Christian Soldier

Brief: a short drama leading to a sermon on "The Christian response to war".
Written: Scott Wegener and the Edinburgh College drama class

Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church - May 2, 2015

Venue is set up with 4.2 sound:
- left, right and woofer at rear
- left, right and woofer at front.

There are two featured cast: Chris Christian and GI Joe neighbour.

Also required are two sound operators.

Chris enters slowly reading the Bible, and sits at a table with Weet-bix, SoGood and a bowl of breakfast, and puts Bible down and says a silent grace.

Chris, does three rhythmic tapping scrapes of the bowl - of which the third is the cue to start/sync both sound players - then keeps eating waiting the the sound fx to start

Sound FX begins with plane flying over from rear of church to front and a slightly delayed bomb rumble at rear then a louder blast, a second later, at the front. FX continue throughout with gunfire war sounds etc 

Chris looks up at the sound of plane, looks alarmed at first explosion and at second loud blast they (secretly) wobble the table, knocking over the Weet-bix and they scramble under the table.

StatusTrix

Brief: a short drama on the theme of social media and it's focus on short term character, not long term character.
Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church - February 14, 2015,
Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church - February 9, 2019.

( 75% based on The Matirx scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D7cPH7DHgA )

[Neo sits in an interrogation room (table two chairs). Smith and two other agents, all wearing dark glasses, suit and ties, walk in slowly staring at Neo, two agents stand behind Neo, Smith sits in chair]

Agent Smith: As you can see, we've had our eye on you for some time now, Mr. Anderson. 
It seems that you've been living two lives. In one life, you're Thomas A. Anderson, program writer for a respectable software company, 
you have a tax file number, you pay your taxes, and you
 help your landlady carry out her garbage. The other life is lived on Facebook, where you go by the profile name Neo and are guilty of virtually every status update crime known to man.

In Heaven Tonight LIVE: Christmas Edition

Brief: A Christmas service drama without an obvious sermon.

Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church - December 20, 2014

In Heaven Tonight LIVE is a talk show like David Letterman where a presenter sits behind a desk and has celebrity guests that are light heatedly interviewed.

A desk is on the right side of stage with a guest chair/s or couch at centre of stage.

Jokes, free-flowing, but generally scripted, and fast paced - each guest has some fun but also some thought provoking concepts discussed (making this more than mere entertainment)

Set in Heaven, so there are retrospective questions of what happened on earth, as well as discussion about what they are up to in heaven.

- This is a ‘Christmas’ edition which has characters from the Christmas story of Jesus birth - the final guest being the biggest ‘sermon’ content of the production (written by Pr Rob Steed) This production covers an entire church service.

You could also have posters in the foyer, notes in the bulletin or video promos in the weeks before hand. Have a mug on the table with the logo glued to it.

Christmas Made Easy: Carols Programs

Brief: A Christmas drama (with a BIG finish).
Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church Carols Program - December 13, 2014

[Presenter] Welcome to chapter five of Christmas Made Easy, I’m your host, Ray Martin.

In this chapter we’re discussing how to run a successful Christmas carols program.

One of the simplest ways to build the ambience of your carols program is by adding Christmas lights. But make sure you don’t overload the power board by using too many lights.

[Assistant 1] Walks in while presenter is talking, is all tangled up in lights and, as kneeling down at back of stage, a camera flash and party popper goes off after presenter finishes paragraph. Assistant walks off waving hand as if clearing smoke.

Santa 2.0

Scott Wegener polishes his resume for a job application that is out of this world.
Signs of the Times, December 2014

I saw a job advertisement for a Santa Claus the other day. I thought that strange. I mean, if I were immortal, had magical abilities and the satisfying role of bringing cheer to children around the world every year, why would I ever retire?
Has the online shopping trend negatively impacted on Santa too? Or is the mixture of cold and having to contort in and out of chimneys too much for an old man’s arthritis?

The Last Cast (Tribute to Bruce Manners)

Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church - November 15, 2014
Brief: A skit on the topic of Stephen - God choosing an unlikely 'hero', AND a nod to this being Pr Bruce Manners final sermon before he retires. 

The room is divided into 6 speakers:

L1 and R1 roof speakers, L2 and R2 front ground level, L3 and R3 back balcony speakers.

Screen shows DVD, with audio playing through L1 & R1 speakers. On screen says: “Guardian Angel Communication Channel [Connecting]”

Hear dial-up internet connection sounds and then cut into pre-recorded voices...

Where are you God?

Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church - October 11, 2014,
Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church - February 19, 2017
Brief: A moving drama on the topic "Where is God when things go wrong".
Covers the topics of why bad things happen to good people, why god doesn't answer prayer, if God is so loving why does he allow pain and suffering, the great controversy and doubt.

Set to the music of Greig's The Death of Ase
If you haven't 4 praying actors, divide the remaining prayers with the actors you do have, minimum 2, but keep the timing to the music.

Play the track (without the pause and edit): 

Act I 

(Before a sermon on "Where is God when things go wrong")

[Music stanza 1]

Parent enters, pauses, takes a deep breath, looks at their phone and slowly goes and sits almost centre of stage. Worried, checking phone, holding head.