―BROKEN HEART‖ SKIT

A ONE-ACT DRAMA BY LINDA MEDILL

NARRATOR - An enthusiastic male or female person, who has direct rapport with the audience

SALLY SMITH - A sensitive but vibrant girl who, as a victim of divorce, outwardly enacts her inward feelings from ages 5-18.

MRS. SMITH - Sally‘s mother

SATAN - The sly villain who cleverly deceives Sally into thinking he‘s her only true friend. Dressed as a gambler with subtle horns.

JESUS - A strong but gentle Hero with warm eyes and a commanding stance.

MACHO MIKE - A handsome, romantic teenage boy.

PROPS: SALLY‘S CHAIR- a bar stool (swivel-type is helpful but not necessary)

HEART - A large orange. (need two)

TWIG OF BITTERNESS- visible twig from a tree or bush

NAIL OF ANGER - long spike nails work best 5-6‖

NAIL OF JEALOUSY -

NAIL OF ELICIT SEX –

NEGATWE GLASSES - GIANT size sunglasses with green tint if possible

ROD OF BLAME - A fireplace poker

BUSH OF BITTERNESS - Large prickly-looking bush

ARMOR - Tin foil - 12‖ x 12‖

BUSYNESS - cordless stereo headphones or Walkman headphones SONG #1 ―LONGER‖ by Dan Fogelburg (Theme song) 1

―BROKEN HEART‖ SKIT

(Optional- Show a series of slides depicting a couple who get married and raise a little girl in various life situations as she grows up)

SCENIE 1 As the Theme Song is being sung, the lights slowly come up revealing a girl, SALLY SMITH, wearing pigtails (or a bow in hair) and sitting on a tall stool with an orange on her lap C Stage. She is frozen with head bowed. Close behind her is a low, cloth-covered table.

SATAN is seated slightly UR with arms folded, while JESUS is prayerfully kneeling, slightly UL. MRS. SMITH is standing still R turned away from SALLY in obvious deep thought. The NARRATOR is poised DR and waiting to speak. (spot lights are optional for added effect). As soon as the NARRATOR begins, SALLY and MRS. SMITH come to life. SALLY is in a happy-go-lucky mood pretending to make a mud pie and MRS. SMITH is distraught, trying to figure out WHO‘s going to break the sad news to SALLY. (music fades)

NARRATOR: Meet Sally Smith. She is an average, All-American 5 year old girl. Her favorite pastimes are helping Mom in the kitchen, playing with her playdough, visiting Grandma on Sundays and preschool two days a week. A fun and exciting life -— lots of love and security. But then one day.. things changed.

MRS. SMITH: (comes close to SALLY) Sally....! have something to tell you . SALLY: (brightly in an obvious child‘s voice) Oh, hi Mom. I have something to tell you, too. I just made a mud pie, but it didn‘t taste very good.

MRS. SMITH:(disinterested) Oh that‘s nice. (puts her hand on Sally‘s shoulder) Honey, I have something very important to tell you. (pause) Daddy and I are getting a divorce.

SALLY: (puzzled) Divorce? What‘s a divorce?

MRS. SMITH: Well, it means that Daddy and I won‘t be living in the same house anymore...

SALLY: (upsettingly interrupts) What?...

MRS. SMITH: Now honey, you want Daddy and Me to be happy, don‘t you?

SALLY: Yes, but....

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―BROKEN HEART‖ SKIT

MRS. SMITH: And you know we aren‘t happy when we fight all the time. We just don‘t love each other anymore so he‘s going to move away. It will be better this way. SALLY: (emotional) but NO!! That can‘t be! No, Mommy

MRS. SMITH: (controlled) Please don‘t worry, It‘s gonna be okay. You can visit

Daddy one weekend a month and he will even take you to the zoo. It‘s gonna be OK. I promise. It‘s going to be OK. (exits R)

SALLY: (pauses with heart in hands as emotion comes to the surface) it‘s not fair! Daddy, Daddy, don‘t you love me anymore? You must not, otherwise you wouldn‘t leave, did I do something wrong? And Mommy—Mommy, you must not love me either. Otherwise you wouldn‘t send Daddy away! (sobs) I feel like a piece of my heart has been torn away! (tears a piece from the orange and throws it down) It‘s just not fair. What am I gonna do?

