The Tower Of Babel
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
56 Vignettes For Cycle C
Theme
The rebellious, independent nature of humans and the power that they have when organized; God's punishment which was reversed at the day of Pentecost.
Summary
A readers' theater. Readers stand or sit on stools.
Playing Time
8 minutes
Setting
A neutral playing area
Props
Scripts in books
Costumes
Black
Time
The time of Genesis
Cast
4 MALES
4 FEMALES
ALL (VOICES): (ELECTRONICALLY ENHANCED) The Tower of Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Babel -- (ALL SAY THE WORD "BABEL," OVERLAPPING)
FEMALES: In the land of Shinar,
MALES: The fertile valley of Shinar,
ALL: The descendants of Noah settled.
FEMALES: The Lord God told us ...
MALE 1: "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." (ECHO)
ALL: But, we will not! We will not leave this bountiful land.
FEMALES: There is more than enough water here. We have abundant crops.
MALES: Here our cattle grow fat.
ALL: And so do we! (ALL LAUGH IN UNISON) We will build ...
FEMALES: Houses.
ALL: We will build ...
MALES: Granaries.
ALL: We will build ... temples for our gods ... Nanna, Enlil, Enki.
ALL: We will build ... great cities ... Uruk, Aratta, Kisk, Ur, Erida, Nippur.
FEMALE 1: There is no stone of which to build.
INDIVIDUALS: (OVERLAP -- CONVERSATION) No stone -- no stone -- no stone -- no stone of which to build!
ALL: STOP! We can solve any problem. If we have no stone we will make stone.
INDIVIDUALS: Make stone -- make stone -- make stone -- how do we make stone?
MALE 2: We will use clay -- mold it into bricks.
MALE 3: Put them in the fire --
MALE 4: They will become --
MALES: Hard, like ...
ALL: STONE!
FEMALES: Like stone.
MALES: Like stone.
ALL: Stone. We have made stone. There is nothing impossible for us. We will do anything. Anything. Anything! Anything!
FEMALE 1: How will you keep these little bricks together? How will you build with these? They fall apart.
INDIVIDUALS: They fall, fall, fall, fall -- they fall apart.
ALL: STOP! We will solve anything. We created bricks. We will create something to keep them together.
MALE 4: We will use -- asphalt. That will keep them together. They will not fall. They will stand tall.
FEMALES: Stand tall.
MALES: Stand tall.
ALL: Stand tall. We will build buildings that stand tall -- to reach the sky -- to reach the sky -- to reach the sky. To reach to the gods. Anything is possible for us. Anything -- anything -- anything.
FEMALE 1: Why build a tall building to the sky?
MALE 3: To reach the sky ... the gods.
ALL: Because we want to. We do what we want to. Because we can.
MALES: We will build --
MALE 2: Build.
MALE 4: Build.
MALE 3: Build.
MALE 4: Build.
MALE 2: Build.
FEMALE 3: Higher.
MALE 3: Build.
FEMALE 4: Higher.
MALES: Build.
FEMALES: Higher.
MALES: Build.
FEMALES: Higher.
ALL: It is finished! Our tower to the sky -- into the heavens -- to reach the gods.
FEMALE 4: Nanna.
MALE 4: Enki.
FEMALE 3: Enlil.
FEMALE 1: What if the flood our fathers told us about comes again?
INDIVIDUALS: Flood -- flood -- flood -- flood -- what if the flood comes again?
MALE 2: We will save ourselves.
FEMALE 3: Save ourselves.
MALES: Save ourselves.
ALL: Save ourselves. We will save ourselves. We will solve any problem. We will save ourselves. Nothing can stop us. Nothing. We will do what we want. We will do anything. Anything. Anything. And all men will know us.
MALE 3: We have built cities.
FEMALE 3: We have great abundance.
MALE 4: Our cattle grow fat.
ALL: And so do we! (LAUGH IN UNISON)
FEMALE 1: But -- the Lord God came down to see the city and the tower and said ...
MALE 1: They are one people ...
ALL: We are one!
MALE 1: And they all have one language ...
ALL: We are one!
MALE 1: And this is the beginning of what they will do ...
ALL: We are one!
MALE 1: Anything will be possible for them.
ALL: Anything -- anything -- anything is possible for us. We are one. We are one. We are one.
MALE 1: Let us give different languages ...
ALL: We are one. We are one. We are one.
MALE 1: ... so that they will not understand each other's words.
(EVERYONE SPEAKS DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN CONFUSION, LOUDLY, FRIGHTENED, AND THEN FADING AWAY)
FEMALE 1: In that way the Lord God scattered them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city, which was then called Babel or confusion, because it was there that the Lord God confused them by giving them many languages, and they scattered across the face of the earth.
