About this ebook
This free-wheeling, fun-loving supernatural fantasy adventure and romantic comedy is about an angel who helps a hopelessly naive lad fight a demon, marry a damsel in distress and heal a father's blindness. The full-length stage comedy is freely adapted from the 2nd century BC Jewish novel "Tobit," best known as one of the "Apocryphal" books found in many Bibles. With contemporary sensibilities, clever dialogue and continuous sight gags and slapstick humor, Heaven Sent is a religious play like no other.
Patrick Rainville Dorn
Patrick Rainville Dorn is an author, playwright, and theatre critic with a bunch of stories, more than 100 published plays, more than a thousand published play reviews, and three children’s books. He’s also an Anglican priest and full-time chaplain. Patrick earned an MA in Theatre from the University of Denver and has published numerous plays and skits for churches, schools, and other amateur groups. Check out all of Patrick’s stories, plays, musicals, and children's books at www.PatrickDorn.com
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Heaven Sent - Patrick Rainville Dorn
Heaven Sent
A stage comedy inspired by the Apocryphal of Tobit
Patrick Rainville Dorn
HEAVEN SENT
by PATRICK RAINVILLE DORN
Copyright © 2005 by Patrick Rainville Dorn
Thank you for purchasing a reading copy of HEAVEN SENT. This is a READING COPY ONLY, and does not include photocopying or production rights.
If you would like to purchase a downloadable, printable script ($7.99) and request production rights to HEAVEN SENT ($100 per performance), please contact StagePlays at http://www.stageplays.com/products/pilgrims_progresscategorycyberpresscode412.
All rights to this publication — including but not limited to amateur, professional, public reading, inclusion in other published works, translation into foreign languages, and broadcast rights are controlled by Patrick Dorn.
These rights are fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and of all countries covered by the Universal Copyright Convention or with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations, including Canada, Mexico, Australia and all nations of the United Kingdom.
Check out all of Patrick's Dorn's plays, musicals and children's books at:
www.patrickdorn.com
Created with Vellum Created with Vellum
Contents
Description
Cast of Characters
Synopsis of Scenes
Act One
Act Two
Production Notes
FREE OFFER
About the Author
Description
HEAVEN SENT
A stage comedy inspired by the Apocryphal Book of Tobit
by
Patrick Rainville Dorn
Cast: 4M, 3W, 4 either, plus flexible ensemble
Set: Simple area set
Time: About 100 minutes
This free-wheeling, fun-loving supernatural fantasy adventure and romantic comedy is about an angel who helps a hopelessly naive lad fight a demon, marry a damsel in distress and heal a father’s blindness. The full-length comedy is freely adapted from the 2nd century BC Jewish novel Tobit,
best known as one of the Apocryphal
books found in many Bibles. With contemporary sensibilities, clever dialogue and continuous sight gags and slapstick humor, Heaven Sent is a religious play like no other.
Cast of Characters
ABBA: king of the universe (M)
RALPH: an archangel (F or M)
TOBIT: a righteous Israelite (M)
ANNA: his long-suffering wife (F)
TOBY: their impossibly naive son (M)
MERCHANT: a dealer in wool (F or M)
STRANGER: returns a favor (F or M)
REGGIE: a well-meaning father (M)
EDNA: his determined wife (F)
SARAH: their oft-bereft daughter (F)
ASMODEUS: an odious demon (M or F)
ENSEMBLE: flexible supporting cast perform the roles of: ANGELS, BANQUET GUESTS, RAVENS, DOCTORS, SERVANTS
For ideas on FLEXIBLE CASTING, see the PRODUCTION NOTES.
Synopsis of Scenes
The action of the play takes place in Heaven, Tobit’s house in Nineveh, a marketplace in Nineveh, along the Tigris River, and Reggie’s house in Ecbatana, during the exile of the Israelite people. Areas are easily identified through lighting and simple props.
The setting consists of a large, neutral playing area which may have levels suggesting Tobit’s house, Reggie’s house, and Heaven.
Act One
AT RISE. Darkness. Then LIGHTS UP, or optional SPOTLIGHTS on the faces of TOBIT and SARAH.
TOBIT: You are righteous, O Lord! Have compassion on me. Treat me with kindness.
SARAH: God of mercy…help!
TOBIT: Set me free from this world.
SARAH: Just take me now!
TOBIT: Let me go to my eternal rest.
SARAH: Or, if you don’t want me up there with you, just do something. Anything!
TOBIT and SARAH: (Voices echoing as SPOTLIGHTS FADE OUT.) Have mercy on me…For pity’s sake…Have mercy on me. (LIGHTS UP on Heaven. On an elevated platform [or in the UP CENTER playing area], is a front drop of a city in the clouds. It is magnificent, the New Jerusalem. [Optional: clouds without the city.] SOUND: Baroque trumpet voluntary or heavenly choirs singing. Front drop rolls up or is opened by ANGELS to reveal ABBA, sitting in glory on his throne. He is majestic, awesome, wonderful…and sound asleep. RALPH, a savvy angel, ENTERS carrying a plastic clipboard and a quill pen. MUSIC FADES.)
RALPH: Excuse me, sir. (ABBA does not respond.) Pardon me, Lord, God of the Universe. (Still no response. RALPH glances at attending ANGELS, tickles ABBA’S nose with the quill pen.) Kootchy, kootchy koo.
ABBA: (Sneezes Himself awake. ANGELS jump.) Achoo! What? Is the seventh day over already? (Sees RALPH.) Oh, it’s you.
RALPH: Yes, Your Majesty. I have some papers for You to sign.
ABBA: Papers?
RALPH: Yes. Two of Your children want to die, and I need Your permission to blot them off the face of the earth. It’s just a formality.
ABBA: They want to die?
RALPH: That’s what the report says.
ABBA: I don’t understand it. No one WANTS to die. That’s the whole point of death, to make people want to live with Me forever.
RALPH: Well, these two want out.
ABBA: Want out of what?
RALPH: There’s really no need to go into it, Your Omniscience. That’s why You have angels…to take care of the details.
ABBA: I’m not signing anything until I find out why My children want to die.
RALPH: It might take some time to fill You in.
ABBA: Since when have I been worried about time?
RALPH: I see Your point. (Refers to clipboard.) The first case is a man named Tobit. According to my records, he celebrates the religious festivals, follows the law of Moses to the letter…and he even tithes!
ABBA: Now why would I want to wipe out someone like that? (Aside.) If all My children were as responsible as this Tobit, there’d be a lot less suffering down there. And fewer people would blame Me for the bad things that