(During dialogue with SATAN here, as well as in the future, SALLY‘S eyes never meet SATAN‘S. He is speaking into her mind and thus she never acknowledges his physical presence but merely responds by speaking into the air.)

SATAN: (steps behind Sally‘s R shoulder) Pssst. Hey, SaI Sally Smith. SALLY: (looking up and outward) Who is it?

SATAN: It‘s me. Your friend Satan. Sounds like something TERRIBLE has happened to you. don‘t‘ worry. I‘ve got just what you need. (instantly drops smile to cast a cold glance upon the props in his hand)

SALLY: (uncertain) You do?

SATAN: (sinister smile) Why, of course! I have some TOYS just for you.

SALLY: (cheerfully) Toys? Oh I like toys!

SATAN: I thought so. This first one is what I call the (deliberate) TWIG OF BITTERNESS. Here. (Sally gingerly reaches out to receive it and studies it with a puzzled look on her face)

SALLY: (slowly) Bitterness?

SATAN: Yes. You can use this to protect your heart. It will prick anyone who dares to come near. (Sally holds up her heart and pretends to ward off potential attack with the twig.)

SALLY: Yeeaah. That works great! Got any more toys? 3 ―BROKEN HEART‖ SKIT

SATAN: Oh, I‘ve got lots more toys, Sally. Here‘s one that I call the NAIL OF ANGER. (Sally reaches out and receives the NAIL. Her eyes grow big as she observes how sharp it is.)

SALLY: Wow (shrugs) What do I do with it?

SATAN: If someone tries to hurt you, you can wound them with that.

SALLY: (viciously strikes out at imaginary enemies) Like this?

SATAN: Exactly! (pauses) This next toy is called JEALOUSY.

SALLY: (places ANGER on her lap to receive JEALOUSY) What‘s this one for?

SATAN: do you know the little girl down the street who has that pretty red wagon?

SALLY: Yeah?

SATAN: (louder) It‘s not fair that she has one and you don‘t. (Sally sits up defiantly and gets the new nail ready for action.)

SALLY: Yeah. (her face grows angry)

SATAN: (very loud) SHE shouldn‘t have it. YOU should!

SALLY: (exploding and digging outward in a grabbing motion with nail) You‘re right. I want it! It‘s MINE. Give it to me!

SATAN: (nods in approval) Very good, Sally. That‘s the idea.

SALLY: Oooooh. (smiles fiendishly) I like that one!

SATAN: And here‘s one more. It‘s one of my favorites: ILLICIT SEX. (After Sally takes the nail, Satan‘s smile turns cold for a brief moment.)

SALLY: (innocently) Sex? What‘s sex? SATAN: Oh, you don‘t know about that now.. .but when you get older, you‘ll find out. And when you do, (boastfully) you‘ll thank me! (fades back to his original seat, a fixed, cold expression on his face.)(SALLY nods in understanding and bows head. Lights fade)

4 ―BROKEN HEART SKIT‖ SCENE 2

(Lights up only NARRATOR. SALLY is still frozen.)

NARRATOR: We find Sally a couple of years later in early grade school, playing with her ―toys‖. Her mother is becoming exasperated with her because she cannot seem to control her. She becomes more inconsistent with Sally‘s discipline which in turn creates even greater insecurity in the little girl‘s heart. Sally reaches out for love from her classmates but she has a difficult time communicating with them because they don‘t like the ―toys‖ she is using. So the grooves of rejection continue to grow deeper as they repeat themselves like a broken record.

SALLY: (comes to life and smilingly reaches out her HEART to imaginary friends: Will you love me? (happily) don‘t you like me? (Pause) (horrified) What do you mean I‘m ugly??? (hatefully jabs with NAIL OF ANGER) well, your nose is longer than a garden hose! (defensively) So what if I don‘t have a daddy around. (vengefully threatens with nail) At least he‘s not a GARBAGE man like yours is !!!(sadly) Won‘t Somebody love me? (JESUS approaches L)

JESUS: (warmly) Sally I love you.

