Love: A True/False Quiz
Drama
Thespian Theology
Lent/Easter
Thespian Theological Thoughts
This playlet was written on an airplane as I was enroute to visit my grandsons, ages seven and almost five. These two young lads (wonderful young Christians, I proudly hasten to add) are, typically for seven- and five-year-old males, deeply into bathroom humor. Thus, the whoopee cushion.
If whoopee cushions are offensive to you, use a kazoo. The last thing I want to do is distract audiences from the message about the true nature of love: Jesus' love.
Cast
Narrator
Tommy T.
Teresa T.
Stella Student
Stanley Student
Props/Costumes
Flip chart, magic markers
Table
China or crystal bell
Whoopee cushion (or kazoo)
Tommy -- wheelchair, bandages
Stella -- t-shirt: "Stella Student"
Stanley -- t-shirt: "Stanley Student"
(Narrator is at podium, stage right. Small table with bell and whoopee cushion is in front of podium)
Narrator: Ah, love! It has often been said that love makes the world go 'round. Now, while the astrophysicists among us might take issue with that statement, it is nevertheless true that love is vitally important to human life.
Now let's face it: There's true love, and not-so-true love ... and we human beings give and receive as much (if not more) of the not-so-true stuff as we do the real deal.
But what is "true love"? In the movie High Society, Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly sail into the sunset on their honeymoon, singing to each other of "love forever true" ... and some time later they're divorced.
(Stella Student and Stanley Student enter down center aisle and take seats in front row)
Narrator: The Bible (God's love-letter) has a lot to say about love. Now, students, if you have read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested God's love-letter, you should be prepared for today's test: a true/false quiz on love.
(Tommy T. enters stage left; Teresa T. enters stage right. They move toward each other in slow motion, meet, join hands and dance, gazing lovingly at each other)
Narrator: Behold Tommy T. and Teresa T. They're in love: a dancing-in-slow-motion-through-fields-of-daisies kind of love.
Tommy: I love you, Teresa! You make my heart sing! You are the most beautiful girl in the world! I love you more than life itself, Teresa!
Teresa: I love you, too, Tommy! (Pauses; they gaze at each other) Tommy, my mother is coming to town, and she wants to volunteer at the homeless shelter tonight. I think that's a wonderful thing to do, don't you?
Tommy: Well, um, yeah, I guess so.
Teresa: Well, I think it's exciting, and I want to join her, but I'm not sure how to get to the shelter. Could you drive Mom and me down there tonight, Tommy?
Tommy: Sorry, babe, no can do. I'm watchin' the Knicks game at my buddy Ralph's place tonight. He's got one of those cool high-definition TVs. See ya tomorrow, sweetheart! (Blows a kiss to Teresa and exits stage right. Teresa exits stage left)
Narrator: (Moves to table in front of podium) Okay, first question: Tommy T.'s love is true love. True? (Rings bell) or False? (Blows up whoopee cushion and sits on it)
(Stella Student stands up and moves to table)
Stella: That's an easy one! (Blows up whoopee cushion and sits on it)
Narrator: Okay. Now let's follow our star-crossed lovers a bit further. After the Knicks game, Tommy went out drinking with his buddy Ralph and on the way home, Tommy crashed his car and he was seriously injured. The doctors have told Tommy that he will never walk again! After six months in the hospital, Tommy has just been released.
(Tommy enters in a wheelchair stage right; his face is bandaged. Teresa follows him)
Tommy: Tessie, I told you a million times, and I'm not gonna tell you again: I don't need any help, so stop tryin' to push my wheelchair!
Teresa: But, Tommy, I love you, and I want to help you.
Tommy: Oh, give it up, Tess! Can't you see the thrill is gone? I can never run in slow motion through fields of daisies with you. My life is over.
Teresa: No, it's not, Tommy! We still have each other, and I still love you, even if you can't run through fields of daisies.
Tommy: I don't know how you can love a hopeless cripple, Tess ... and besides, you still don't know what kind of ugly monster you'll be lookin' at after these bandages are removed.
Teresa: My love for you doesn't depend on how you look or whether you can run, Tommy. I love you just because you're you!
Tommy: (Wheels his chair off stage left) I dunno, Tess .... I just don't know.
Teresa: (Follows him) Trust me, Tommy!
