(all photos from the original Trinity production)
About the Play
Written by Kevin M Reese
First Presented by Trinity
United Methodist Church, Fort Dodge, IA
on Maundy Thursday (April 13), 2006.
CAST:
(Original cast: 10W/3M/2B/1G, optional Pastor)
The Women:
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MAGDALENE (Mary Magdalene)
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BETHANY (Mary of Bethany, Martha’s sister, anointed Jesus w/Alabaster)
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MARTHA (Sister to Mary of Bethany and Lazareth)
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MARY (Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus)
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ELIZABETH (John the Baptist’s Mom, Mary’s cousin)
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YOUNGER (Mary, James the Younger’s Mom)
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LYDIA (Samarian, "living water" lady)
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WIDOW (Mary, Widow who gave 2 coins)
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ANNA (Phoenician - Jesus healed daughter "don’t throw kids’ food to dogs")
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SALOME (James & John’s Mom)
The Men:
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EZEKIEL (servant to the owner of the room)
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JUDAS
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PETER
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PASTOR (officiates Communion and delivers Benediction)
The Children:
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JAMES (Jesus’ little brother)
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RACHEL (Salome’s daughter)
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TIMOTHY (Anna’s son)
Sets:
Simple! 3 tables and a stool is all you need for the kitchen where
the women are preparing and serving the Passover Meal to the Disciples,
who are in the Upper Room, just off from the kitchen.
Running time:
Approx 25 min (not counting Communion)
Plot:
Ezekiel, the servant to the owner of the Upper Room, invites us to the
place where Jesus and his Disciples are to celebrate their Passover Meal
(which will turn out to be his Last Supper). There, in the
kitchen, we see the women of Jesus' group busily preparing the
traditional Passover Seder meal. Course by course, they prepare
the meal. Course by course they serve the meal to the Disciples
and return to the kitchen to report what they saw happening in the Upper
Room-- and how it affects them. The only Disciples we see are
Judas and Peter as they pass through the kitchen on their way to the
Upper Room. The women sense that something is happening. The
play ends after Jesus and his Disciples have finished their meal, headed
off to the Mount of Olives, and the women finish cleaning up.
This play is about Jesus from the perspective of the women who knew him best. Through the well-known events of the Last Supper these women reflect on the life of Jesus and his affect on mankind. We see the Last Supper from a different angle, from a different perspective than usually depicted in stories about this event in Jesus' Passion.
This is NOT your typical Last Supper Drama. This play uses the well-known setting of Jesus’ Last Supper as a spring-board for a little different perspective– and a few "What ifs?" "Whys?" and "Why nots?" in for good measure.
During Jesus’ time, it was usually women who served meals, did the laundry, fetched the water and all the other "menial" chores. From what we find in the Bible, there were a number of people who constantly traveled with Jesus, many of whom were women. Undoubtedly, those women took up the many caring tasks of the group. We know at least some of the names of the women who were there for the crucifixion. By a sort of "reverse engineering," it's a safe assumption that the characters in this play could very well have been around Jesus during the Last Supper.
That's what this play is all about. Using the traditional Jewish Pesach (Passover) Seder that was most likely the same format that Jesus and his Disciples used, we follow the women as they serve each course and listen to what they witnessed as they were in the Upper Room. With humor and tenderness, we understand-- from their perspective-- the significance of Christ's last moments with his Disciples.
At the time during the Seder where Jesus very likely passed around the Bread and the Wine, the audience is invited to partake in communion, after which, the play continues.
© 2006, Kevin M Reese. All Rights
Reserved.