SALLY: Who are you? (clutches her heart)

JESUS: I‘m Jesus, your Creator. I want to be your friend and take special care of your heart. However, in order for us to be close, I need to have your toys. won‘t you give them to Me? (reaches out his hand. Sally turns away.)

SALLY: No! I won‘t give you my toys! They‘re all I have to comfort me. Go away! (quieter) I like my toys. (Jesus fades)

SATAN: (approaches R). Hey Sally. It‘s me, your friend again.

SALLY: (delightfully) Oh, Hi!

SATAN: I saw what your classmates did to you. What you need are some more toys. (pulls out the NEGATIVE GLASSES) You know how people have told you this world is a wonderful place to live? That everyone loves everybody else? (Sally agrees) Well, they‘ve lied to you, Sally. It‘s simply not true.

SALLY: (shocked) It‘s not?

SATAN: Of course not. What you need are these — NEGATIVE Glasses. (putting them on her) They‘ll give you a whole new ―perspective‖ in life. Then you can see things as they really are.

SALLY: (sour look on her face) OOooo. Everything‘s green. Yucky, mossy green. The sky is green. People are green. (looks at herself) I‘m green! (sadly) I‘m yucky.

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SATAN: That‘s right! That‘s the way it is and that‘s the way it‘s always going to be.

SALLY: (softer) Yuck!

SATAN: (pulls out the ROD OF BLAME) I‘ve got something else for you. It‘s what I call the ―Rod of Blame‖. (hands it to her. SALLY stares at it in wonderment) You know haw your teacher says ―Sally‘s a naughty little girl?‖ And how your mother gets mad at you for the way you behave around the relatives?

SALLY: Yeah...?

SATAN: (louder) And your friends, Sally. How they‘ve let you down? You‘ve GOT to realize, it‘s not your fault!

SALLY: It‘s not?

SATAN: Don‘t be ridiculous! They‘re the ones to blame. For one thing, your teacher hasn‘t been fair! And your mother— She‘s the one who got the divorce. No wonder you have tantrums. And your friends, Sally. They‘ve been so mean to you. It‘s only NATURAL to get mad at them. Quit blaming yourself Blame them You will feel much better placing blame where blame is due. (fading) Just remember, it‘s not your fault. They‘re the ones to blame. (completely fades out)

SALLY: (long pause, entranced by the ROD. Then with a sudden burst of emotion thrusts the rod into the air screaming) Daddy, it‘s your fault! (short pause, then another thrust) (sobs) Mommy, it‘s YOUR fault! (short pause) World! (controlled) It‘s your fault. (slowly brings ROD to lap and bows head.) (lights fade)

SCENE 3

(Sally removes bow or pigtails inconspicuously with head still bowed. In this scene, SALLY‘S voice will sound more mature).

NARRATOR: And so Sally enters her sophomore year in high school, vision distorted and the Love-Vacuum growing deeper and deeper. The setting is ripe for her first real romance. It is here that she encounters none other than ―Macho Mike‖.

(MACHO MIKE saunters toward DL from the audience wearing mirrored sunglasses. SALLY is adjusting her hair. He pauses DL, removes sunglasses and uses them as a mirror to comb his hair. In their reflection he suddenly notices SALLY behind him, so he looks back over his shoulder at her, raises his eyebrows and tucks his glasses away approaching C. stage.)

6 ―BROKEN HEART‖ SKIT

MACHO MIKE: (confident and cool) Hi, Sally.

SALLY: (embarrassed) Oh, hi.

MIKE: You know, I‘ve been watching you for some time and I think you‘re the cutest girl in school.

SALLY: Really?

MIKE: Yeah, Sally. I do. Who‘d know better than I? (drawn near) (romantically)

Sally...I‘m attracted to you. (pause) Can I have your heart?

