BACK ME 6'?m2f Works, maturity, ministry, past, future AMY -- (enters wearing telephone headset, carrying floodlight stand, shouts) One minute. One minute to show time. (places floodlight near podium, toggles switch on belt) Charlie, can you bring up the key light and bring down the house lights? (light cue: floodlight on full, dim house lights to 75%) AMY -- (toggles switch on belt) Thank you, Charlie. (shouts) Thirty seconds to show time. Thirty seconds. (exits backward, straightening and adjusting cords and cables) LIZ -- (enters primping) How do I look? (crosses to podium) AMY -- (follows) Never better. Are you ready? LIZ -- I'm so excited! (steps behind podium, straightens dress, clears throat, deep breath) AMY -- (toggles switch on belt) Charlie, are all the satellite links up and running? (pause) Thank you. Then, we're good to go in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, (signals to Liz with fingers: 4, 3, 2, 1, points to Liz, exits) LIZ -- Hello, everybody and welcome to the simulcast. I'm pleased to announce that this program is being shown simultaneously in forty different arenas all over the nation. In addition, this program is available in streaming video all over the world on the internet. This simulcast is all about me, Elizabeth Johnson. Today, through the magic of video tape, 8 millimeter movies, color slides, and computer graphics, you will get a glimpse of what it's like to be me, Elizabeth Johnson. From my childhood, through my adolescence, to adulthood and including all my past accomplishments.... It's all about me, Elizabeth Johnson. And in one short hour you too will wish that you could be like me, Elizabeth Johnson. AMY -- (enters, toggles switch on belt) Charlie, can you bring up the house lights and kill the key light? (light cue: house lights up full, floodlight off) AMY -- (shouts) Okay, everybody, let's load up the truck. LIZ -- Wait a minute! I'm right in the middle of a simulcast here! AMY -- (exiting with flood light) Look around. Do you see anybody in the audience? LIZ -- Well, no. But I've got forty other venues! AMY -- (stops, smiles patiently) LIZ -- Don't tell me nobody showed up! AMY -- Sorry. LIZ -- You mean all forty arenas nationwide are EMPTY?! AMY -- Sorry. (exits shouting) Come on people, load it up! LIZ -- Wait a minute. What about the people who are watching the streaming video on the internet? AMY -- The last of them logged off almost immediately after you started talking. LIZ -- I can't believe it! All the work I went to for nothing! AMY -- (reenters) Yeah, it's a shame.( toggles switch on belt) Charlie, do you need help loading the truck? Okay, will do. LIZ -- (paces) What went wrong? I bought prime-time TV ads in all forty markets! I bought full page ads in all the major newspapers. AMY -- (toggles switch on belt) Larry, can you help Charlie load the truck? Thank you. LIZ -- I don't understand this at all! I had a very entertaining presentation planned. I rehearsed it a hundred times. Why didn't anybody show up?! AMY -- It probably has to do with the content. LIZ -- The content. AMY -- Yes. The content of the simulcast was about the past. LIZ -- My past. AMY -- If people want to hear about the past they'll watch the History channel on cable TV. LIZ -- But I have a very interesting past. The history channel won't show MY past on TV. AMY -- I don't know how to tell you this, but I saw the tapes of your rehearsal and it didn't interest ME. LIZ -- (paces) I knew it. I should have used better music in the sound track. AMY -- Sorry, it had nothing to do with the sound track. LIZ -- (paces) The voiceovers, then, I should have hired one of those deep-voiced announcers for the voiceovers. AMY -- Sorry, it had nothing to do with any of the technical aspects. I'm telling you it was the content. LIZ -- The content. AMY -- Is there an echo in here? LIZ -- What about the content was lacking? AMY -- I've been trying to tell you. You're whole presentation was about the past. LIZ -- My past. AMY -- There goes the echo again. LIZ -- You mean people aren't interested in my past? AMY -- Bingo. People are not as interested in where you've been as where you're going. Your presentation didn't say a word about the future. LIZ -- No. It was about my past. AMY -- I think we covered that. LIZ -- But I have nothing to say about the future. AMY -- Why not? LIZ -- Why not? AMY -- That was MY question. LIZ -- Well, I've been so busy with the preparations for the simulcast that I haven't had time to even think about the future. AMY -- (exiting) Seems like a waste of a perfectly good Christian to me. LIZ -- Wait a minute. AMY -- (stops, turns) Yeah? LIZ -- (approaches) Are you saying that if I'm a Christian, I should be thinking about the future, rather than the past? AMY -- Well, if you use Apostle Paul as your example, you should FORGET what is behind you. LIZ -- No way! If I did that, I wouldn't have ANY content for my simulcast! AMY -- (motions broadly to audience) And look how successful your simulcast was. LIZ -- (sighs) Alright. Maybe my past is not that interesting to other people, but it's a lot better than my future! I have no idea what my future is. AMY -- Let me give you a clue. Your future is what your past prepares you for. LIZ -- No kidding! What does my past prepare me for? AMY -- Pick a goal and aim toward it. LIZ -- ANY goal?! AMY -- Any goal that interests you and that serves God at the same time. LIZ -- Hey! With God helping me, this could be BIG, huh? AMY -- (exiting) Very big. LIZ -- (follows) Maybe I'll do a simulcast about it! AMY -- Don't call us, we'll call you. ©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |