PUBLICATIONS AND TYPESCRIPTS FOR EASTER
All the following scripts are available to be ordered from Radius at info@radius.org.uk.
NEW FOR 2015:
The Davidson Affair, adapted from Stuart Jackman’s novel by Ian McGregor and
Nickie Cox. 6m, 3w, 4 either. One act, one hour.
Alerted to the reports that Jesus Davidson has been seen alive in Jerusalem following his
public execution, a team of journalists investigate the story through interviews with key
players. A smooth-talking Pilate gives them the official version, then the miserly tax collector
Zacchaeus puts them in touch with Mary Magdala and Thomas Didymus, followed by
Caiaphas and Cleopas.. The result is that the hard-boiled investigative journalist Cass begins
to be convinced that something world-changing has taken place. The play can be staged very
simply and a number of the characters can be played by men or women.
Brother Man by Sean Lang. 6m, 4w, 90 minutes.
In Brother Man Jesus’s brother James struggles to understand who Jesus is and finally with
difficulty accepts his authority. James’s journey of faith, though located at a particular place
and time in history, has wider resonances for believers in every era. Brother Man takes place
during the childhood of Jesus and twenty years later, in the Passion week in Jerusalem. It has
a cast of ten, four of whom appear in both time frames. The dialogue is fast-paced and stage
directions have been kept to a minimum. The play can be performed in period costume or in
modern dress.
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Plays available as an email document with permission to copy @ £6
Plays by Les Ellison
An Easter Carol
Three students of the Magi journey to Bethlehem, Galilee and Jerusalem looking for what
their tutors sought 33 years ago. They finally meet up at Golgotha. Accepting that this is
where their quest was meant to lead, they resolve to stay to the very end. This flexible
modern play lasts about 1 hour. There are 13 characters but, with doubling up, it can be
performed by a cast of eight.
First Easter
Seven modern, lively and theologically engaging scenes feature characters involved in the
events immediately before and after the Crucifixion. Underneath the humour of these pieces
lies a serious discussion of the meaning of what happened in Holy Week. The whole script
lasts about 40 minutes but various combinations of the scenes can be used. All the scenes
with the exception of the final piece have a cast of 2 actors/actresses.
Sorrowful Mysteries
A dramatic interpretation of the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, the play explores
the themes of pain, loss, anger, remorse and guilt as experienced by some of the main
protagonists in the Passion story. Each scene is followed by a meditative link. Modern and
easy to stage, and lasting about 45 minutes, with a cast of 10, 5 men and 4 women and a
young girl/boy. There are also 2 Readers.
He’s Not Here
Specially commissioned by Radius, this play is features nine scenes (not all of which need to
be performed) which visit the locations of Holy Week in search of Jesus. In each scene, a
character arrives just too late to see Jesus, and the point is that we all have to work out who
Jesus is from the witness of those who did get there in time. Entertaining and profound.
Flexible cast, intended for promenade performance but can be adapted. Whole script runs for
about an hour.
Plays by Nick Warburton
Witness
A stage version of the award-winning series of radio plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4, with
major roles played by Peter Firth and Penelope Wilton, Witness chronicles the story of Jesus
as told by St Luke. The lively and fast-moving dialogue focuses on the way the disciples
struggle to understand who Jesus is and what he requires of them. The first half deals with
the ministry in Galilee and the journey to Jerusalem while the second half concentrates on
Holy Week. A full-length play with a modern setting, it has a large cast but it is possible to
present the two halves of the play separately, or even present individual scenes. Variable cast.
Easter Diaries
A collection of seven short monologues, originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra over
Easter 2012, these can be easily adapted for stage or church use and can be presented in a
single performance or as individual pieces. The speakers are Judas, John, Peter, Herod
Antipas, Mary, the Thief’s Sister, Mary Magdalene. Pithy, moving and surprising, they are
an enjoyable challenge for confident actors. Easter Diaries was new in 2014 and several
groups have presented it to highly appreciative audiences. For an account of one such
presentation, see Radius Performing July 2014.
Plays by other authors
Roy Chatfield
Waiting for the King
Six characters, Sergeant, Governor, Citizen, Apostle, Informant and Priest wait in the anteroom to the Seat of Judgment reading a file containing details of their life. Somehow they
must justify their actions or be condemned. Gradually the audience realises that they are the
familiar characters of the Passion narratives and they must defend themselves against the
charge of helping to bring about the Crucifixion. Modern, simple setting; lasting about 50
minutes. Cast of 7 which could be either male or female.
Brenda Jackson
Green Branches
6 Easter poems (5 for women and 1 for a man/woman dialogue) spoken by people who
witnessed some key events of Holy Week: the raising of Lazarus, the entry into Jerusalem,
Peter’s denial of Jesus, the Crucifixion, The Resurrection and the Road to Emmaus. The
poems use a variety of verse forms, some free, others rhyming, and would be ideal for
inclusion in the services during Lent.
Seven Before Easter
Caiaphas, Martha, Pilate, Herodias, Soldier, Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalen are
quizzed about their experiences of the events of Holy Week. Originally designed to be
performed on the seven Sundays of Lent, Passiontide and Easter, these could be presented in
their entirety or individually and used as a basis for discussion. Modern in tone and simple to
stage, the sequence has a cast of 8: 4 men, 3 women and 1 either.
Mike Umbers
Trial by Night
As darkness descends, the Sanhedrin gathers to engineer Jesus’s conviction while Pilate and
Caiaphas engage in a battle of wits as each strives to gain the upper hand. A well structured
and engaging script, it has a cast of 10: 6 men, 1 woman and 3 either, and it lasts for about 50
mins.
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Plays available to buy at £7 (includes postage). These cannot be copied.
Michael Hendy
Iscariot
Did Jesus know Judas would betray him? Was Judas preordained to play the role of traitor?
If so, can he be blamed, let alone condemned? Judas is brought to trial in a modern
courtroom, set outside the temporal world, and the play asks searching questions about his
role in Jesus’s death. Lasting 1 hour, it has a cast of four men and two women although one
of the male parts could be played by a woman.
Tom Long
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Jericho
In this entertaining one-act play, a dress rehearsal for a performance of the parable of the
Good Samaritan, in the tradition of Godspell, is interrupted when the director of the play
enters the action. The cast and director then explore and revisit the story but with different
emphases and motives. Lasting about 30 minutes it is written for a cast of six, four of whom
play various parts, but it can be performed by 5 actors, 3 female and 2 male.