SALLY: (shyly withdraws) Uh, no. I don‘t give my heart out to anyone

MIKE: But Sally. I really like you. Think about it. We could have such fin. You and I.... going places, taking long walks, laughing together. We‘d have a great time.

SALLY: (wavering) I don‘t know.

MIKE: But Sally, you don‘t understand. (puts his hand on her R shoulder. Sally gazes at him.) I mean this. (softly) I love you.

SALLY: But can I trust you?

MIKE: Sally, you can trust me. Especially with your heart.

SALLY: (relaxes and smiles)

MIKE: (gently) How about it? (holds out his hand.)

SALLY: OK. (slowly hands him her HEART.)

MIKE: Thanks.

(MACHO MIKE takes her heart in his hands. Both are smiling happily. He straightens, takes a deep breath, and pauses for several seconds).

7 ―BROKEN HEART SKIT‖

MIKE: We‘ve been going together for some time and...

SALLY: (dreamily) I know. Hasn‘t it been wonderful?

MIKE: Yeah, it has. But something‘s been missing. (pause) How about sharing one of your ‗toys‘ with me?

SALLY: Uh, which one?

―BROKEN HEART‖ SKIT

MIKE: (coyly) You know. The one that starts with ―S‖? (draws an ―S‖ in the air.)

SALLY: Oh... .what do you need that for?

MIKE: When two people love each other, it‘s the natural thing to do to bring them closer together. Closer than we‘ve ever been before. It‘s what we need to make our relationship complete. It‘s what I need.

SALLY: Will it make me feel secure?

MIKE: Secure? That isn‘t even the word for it.

SALLY: But will it make me feel loved

MIKE: (bends his knees so his face is barely above eye level) Sally... .(tips her chin up) It IS love (magic pause)

SALLY: (transfixed.. .carefully hands him the NAIL without moving her head.)

MIKE: Thanks. (Slowly straightens and walks DL)

(SALLY smiles contentedly and looks off into the air. Macho mike in the meantime carefully examines the HEART and proceeds to deliberately stab it over and over again with the NAIL, causing the juice to drip all over the floor. SALLY continues to smile, quite oblivious to the damage being done to her HEART.)

MIKE: (saunters back to SALLY) (flippantly) Well, Sally. Here‘s your heart back.

SALLY: (shocked) What? You don‘t want it‖

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MIKE: Nah. That‘s OK! Oh, and here‘s your toy.

SALLY: But you can‘t do that to—

MIKE: (interrupts) don‘t get me wrong. You‘re a great gaL. It‘s just I‘ve gotta move on. Understand?

SALLY: (starts to cry) No! Please don‘t go! I thought you loved me

MIKE: Maybe we‘ll try it again sometime. I just don‘t want to get tied down. (begins to exit DL)

SALLY: (sobbing) No. Oh, no! (drops head, shoulders shaking).

MIKE: (stops and turns for a moment) By the way. (Sally looks up) Don‘t call me. I‘ll call you. (exits)

(Sally buries head in hands and begins to cry almost uncontrollably) (Sally continues crying, periodically opening her hands to look at her wounded heart which is dripping on her dress and hands. SATAN sneaks up to his usual position, BUSH OF BITTERNESS held behind his back)

SATAN: Hey Sally. Sally! You should have known better. There is no real love in this world, only compromise. But that‘s all right. I‘ve helped a lot of people with your problems.

SALLY: (sniffles) You have?

SATAN: Why, of course. All you need is a device to better protect your heart so this won‘t happen again. (Sally nods in agreement.) Remember that little TWIG OF BITTERNESS I gave you when you were a little girl?

SALLY: Yes

SATAN: Why look! (pulls out the bush) It grown into a fill-blown Thornbush! All the fruits of your labor.

SALLY: (receives the BUSH) What do I do with it?

SATAN: You put that mess right in the middle, and then no one can get in. (Sally puts heart in the center of bush.)

SALLY: That‘s a GREAT idea! (Satan fades, pauses) This BUSH OF BITTERNESS does a good job guarding my heart. It‘s so prickly... but I feel lonely in here. I wish someone would try to love me anyway. Doesn‘t anybody care?

