiers is in fact only comprised of 83 soldiers. . . And 83 soldiers are none too many to ensure that the Nazarene blasphemer does not escape. . .

Herod: Be assured Caiaphas, the Nazarene is safe and sound here in the best jail in the land, as all is being made ready for his crucifixion.

Caiaphas: It is inconceivable to me that you Romans insist on crucifixion, you could have as easily had your soldiers take him to the edge of town and stone him immediately and thus cut out your Roman melodrama!

Herod, in Caiaphas’ face: Listen to us, and listen well you weasel, you vermin! . . Please keep in mind that, although you have gotten your way in the matter of disposing of this Jesus the Christ today . . remember if you will . . we are, and we shall always be . . your master! We are Herod . . we are King of the Jews! . . Did we not so decree just recently that is so!

Caiaphas: Herod, I only meant that . . .

Herod: Do we care what you mean Caiaphas? . . You and Annas and the lot of you may rant and rave but it matters not this much (snaps fingers) to us! . . And as for the Nazarene, the sooner he is out of our sphere, the better. . . Rubbish, the lot of you!

Pilate: Herod, careful in your handling of the Nazarene, I have some concerns.

Herod, laughs: Afraid that your dear wife might have another nightmare perhaps? . . Now then, soldiers, see to it that the Nazarene is kept under close surveillance until a proper parade is organized to escort this Jesus to Golgotha.

Herod: Seems a shame you know, holding a crucifixion for only one man. Isn’t there another that we could crucify along with the Nazarene? . . Make it more of a spectacle don’t you think?

Caiaphas: No one is as loathed as the Nazarene . . no, he must be crucified alone, the better to heap ridicule upon him, as he deserves.

Pilate: Wait, were not the thieving twin sons of Eli captured last night?

Herod, thinks: You are right! . . The fools, not content to steal from their Jewish brothers, they dared steal from Rome! That we can never allow! Now truly that does warrant crucifixion!

Caiaphas: Then it is set, the twin sons of Eli, crucified on either side of the Nazarene!

Veronica gives a low scream

Pilate: Who was that?

Soldier2: It is Veronica, the mother of the sons of Eli, she has been standing in the shadows since the twins arrived here.

Caiaphas: Then don’t just stand there, drive her away!

Herod: No, leave her be. . . All the better that she bear first-hand witness to all that happens, and that she be able to tell her fool friends not to trifle with Roman masters.
Now then, soldiers, guard your guests, we will be back shortly after we gather up all the rabble-rousers for the journey to the cross.

Soldiers go into the cell, Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate leave the stage
Low light on Mary and Veronica
Veronica cries softly, Mary puts her arm around Veronica to comfort her

Mary: Come, Veronica, lean on me.

Veronica, angry: Lean on you? . . Lean on someone I don’t even know? . . I want to lean on my sons! . . The sons I gave birth to, raised, cared for!

Mary: I know the pain you feel Veronica.

Veronica, more angry, screams: You dare say you know how I feel? . . How dare you! . . No one can know how I feel! . . Those two men, the ones who are to be crucified on the two crosses at the sides of the Nazarene. . they are my sons! . . No one but a mother could possibly understand my feelings!

Mary: You are right Veronica . . No one but a mother could possibly understand. . . But the man who will be on that cross, between your two sons, that man is . . my son.

Veronica, in shock: You mean you are . .?Oh my God! . . .
(gasps)
Oh . . my . . God!

Mary: Yes Veronica. . . My son . . . The son of God.

Veronica: I didn’t . . . I never . . . Forgive me . ..

Mary: Come with me, some of the disciples are resting at the home of Benjamin, you need to rest, to eat . .

Veronica: No, I must stay here, watch, wait with my sons.

Mary: No, there is nothing we can do here, and we need to keep up our strength, I am sure you will want to be with me at Golgotha.

Veronica: Of course, but how will we know when . . .

Mary. looks around, with wave of hand indicates surrounding area:
There are disciples; John and Peter and others here in the shadows, watching, they will alert us when it is time. . . Now come.

Mary and Veronica start to leave the stage, Mary’s arm around Veronica, lights down

lights up on Singer

Song: Music clip2 (begins with intro):

At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you can see,
Three men hung on the cross to the mean crowd’s delight
On that beautiful scandalous night.
On that beautiful scandalous night.

lights down on Singer, after a few seconds up on stage

Scene II – Crucifixion

crowd, including the 4 soldiers, Veronica, Mary, Herod, Pilate, Caiaphas are gathered around the 3 people on the crosses

Veronica: Those animals! . . Hanging my sons on those awful crosses! . . The nails . . the pressure and agony of drawing a simple breath! . . Humans simply would not do this to other humans!

Mary: Oh my son! . . Oh my dear son! . . . Lord God, he is your son . . . Surely you will not stand by and allow his suffering.

Caiaphas: Struggle on you fools! Every time you rise yourself up you drive the nails deeper into your hands and feet, tearing deeper into flesh and bone! . . Suffer, just as your claims of Godhood have caused us decent Jewish people to suffer!

Pilate: Truly you amaze me Caiaphas! . . You are truly heartless!

Caiaphas: Not heartless at all, merely pragmatic. It is better that one should die, rather than the entire Jewish people.

Pilate: But he is one of your own . .

Caiaphas: The Nazarene is of the devil. . . It is good riddance.

Herod: In another life you would make a good executioner, you would Caiaphas.

Caiaphas: Nonsense, I do not take blood.

Herod: And what, precisely, do you call today’s exercise, oh introspective Caiaphas? Surely the blood of Jesus the Christ is on your hands.

Caiaphas: Again, you speak nonsense. History will record that the blood of the Nazarene is on the hands of Rome. I merely facilitated that which Rome accomplished.

Pilate: It is you who speak nonsense Caiaphas. You saw with your own eyes that I, in sight of all, washed my hands of the entire matter. And you were in the crowd who said “let his blood be on us and our children!”

Caiaphas: There may have been some riff-raff who made some unfortunate comments; statements said in the heat of the moment do not constitute commitment of the Jewish people as a whole. And, regardless, what is said is said.

Herod: Will they not soon be dead? . . This entire scene is becoming very unpalatable!

Mary: This ordeal is beyond human endurance!
(to the soldiers)
Is there no one who will give him a drink to ease his pain?

Soldier4: Where are our manners?
Here we have three guests, and we have forgotten to bring them drink and their midday meal.

Soldier2: I am ashamed of us, this will never do. . . (to Soldier1) . . .
Quickly, our finest wine!

Soldier1 holds a sponge on a long pole up to Jesus’ face

Soldier1: You, Your Majesty, King Jesus, care for a drink?