The Joyous Trade

Addictions, lifestyle choices, recipe for disaster.

A group of teens, all of whom have a church background, are at various stages of falling away from an active relationship with Jesus. They are shocked and scared when one of their group overdoses on drugs.

Shows the effects of addictions and lifestyle choices, but also shows the need for a strong, on-going and growing personal relationship with Jesus.

Cast: 10

• 10 (or more) can be male or female, of this group there are speaking parts for 7.
• Ray
• Don
• Crystal
• Jenna
• Lolita
• Patti
• Archibald (is in a wheelchair)
• 3 or more “New Guys” (non-speaking parts)

Bible Reference: Romans 1:6

Set:  bare

Lighting:  standard

Sound: wireless mics if available

Song: 

• “Trading My Sorrow” by Darrell Evans examples on internet
  • • Please support artists
  • Some new lyrics by DramaShare are added
  • Note that when the script calls for this song, (near end of drama) it can be performed by the actors, by off-stage (live or recorded) singer(s) or with a CD of the original song.

SFX: none

Costumes:  standard

Props:

• wheelchair, cell phone

Special Instructions:

• “New guys” and Lolita remain somewhat apart from the others during thelast segment, watching amusedly what is happening, but are silent and mostly motionless so as not to detract from what is happening with the central group.
  All other actors freeze except for the actor in the individual parts that follow. Highlighted actor will step forward a couple of steps during his/her monolog and at the end will step back and resume freeze. After a few seconds the next actor will step forward for his/her monolog, and so on.

 Time: 30

Sample of script:

D

[Don, Ray, Crystal, and Jenna enter stage.]

Don:
So anyhow, my Mom says I have to apply myself more.

Jenna:
Don Morgan applying himself? . . . Now those are two concepts that don’t quite line up!

Don:
I’ve applied myself sometimes . . . (smiles) . . . Worst 10 minutes of my life, if I remember right.

Ray:
Yeh, me and Don—we are appliers.

Crystal:
I noticed. You two were well applied last night at the party.

Ray:
Feelin’ no pain, baby!

Don:
That was good weed Mad Dog sold us—and for just a dime!

Ray (angrily):
Shut up, fool! . . . You wanna get us killed?

Jenna:
You guys shouldn’t be hangin’ with Mad Dog. He’s bad news—a major weird creeper.

Ray:
Whatever! Mad Dog, he’s cool—got the swag.
(to Jenna) Anyways, what says you can tell me who I hang with and who I don’t?

Don:
Mad Dog—he is some sick man. Always got the cool babes, great friends.

Crystal:
Lotta good them friends do when he gets busted—which happens real regular.

Ray:
Mad Dog, he got himself a far-out lawyer. No fuzz gonna lay nothin’ on old Mad Dog!

Don:
Pays dividends to have juice friends on the street. Guys like Mad Dog, they got major cheese!

Crystal:
So they got money—whatever! Not my top choice for friends. I’m not into drug dealers.

Ray:
So you prefer the dudes that get the booze for you?
I seen you tippin’ them back pretty good at the party.

Crystal:
Well drinking—that’s one thing. Drugs—that’s a whole ’nother thing.

Don:
Whatever!

Jenna:
I don’t really like . . . I mean, I don’t really think it’s like cool to do either drugs or alcohol. I mean . . .

Ray:
You always say that, Jenna. But when it’s handed around, I never did hear you take a pass on it.

Don:
Remember back when all us guys went to church? Learned all those silly far-out Bible stories?

Jenna:
Well, I still kinda sometimes go . . . sometimes.

Ray:
Not me—never. I don’t need none of that junk!

Jenna:
Ray, you used to be right into church. Sunday School.

Ray:
I used to be right into Santa Claus too.

[Patti and Lolita enter stage.]

Don:
Lolita chick!

Lolita (flirting):
Donny Don, Don Juan!

Don:
How’s my babe?

Lolita:
Yours as always, for sure, prime dude!

Ray (feigning hurt):
What’s this, “Don’s babe?” . . . I thought you was my babe!

Patti:
Good ol’ Lolita—the chick is everyone’s chick, anyone’s chick.

Lolita (giggling):
Don’t go saying it like it’s a bad thing, Patti!
Not my fault that I am gorgeous and popular!
(to Patti) Anyways, how would you know anything about popularity—you bein’ likely a lifetime member of V-Cards International!

Patti:
So I’m a virgin . . . so what?
And then there’s you. Yeh—popular. That’s it.

Lolita (cuddling up to Ray and Don):
Go ahead—tell plain ol’ Patti why Lolita is so popular!

(Lolita giggles seductively. She notices some guys far stage and suddenly pushes Ray and Don aside.)

Lolita:
Now run along, boys. Lolita gotta go check out those macho men over there!

Don:
Awww, why you go and walk out on us guys?

Lolita (sly):
Pick a number, boys, pick a number—the chick is in demand!

(Lolita joins the new guys on stage, miming flirting and talking with them.)

Crystal:
Does Lolita realize how pathetic she is? A pure hollaback girl.

Don:
What are you talkin’ about—pathetic?
That doll is the in-est chick of the in-est crowd in this here ‘hood!

Jenna:
Whatever!

[Archibald enters in wheelchair.]

Archibald:
Hey guys!

Crystal:
Hi Archibald! What’s happenin’, man?

Archibald:
Hey Crystal. I been over at the church. There’s this Christian rock band that’s—

Ray (mocking):
“A Christian rock band”? . . . How exciting!

Don:
Yeh—how’s their hit single doin’ on the charts?
What did they call it again? Oh yeh—“Bore Me To Tears Again, Jesus,” I believe it was!

(Don and Ray laugh, high-five.)

Jenna:
Knock it off, you guys. Leave Archibald alone!

Don:
What kinda name is Archibald anyway?

Ray:
Perfect name for some owned church loser!

Jenna:
I said that’s enough!

Don:
Jenna, you gonna protect the churchy wheelchair Archibald loser?

Ray:
Wheelchair churchy boy . . . gonna call him a holy roller!
(laughs) Get it? Wheelchair . . . churchy . . . holy roller?

(Ray and Don laugh uproariously. Patti steps between them and gives a hard shove. They stumble back, shocked.)

Ray:
Look, you piece of garbage—don’t you ever again touch me or you will find out what happens when you . . .

(Suddenly, Mad Dog falls onto stage, moaning. Everyone reacts in shock.)

Mad Dog:
Call . . . am-bu-lance . . . now!

Don:
You look browned out, man!

Ray:
Not browned out—blacked out more likely!
Mad Dog? What happened? . . . You baked?

Mad Dog:
Not weed . . . major cake . . .

(Mad Dog collapses. Still. Doesn’t move.)

Crystal:
Cocaine?
(to Jenna) Jenna—call an ambulance! Hurry!

(Jenna grabs phone and calls. A brief call.)

Don:
He’s not moving! . . . Is he . . . ?

(Ray moves to Mad Dog, checks for pulse.)

Ray:
I can’t feel a pulse!

Don:
What are we gonna do?

Jenna:
Archibald—can you, like, pray or something?

Ray:
Yeh—anything. Do something.
Go on ahead and pray!
We’ll all pray—every one of us. Just show us what to do!

(Archibald bows head and begins to pray. Others bow their heads, hesitantly.)

Archibald:
Father God, we ask you to place your hand of healing on . . . (hesitates) on . . . Mad Dog.
(Voice lowers and fades)
We ask that you . . .

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