9 ―BROKEN HEART SKIT‖

JESUS: (approaches L) Sally, I care.

SALLY: You do?

JESUS: Yes. I‘ve waited often for you to give me an opportunity to love you. Will you let me now?

SALLY: (hesitates) I think so....

JESUS: (reaches in His hand to touch her heart)

SALLY: (screams) Ouch! That hurts! (Jesus starts to withdraw) Go away. I can‘t take your love. It‘s too painful. (Jesus fades) (alone). Those thorns go both ways.

They may keep people out, but when someone DOES try to reach in, they go the other direction and poke me too. What am I going to do now?

SATAN: (appears quickly) Sally, I‘ve got ya covered! Just what you need, fresh from the laboratories. It‘s what I call my ARMOR-ALL protection Plan! Come on. Give me your heart.

SALLY: (protests) But....

SATAN: (motions with his hand impatiently) Come on! Give it to me.

SALLY: all right. (hands him her HEART)

(SATAN turns lightly and wraps her HEART in ARMOR, a cold sinister look on his face. When he returns it to her, he quickly pastes on a grin.)

SATAN: There! Nothing short of a shotgun blast will get through that one. My Armor is guaranteed to give you the hardest heart in town! (fades)

SALLY: Yeah. (fiercely) And then no one will hurt me again. (bows head.)

10 ―BROKEN HEART SKIT‖

SCENE 4 NARRATOR: It is in this state that Sally enters her Senior year in High School. However, no one would guess how desperate she is because she covers it up will in a crowd. But, when she‘s alone, the hurt and feelings of isolations seem to engulf her.

SALLY: (comes to life. Smiles) Hey, high school‘s really a blast. (shrugs) With few exceptions like homework. But (thoughtfully) when I get home and in my room, I feel so alone. So empty. I..I can‘t seem to shake this cloud of depression that hangs over me. And the memories...those awfiul memories. If only there was a way I could hide from all of this....

SATAN: (enters abruptly) Sally! What are you doing? (Sally is startled) You‘re standing still (sweeping) when there‘s a whole world out there passing you by. I know what the trouble is. You spend far too much time thinking. There are places to go, things to do, people to meet, Sally. What you need is BUSYNESS! (Puts Busyness around on her ears and Sally starts to ‗jive‖ with the music)

SATAN: (fast) Get involved in all kinds of school activities: PepClub, volleyball, parties, games, dances. Yeah! (Satan ―jives‖ back to his seat)

SALLY: (moving with the beat) (excited) Yeah! I can go to all the games, hit the parties, go to lots of movies, get into school activities every night, and when I‘m home keep the TV going and even listen to the radio all night long (pause) (slower) Then I won‘t have to think about it. (bows head.. .freeze)

SCENE 5

NARRATOR: And, so, as time goes by, we find Sally run down from all the activities she‘s been into.., still with a gnawing dissatisfaction inside. Her toys aren‘t enough. But she holds onto them because there is no better alternative.

SALLY: (awakens) these activities have certainly been fin, but ...if I stop just for a moment, I realize I am still empty inside. I wonder if there‘s more to Life.. Like God or something. Hmm. I wonder if He exists. For that matter, I wonder if He knows I exist. Even if He did, I doubt He‘d care about anyone like me. Especially if He knew everything. (looking up) God? God, I‘m afraid of you. I‘m afraid of what You might see and I‘m afraid of what you might ask. (with emotion) but if Your love.. Is big enough to reach down and...(sighs) This is stupid. I‘m better off playing with my toys, pretending things are OK than simply talking into this air. (begins to silently ―play‖ with toys)

SALLY: (wistfully) At times, I get the strangest feeling someone is trying to talk to me, like....

JESUS: (draws near) Sally.

SALLY: (ignores Him) . . . .like GOD or something.

JESUS: Sally

SALLY: God, is that you?

11 ‗BROKEN HEART SKIT‖

JESUS: Here, let me take some of the BUSYNESS from you. (removes busyness) It only keeps you from hearing Me. You see, I came to give hearing to the deaf

SALLY: (shakes her head and then stares at JESUS) Eew! You‘re green! Who are you?

