It has been over 20 years now since my first request to write a custom script. The young man needed it for a Children’s production he was doing and he didn’t have much in the way of funds. I felt led to give my first fruits of my labor to God, so I did not charge him and also I have never charged anyone for this script. I have posted the script here.
Entire Script:
Rhythm and Grace
By Warren Sager
( A group of kids run in as they get ready to play a game together.)
Alex: Okay everybody, line up and we will choose teams!
Butch: I want to be on Alex’s team!
Alex: Okay, you’re on my team!
Carla: I want to be on Alex’s team, too!
Deedee: We need to have captains! We need two captains, and the
captains will pick who is on their teams.
Alex: Okay, I’ll be the first captain. Deedee, you can be the
second captain.
Ernie: I want to be a captain!
Alex: No! That way you can be on my team!
Ernie: Okay.. but you have to pick me!
Butch: But he picked me first!
Deedee: We’ll flip a coin. Anybody got one?
Forrest: I do. Here.. I have a dime.
Deedee: Okay, Forrest, flip the coin, and if it lands on the head,
Alex goes first, and tails, I go first. (Forrest flips coin.. it
goes on the ground.. everyone looks.. )
Alex: It’s heads! I go first! I pick Ernie! (each child crosses
and stands next to their captain as they are picked)
Butch: Alex! You were gonna pick me!
Alex: I’ll pick you next!
Deedee: I pick Butch!
Butch: OOHHH! No fair!
Alex: You knew I was going to pick him!
Deedee: We can’t have boys against the girls! We need some boys
on our team too!
Carla: Pick me, Alex! Pick me!
Alex: Okay.. Carla.
Deedee: I pick Heather.
Alex: I pick Grace. You get Forrest.
Butch: Oh No! We’re going to lose for sure! Deedee, don’t pick
Forrest!
Heather: Forrest is the only one left. He has to go on our team.
Deedee: I’ll trade you Forrest for Grace. Then you can have 3 boys
on your team!
Alex: No… I think we should keep it as it is. We both have two boys
and two girls.
Butch: But Forrest doesn’t count! Why don’t you take him on your
team.. and the three of us will still beat you!
Grace: You’re making Forrest feel bad.
Forrest: That’s okay. I didn’t want to play anyway. (he starts to
walk away)
Heather: Now we don’t have as many as you. It would be even with
Forrest playing.
Grace: I’ll go play with Forrest.. and that will make the teams
even again.
Ernie: Do you want to do that?
Grace: I don’t want him to feel bad.. and you guys made him feel
bad. My Mom always says “what would Jesus do?” and if Jesus were
here.. He would go and play with Forrest. (she crosses over where
Forrest is sitting all alone looking sad)
Ernie: How do you know that’s what He would do?
Alex: Okay.. never mind them.. lets go play.. (they all run off)
Forrest: Gracie, why aren’t you playing with the others?
Grace: Just because. Why aren’t you?
Forrest: They didn’t want me, I could tell. I’m always the last
one picked …I hate being last one picked… No one ever wants to
pick me.
Grace: I would have picked you. But I never get to be the captain.
Forrest: You don’t even get to play if you stay here with me.
Don’t you want to play?
Grace: You and me, we could play something.
Forrest: I don’t know. I think I’ll just sit here.
Grace: Okay. I’ll just sit here, too.
Forrest: Why are you being nice to me?
Grace: Well… I figured if it were me.. I would want someone to
come and sit with me and be nice to me.
Forrest: I would do that. I would be nice to you.
Grace: Really? I’m glad. That’s what Jesus would do.
Forrest: It is? Wow… I’m like Jesus?
Grace: Well.. I don’t know if you are like Jesus all the time..
but Jesus was picked on a lot and you get picked on a lot.
Forrest: I want to be like Jesus. But I think its hard. I don’t
think I could ever die on a cross, though. That would be really
hard.
Grace: God would give you grace.
Forrest: What?
Grace: That’s what my name means. It is a gift of God that helps
us when we can’t do it ourselves. My mom always asks God to give
her grace. Before I was born.. she prayed and asked God to give
her grace because she was in lots of pain. Then I was born… so
they named me Grace. What does your name mean?
Forrest: I don’t know.. A bunch of trees!
Grace: I like it. Because forests are part of God’s creation and
it is always so beautiful in the forest. And animals like to live
there.
Forrest: I never thought of that. I like that.
Grace: Do you know any fun games?
Forrest: Do you know how to play rhythm?
Grace: No.. how do you play that?
Forrest: We sit facing each other.. and we start clapping our
hands and slapping our knees.. and then we keep changing it and
going faster and faster.. and you have to keep the rhythm. Here,
I’ll show you.. (he starts clapping hands and knees and she starts
imitating.. then he claps her hands and keeps adding new things.)
Grace: This is fun! (they keep going and get faster and faster.
They clap hands then clap one hand together and clap hands and then
the other hand together and clap hands.. developing a steady rhythm.
The other kids come back and see them and they come up and gather
around to watch what they are doing. Grace and Forrest keep
laughing and laughing cuz they are having so much fun.)
Alex: What are you doing?
Grace: We are playing rhythm.
Deedee: Can we play?
Grace: I thought you were playing something else.
Deedee: We got tired of it already.
Carla: No one was playing right.
Ernie: So.. can we play?
Grace: I don’t know. This is a game for only two.. right, Forrest?
Forrest: Actually, I’ve played this with a whole bunch. Sure..
you can all play.
Alex: How do you play?
Forrest: Everybody sit on the ground…and just watch Grace and I ,
and see if you can get the rhythm. (they all sit down and Forrest
and Grace start clapping and slapping their knees… soon everyone is
catching on.. and then Forrest adds finger snapping to the rhythm.)
Deedee: Where did you learn this game, Forrest? It is really fun!
Butch: I can’t do it.
Forrest: Sure you can.. just keep trying.
Butch: This is dumb.. I can’t do it.
Alex: You’re really good at this, Forrest!
Forrest: I’m going to be a musician when I grow up… and to be a
good musician.. you have to have good rhythm. Now add this!
(adds a new thing to the rhythm) Go faster! (they finally all fall
apart because no one can keep up with Forrest.)
Deedee: What a great game! Forrest, you are the best at rhythm!
All: Yay! Forrest! (Forrest smiles really big)
The End
Copyright 2001 Warren Sager