“GRACE”
By
Cheryl Taylor
Copyright, 2002 –
“Grace” – Takes place in
December, 1956, with the cool cats in leather jackets and girls in
their pony tails and poodle skirts. Johnny, the new boy in town, is also the
new soda-jerk at “Cookies,” the local soda shop. His “Mr. Nice Guy” attitude rubs Danny, the
local trouble maker, the wrong way.
Johnny was previously a former “bad boy” himself but has changed his
ways. Through his dealings with Johnny, Danny learns of the magnificence of
God’s Grace. Main theme: Grace is unmerited favor. Even though none of us deserve it, God gave
us the best – His Son, Jesus Christ.
Length: 30-35 minutes. Teens, young adults.
No scene changes.
Cast of
Characters
Johnny – Soda jerk, Clean
cut, polite – wears apron, hat
Danny – Biker type, wears leather jacket, hair
slicked back
Fred – Danny’s friend –similar dress
Stanley – Danny’s friend –similar dress
Herbert – Nerdie type –
shirt buttoned up to collar – pocket protector – thick
framed glasses
Sally - Waitress – can be teen or older woman – needs
apron
Cookie - Owner of the soda shop, never seen,
just heard – Part is written for a
woman, but could easily be changed to a man
Debbie - Teenage girl – pony tail, poodle skirt
or pegged pants, saddle oxfords
Susan - Teenage girl – pony tail, poodle skirt
or pegged pants, saddle oxfords
Larry - Customer in shop,
only has one line. Can be changed to a
girl’s part
Policeman- Written for a man, but could also be a woman
officer. Needs uniform
jacket, hat, handcuffs, etc.
Props: There are no scene changes as all activity
takes place inside the soda shop. Two
tables are necessary, but a few more would probably be more authentic. In the 1950’s you would probably find records
on the walls; banners from local schools, colleges; a jukebox; a counter with
stools would be nice but definitely not necessary. Anything that would make it look like a 50’s
restaurant would help. You could search
the internet for 50’s ideas if you want it to be more realistic. You may have school books around as they have
just come from school. Also, tall
glasses for milkshakes. Rememer to serve
Coke in small bottles not from the fountain. If you can’t find small bottles, you can
always pretend you poured it into a glass before bringing it to the table.
Added
Note: Working with teens for the past two
decades, I know that they like to do different things and have fun while also
spreading the gospel. I thought that
they would like to dress up like their parents did way back in the good old
days. I also thought it was fun for them
to know that things like CD’s, microwaves, etc. were not known 45 years
ago. I guess this could be like a
history lesson in itself! One final
thought: I don’t know about you, but I am truly glad to be a recipient of God’s
Amazing Grace!
Excerpt 1
Act I
(Local soda shop in December, 1956 – the age of leather jackets
and poodle skirts, motorcycles and pony tails, soda jerks and well… big, bad
tough-talking regular jerks! Scene opens with teens
sitting at tables waiting for their anticipated orders. The place is busy and tension is high).
Sally: I
need an order of fries and a burger at Table 1!
I repeat, I have an order for …..
Cookie: (voice from the back, interrupting
her) Got that
order coming up in
about 60 seconds! I can only do twelve things at a time! I’m not
Superman, you know!
Sally: Sorry, girls, I will get your food to
you as soon as I can.
Debbie: Wow, Cookie sounds a little stressed out,
doesn’t she?
Sally: A little stressed is putting it just a
bit too mildly. (whispering
) She
is crazy and driving us all crazy in the
process!
Cookie: I heard that! Maybe I am like Superman, after all! Order for Table 1
is ready – Let’s go! Pick it up!
Hop to it!
(Sally goes
into the kitchen)
Susan: I thought Cookie was hiring someone to help
them out since
quit.
our 2nd period English
class? But she had to go out of town for
the
holidays and Cookie said that was too long to
wait. She needed
someone immediately.
Debbie: And when Cookie says “immediately” we all
know that she means….
All girls: Yesterday!
(all laugh)
Debbie: So, if Lulu didn’t get the job, who did?
(Sally
returns with the order for the girls’ table)
did Cookie hire?
Sally: Well, it actually worked out pretty
good, if I do say so myself. My
cousin, Johnny, just moved here from back
East, and he needed an
after-school job so Cookie hired him. He is going to start today, in fact. I just wish he would get here fast!
Debbie: A new boy in the neighborhood and you
didn’t tell us? Hmmm, why
don’t you give us the low-down on him?
Susan: Ugly?
Debbie: Tall?
Susan: Short?
Debbie: Fat?
Cookie: Sally!!!!!!!!! Ketchup bottles need refilled! Hop to it! The fries are
waiting!
