FESTIVAL DRAMA SCRIPT, 2023
TITLED: PAYBACK
SCENE ONE:
(Scene I opens with Blessing Edafe the Orphan Girl sweeping and cleaning the house while
singing a Christian song).
MRS IGHO: (Walks in and starts touching everywhere in order to find fault with Blessing’s
work).
BLESSING: Migwor Auntie (smiling)
MRS IGHO: Keep your migwor to yourself. You are still sweeping since morning. I told your
useless mother that she was spoiling you, but she didn’t listen. Now, see how lazy you have
become. When are you going to wash our clothes?
BLESSING: Auntie! I have been working since 5am. I prepared breakfast; I bathed Efe and
dressed him up. Auntie, can I wash the clothes later? Because I’m really tired right now.
MRS IGHO: You are tired, abi? May tiredness kill you there. You must wash those clothes
now, if you want to die, you die, that’s your business. Is it my fault that you are an Orphan?
Or, I’m I the cause of your parents death?
BLESSING: (With tears in her eyes) Auntie! Why are you maltreating me this way? Is it
because my parents are dead? Or, is it because I’m not your daughter?
MRS IGHO: (Spits on the floor and shouts Tufia while rounding her head with her hand) God
forbid, who want to have a bad luck daughter like you?
EFE: (Walks in wearing his school uniform, sits down and starts to eat breakfast) Blessing,
come and clean my shoes, I’m late for school.
BLESSING: She goes to clean Efe’s shoes in his legs while he sits down eating breakfast.
MRS IGHO: What are you doing there? Clean it fast, jor.
BLESSING: Auntie, when I’m I going to resume school like my mates? I’m tired staying at
home.
MRS IGHO: You want to go to school, right? Wait for me, you will go to school (She goes to
the side and carries a bowl of water and starts pouring it on her head)
BLESSING: Auntie, what have I done to you to deserve this kind of torture? You treat me as if
I’m a slave. I’m I the first person to become an Orphan? Don’t I have the right to go to school
like other children?
MRS IGHO: So, I’m now your mate,abi? I’m talking, you are talking. Do you want to fight me?
Oya, fight me (She starts hitting and beating Blessing when Mr Igho walks in from the room,
while she ran into the room).
MR IGHO: What is the problem again? Every day, Bessing, Blessing! Why are you treating this
poor Orphan like a slave? She’s supposed to be your daughter. Can’t you show her a little
compassion for the sake of her mother, your late Sister?
MRS IGHO: Please, Mr Advocate, enough of your self – righteous sermon. Is she your lover?
Why are you crying more than the bereaved? (She looks at her husband up and down, hisses.
takes her son and leaves the stage for school).
MR IGHO: Oh! (He shakes his head in disappointment) It’s a tragedy for parents to die and
leave their children Orphan (He leaves the stage to the room while calling Blessing).
SCENE TWO:
(Scene II opens with Blessing sitting along the road, drenched by rain, shaking and hungry).
MRS OBINNA (A Good Samaritan): Young girl, what are you doing outside at this time of the
night? Look at how you are shaking, you already have fever. Let me take you home to your
parents.
BLESSING: I don’t have parents. I’m an Orphan.
MRS OBINNA: I’m sorry for your loss my dear. So, who are you staying with currently?
BLESSING: I’m living with my Auntie.
MRS OBINNA: Okay, let me take you to your Auntie’s house.
BLESSING: I don’t want to see that evil woman again. I would rather die than to go back to her
house.
MRS OBINNA: It’s okay my dear. At least, let me take you to the hospital, so that they can
treat your fever, while I go to get you something to eat.
BLESSING: (Blessing in tears) Okay Ma, thank you for your show of love and compassion
towards me. May God bless you and grant your heart desires in Jesus name!
MRS OBINNA: Amen! Oya, lets go to the hospital my dear (She takes off one of her wrapper
to cover her, while she puts her hand around her as they go out of the stage).
SCENE THREE:
(Scene III opens with Mr Tuoyor Edema the Vice – Chancellor of Queens University, Warri,
about to give awards to best performing medical students; with some students wearing their
convocation gowns and caps on stage clapping and cheering during the ceremony).
