Characters Welcome: Old Testament Edition

By Todd Farnsworth

What does a bed warmer, a beauty contest, and a game show called "Outta Time" have to do with the Bible? In Characters Welcome: Old Testament Edition, everything!
Characters Welcome is a collection of 10 mini plays that can be used for Summer sermons, Bible studies, or just plain fun. Each script includes a link to the source text in the Bible, a prop list, and questions to consider after reading the script. Imagining your way to a production is easy.
Characters Welcome introduces readers to the people behind some of the most familiar (and a few less familiar) stories in the Bible. Monologues, imagined scenes, and poetry help create a theatrical bridge between the characters of the Old Testament and the world we live in today. What would it look like to put King Ahab on trial for the murder of the prophet Naboth? What compelled Tamar to sleep with her father in law? How did family dynamics play into the court drama between David, Bathsheba, and Solomon? What do any of these people have to do with me?
Originally written as a summer sermon series, these well researched studies are filled with wit, wisdom, and humor. Each meditation has lead to further conversations about what the characters were like and how the listener related to the character. Many people reported going on to research more about the texts on which the sermons were based.
Characters Welcome can be used as a study for a pastor to explore some midrash around a particular character in the Bible. It can be used to ignite conversations about how things were and how things are. It can be used to start conversations about the hidden struggles people face. It can be used as supplementary material for Bible Study groups. Alas, it can also be read just for fun.
An introductory section entitled: Filling the Gaps helps readers to imagine and produce their own Characters Welcome scripts.
Scripts include:
Meet Abishag: A beauty contest is held to choose a companion for King David.
Meet Ahab: Part 1 of a 2 part drama that illustrates the tension between church and state. Accused of murdering the prophet Naboth, King Ahab is put on trial. .
Meet Jezebel: Part 2 of a 2 part drama. Jezebel testifies on behalf of her husband, King Ahab.
Meet David: Part 1 of a 3 part drama exploring the impact of secrets in family: As King David ages, he reminisces about his life by looking at an old family photo album.
Meet Bathsheba: Part 2 of a 3 part drama. As King David is dying with his wife and son beside him, Solomon has questions.
Meet Solomon: Part 3 of a 3 part drama. After David and Bathsheba’s death, a troubled King Solomon wrestles with a balance between faith, family, and country.
Meet Hagar: A world weary ex-slave reflects on her tumultuous relationship with Sarah and Abraham.
Meet Job: A poem based on the Book of Job and our eternal struggle with why bad things happen.
Meet Malachi: The minor prophet Malachi answers questions about our relationship with God.
Meet Tamar: Tamar reads her story from the Bible and offers insight as to the circumstances that lead to her sleeping with her father-in-law. She describes the struggles of a single woman in her culture.

Characters Welcome will invite the reader into a playful and meaningful relationship with scripture and those of us who continue to wonder about these ancient words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Todd Farnsworth
• Release date: Apr 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301718245

Todd Farnsworth

Rev. Todd Farnsworth has been a minister in the United Church of Christ since 1987. He has served The Second Congregational Church in Londonderry, VT and The Belchertown United Church of Christ in MA. He is married and has two children. Todd is active in creatively ministering to people who have often been left out of the life of the church. He has produced a television 24 part series (BUCC’S PLACE) for children on local cable television and on the internet. You can find some episodes at http://blip.tv/buccs-place/buccs-place-mouse-cookies-3974890 Todd is grateful to his family and friends who encourage him to live “out of the box”. You may contact Todd with your thoughts or questions at: [e-mail]

Book preview

CHARACTERS WELCOME: OLD TESTAMENT EDITION

By Rev. Todd Farnsworth

Characters Welcome: Old Testament Edition

By Todd Farnsworth

Copyright 2013 Todd Farnsworth

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold

or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to

Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work

of this author.

All Scripture quoted is from the NIV translation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Filling the Gaps: How to produce your own Characters Welcome script

How to move from Text to Characters Welcome script

Costume and staging your Characters Welcome script

Meet Abishag: A beauty contest is held to choose a companion for King David

Meet Ahab: Part 1 of a 2 part drama that illustrates the tension between church and state. Accused of murdering the prophet Naboth, King Ahab is put on trial.

Meet Jezebel: Part 2 of a 2 part drama that illustrates the tension between church and state.   Jezebel testifies on behalf of her husband, King Ahab.

Meet David: Part 1 of a 3 part drama exploring the impact of secrets in family: As King David ages, he reminisces about his life by looking at an old family photo album

Meet Bathsheba: Part 2 of a 3 part drama. As King David is dying with his wife and son beside him, Solomon has questions for his mother.

Meet Solomon: Part 3 of a 3 part drama. After David and Bathsheba’s death, a troubled King Solomon wrestles with a balance between faith, family, and country.

Meet Hagar: A world weary ex-slave reflects on her tumultuous relationship with Sarah and Abraham.

Meet Job: A poem based on the Book of Job and our eternal struggle with why bad things happen.

Meet Malachi: The minor prophet Malachi answers questions about our relationship with God.

Meet Tamar: Tamar reads her story from the Bible and offers insight as to the circumstances that lead to her sleeping with her father-in-law. She describes the struggles of a single woman in her culture.

Additional Ideas for producing a Characters Welcome script

About the Author

FILLING THE GAPS: HOW TO PRODUCE YOUR OWN

CHARACTERS WELCOME SCRIPT

It begins with the Bible. A story. A scene. A question. A character. A problem. Fortunately the Bible is full of all these things, and more! It has characters, quotes, props, and lighting cues. In short, all the stuff of good drama.

Characters Welcome draws on the rich material found between the covers of your everyday Bible. It doesn’t matter which version you use. It doesn’t matter how dusty the covers are.

Characters Welcome looks for and listens for the places in between those hallowed pages where empirical wisdom about a collection of verses intersects with practical wisdom and imagination.

Characters Welcome asks questions about the material that is included in the Holy writs, and wonders about the evidence that is missing from these ancient (yet living!) stories.

The process of wondering into the characters and stories in the Bible traces back to the rabbinic art of midrash. According to Wikipedia, a midrash is a method of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond simple distillation of religious, legal, or moral teachings. It fills in gaps left in the biblical narrative regarding events and personalities that are only hinted at.(1) Filling in the gaps is not to be taken lightly (although it can be done joyfully, and at times, with tongue firmly planted in cheek). The purpose is to illuminate. The hope is to bring new light to old texts so that we are all given a fresh glimpse of how we--God’s people--relate to the Holy. To accomplish this task I suggest finding a few reliable sources to help you with your homework before trying your hand at midrash. My personal style is to gather information from a variety of online and hardcover locations so that my left brain is saturated with wisdom about a particular text or character. A few wells that I regularly frequent include:

International standard Bible Encyclopedia athttp://www.bible-history.com/

Revised Common Lectionary Commentary athttp://montreal.anglican.org/comments/index.shtml

Wikipedia

New International Bible Commentary

LIfe Study Bible

New Interpreter’s Bible

Serendipity Bible

This is not an exhaustive list but I have found that all of these have well researched info about the characters found in the Bible and the context in which they lived.

Return to Table of Contents

HOW TO MOVE FROM TEXT TO CHARACTERS WELCOME SCRIPT

For a meditation on Queen Vashti (from the Book of