Readers’ Theatre – A Play in One Act – based on Matthew 20. 1-16
Parts: Joseph (Father), Rebecca (Mother), Elizabeth (daughter), and the part of the narrator.
Setting: Three chairs, socially distanced (Covid 19 Pandemic) – facing the congregation.
[NARRATOR: It is starting to get dark outside it is more than obvious that the woman of the household is worried and getting more nervous by the moment. Just look at the way, she paces back and forth.
She has swept the dirt floor several times now and is even now, rearranging the rugs, again.
She keeps pausing and stares into the outer darkness.
As the hour gets later, we hear her pray:]
REBECCA: “O Dear Lord, my God, BLESSED ARE YOU, WHERE is MY husband, Joseph?”
“WHERE IS HE, Lord? It is getting LATER AND LATER. I know HE DID NOT find any work – AGAIN, today!”
REBECCA: “I actually WENT to the Marketplace and I SAW HIM still standing there with a FEW OTHER MEN, late into THE AFTERNOON.”
REBECCA: “Where is he, dear God.” “I am so WORRIED and so VERY CONCERNED.” “It is getting SO LATE and I know HE DID NOT find any work again today.”
REBECCA: “Has something HAPPENED to HIM, or is HE too ASHAMED to come home again, EMPTY HANDED?”
[NARRATOR: Her prayer is BROKEN SHORT by a small little hand, TUGGING on her robe.
It is her five-year-old-daughter, ELIZABETH.
Little Elizabeth asks:]
ELIZABETH: “Mama, WHERE is DADDY?”
“WHY has DADDY not come home YET?”
“Is HE bringing us something to eat?”
“Mama, I am SO HUNGRY, my TUMMY hurts.”
“Mama…”
[NARRATOR: At that very moment, the door BURSTS OPEN…and Joseph shouts…]
JOSEPH: “Hello Lizzy!” “How’s my BIG GIRL?”
[NARRATOR: Grabbing his wife, he KISSES HER and nearly LAUGHS…]
JOSEPH: “Hello, Honey!”
[NARRATOR: She is startled, and confused—she certainly was not expecting any of this…]
[He is not drunk…but he certainly is ACTING strangely, not at all like a man DEJECTED by MORE failure.]
JOSEPH: “PREPARE THE TABLE…”
[NARRATOR: He almost shouts…]
JOSEPH: “WE are going to have a FEAST TONIGHT!”
“LOOK, I bought BREAD.” “We can have it with the CHEESE, I also bought.” I have FIGS, TOO.” Izzy they are always your favorite!”
“And for the PRINCESSES in my life, there is a little bit of FRESH HONEY!”
[NARRATOR: The family grasps hands and dances in a circle.]
[NARRATOR: Confusion marks Rebecca’s face as she questions, WHAT it is SHE IS SEEING.]
REBECCA: “Joseph, WHERE did you GET this FOOD?” I KNOW, you did not work today.
[NARRATOR: She says QUIETLY.]
REBECCA: “I went past the marketplace and I saw you STANDING THERE late in the day.”
[NARRATOR: He grins BROADLY as he says…]
JOSEPH: “The most AMAZING THING happened to me today.”
JOSEPH: “I was STANDING in the marketplace WAITING for SOMEONE – ANYONE – to come and HIRE ME.”
JOSEPH: “The DAY was getting VERY LATE and many others had GIVEN UP and gone home.”
JOSEPH: “Some had found work even in the MIDDLE of the day; there were just a FEW OF US left standing there. I just COULD NOT come home EMPTY HANDED AGAIN.” “So, I waited around.”
JOSEPH: “I COULD NOT STAND another night of lying in bed, KNOWING, that MY GIRLS had not eaten.”
JOSEPH: “The growling of my empty stomach could not DROWN OUT hearing Lizzy’s words…”
LIZZY: “DADDY, I am SO VERY HUNGRY.”
JOSEPH: “I was almost ready to GIVE UP – WHEN – around the 11th hour, the most UNUSUAL THING HAPPENED.”
JOSEPH: “A man came up and he YELLED AT US, asking us, “WHY, we were NOT working.”
JOSEPH: “Several of us said, “NO ONE has hired us.” “He said, “I’ll HIRE YOU!” “Come on, let’s go, there is work to be done!”
JOSEPH: “I knew it was late and there would not be much in the few minutes of work; but I decided that A FEW PENNIES were better than NOTHING, so, I WENT and worked in the vineyard.”
JOSEPH: “There were people there who had been working a LONG TIME. YOU COULD TELL they were TIRED and HOT, DUSTY, and DIRTY.” The few of us that went at the end of the day worked only for ONE HOUR.” Then, the OWNER of the vineyard called ALL OF US to receive our pay.”
JOSEPH: “And here’s the MOST EXCITING PART: he paid us first, the one’s who had worked only ONE HOUR, not those who had worked 3 hours, or 6 hours, or 9 hours or even 12 hours.”
JOSEPH: “That is what totally BLEW US AWAY-he paid us, as though we had worked the ENTIRE DAY! We worked one single hour and we were paid for the ENTIRE DAY!”
Joseph: “I could not believe what had just happened!” “I was OVERJOYED, ECSTATIC, happy as a lark, and I RAN straight for the marketplace and bought ALL OF THIS FOOD. Doesn’t it look good? What do you think, Lizzy? We are going to FEAST TONIGHT.”
[NARRATOR: Rebecca’s eyes were filling up with tears and her mouth had broken into a broad grin.]
REBECCA: “Joseph, that is almost UNBELIEVABLE!”
[NARRATOR:] Then, Joseph spoke again…]
JOSEPH: “There’s MORE. You see, as I was purchasing this food, I heard some of the workers who had worked longer than those of us who were hired last. THEY WERE GRUMBLING. They made it OBVIOUS that they were DISGUSTED, ANGRY, and downright MAD. Some of them even recognized me and glared. I said, NOTHING. And got out of there as fast as I could.”
JOSEPH: “I mean, WHAT could I say? I just gathered the food I had bought and came home. I could NOT wait to get HOME and share this GOOD FORTUNE with you and Lizzy.”
JOSEPH: “NOW, let us recline at OUR TABLE and THANK GOD for the FAVOR he has shown to us. GOD IS SO GOOD.”
[NARRATOR:] Again, CONFUSION seemed to cast itself over Rebecca’s face, and she asked…
REBECCA: “Joseph may I ask one little question?”
JOSEPH: “Yes, dear.”
REBECCA: “I am curious, why are there just 3 loaves instead of the customary 4 loaves that are usually sold?” “AND are my eyes deceiving me, it looks like SOMEONE has cut off HALF of the cheese.”
JOSEPH: “Ah, Rebecca, you are so observant, nothing get’s past you!” I did not think you would mind, but on the way home, I remembered the WIDOW-SARAH. I KNEW she did not have much and she might even be doing WITHOUT FOOD. So, I stopped and gave her some of the bread and the cheese, so that she might not starve-to-death.”
[NARRATOR: Wiping the tears that had suddenly FLOODED her eyes, Rebecca responded…]
REBECCA: “Oh, MY DEAR, KIND JOSEPH, my GENEROUS SWEET HUSBAND, you know that such mercy and such kindness is more than alright.”
REBECCA: “We have been BLESSED and so WE must BLESS others.” “YOU are a good man, my husband.”
JOSEPH: “Let’s bow our heads and GIVE THANKS to the LORD who has shown us GREAT FAVOR and his mercy this day.”
[Narrator: And the curtain GENTLY comes down. And JOSEPH, REBECCA, and little ELIZABETH curtsey and bow…as the music and the applause fades…and they exit, stage LEFT]