Of Angels and Demons: Act One
Main Characters:
God: Very distant, yet powerful male. Mature and closed off.
Gabriel: Very youthful, na�ve, and angrodynos, but female.Lucifer: Very cocky, beautiful, and anggrodynos, but female. Steven: Very charismatic, very nice look to him. Preppy, but not overly so.Jessica: Pretty, youthful girl. Same height as Steven. A perfect match for him.Thomas: Slightly rough look to him, but not dirty. Think Han Solo.
Act I
(God already on stage. Lights come up on him, stage right.) God: (God�s Monologue) So, this is how it has to be.It wasn�t supposed to be this hard, you know.A creation in peaceful bliss - but with free will.All I wanted was something to choose to worship me...Something other than what I already had.Then I fell in love with them. The serpent was blamed by Eve,Eve was blamed by Adam...Was Adam blamed by me?Nevertheless, I gave them Eden, and they gave me sin. One mistake then exile.That�s all I thought it would take.Then came the brothers and jealousy and blood.Then came civilization. Enoch and Elijah - they were the only ones who really grasped it all.Everyone else messed up in the end.Noah standing naked before his peers.Lot continuing the tradition of his home.David and Bathsheeba.When will they learn? I tried making men that were more than mortals,But Samson�s strength fled.I let my own nation follow the ways of the world,But Saul chose madness. What else have I to give? If that�s what they want, what they need...Then they�ll get it.They�ll never know quite what it means,Why it all happened.They�ll never understand it all...But they�ll understand enough, I guess It�s the only option.I guess that means its time to give Mary my seed.Time to prepare the bridegroom.All because of love.All because I fell in love. (Lights come up on Steven. God watches) Ste: This is the pain God felt as He brought His Son in to our world. He didn�t have to do it. I imagine that, logically and emotionally, He didn�t want to do it. But because of His love for us, His desire to have us in His Kingdom, He brought His Son into our world to die. Tho: We meet here once a week. Steven, Jessica, and I have tried and tried to come up with new, innovative ways to reach those around us. We will continue holding our weekly meetings, but now we have a new challenge for us, for you, and for those around us. Jessica? Jes: Every morning, in the cafeteria, we will pray. We will give an open invitation to anyone in the school who wants to join us. We will make a difference. Ste: Father, guide us as we walk through these halls and classrooms. Lead us that we might make a difference. That we might be the leaders of a new generation, the next generation of believers. Let us follow you. (The class scene pauses and dims, to be lightly lit. Stage right lights up with a reddish tint. We see God sitting on his simple throne, Lucifer leaning on the back of the chair, looking at the class.) Luc: You know, I almost want to believe them, Master. I almost want to say, (said in a black preacher�s voice) �Yes you will make a difference. This time, you will succeed, and the school will be the Lord�s. You have done well my servants!!!� But oh, what is that I see? That glimmer of hope, that they�ll stay true to you , fading away, as soon as it sparked� That hope, that belief, that certainty, the leader�s right hand man will always stay true and loyal. That nothing could ever come between the general and his army. That the leader would have to exile his own partner!!! Where have we ever seen that story happen before, hmmm? Oh, I�m sorry God, oh Great Mystery� did I say something wrong?