JESUS: (chuckles) I‘m JESUS. Sally, let me remove these glasses from you. They distort your vision and keep you from seeing Me as I really am. (removes glasses)

SALLY: (squinting from the light) It‘s certainly bright out here.

JESUS: I know. I came to give sight to the blind.

SALLY: (glances down at her toys and her eyes widen in fear. She tries to hide them and turns the other direction.)

JESUS: Sally. I wish you would know how much I love you. I want us to be close, but these toys are getting in the way.

SALLY: But I like them.

JESUS: (firmly) but they‘re destroying you. Sally, you need to give them to me. Start with the Nails.

SALLY: (wearily) I can‘t. (JESUS stands with hand outstretched, waiting patiently for her to respond. Finally she sighs, Well, . . :here‘s Anger (hands it to him). I‘ve hurt a lot of people with it. Especially my mother. And... (hesitates) here‘s Jealousy. I‘ve wounded many friends with that one. (pauses reluctantly)

JESUS: There‘s one more.

SALLY: (screams) NO! (turns away) I can‘t. (sobs) I feel so dirty. I can‘t (JESUS remains ready. After a long pause, she turns it over to him) (tearfully) I feel so ashamed. JESUS: (raises his hand, holding the nails) I understand. These are the ―toys‖ that nailed me to the Cross. (pause for emphasis)

SALLY: I .. . .1 did that to YOU? Oh.. .please forgive me. Forgive me.

JESUS: Sally, I want you to turn over to me the Rod of Blame. It‘s not good for you to go on like this.

SALLY: (Stares at the Rod as she slowly raises it. Suddenly she points it at Him and shouts) But it‘s YOUR fault!

12 ―BROKEN HEART SKIT‖

JESUS: (carefully takes hold of ROD and points it to his side) This is the spear that pierced my side and broke my heart. I took the blame for you, so you could forgive. (lays toys down on table)

SALLY: I.. .1 didn‘t know. Oh, Jesus. I‘m sorry. I was wrong

JESUS: How about all that Bitterness?

SALLY: (turns and strokes it possessively) Oh, but it‘s been my friend!

JESUS: Your friend? It‘s ruined every relationship you‘ve ever had. It‘s only poisoned you.

SALLY: (removes HEART and reluctantly turns BUSH over to Him.) Here. ―BROKEN HEART‖ SKIT

JESUS: (holds bush near head a moment) These are the THORNS that stabbed my brow. I took your bitterness upon my own head so you could be free.

SALLY: God, I‘m sorry for making you suffer for something so awful.

JESUS: (sets BUSH down) Sally, I have always loved you. Please give me your Heart. (holds out his hand)

SALLY: But it‘s torn and ugly... .1 don‘t even want you to look at it!

JESUS: Trust me.

SALLY: Don‘t be ridiculous! (angrily) Every time I‘ve given my heart away, I‘ve been hurt: my parents, my friends,.. Mike, even Satan. They all deceived me. (deliberate) How can you expect me to trust you? It‘s all I have left.

JESUS: I understand.

SALLY: Well, then? Why should I?

JESUS: (simply) Because I died for you.

SALLY: (closes her eyes and sighs, then looks up sincerely) Why?

13 ―BROKEN HEART SKIT‖

JESUS: Because I love you. (pause) There was no other way for you to be free. (Still holding out His hand.)

SALLY: (nods affirmatively and surrenders her heart. Feeling totally exposed she attempts to cover herself with her arms, looking down, prepared for the worse.) JESUS: (touches her shoulder and hands her a brand new HEART) I came to heal the brokenhearted.

SALLY: (surprised) Why, why it‘s healed, It‘s like brand new! I don‘t believe it. (standing now)

JESUS: Continue to come to Me, and I will keep it this way. Sally, if anyone comes to Me, I make them a new person. The old, everything Sally, washes away. Now you are brand new.

SALLY: Thank you. Oh, Jesus. (They hug)

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