Sally: Coming Cookie!! (to girls) Wish I could help you girls out, but I
haven’t seen him in about four years. All I know is that he was in some kind of
trouble a couple of year ago and went though juvenile detention,
or something like that. Supposedly, he
has straightened up, but who knows. Gotta go before Cookie…
Excerpt 2
Johnny: That will be $2.76. I
will collect as soon as I deliver your food.
Thanks!
Herbert: Maybe he has a calculator?
Fred: A what?
Herbert: A calculator. Some day I
am going to invent a hand held box that will actually total up numbers for
you. It will calculate – add, subtract,
divide…
Debbie: You are so lame sometimes.
How is that going to work? (sarcastically) Will
there be a little person in each little box who will
add up the totals and then give you the answer?
Herbert: Almost everything will be electronic. You can laugh now, but you will be amazed at
what we will see by the year…2000.
Danny: The
year 2000 – that’s 44
years away! Do you really think
technology will change that much in 44 years?
Larry: Hey, Sally. My food is already cold. I hate to eat a cold barbeque!
Sally: Well,
you left it sitting there for 15 minutes while you were fooling with the
jukebox. Sorry, not my problem.
(By this time, the girls are
interested in what Herbert is saying and walk over to the table to listen)
Herbert: See, in the future we will have something – an oven, perhaps –
that we could put food into and reheat it in just a matter of seconds.
Debbie: Seconds?
Like – 1 (pause)
2 (pause) 3 (pause) –
seconds like that?
Herbert: Very hot!
Herbert: I think that it will probably be done by using micro-waves. Radiation-like beams that
will go into the food and literally cook the food.
Fred: Yeah, right.
Danny: Tell me again why he is with us…
Susan: You are somewhere in space, aren’t you Herbert?
Danny: Or
maybe one that will fit in your shirt pocket?
A telephone that you could carry in your pocket! Why, everyone would have one! Wouldn’t that be a blast?!
Debbie: It’s Christmas, Herbert. Do you think Christmas will be different in
the future?
Herbert: Well, I can see Christmas trees in all
shapes and sizes.
Susan: They’re like that now, Herbert. That’s no revelation.
Herbert: No, I mean they will be plastic and come
ready to assemble.
Excerpt 3
Danny: Ah
quit your whining. Go ahead and give him
the money, Herbie.
I just wanted to see him squirm a little.
Herbert: He didn’t look like he was squirming to me. Did you think he looked scared?
Danny: Shut your trap man, before I shut it for
you!
(curtain closes)
Act II
Sally: Now
I understand why Johnny is not the juvenile delinquent that we expected him to
be. Since he was in all that trouble
back in
Debbie: Well, I don’t think that they walk all over him. I think he just doesn’t let them get the best
of him.
Cookie: Sally?
Sally: Coming Cookie.
Susan: Yeah,
Johnny stands his ground- like he did the other day about paying for the food –
but what is he going to do if Danny decides to get really mean?
Debbie: I don’t know. We’re all
supposed to be Christians. Maybe we
should pray for Johnny that he would be able to witness to Danny.
Excerpt 4
Johnny: Well, I have learned that I am here for a purpose- maybe its
just to be the best soda-jerk in this town to help Cookie, to pray for the youth
group at church, or maybe to witness to Danny.
But whatever it is, God will give me the grace to see it through.
Johnny: Grace. Grace is unmerited
favor from God. In other words, we don’t
get what we deserve. We get the best
when we deserve the worst. We get God’s
help and his love, even when we should receive nothing from him. We don’t deserve his best, but He gave us his
best.
Susan: I
get it. God will give you his help when
you face Johnny, even though you were once like him. In other words, he will help you through it
even though you have done nothing to deserve it.
Johnny: Right… He always knows what we need…
Danny: (very
angry tone) Church? Me
and my boys in church? Are you
out of your mind, sweetheart? (takes a step toward her
as if he were going to hit her)
Johnny: (stepping between them) That’s enough,
Danny. She just invited you to
church. Don’t give her a hard time about
it.
Danny: (pointing
finger at Johnny’s chest) Are you talking to me, little
man? From now on you will address me as
Mr. And don’t ever tell me what to do again! Got it?!
Johnny: Yes, sir I think I do understand. But I was thinking about inviting you to come
to the Christmas program tonight, too. I
guess we are all on the same Jesus wave length, aren’t we?
Danny: Did
I not make myself clear? You will never
catch me and my boys in church with you “so called Christians”. And don’t start preaching to me about Jesus
and what he has done for me. You are
supposed to be a Christian, and look at you.
I don’t see anything special about you.
You just let us walk all over you.
Now just go on back to your kitchen duties and leave us alone.
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