God: Lucifer �
Luc: Oh, the old name� feeling like a trip down memory lane, I see� God: Lucifer, you are allowed here only by my decision. Your visits here to the Silver City are mine to control, and mine alone. You, of all angels, should know the powers I have. And yet you dare to question the sincerity of my people once again? Have you learned nothing from your trials with Job, and my own son? What makes you think that you could not corrupt one of my followers, yet you could corrupt a triad of earthly warriors? Luc: You know, Mystery, there�s something I�ve always liked about that word, sincerity� it begins with sin. God: And whom do you hope to corrupt of these three? Luc: Can�t you see? I know the plans you have for these, the seeds that have been sown to make a new ministry. The partnership that is to come, the plans to be made�Yes, my Lord, you made a good pairing in Steven and Jessica� perhaps, too good of one. God: I grow weary of your presence, Evil One. Unless you wish to tell me of your foolish ideas, then leave my presence. I had hoped to speak with you on good terms � but you have once again sought out my temper. You may stay in the City for three hours more, to visit. Perhaps one of my other angels will have better luck with you. Have you nothing to say? Then leave, only to come back when I invite you. (Lights fade on stage right, bring back up lights on stage left. All actors except Steven, Jessica, and Thomas leave.) Tho: Well, I think that went well. We�ll show all those unbelievers tomorrow when we come out there and prayer right before their own eyes! Ste: Thomas, don�t think that way. We�re not doing this for show, we�re doing it to give those who don�t even know who we are the chance to pray in their own school � it�s not to put fear in those around us. Tho: That may be why you�re doing it, but not I. This is warfare, Steven, spiritual warfare. And we will win. Don�t you see the importance of our stance here at our school? Jes: Steven isn�t saying this isn�t an important spiritual fight, Thomas � he�s just saying that it�s more than just a fight. It�s an opportunity, and we can�t blow it by losing our focus. Tho: Focus? We haven�t had focus all year. We sit in this classroom, doing nothing, while souls are dying out there� Here we have a chance to battle the Evil Ones directly, and you don�t want to? You just want to sit around and let people see us pray? Ste: Thomas, it�s not just to let people see us pray, and I�m not disagreeing with you � but this is just the first step of many- Tho: You may be the man in charge here, Steven, but you�re not the only one with power. The three of us are officers, not just you, and we all make the decisions, not just you two. Remember that. (Steven leaves) Ste: I knew I would regret making him an officer. He�s too hotheaded, too bold� Jes: I don�t think that�s it, Steven. Ste: Yes it is, you don�t know Thomas like I know- Jes: No, I don�t know Thomas like you know Thomas. I know him better. We have a� history together. Ste: You have what? Jes: It was before you took an interest in our group, in our church even� it was only one night. But a lot happened that night� a lot more than anyone needs to know. So we don�t talk about it. He�s always had a problem with my loyalty to you� and� now that you and I are dating� Ste: Oh. So he�s jealous. That explains a bit, doesn�t it? Jes: Yes, it does. (Lights fade on stage left, Steven and Jessica leave. Lights up on stage right. Lucifer walks on, followed by Gabriel.) Luc: You�re still welcome in my realm, Gabriel�. You know that, don�t you? The loyalty we once had between us� until God came in and took you as his own� you can still be mine Gabe. Gab: Why must you persist in tempting me? Luc: Because that�s my lot in life, Gabe. You should know that. Gab: I know that all too well. That�s all you do. Luc: Oh, I do more than that, Gabe. I rule my own kingdom now, haven�t you heard? Gab: Yes. And I fight against it now, haven�t you heard? Why must you continue to pull at me, Satan? You know of my loyalty to The Great Mystery, you know you can�t have me. It wasn�t meant to be. Luc: And it was meant to be that the most beautiful of the Angels � your Angel, Lucifer, was to be the ruler of Hell? Gab: You made it be. Luc: And you can make it be � you can let me have you. Gab: Please, if my loyalty meant anything to you question me no longer. You went outside the Silver City on your own accord. I watched you. You gave birth to sin. Tarnish me not, if you ever were my friend. Luc: I never was. You think I�m Lucifer still, don�t you? So long then. It�s not really that hot down there, y�know. Visit sometime. (Lights down. Flashback of Jessica and Thomas. Dim lighting � a bed is in the center of the stage.) Jessica (to