Easter

46 pages

6 men, 5 women, 1 teen, 3 children, extras

Judith, a middle-aged widow, makes her livelihood by selling funeral spices and shrouds in front of her home just blocks from the temple. She is an unfriendly and unlikeable woman who mysteriously rejects Jesus and his teachings. Although her visiting cousin, Simon, and her neighbor and friend, Leah, both accept Jesus, Judith does not. Even after she witnesses Jesus heal a blind man and later sees Him struggle past her house carrying the cross, Judith rejects Him. It's not until Jesus confronts her after His resurrection and reveals her deepest hurts does she...

47 pages

4 m, 6 w - 1 optional

Detective Vic Torious is called to the ranch of Bill Yonnaire, the host of the Third Annual Easter Eggs-pedition, an extreme Easter egg hunt. This year’s event is to be televised for the first time. But the ultimate prize, a solid-gold Easter egg worth a million dollars, has disappeared before it is officially “hidden.” Who stole the high-priced egg? Could it be Rev. Evan Zabove, the preacher with a desire to be on TV? Or perhaps it’s the newly crowned champion of the American Superstar TV series, Carrie Oakey. Add in a retired supermodel, a ruthless...

51 pages

14 flexible parts.

In a contemporary courtroom, the characters in the real life drama of the last days of Christ take the witness stand to examine the question, "Was Jesus the Messiah?" Witnesses include a man healed from blindness, Judas Iscariot, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, the captain of the guard, and Simon Peter. Emotional tension runs high as attorneys for both the defense and prosecution grill the witnesses to prove their cases. The audience, cast as the jury, makes the final decision. A riveting and unforgettable play. About 90 minutes...

32 pages

3 m, 2 w, 2 teen girls, 1 teen boy, 1 younger boy

The emotional highs and lows of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through Easter, are experienced by two families. One present-day family and one Biblical family share the stage and tell two parallel stories of the expectations, fears, pain and final joy that characterized the last week of Jesus' life on earth. John and his sister's family struggle with relationships and John's pending departure from their home. Benjamin and Sarah wrestle with divided reactions to Christ's triumphant entrance into their city and the events of the days that follow. On Good Friday, b...

39 pages

4 m, 7 w.

The confusion, tension, and gradual strengthening of faith and love between Mary, Martha, and other followers just before Jesus' crucifixion is brought to light in this deeply moving play. Mary, the gentle dreamer who can foresee future events, is like the lily, beautiful and serene, filling us with awe at God's power. She is just the opposite of Martha, the strong one, like a rue, pungent, flavoring food and medicine, supporting and enhancing life around her. How Jesus gently and surely changes their lives as well as the lives of Hannah, Rachel, Judith, Rebe...

25 pages

1 m, 1 w. (If more speakers are available, the parts can be distributed)

The 14 Stations of the Cross are brilliantly re-interpreted for modern audiences in these readings. Each Station is written to be whole in and of itself, and thus different Stations may or may not be used in each production. The goal of this play is to "Help us to share in the Passion of our Savior, to sense how those twisted streets of Jerusalem run through the streets of Los Angeles and Calcutta. To intuit how the wood that made the cross may buttress the fragile walls of our own homes, to feel how the steel that made the nails may make bullets and and bayo...

12 pages

1 m, 1 w, 1 flexible

Al McCarty is an elderly construction worker on his first trip with his wife Lisa since his retirement. They’re camping in Montana, and though it’s been his dream to fish there, Al is bored. He misses his coworkers and the noise of the construction trucks. He’s even gone so far as to fix a toilet in the men’s restroom. When an angel in white overall appears telling him “It’s time,” Al is nonplussed. He demands the angel prove he has heavenly powers, and while they’re waiting for the “order” to go through, the angel gives Al a few options for his passing—from ...

43 pages

3 m, 3 w, 1 flexible part.

Mary, a wealthy widow, is unsure if Jesus is the Messiah until she lets the upper room in her home be used by his disciples for what becomes the Last Supper. Events get out of control after the meal, especially when Mary's teenage son, Mark, follows Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane. But her faith becomes absolute later when her friend Joanna announces Jesus has risen. A powerful story, which reaffirms the message that through Christ's death and resurrection, we are cleansed of our sins. Performance time: 40 minutes.

39 pages

4 m, 4 w.

Malchus, a high priest's servant, has his ear severed by Peter during the arrest of Jesus, but after Jesus heals him, Malchus' hatred and rejection of Jesus disappear. Later, when he hears the news of Jesus' resurrection, he accepts Him as the Messiah as does his wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Tabitha, even though in doing so she must give up her boyfriend, Gideon, the son of a high priest. Neither Malchus' mother-in-law nor his cousin, however, can believe that a convicted criminal is truly the Son of God. A strong story of Christian conversion. Performance ...

32 pages

15 m, 6 w, 1 child, 2 flex, extras. Much doubling possible.

Issachar cares about only one thing, money. So when Rachel, his wife, generously loans their donkey to Jesus' disciples for the Master's use, Issachar is furious and determined to get his donkey back. Several encounters with Jesus and a week of searching for his animal find him still "donkey-less" and seemingly still heartless. In a final attempt to get his donkey back, he unknowingly enters into a plot with Judas and the Pharisees to kill Jesus. Despondent over what he has done, Issachar hurries off to Golgotha to try to explain things to Jesus before He die...

28 pages

13 males, 3 females, and 12 + flexible

This show is a modern rendition of the traditional Easter story, highlighting events surrounding Jesus’ last days. From the time he arrives in Galilee to his arrest, death and resurrection, the audience will be captivated by this biblical retelling. The story is set in present day and includes D12, his street-smart gang of disciples, a young group of zealous followers who later turn on him, and the Pharisees and Sadducees dressed in priestly garments and big church hats, who plot to end Jesus’ fame. Using dramatic monologues, comedic lines, heartfelt songs an...

28 pages

3 m, 3 w.

Doug and Jeff Montgomery, along with their wives, and college-student sister, Sara Montgomery, are heading home for the weekend to perform a play for the church's annual Easter Sunrise Service. As luck would have it, they are stranded at a run-down lodge where they meet Calvin Bruzenski, a lovable but not-too-bright "surfer dude" who sets his sights for Sara. To make good use of their stranded, waiting time, Jeff and Doug decide to rehearse their Easter skit. Calvin, eavesdropping and unfamiliar with the story of Jesus' death and resurrection, believes it to ...