Narrator: Okay, children, second question. (Moves to table) Teresa's love is true love. True? (Rings bell) or False? (Blows up whoopee cushion and sits on it)
(Stanley Student stands up and moves to table)
Stanley: That's another easy one! (Rings bell)
Narrator: Good! Now it's time for the essay question, students.
Stella/Stanley: Oh, n-o-o-o-o!
Narrator: Relax, guys. I'm gonna make it easy for you: we'll do this together. (Sets up flip chart at center stage. On first page are two columns: True Love and False Love) And we'll even get Tommy and Teresa to help us. Come out here, you guys. (Tommy and Teresa enter) Now, what are the characteristics of True Love?
Stella: It's unselfish. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Teresa always thought first of Tommy's needs, not her own.
Stanley: It's unconditional. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Teresa's love for Tommy didn't depend on how he looked, or what he could or couldn't do.
Stella: It's unending. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Nothing can overcome true love!
Teresa: And I'd like to add that it's based on a decision (Narrator writes on flip chart) not on feelings. Feelings change, but true love is an act of the will, and it doesn't change.
Narrator: Okay. Now let's think about ol' Tommy here. What are the characteristics of False Love?
Stanley: It's self-centered. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Tommy was always concerned first with what he wanted.
Stella: It's conditional. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Tommy seems to believe in a love that says, "We'll love each other only as long as we're young and good-looking and healthy." What kind of love is that?
Stanley: It's short-lived. (Narrator writes on flip chart) When things get tough, this kind of love just checks out!
Tommy: And I'd like to add that this kind of love is based on feelings. (Narrator writes on flip chart) There's no decision to love here; it's just "I think I feel like I love you ... for now."
Narrator: Very good! One last question for you, students: What do the T.'s in Tommy T.'s and Teresa T.'s names stand for? I'll give you a hint: 1 John 3:18 says, "Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."
Stella: I know, I know: Tommy T. stands for Tommy Talk!
Stanley: And Teresa T. stands for Teresa Truth!
Narrator: Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." And his commandment is this: Believe in Jesus, and love one another.
Stella: That means loving unselfishly.
Stanley: It means loving unconditionally.
Tommy: It means loving unendingly.
Teresa: It means loving as Jesus loves!
Entire Cast: Love is an action verb ... just go and do it! (Bow and exit)
This playlet was written on an airplane as I was enroute to visit my grandsons, ages seven and almost five. These two young lads (wonderful young Christians, I proudly hasten to add) are, typically for seven- and five-year-old males, deeply into bathroom humor. Thus, the whoopee cushion.
If whoopee cushions are offensive to you, use a kazoo. The last thing I want to do is distract audiences from the message about the true nature of love: Jesus' love.
Cast
Narrator
Tommy T.
Teresa T.
Stella Student
Stanley Student
Props/Costumes
Flip chart, magic markers
Table
China or crystal bell
Whoopee cushion (or kazoo)
Tommy -- wheelchair, bandages
Stella -- t-shirt: "Stella Student"
Stanley -- t-shirt: "Stanley Student"
(Narrator is at podium, stage right. Small table with bell and whoopee cushion is in front of podium)
Narrator: Ah, love! It has often been said that love makes the world go 'round. Now, while the astrophysicists among us might take issue with that statement, it is nevertheless true that love is vitally important to human life.
Now let's face it: There's true love, and not-so-true love ... and we human beings give and receive as much (if not more) of the not-so-true stuff as we do the real deal.
But what is "true love"? In the movie High Society, Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly sail into the sunset on their honeymoon, singing to each other of "love forever true" ... and some time later they're divorced.
(Stella Student and Stanley Student enter down center aisle and take seats in front row)
Narrator: The Bible (God's love-letter) has a lot to say about love. Now, students, if you have read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested God's love-letter, you should be prepared for today's test: a true/false quiz on love.
(Tommy T. enters stage left; Teresa T. enters stage right. They move toward each other in slow motion, meet, join hands and dance, gazing lovingly at each other)
Narrator: Behold Tommy T. and Teresa T. They're in love: a dancing-in-slow-motion-through-fields-of-daisies kind of love.
Tommy: I love you, Teresa! You make my heart sing! You are the most beautiful girl in the world! I love you more than life itself, Teresa!
Teresa: I love you, too, Tommy! (Pauses; they gaze at each other) Tommy, my mother is coming to town, and she wants to volunteer at the homeless shelter tonight. I think that's a wonderful thing to do, don't you?
