Double-Crossed

 

This ten-minute comedy opens as three men enter, complaining of the cold.  Because they lack the resources to warm themselves, they brainstorm alternatives and warm each other.  Jesus, dragging the cross, is then led in by two guards.  The cold men covet the wood out of which the cross is made, and see their chance to “mug” Jesus.  In clownish combat scenes, they relieve an unwilling Jesus and his guards of the cross and drag it offstage.

 

Jesus appeals to his Father, who smites him.  Followers of Jesus enter in comedic sorrow and witness his resurrection.  However, when Jesus confirms that he hadn’t really been dead, the hand of God smites both him and all of his followers.  The invisible power of God then drags the cross back onstage and up into the wings, leaving the three cold men to commiserate together as before.

 

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Play Structure:

1 Act:  10-minute play

Cast size:

6, plus extras

 

Gender:

6 male, plus extras of both genders

Period:

The year 0 A.D.

Location:

A cold and barren hillside near the site where Jesus is to be crucified.

Set:

An empty stage with sparse environmental indicators.