At rise of meeting on 12/14/2008, the First Day School presented a play. The script is below.
Quakers and the Environment –
A December Play for Patapsco Friends Meeting
By Ramona Buck, December, 2008
Characters:
- Clerk
- Reading Clerk
- Friend 1
- Friend 2
- Friend 3
- Santa 1
- Santa 2
Business Meeting (people sit in chairs in a semi-circle)
Clerk: Thank you, Friends, for coming to Business Meeting today.
As you know, we have a very serious issue to consider – How to save the earth –
Are you ready to think about this?
(All nod solemnly.)
Reading Clerk, could you please read one of the advices on this topic? And then Friends can respond as they are led.
Reading Clerk: Quakers believe that human beings are stewards of the earth, and should care for it to ensure that each generation passes on to the next generation a world as good or better than it received.
(a short moment of silence)
Friend 1 (rises): I don’t know for sure. It depends on whether we think we should give up all electronic devices. I am not sure I can do without my car, or my air conditioning, or my laptop or my GPS or my I-pod or my I-phone or my dishwasher, or my TV set, or my radios, or my . . .
Clerk interposes: Uh, thank you, Friend, I think we get your drift – thank you.
Friend 1 shakes head and sits down.
Friend 2 (rises): This topic is so depressing and discouraging to me, I don’t know if I can consider it again. It just upsets me so. I am afraid I will leave here and just have to go home to bed and put my head under the pillow.
(collapses down into chair, and pulls a pillow out of a bag and puts it over his/her head)
(All stare at Friend 2 for a moment)
Friend 3 (stands, holding a couple of books, and speaks very learnedly):
Solving the environmental problems could increase our financial problems.
Building a LEEDS certified green house, for example, is very expensive. We need to give this a lot more thought before taking any action – that’s my advice, Friends – and I am a very important person – in a very important job – in a very important company – in a very important city – in a very important state . . . .
Clerk interposes: Uh, Thank you, Friend, thanks very much.
Reading Clerk:
(looks at Friend 1) It’s true that we may have to change our life style.
(looks at Friend 2) And it’s true that this is a big topic.
(looks at Friend 3) And it’s true that it is very complex.
Even so, isn’t there something we can do?
(Jingling heard outside the door along with a “Ha, Ha, Ha”)
Friend 1: What’s that?
Friend 2 (perks up): Oh, you know, it’s Christmas and we were thinking so hard about the environment that we forgot!!
Friend 3 (going to the door, opening it)
That’s right. It is Christmas! Welcome, Welcome, Santa!
(Santas come in saying HO HO HO and give out candy and shake everyone’s hands)
Everyone: Thank you! Thank you, Santa! Nice to see you! How are you?
Santa 2: All of you look a little gloomy. Is there something wrong?
Clerk: Well, you know, Santa, we have been worrying about the environment.
Santa 1: I don’t read much, but I have noticed there is less ice at the North Pole. They say that is a result of global warming, whatever that is.
Clerk: Oh, yes.
Santa 1: Look, I am not a very wise person, and I certainly don’t know enough to save the earth, but I have faith that all of you can do that! I really do. The main thing is to stay cheerful – don’t look so downcast.
I am sorry we don’t have much to give you this year (he takes his sack and shakes it out). This is actually our last stop and we are on our way home! But, we do have a few things. Look, here is a pot (hands it to them) and, and, . . . well I guess that’s it.
Santa 2: We could give you the bag, though. Would you like it?
Clerk: (Receiving the bag) Thank you, Santa, that is very kind of you. Thank you, and have a safe trip back home. I know you are tired.
Santas: Good night, good night! Merry Christmas! (Wave to everyone and leave.)
Reading Clerk: I am not sure what we can do with a pot and with Santa’s old bag, but I didn’t want to say anything.
Friend 1: Well, you know, we could use the pot for a potluck lunch every Sunday. We could each bring something and put it all in one pot and cook it! That would help the environment because we would use one stove rather than 20!
Friend 2 (taking the bag) I could wash this bag and then, I could make something from it – like – like about 50 napkins, for example! We could outfit practically the whole Meeting with cloth napkins, I should think.
Friend 3: We still need to do some studying on this topic in a substantial way!
Clerk: Yes, Friend, you are right. Why don’t you gather some information and bring it back to our next Meeting. We will each bring something for the soup in our new soup pot and we will use cloth napkins.
All: That Friend speaks my mind!
(All shake hands)
End of play – all bow to applause