Tommy: Well, um, yeah, I guess so.
Teresa: Well, I think it's exciting, and I want to join her, but I'm not sure how to get to the shelter. Could you drive Mom and me down there tonight, Tommy?
Tommy: Sorry, babe, no can do. I'm watchin' the Knicks game at my buddy Ralph's place tonight. He's got one of those cool high-definition TVs. See ya tomorrow, sweetheart! (Blows a kiss to Teresa and exits stage right. Teresa exits stage left)
Narrator: (Moves to table in front of podium) Okay, first question: Tommy T.'s love is true love. True? (Rings bell) or False? (Blows up whoopee cushion and sits on it)
(Stella Student stands up and moves to table)
Stella: That's an easy one! (Blows up whoopee cushion and sits on it)
Narrator: Okay. Now let's follow our star-crossed lovers a bit further. After the Knicks game, Tommy went out drinking with his buddy Ralph and on the way home, Tommy crashed his car and he was seriously injured. The doctors have told Tommy that he will never walk again! After six months in the hospital, Tommy has just been released.
(Tommy enters in a wheelchair stage right; his face is bandaged. Teresa follows him)
Tommy: Tessie, I told you a million times, and I'm not gonna tell you again: I don't need any help, so stop tryin' to push my wheelchair!
Teresa: But, Tommy, I love you, and I want to help you.
Tommy: Oh, give it up, Tess! Can't you see the thrill is gone? I can never run in slow motion through fields of daisies with you. My life is over.
Teresa: No, it's not, Tommy! We still have each other, and I still love you, even if you can't run through fields of daisies.
Tommy: I don't know how you can love a hopeless cripple, Tess ... and besides, you still don't know what kind of ugly monster you'll be lookin' at after these bandages are removed.
Teresa: My love for you doesn't depend on how you look or whether you can run, Tommy. I love you just because you're you!
Tommy: (Wheels his chair off stage left) I dunno, Tess .... I just don't know.
Teresa: (Follows him) Trust me, Tommy!
Narrator: Okay, children, second question. (Moves to table) Teresa's love is true love. True? (Rings bell) or False? (Blows up whoopee cushion and sits on it)
(Stanley Student stands up and moves to table)
Stanley: That's another easy one! (Rings bell)
Narrator: Good! Now it's time for the essay question, students.
Stella/Stanley: Oh, n-o-o-o-o!
Narrator: Relax, guys. I'm gonna make it easy for you: we'll do this together. (Sets up flip chart at center stage. On first page are two columns: True Love and False Love) And we'll even get Tommy and Teresa to help us. Come out here, you guys. (Tommy and Teresa enter) Now, what are the characteristics of True Love?
Stella: It's unselfish. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Teresa always thought first of Tommy's needs, not her own.
Stanley: It's unconditional. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Teresa's love for Tommy didn't depend on how he looked, or what he could or couldn't do.
Stella: It's unending. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Nothing can overcome true love!
Teresa: And I'd like to add that it's based on a decision (Narrator writes on flip chart) not on feelings. Feelings change, but true love is an act of the will, and it doesn't change.
Narrator: Okay. Now let's think about ol' Tommy here. What are the characteristics of False Love?
Stanley: It's self-centered. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Tommy was always concerned first with what he wanted.
Stella: It's conditional. (Narrator writes on flip chart) Tommy seems to believe in a love that says, "We'll love each other only as long as we're young and good-looking and healthy." What kind of love is that?
Stanley: It's short-lived. (Narrator writes on flip chart) When things get tough, this kind of love just checks out!
Tommy: And I'd like to add that this kind of love is based on feelings. (Narrator writes on flip chart) There's no decision to love here; it's just "I think I feel like I love you ... for now."
Narrator: Very good! One last question for you, students: What do the T.'s in Tommy T.'s and Teresa T.'s names stand for? I'll give you a hint: 1 John 3:18 says, "Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."
Stella: I know, I know: Tommy T. stands for Tommy Talk!
Stanley: And Teresa T. stands for Teresa Truth!
Narrator: Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." And his commandment is this: Believe in Jesus, and love one another.
Stella: That means loving unselfishly.
Stanley: It means loving unconditionally.
Tommy: It means loving unendingly.
Teresa: It means loving as Jesus loves!
Entire Cast: Love is an action verb ... just go and do it! (Bow and exit)
