Spread Your Garment Over Me
- 10 - 60 minutes
- 1 - 12 Females
Music Lead Sheets, Reader's Theater, Simple Props, Simple Set, Small Cast
$11.95 – $90.00
SPREAD YOUR GARMENT OVER ME (Ruth, 3:9) is written as a series of fifteen monologues and songs. These monologues capture the spirit and character of several women from the Bible and speak to a modern audience. The monologues present issues of faith, religion, and contemporary challenges. Monologues may be used separately as part of a church service or be performed by 1 or more actors as a production. Lead sheets for the music are available.
For use of individual monologues, email info@bluemoonplays.com
Play Details
Overview
These fifteen monologues for women of the Bible are marvelously contemporary. Here are real women with issues and challenges modern women face every day. They speak a language we all understand and are not necessarily meant to sound “Biblical” or to reference a specific historical time.
Visit with Eve as she looks back over the choices she made in the garden; share Sarah’s anguish over her barrenness and her joy over the coming of Isaac; meet Dinah, the petulant spoiled teenager; travel the temple steps with Anna as she awaits the coming of the Promised One. These and other revelations by Rahab, Deborah, Michal, The Witch of Endor, Mary Magdelene, Rizpah, the Syro-Phoenician woman, the Woman at the Well and Peter’s Wife can be performed individually or as a full-length show. This play has been toured extensively by several professional theatre companies.
Performance Notes
Overt anachronisms are avoided, except in the use of dialects. I especially recommend that Eve be done with an Appalachian accent; Rahab could sound Brooklyn, Dinah, American teenager. The Witch of Endor Cockney, and Peter’s Wife either Irish or Scottish.
These dialects help to find the energy and the feel of these characters, as well as to provide variety, especially if performed by a single actress. Every scene is built around at least one prop and the use of a shawl.
Optional music rounds out these faith based monologues for women for a complete evening of spiritual exploration.
Gillette Elvgren is recognised as one of the leading writers of Christian plays.
From the Play
EVE (Has the shawl wrapped around her waist so that she looks slightly pregnant. She carries a basket and is picking fruit. Role could be done with an Appalachian accent.) I’m hopin’ it will be a girl this time. Had it up to here with boys. Cain won’t do much—sits around a lot watchin’ things grow. Abel’s always up to somethin’—drives his brother crazy. Havin’ them two weren’t no picnic—I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. But once yer holdin’ em.. .and Adam does so enjoy the cleavin’ part of things.. .I often wonder whether we was meant to have children, you know, back there, or whether God mighta just took one of MY ribs this time and quicker than you could blink an eye….
DINAH (Speaking to Leah.) Get out! You could never understand, you’re too old. There’s nobody that understands me around here-it’s all boys, brothers, men. I am sick of men. I never want to see another man as long as I live. I should have been Rachael’s child not yours. She’s pretty. She understands what it’s like to be looked at. Can’t you see, she’s the one he loves. He uses you to breed sons, like a goat.
Don’t give me that! I didn’t “sneak off.” I walked out right in plain sight of everyone. But nobody pays any attention to me. There’s so much sneaking and conniving and tricks around here. Jacob tricks Esau. Laban tricks father. And Rachael has been pulling the wool over your eyes for years. It’s always Joseph this and Joseph that. Nobody cares. So I left. So what. Schechem is a real town, with real silks and real jewelry and real… people….
Productions
Chemi Chemi Players, Nairobi, Kenya, 11-13 Feb 2022
CUI Centre for Performing Arts, Cheche Cheche Gallery, @KNT. Nairobi
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