audience � downstage right): This is what happened between Thomas and I. No one other than us knows. I can�t talk about it to anyone. If Steven knew� if he knew he wouldn�t look at me. This I know. We came home late one night from our church� it was a Wednesday night, after youth group� (Lucifer and Gabriel walk in, acting as Jessica and Thomas) We didn�t mean for anything to happen. I don�t know why it did� he kept saying things to me� I couldn�t really understand them. It sounded almost like a different language� things I couldn�t comprehend. And then he kissed me. (Lucifer and Gabriel mock kisses, light flashes, Thomas walks on, Lucifer and Gabriel freeze) Thomas: If you�re listening to her, she�ll make me look like the bad guy. She wanted me to kiss her. She let me kiss her. Did you see what she was wearing? All night long, she had been stringing me along. I let her take all the attention all night during the service. I was quiet. I served the way I was supposed. If I wasn�t supposed to have been with her, then why did God let me? Why didn�t God just turn on the light to her bedroom instead of letting us leave it off? Why didn�t He take us out of the darkness? No, it wasn�t my fault. God wanted us together. And then she left me. (Gabriel pushes Lucifer away) Jessica: We did more than kiss� but it�s not appropriate to say just how much more. I�m ashamed to say the least. After we were done, we didn�t see each other until Sunday� but that was when I first met Steven. (God walks on stage, in between Lucifer and Gabriel) Steven and I hit it off right away� we fell in love spiritually with each other almost in an instant. We knew we were to be together. But, alas, Thomas was still there. (God is holding Gabriel. During this next paragraph, Lucifer slowly walks up to Thomas. At the end, after Thomas says �again,� Lucifer places his hand on Thomas� shoulder and Thomas grins like a madman.)
Thomas: And then she left me for Steven. I thought she was loyal to me, but now I understand that�s she no more than a simple slut. Don�t worry Steven, I�ll get my revenge. And don�t worry Jessica, you will be mine again.
(black out) Jessica: I�m sorry, Steven. It�s just the way it has to be� we�re causing problems for Thomas, and who knows who else. We have to end it before it gets out of hand. Steven: I just don�t understand, Jess. Why are you letting him get to you? I thought that it was over between you two. I mean � I don�t think anyone else even knows what happened. Let him go his way, and let us go ours. Jessica: It�s not that easy. It�s never that easy, Steven. You know that. You want this study group to work � to be effective. I�m forgiven, I imagine he�s forgiven� but we have to live with the consequences of our sins. I�m sorry, Steven, this is just how it has to be. (Begins to walk away.) I�m sorry. Steven: (Steven�s Monologue) Sometimes you feel alone. When it�s late at night and those bad thoughts creep in� you feel alone. When you�re ex-girlfriend is holding another man�s hands� you feel alone. When you hear another story about who your sister did last night� you feel alone. When your parents are done arguing and the blood on your wrist is starting to clog because you did it the wrong way� you feel alone. God, did you ever feel alone? When Mary and Joseph left you at the temple, did you feel alone? When the woman washed your feet with her hair and you couldn�t have her, did you feel alone? When you were hungry and the rock looked so good you could almost bite into it� did you feel alone? I want to serve you, I really do� but I feel alone. You know the story God� but why me? Where did I go wrong? Why do I have to pay for the sins of others? I would have called him my best friend� sure, we�ve had our problems in the past, and we�ve butted heads before but not like this. It was You who was always able to draw us back together. Why do I have to suffer because he messed up? Why can�t I still have my best friend? I forgave Jessica, God. You forgave her. So why can�t she stay with me? She�s not going to spoil me� just because she messed up with Thomas does not mean she�ll mess up with me. You know that � why can�t you just tell her? Just because she messed up and went too far one night� why does that have to affect me now? I had no part in that � I just want to love her! I just want to be his friend!!! Why�d you do it God? How could you do it? We messed up - it wasn�t you. It wasn�t anything you did. You gave us perfect bliss� we gave you sin. Why did you have to suffer? Why did you have to lose your Son? Why did I have to lose my best friends? Why�d it have to be this way, God? What are you hoping for? Why do you allow all this to happen? Why can�t you just destroy Satan and be done with it? What are you hoping for?