His Company – excellence in Christian drama – January 2010

Two Brand New Christmas Scripts

We are pleased to announce the publication of two new Christmas scripts—one musical, one non-musical—from His Company. Christmas? Aren't we too late for that—or at least w-a-y too early?

Our latest musical resource was commissioned by Martensdale Community Church, in Martensdale, Iowa, and produced for the first time just this last Christmas. Since the script was still being written after rehearsals had already begun, there was no way we could release it in time for this last Christmas season.

But instead of holding onto it until later in 2010, we wanted to get it out right away for your consideration. Why? Because the shelf-life of Christian choral literature is terribly short, and who knows how long the choral books for this musical will still be available. Our advice to you is to look it over right away, and if you think you would like to use it next Christmas, order the choral materials as soon as possible. We have included ordering details below.

Please note: For those of you new to His Company, our web site and free resources, understand that we do not write music—nor do we sell it. This new musical resource is like all the rest we have written: we have taken a published, commercial choral book, and have written a brand new dramatic story that works with it. Our script is free, but the choral books, Trax, etc., must be obtained from the publisher through your normal channels.

The Story

One person who has remained skeptical about the things of God is Naomi, who runs the house where the aged apostle John rents a room. The tiny island of Patmos—to which John has been exiled—is where they live, and the absentminded apostle and his feisty landlady mix it up on an almost daily basis.

One day, however, Naomi presents John with an opportunity to tell her the story about an impossible birth that happened so long ago in the town of Bethlehem—and the miraculous life that followed.
(from the set-up narration)

As with most of our scripts, this story is not a comedy, per se, but there are moments of humor—such as in the beginning of the first scene:

                               John
        (as he moves about his room looking for something)
That woman will be the end of me yet! Where did she put it this
time? How am I to get anything done!
             (stopping; looking around; impatiently)
A man has only so many years—and I've already overstayed my
welcome.
             (frustrated; with a growling crescendo)
Na-o-mi!
                  (waiting; now louder, sharper)
Naomi!

Enter Naomi, a woman of middle years. She is wiping her wet hands
on her apron.

                              Naomi
                           (irritably)
What is it now, John?

                               John
                         (darkly patient)
One would imagine that upon payment for one's room, one could
have reasonable expectation of privacy—that one's landlady would
respect one's possessions during her infrequent cleanings.

                              Naomi
So now it's my cleaning.

                               John
                            (sharply)
Don't change the subject.

                              Naomi
                     (she's been here before)
Whatever it is you can't find—I didn't touch it.

                               John
A-ha! So you admit it.

                              Naomi
No wonder they threw you out of your last place.

                               John
                     (after a beat; stiffly)
That charge was never proven.

                              Naomi
And to think I took pity on you.

                               John
                             (simply)
I just want to know where you put it.

                              Naomi
                        (beginning simply,
         then with greater intensity the next two lines)
What?

                               John
I can't get any work done without it.

                              Naomi
What?

                               John
I won't hold it against you. Just tell me where.

                              Naomi
What?!

                               John
     (suddenly forgetting what he was talking about; flatly)
What.

                              Naomi
   (after a long sigh; as if speaking to a child; rhythmically)
Tell me what you were doing when you couldn't find it.

                               John
                            (thinking)
Writing. I need to finish my letter.
                        (pause; irritably)
Stylus. Can't find my stylus.

Naomi, with a sigh, removes the stylus from John's ear and hands
it to him.

                               John
               (staring at the stylus in his hand)
Who put that there?

The Musical: Glorious Impossible

This script has been written to work in conjunction with the choral book Glorious Impossible, published by Word Music with easier arrangements. Here are ordering and attribution details:
Glorious Impossible features the songs of Keith and Kristyn Getty, Michael W. Smith, Stuart Townend, and Babbit Mason. Created and arranged by Tom Fettke. Orchestrated by Camp Kirkland. Published by Simply Word (Word Music). Release Date: May 2009.

Companion Materials

For pricing, more information, and ordering visit this page at the Word Music web site.

The One-act play: An Impossible Life

For those of you who would prefer the non-musical version of this story, we offer An Impossible Life, a 30-minute one-act. The story and lines are identical, but all references to music cues and song titles have been removed.

This Digital Age

For the first time, in these two scripts we include high-resolution photos of the set and props used in the inaugural production. These are included, of course, as suggestions only, but you may find the detailed images and descriptions of the required props helpful in planning your production.

The Links

Just in case you haven't yet clicked on the imbedded links, here they are again:

If you have any questions or comments about either of these script we encourage you to use our "Contact Us" link—below, or at our web site. And remember: We do not charge for any of our resources. All are free to download and use without fee or royalty.