Plays for All Year

38 pages

Cast: 3 m, 3 w with doubling or 4 m, 4 w, guest acts optional.

The year is 1960. “The Piety Variety Gospel Show” is a locally televised religious program that blesses folks between church services with music, religious news, and much more. But now the host, Brother Shelby Greene, faces a crisis. With new regulations that require him to start paying for his airtime, how will he raise the money and stay true to his calling? This is a comic tale about becoming a televangelist when selling religious items, having nice hair, and asking for money on air was something new. A singing quartet performs ten well-known hymns, and th...

11 pages

4 w and the voice of Jesus.

Four Pilgrim women find their strength and faith fading as they face the incredible rigors of a harsh, wild, and unknown country known as America. Loneliness, despair, anger and fear are their constant companions. But when the women bow their heads in prayer and hear the voice of Jesus, they remember why they sought this country and give thanks after their first year in the new world. With minimal scenery, this chancel drama will enchance your Thanksgiving service.

54 pages

Flexible casting

The skits, mimes and monologues/readings in this collection of "anytime" material have been written for easy casting, short rehearsals and maximum impact. Topics covered include missionary boxes; witnessing; the afterlife; cultivating the Christian life; allegorical tales of obedience, power, beauty and teamwork; seeing through God's eyes; and the meaning of God's names. Often, the message is driven home with laughter. Most tales are contemporary (two are set in Biblical times) and most can be cast with either men or women (several feature many women). Use th...

28 pages

Cast: Widely flexible.

Take a trip back in history and learn how prayer has helped create this great nation. With Jesus as our guide, join a confused office worker in discovering the faith of past patriots such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other well-known and many not-so-well-known patriots. With no scenery and just a few props, the focus is on the dramatic dialogue which includes excerpts from original speeches. Suggested songs for a choir enhance the mood of each segment of history. The powerful, surprise ending is a touching scene from the World Trade Center tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001. Give y...

27 pages

3 m, 3 w, 1 boy or girl

The Porters have gone to morning services and now think they deserve a QUIET Sunday afternoon. But being a Christian takes more than just going to church. God needs them to organize a youth group, help their married daughter and son-in-law who are quarreling, and show the Christian way to an exasperating neighbor. It's confusion, mayhem, and lots of humor with people just like you and me. Entertaining with a good message. Perfect for Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, or anytime. About: 45 minutes. 

0 pages

3 m, 4 w, extras.

Jenny, a high school student, is on cloud nine. Dave Stone has asked her to the prom. Her girlfriends are all sexually active and have been pressuring Jenny to give up her old-fashioned Christian views on premarital sex. Then, on the day before the prom, Jenny's best friend tearfully confides that she thinks she is pregnant and her boyfriend dumped her when she told him. Michelle doesn't want Jenny to make the same mistake. Distraught, Jenny begins to question whether premarital sex is worth the gamble of pregnancy, disease, loss of reputation, or compromise of values. Her decision is...

24 pages

2 m, 4 w

A drama troupe is preparing a play about Charles T. Studd, a missionary to China, India and Africa from 1880 to 1930. Andy, one of the actors, challenges how relevant the play is to today and in the ensuing argument makes a surprising discovery. Suitable for touring. About 35 minutes.

36 pages

3 m, 3 w

Amy Westmond and her husband Floyd, along with his brother and father who comprise a country music group, return to Amy’s home church. They reminisce and catch up on the gossip with Marie, the church’s housekeeper, and Betty, the choir director, who inspired Amy earlier but now seems to have somewhat of an attitude. The Westmonds are told that a search committee will be there for the evening hymn-sing to try to lure the church’s beloved pastor away. With the unseen organist who communicates through charades, they form a plan—a fake pastor and fake service! Ll...

26 pages

5 m, 4 w, and optional 1 flexible

A small church is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new and as yet unseen pastor. But he’s arrived too early and instead of meeting the welcoming committee, Rev. Goode encounters a seemingly homeless man. The pastor immediately offers to help him, surprising the stranger who says he never before received that kind of consideration from the church members. Since the pastor is more interested in finding out what type of church he inherited than in making a good first impression, he switches place with the other man so he can observe firsthand how the church t...

37 pages

5 m, 8 w, 12 flexible

In this one-act play, tragedy meets fantasy, myth meets reality. A fairy-tale world winds itself around the real drama of one little girl’s battle with cancer and her family’s anguish. As they struggle to cope with her prognosis and desperate treatment, the fairy tale characters from the little girl’s book play out their own drama. Will an evil sorceress and her dark creatures succeed in pulling Princess Caroline away from her beloved family and prince? Will little Cora’s experimental cancer treatment save her? In our imaginations, the villain is always slain...

0 pages

3 m, 3 w, 2 boys, 1 girl

On this last day at home before Jesus begins his ministry, the family is charged with fear, bitterness, and resentmentùall directed against Jesus. Elizabeth, an unmarried sister, resents what she sees as her brother's selfishness. Deborah, a younger sister who is married and the mother of Nathan, fears how Jesus' plans will affect Mary, their mother. Their brother James feels bitter and destructive, especially since returning home after a failed attempt to live on his own. Another brother, Juda, a teenager and shepherd, feels rejected because Jesus refuses to take Juda with him. When Je...

60 pages

2-8 actors per skit.

Here are a dozen humorous skits with messages that really hit home. "Salvation Lot" has a smooth-talking salesman with a deal for everyone. The "Evangelism 101" class has strong ideas on how to evangelize the world, but when an unsaved person crashes the class, we find out how dedicated they really are. "I'm the Victim Here" teaches friendship is more important than petty disputes. "Charades" has a good lesson on setting the right priorities in our lives. The heroine of "The Hole in my Heart" finds fulfillment can only come from Jesus. A man who is desperate ...

74 pages

8 m, 8 w, 2 flexible

All the fun and nostalgia of the '50s make this play a winner! Judy Harding's life as a 16-year-old isn't too sweet right now. Her dad can't find the money to fix up the family's soda shop; her older brother is flunking out of school; and her younger brother has retreated into a fantasy world of comic book superheroes since their mom died. To add to the dilemma, Judy has a major crush on a new student who's a mysterious loner. Enter Angela, a bumbling angel-in-training who must earn her halo by helping the Hardings. But when the shop is hit first by a fire an...

16 pages

5 characters: 5M or 4M 1W or 4M 1B.

In Assisi, Italy, in the Thirteenth Century, Francis has gathered some followers in a primitive monastery. A boy appears at the gate and asks to speak with Francis, who has gone into the woods. Though poorly dressed, the boy is an angel sent to test the charity of the men and to expose the one who is a fraud. One monk, Masseo, is too foolish to recognize who the boy really is, and reacts to him with comic resentment. The Vicar, Elias, is too angry to treat the boy charitably, sending him away. Elias then lies to Francis about what happened to the boy, but Fra...

24 pages

3 m, 5 w.

A very different type of play which may easily be produced by your youth group. Depicted as happening somewhere in the future, a boy and girl enter what was known as a "church." A guide takes a small tour through this church, and strange questions are asked. After they have left, the Stone Preacher comes to life to take part in the conversation. An entertaining, yet thought-provoking play. About 30 minutes.