Four Christmas Plays by Melea J. Brock/Right-Side-Up Stories available for performance for Christmas 2019
“IT’S JUST A GOD BAG” Readers Theater in Two Acts, 5 Actors (3M/2F), 6-8 Teen Voices/Acting Group, a choir possibility in the script *Could be pre-Advent piece
We don’t often raise the value or the voice of youth pastors in theater pieces very often, nor the voice or value of our teens. Why is that? This story seeks to raise the awareness and the value of youth pastors, teenagers, parents, and senior pastors through a simple Ziploc bag at Christmas time.
The question of “What do we do with the poor in our midst?”is wrestled with within the context of all of these relationships. We all know what to do at the holidays—we show mercy to the poor. But what do we do about them the rest of the year?
The play uses adult and teen actors as the storytellers which can create a wonderful generational ensemble working together to tell with a sincerity and truth. The teen actors (with the exception of the role of the main character, Michael) form a Group of Voice Actorsthat tell the story as the church board, the youth group, the homeless, and the youth of the church’s after-school tutoring program.
“It’s Just a God Bag” can be used for a pre-holiday/advent service looking forward to the effect the church might want to have on the poor in their own community. This play can also impact a church family as they approach benevolent and merciful giving during the season of Christmas. It’s a play with warmth, honesty and a message that will encourage all that gather to hear it, churchedand unchurched.
The author’s Playwright Notesare available in the script, and information about how to make God Bags.
“THE GREEN VELVET CHRISTMAS DRESS” A Holiday Play with an Interactive Tea-Time with the Actors,
10 Female in Cast (doubling of actor’s parts is possible to create a smaller cast)
“The Green Velvet Christmas Dress” is the story of a hand-made dress sewn through a year of deep sorrow lived out by a woman named, Emma, during the year 1880. The green velvet Christmas dress is found, intact, and refashioned into a welcome-home dress by a woman whose husband is returning home from WWII in 1945. This smart looking green velvet dress is procured by a theater in Chicago where one of the costume mistresses refashions it into a green velvet costume jacket for a prima ballerina in the year 1990.
In 2007, the well-used green velvet costume jacket is then given as a gift to a young textile professor on maternity leave. She uses the remaining velvet to make a benevolent quilt for a hopeless female patient in a rehab hospital. This quilt encourages her to move forward in her recovery. The green velvet Christmas dress carries its faith-filled message from 1880 to 2007.
Four Christmas Plays by Melea J. Brock/Right-Side-Up Stories
available for performance for Christmas 2019
(cont) “THE GREEN VELVET CHRISTMAS DRESS” A Holiday Play with an Interactive Tea-Time with the Actors, 10 Female in Cast (doubling of actor’s parts to create a smaller cast)
In between the year 2007 and the present date of its performance, the play takes a tea-time intermission(red velvet cupcakes and tea). The audience is invited to communicate with the actors (costumed and in character), before the closing scene. It’s a very fun and memorable moment for the audience.
The author has provided an extensive set of Playwright Notesfor the success and production of this play: costuming, sets/props, character descriptions, access to advertising that the author prefers be used for the play, music details, which include the closing song sung by the main character, Emma.
The Green Velvet Christmas Dressplay has been done with great success in Santa Clarita and Pasadena, CA. The complete story of The Green Velvet Christmas Dress is in the process of being made into a book that will be published and ready for sale by late Fall of 2019.
“THE RED PRAYER BOX” Readers Theater play in Two Acts, 7 Actors with doubling of parts (3M/4F), an INTERACTIVE TABLEAU OF ACTORS (15-20 plus, M/F/ & Children of varying ages)
What if a family placed a red wooden box marked “Prayer Box” next to their mailbox and gathered the neighborhood up for a Christmas desert and announced its intent and purpose for the Christmas season? And what if the curmudgeon-likeneighbor next door shows up to blow the whole idea out of the water with his attitude and peppered language? It’s a great set-up for something to happen that could bring about a change in a neighborhood.
To this family of four which includes a savvy teen girl, and bright pre-adolescent boy, nothing is going to stop their sincere desire to pray for their neighbors,until God answers all of their prayers.
Most of the RT Actors double-up on character parts making for great fun in the storytelling. There is a group of 15 or more Tableau Actorsproviding all the relationships to be found in the neighborhood from Single to Married to Children and Infants—all ages. Tableau Actorsare silent actorsfor the most part, providing emotional content for two scenes, including the movement of props and scenery. There are a few Tableau Actors with spoken lines related to the storytelling.
This play can provide a great opportunity for church members to get involved, especially those who say, “I can’t sing, and I can’t act, but I sure would like to be in one of those Christmas shows someday.”
The storyline will tug on the hearts of those gathered, whether church family members or guests, sounding familiar in its humor and true-to-life relationships within the context of a neighborhood.
The author’s Playwright Notesare available in the script.
Four Christmas Plays by Melea J. Brock/Right-Side-Up Stories
available for performance for Christmas 2019
“THE CHRISTMAS WE ALL CROSSED THE BRIDGE” Readers Theater play in One Act, 5 Actors (2M/3F), 20-30 plus SILENT ACTORS—varying male/female roles and children to represent town/church community) *Christmas Eve Service or Special Event – Interactive Theater
The setting is an actual church experiencing a challenging season with a new pastor. The universal personalitiesare all present—the pastor and his family, the wise board member, the busy-body/vocal church member, and the universal first-person female storyteller role telling the story from her own positive perspective.
There is a host of other Silent Actorsthat become the obvious members of city/community, and a church family all of which will enter the church to participate in an evening Christmas Eve service. They all take their seats among the congregation (the audience in attendance). To complicate things (add to the story), there’s been a winter storm late in the afternoon, delaying some in their arrival to church.
The “ideal” context for this play would be a Christmas Eve Service, but it need not be at all.
Several churches have used this story/play with a simple welcome and opening, following up at the end with a meaningful closing words as the play finishes. Some churches have even gone to the lengths of purchasing blankets–a part of the storyline—for the sole purpose of giving a gift to the guests and church families gathered. Blankets have also been collected prior to the event/show to give to homeless, shelters, and families in need. One church used it as part of the ticket price.
The author’s Playwright Notesare available in the script. Melea has an audio version of her first-person telling of the story, The Christmas We All Crossed The Bridge
Contact Melea J. Brock directly for perusal copies of any of these plays by phone—
626-365-1955/800-369-9230 and astory4u@earthlink.netor mjbstory@gmail.com
Melea’s plays are royalty-based. Her guidelines are simple, straight-forward, and are in-line with any other production opportunities and restrictions that one would follow to produce musicals, theater pieces, and plays.
She makes herself available to the directors and producers of her work. Her background in theater as a director, producer and actor has given her a wealth of knowledge, experience, and desire to help others accomplish excellent theater work within their churches and Christian organizations.
©Melea J. Brock, March 2019