Dedication (Nehemiah III)

by Jane And Mark Lewis

Background
Rating
Characters
Staging
Script

Background

Last in a series of three on Nehemiah. Based on chapter 12.

Rating

Characters

A PR Events Coordinator - we never bothered to give him/her a name...
Nehemiah

Staging

An office. A sign on the wall reads: “Saandal & Saandal Promotions. Major Events Our Speciality”. There is a flipchart or whiteboard.

Script

[The Event Coordinator is on the phone, Nehemiah knocks and enters]
Event Coordinator: What a fantastic idea. Of course it'll work…[waves to Nehemiah] Come in…Darling, look I'll have to get back to you [ends call]
Nehemiah: Er...Hello.
Event Coordinator: Mr. Nehemiah? Lovely to meet you.
Nehemiah: Thank you, good to......
Event Coordinator: Now I see from your file you're big in the construction industry. So what have you been doing recently.....
Nehemiah: Er...Re-building the walls of Jerusalem....
Event Coordinator: Nice project. O.K. I can see your problem. The building institutions are suffering from a lack of funding. No support from the Government, council, etc. But this is a Civil defence project right. Protecting the weak and the innocent - I'm sure we can persuade people to part with their hard earned cash for such a worthy cause.
Nehemiah: I just want some help......
Event Coordinator: Of course you do. What you need is a big fund-raising campaign. We want camel links around the country. We need credit card hot-lines. You need a big sponsor. I've done a bit of background on this two possibilities Hard Rock Cafe wondered if you were interested in a Franchise and I can tell you a major ice-cream company are interested if you make them the sole supplier to the city.
Nehemiah: Look stop. You don't understand. I don't want money.
Event Coordinator: With respect Mr. Nehemiah everyone wants money.
Nehemiah: No. The walls are finished. That's why I’m here. I want to organise a...
Event Coordinator: Launch event. Even better. We can start off with a series of teaser posters. Take out some full page ads in the Jerusalem Times and so on. Build up the hype so we can make the most out of the merchandising. You haven't signed any merchandising agreements yet have you?
Nehemiah: No, look I don't...
Event Coordinator: Good. O.K. let's brainstorm. [Starts writing on a white-board/flip-chart] What sort of things do you want to sell. Brick-shaped Mugs, Wall T-shirts, small pieces of autographed wall (they'll be popular), Rubble key-rings, pencil cases,
Nehemiah: I don't want to sell things I want to give thanks, have a celebration, you know ...sort of like a concert.
Event Coordinator: A concert. Fantastic idea. Open air of course. It has to be a rock concert.... The Stones maybe?...or .... we could pull Pink Floyd out of retirement. Yes! and tie that into the merchandising.... Fantastic: T-shirts with “I put just another brick in the wall”... it'll be great.
Nehemiah: Look I want to use this event to say thank you to........
Event Coordinator: No problem. We’ll set up a big P.A. system for the band anyway. You can use it to say thanks to whoever you want. Who was the main sponsor for the wall as a matter of interest?
Nehemiah: God.
Event Coordinator: Wow! I had no idea you had such powerful connections. O.K. If it's God a rock concert is totally inappropriate. What we need are CHOIRS and classical music. Yes I can see it now big, brass band, lots of instruments, oh, yes, a huge enormous choir, lots of people lots of singing...yes?
Nehemiah: That sounds more like it.
Event Coordinator: Right, I can get onto the Jerusalem Philharmonic and the Jericho Symphony Orchestra – had you any thoughts vis a vis choirs?
Nehemiah: How about the Kidron Valley Male Voice choir? My associate Ezra can put you in touch with the Temple Choir too.
Event Coordinator: Excellent, yes
Nehemiah: Actually, I was thinking I might sing a solo........
Event Coordinator: What? I mean. Look Nehemiah, I know that you're a well-respected town-wall planner but lets leave the singing to the professionals, OK?
Nehemiah: Yes. I suppose you’re right. I did have one other idea.
Event Coordinator: Yes?
Nehemiah: You'll think its silly.
Event Coordinator: No, no - this is brainstorming Nehemiah - no criticism.
Nehemiah: Well [draws on flip-chart] There’s the wall, right? I thought we could have one choir with half the people walking round the top of the wall one way, the other going round the opposite direction, and then we'll meet over here just past the Sheep Gate. Then everyone will see us.
Event Coordinator: Brilliant. Just brilliant. Its so simple. Ever thought of a job in advertising Nehemiah?
Nehemiah: Well, no.
Event Coordinator: ...Right well, moving on, now, did you have a theme in mind for this event?
Nehemiah: That's easy: Dedication. We want to dedicate the wall to God!
Event Coordinator: Dedication, hmmm..yeh.. Dedication. Dedication – that's what you need.... hold on a second... What a brilliant slogan! We could turn it into a jingle. Yes. [sings] Dedication. Wo-oh Dedication. Dedication....
Nehemiah: [getting the idea] ...to God is what you need. ..
Event Coordinator: If you want to build a wall!
Nehemiah: If you want to make it tall!
Both: Wo-oh Dedication's what you need. If you wanna be a big wall-maker. YEH!
[Freeze]