Part 4 - The Resurrection

by Jane And Mark Lewis

Background
Rating
Characters
Staging
Script

Background

Capernaum Street grew out of our desire to write our own "soap opera"-style series of sketches which would be based on a UK soap opera (in order to feel familiar and engage people) and have cliff-hanger endings (to encourage people to come back for "next week's exciting episode").

Then one of the series we were doing in our Family Services was on the life of Peter. As Peter was a "Northerner" (as far as those in Judea were concerned) we decided to write a series tenuously based on Coronation Street. As Peter lived in Capernaum, the title of Capernaum Street wasn't too difficult to come up with! We were then faced with the constraints familiar to many church drama groups - a lack of resources and a Hollywood special effects budget. These seem necessary given the miracles Peter witnessed. Then we had the idea - what if Peter "came home from work", as it were, from his "day job" as a disciple of Jesus to relay all his experiences to his wife Elizabeth (OK we made up the Elizabeth bit but we know Peter had a wife because he had a mother-in-law - see Mark 1:30). This would mean only two people were required and no special effects!

Capernaum Street was born and the format has remained the same since. Each episode Peter returns from his day with Jesus to recount everything that's happened to Elizabeth in an "up-North"-kitchen-sink-type-Coronation-Street style.

This is the second sketch in the Parts 3-5 mini-trilogy in the Capernaum Street series. Is it aimed to contrast with Part 3 because Peter is so overjoyed and jubilant that Jesus is alive. A great Easter Sunday sketch! Based on Mark 16:1-14, Luke 24:1-49 & John 20:1-25.

(Note: the Part numbers refer to the order the sketches were written in and not necessarily the order of events in Peter's life).

Rating

Characters

Peter, apostle of Jesus.
Elizabeth, his wife.

Peter should be dressed to suggest "fisherman". (E.g. wellies, big woolly jumper, water-proof jacket, etc.)
Elizabeth is a house-proud housewife and should be wearing a house-coat, have her hair in a scarf and have a duster to wave around for emphasis.

Staging

The scene is the kitchen in Peter and Elizabeth's house. You can get away with just a table and at least one chair.

We use three devices to create a consistent "look and feel" to the Capernaum Street sketches:

The characters are always dressed the same in every sketch (see above).
For each performance we project the Capernaum St. sign (illustrated above) on an OHP.
We use, what turned out to be, a very successful device for indicating the start and end of each sketch: the Theme Tune. We both play the first few bars of the theme tune to Coronation Street on kazoos.

Script

[Theme tune]
[Elizabeth is dusting facing away from Peter as he enters, rushes up to her spins her around and gives her a big kiss.]
Elizabeth: [trying to regain her composure] Oh Peter … you're home early.
Peter: You'll never guess what's happened.
Elizabeth: Bethlehem Rangers have won the Cup Final?
Peter: No, no, no that's next week.
Elizabeth: You've won the Lottery?
Peter: No better than that.
Elizabeth: Well what then?
Peter: [arms aloft, ecstatic, shouting] He's alive!!
Elizabeth: Who's alive?
Peter: [arms drop] Jesus - who else!
Elizabeth: What do you mean Jesus is alive. He can't be!? we buried him love....
Peter: Well that's what we all thought. But Mary and some of the other women went to the tomb on Sunday. They came rushing back saying "His body's gone, his body's gone". So we thought, "Typical hysterical women, no offence like, - they'll have gone t'wrong grave". So we went down t'grave, me and the lads like. And sure enough his body was gone.
Elizabeth: Maybe someone moved it.
Peter: No the grave clothes were still there.
Elizabeth: Oh
Peter: And the angels were a bit of a giveaway like.
Elizabeth: ANGELS. You saw an angel? Oh wait til Itell Martha next door she'll be green with envy.
Peter: Well the women had. The angels had said that Jesus wasn't dead but that he'd risen and to get ourselves off up to Galilee and he'd see us here, sort of thing.
Elizabeth: But I mean how do you know that he's risen from the dead? I mean have ya seen him.
Peter: Yes we have. After all the excitement we were all togther in the room where we all had been meeting and we had the doors shut and everything and then you know he appeared right there in front of us - scared the living daylights out of us I can tell you - then he said, "Don't worry, its only me" Only me he says!! "Peace be with you". Well he stayed for a bite to eat and then left. Meanwhile Cleopas & his friend well they'd gone back to Emmaus and everything and we were sitting around talking and praying and that. Then there was a knock at the door.
Elizabeth: Oh and it was Jesus back again was it?
Peter: No it was Cleopas & his friend . They came back to tell us that they'd seen Jesus on their way home but as soon as they recognised him he'd disappeared. So we've all seen him, well apart from Thomas, so we know - He's alive!
Elizabeth: That's amazing.
Peter: [getting really excited] Its the most amazing the most brilliant news ever! We have to go and tell everybody! [pause]
Elizabeth: Oh but you'll stop for some tea first. I’ll go and put the kettle on.
[Theme tune]