MR TUOYOR EDEMA: Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to welcome you all to the 10th
convocation ceremony of our great University. This segment has to do with the presentation
of award of excellence to our best performing medical students. Without wasting much time:
1. The best student in community medicine, cash prize is N2,000,000, and the awardee is
Blessing Edafe (She stands up and waves at the crowd each time her name is mentioned).
2. The best student in pharmacology, cash prize is N5,000,000, and the awardee is Blessing
Edafe.
3. Finally, the best student in anatomy, cash prize is N5,000,000, with a fully paid scholarship
abroad up to PHD degree, and the awardee is Blessing Edafe (She goes to collect the
cheques amidst hugs and handshakes from the VC and her course mates as they move out
of the stage).
SCENE FOUR:
(Scene IV opens with Dr. Blessing Edafe wearing a white Doctor’s coat with a stethoscope
round her neck; while she is seen going through some patients’ files in her office).
MR IGHO: (He rushes his wife Mrs Igho who was stabbed on her chest by her drug addict son
Efe, into the hospital) Doctor, Nurse, where is the Doctor on duty?
NURSE: Calm down Sir, she will be fine. What happened to her?
MR IGHO: Where is the Doctor, please, call the Doctor, my wife is dying.
NURSE: Help me to carry your wife on the bed. Please, wait at the reception, your wife will be
okay.
MR IGHO: (As he was going to the reception) Please, Nurse, tell the Doctor to hurry, my wife
cannot die.
DR. BLESSING: (Walks in from the other side of the stage, she was shocked to see her Auntie
in that condition; she swiftly attended to her after she regained herself).
NURSE: Doc, what is the problem, do you know the patient?
DR BLESSING: This world is indeed a very small place. The patient is my Auntie. Who brought
her to the hospital?
NURSE: Her husband is the one who brought, he’s waiting at the reception.
DR BLESSING: Tell her husband to come in, his wife is in a stable condition now.
NURSE: Okay Doc.
MR IGHO: How is my wife Doctor? Is she okay now?
DR BLESSING: She’s in a stable condition now, she will be fine. What happened to my Auntie
Mr Igho?
MR IGHO: Your Auntie! How come you know my name Doctor?
DR BLESSING: You don’t recognize me? I’m Blessing Edafe, the Orphan girl that your wife
drove out of your house some years ago.
MR IGHO: Ehen! From the moment I saw you, something tells me that I have met you before.
I made several efforts to look for you after your Auntie threw you out of the house, to no
avail. I thank God for who you have become. (He shakes his head in disappointment) The
stone that the builder rejected has become the chief cornerstone. God has given you beauty
for ashes. He has turned your mourning into dancing.
MRS IGHO: (She regains consciousness) Honey, Blessing, is this really you? You, a medical
Doctor; how did it happen?
DR BLESSING: This is me Auntie, the Orphan girl you maltreated and drove out of your house.
MRS IGHO: (Breaks down in tears) You saved my life despite the evils things I did to you in the
past. Why did you save me, when you could have allowed me to die?
DR BLESSING: (Who is also in tears) Who I’m I to repay evil for evil. “Vengeance is Mine, I will
repay, says the Lord”. You wanted to destroy my life, but God turned the situation around for
my good. God who is a Father to the fatherless, and a Mother to the motherless, brought a
good Samaritan into my life. She took me in, she loved me, she went out of her way to adopt
me as her daughter, and sponsored me through school.
MRS IGHO: (Who is still subbing) My daughter, Please, forgive me, I know that I’m not worthy
of your forgiveness.
MR IGHO: My daughter, you can see that your Auntie is truly sorry and remorseful for how
badly she treated you. To err is human, to forgive is divine. Please, forgive her for the sake of
God.
MRS IGHO: Please, my daughter.
DR BLESING: Enough, Auntie, I have already forgiven you long ago. I’m the one to thank you
for throwing me out of your house that fateful night. It’s a miracle that you are still alive.
Thank God for sparing your life.
MRS IGHO: Oh! My own son Efe, wanted to stab me to death, because I refused to give him
money to buy drugs. Oh, God, have mercy on me; I repent of all my sins. Forgive me oh God
(She pleads for mercy while shedding tears).
DR BLESSING: It’s okay Auntie, if you have truly repented; God has forgiven you. Let’s go to
the lab, so that I can properly examine your injury (Mr Igho, Mrs Igho and Dr. Blessing Edafe
leave the stage).
THE END