The rebellious, independent nature of humans and the power that they have when organized; God's punishment which was reversed at the day of Pentecost.
Summary
A readers' theater. Readers stand or sit on stools.
Playing Time
8 minutes
Setting
A neutral playing area
Props
Scripts in books
Costumes
Black
Time
The time of Genesis
Cast
4 MALES
4 FEMALES
ALL (VOICES): (ELECTRONICALLY ENHANCED) The Tower of Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Babel -- (ALL SAY THE WORD "BABEL," OVERLAPPING)
FEMALES: In the land of Shinar,
MALES: The fertile valley of Shinar,
ALL: The descendants of Noah settled.
FEMALES: The Lord God told us ...
MALE 1: "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." (ECHO)
ALL: But, we will not! We will not leave this bountiful land.
FEMALES: There is more than enough water here. We have abundant crops.
MALES: Here our cattle grow fat.
ALL: And so do we! (ALL LAUGH IN UNISON) We will build ...
FEMALES: Houses.
ALL: We will build ...
MALES: Granaries.
ALL: We will build ... temples for our gods ... Nanna, Enlil, Enki.
ALL: We will build ... great cities ... Uruk, Aratta, Kisk, Ur, Erida, Nippur.
FEMALE 1: There is no stone of which to build.
INDIVIDUALS: (OVERLAP -- CONVERSATION) No stone -- no stone -- no stone -- no stone of which to build!
ALL: STOP! We can solve any problem. If we have no stone we will make stone.
INDIVIDUALS: Make stone -- make stone -- make stone -- how do we make stone?
MALE 2: We will use clay -- mold it into bricks.
MALE 3: Put them in the fire --
MALE 4: They will become --
MALES: Hard, like ...
ALL: STONE!
FEMALES: Like stone.
MALES: Like stone.
ALL: Stone. We have made stone. There is nothing impossible for us. We will do anything. Anything. Anything! Anything!
FEMALE 1: How will you keep these little bricks together? How will you build with these? They fall apart.
INDIVIDUALS: They fall, fall, fall, fall -- they fall apart.
ALL: STOP! We will solve anything. We created bricks. We will create something to keep them together.
MALE 4: We will use -- asphalt. That will keep them together. They will not fall. They will stand tall.
FEMALES: Stand tall.
MALES: Stand tall.
ALL: Stand tall. We will build buildings that stand tall -- to reach the sky -- to reach the sky -- to reach the sky. To reach to the gods. Anything is possible for us. Anything -- anything -- anything.
FEMALE 1: Why build a tall building to the sky?
MALE 3: To reach the sky ... the gods.
ALL: Because we want to. We do what we want to. Because we can.
MALES: We will build --
MALE 2: Build.
MALE 4: Build.
MALE 3: Build.
MALE 4: Build.
MALE 2: Build.
FEMALE 3: Higher.
MALE 3: Build.
FEMALE 4: Higher.
MALES: Build.
FEMALES: Higher.
MALES: Build.
FEMALES: Higher.
ALL: It is finished! Our tower to the sky -- into the heavens -- to reach the gods.
FEMALE 4: Nanna.
MALE 4: Enki.
FEMALE 3: Enlil.
FEMALE 1: What if the flood our fathers told us about comes again?
INDIVIDUALS: Flood -- flood -- flood -- flood -- what if the flood comes again?
MALE 2: We will save ourselves.
FEMALE 3: Save ourselves.
MALES: Save ourselves.
ALL: Save ourselves. We will save ourselves. We will solve any problem. We will save ourselves. Nothing can stop us. Nothing. We will do what we want. We will do anything. Anything. Anything. And all men will know us.
MALE 3: We have built cities.
FEMALE 3: We have great abundance.
MALE 4: Our cattle grow fat.
ALL: And so do we! (LAUGH IN UNISON)
FEMALE 1: But -- the Lord God came down to see the city and the tower and said ...
MALE 1: They are one people ...
ALL: We are one!
MALE 1: And they all have one language ...
ALL: We are one!
MALE 1: And this is the beginning of what they will do ...
ALL: We are one!
MALE 1: Anything will be possible for them.
ALL: Anything -- anything -- anything is possible for us. We are one. We are one. We are one.
MALE 1: Let us give different languages ...
ALL: We are one. We are one. We are one.
MALE 1: ... so that they will not understand each other's words.
(EVERYONE SPEAKS DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN CONFUSION, LOUDLY, FRIGHTENED, AND THEN FADING AWAY)
FEMALE 1: In that way the Lord God scattered them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city, which was then called Babel or confusion, because it was there that the Lord God confused them by giving them many languages, and they scattered across the face of the earth.
