Part 5 - The Reinstatement by Jane And Mark Lewis

Contents

• Background
• Rating
• Characters
• Staging
• Script

Background

Then one of the series we were doing in our Family Services was on the life of Peter. As Peter was a "Northerner" (as far as those in Judea were concerned) we decided to write a series tenuously based on Coronation Street. As Peter lived in Capernaum, the title of Capernaum Street wasn't too difficult to come up with! We were then faced with the constraints familiar to many church drama groups - a lack of resources or a Hollywood special effects budget. These seem necessary given the miracles Peter witnessed. Then we had the idea - what if Peter "came home from work", as it were, from his "day job" as a disciple of Jesus to relay all his experiences to his wife Elizabeth (OK we made up the Elizabeth bit but we know Peter had a wife because he had a mother-in-law - see Mark 1:30). This would mean only two people were required and no special effects! 

Capernaum Street was born and the format has remained the same since. Each episode Peter returns from his day with Jesus to recount everything that's happened to Elizabeth in an "up-North"-kitchen-sink-type-Coronation-Street style. 

Version 1 of the script was originally written as the last in the Parts 3-5 mini-trilogy in the Capernaum Street series. It completes the Easter sequence of stories with Jesus reinstating and commissioning Peter and definitely works best as part of the mini-series, it is obviously based on John 21.  More recently we re-wrote the sketch to be the start of a new series of 7 sketches covering the story of the beginnings of the church through the eyes of Peter. (This was to link in with the Scripture Union "Rocky's Plaice" material written by our good friend Dave Godfrey that we were using at church). As such we needed a bit more context at the start of the sketch, so this is where Version 2 of the script came from (and the link to Rocky's Plaice explains the reference to the fish 'n' chip shop).

Note: the Part numbers refer to the order the sketches were written in and not necessarily the order of events in Peter's life. 

Rating

Characters

• Peter, apostle of Jesus.
• Elizabeth, his wife.

Peter should be dressed to suggest "fisherman". (E.g. wellies, big woolly jumper, water-proof jacket, etc.) 
Elizabeth is a house-proud housewife and should be wearing a house-coat, have her hair in a scarf and have a duster to wave around for emphasis.

Staging

We use three devices to create a consistent "look and feel" to the Capernaum Street sketches: 

• The characters are always dressed the same in every sketch (see above).
• For each performance we project the Capernaum St. sign (illustrated above) on an OHP.
• We use, what turned out to be, a very successful device for indicating the start and end of each sketch: the Theme Tune. We both play the first few bars of the theme tune to Coronation Street on kazoos.

Script

Version 1

Peter:  Hiya luv. Hey - its fish 'n' chips tonight!
Elizabeth:  Ee grand! It was a good catch then? 
Peter:  Not half. 153 whoppers in all. We've even got enough for …
Both:  … that Martha next door.
Peter: Aye.
Elizabeth:  How did you catch so many?
Peter:  I'll give you one guess.
Elizabeth:  Not that Jesus again [Peter nods] Oo - he is full of surprises that Jesus.
Peter:  Aye.
Elizabeth: So what happened then?
Peter:  We were out fishing, as you do, and we'd caught nothing...
Elizabeth:  As you do
Peter:  [ignoring her] ... when this voice comes from the shore "Throw your nets over the right side t' boat". So we thought, aye aye, a landlubber who thinks he's an expert. But we thought what the heck. So we did - and by! - there were that many fish, that many fish we could hardly haul 'em in. Nearly broke the nets. Then I thought hang on this is like that "Dodgy View" …
Elizabeth:  No love I think you mean "Deja vu".
Peter:  Well anyway it were that feeling of having been there before? But of course - it had happened before - with Jesus! Then I realised that the bloke on the shore must be Jesus. "Its Jesus", I said to t'others and I jumped over side t'boat and waded in like. And there was Jesus with a fire going with fish already on it n'all. So, anyway we had a grand barbeque breakfast like.
Elizabeth:  Ooo - then what did he do next?
Peter:  Er. Well … er nothin' much … er … I don't think its very interesting.
Elizabeth:  Peter! Go on what happened?
Peter:  I don't really want to say. Its embarassing.
Elizabeth:  Peter - what - happened?
Peter:  Well, do you remember when I were telling you about the night that I betrayed him. When I said I never knew him? Do you remember?
Elizabeth:  Ye-es, what of it?
Peter:  Well, what I didn't tell you is that as I denied him that last time he was being taken across the other end of the courtyard into another part of building, anyway, he looked straight at me, and I knew that he knew what I'd said, And I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew what I said. That's when I broke down and ran outside.
Elizabeth:  Well that was weeks ago Peter I’m sure it doesn't matter.
Peter:  Of course it mattered - how could he trust me anymore? Least thats what I thought. But a strange thing happened today.
Elizabeth: What?
Peter:  Well, after breakfast he said, "Peter, do you love me more than these". And I said. "Don't be daft Lord, 'course I love you". Then he said it again, "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes Lord, course I love you". Then he said it a third time, "Peter do you really love me". And I were right hurt that he'd asked me three times so I said. "Look Lord you know everything - you know that I love you". Then he said, "Follow me" exactly the way he'd said it to me when we first met. Then I twigged you see. I'd denied him 3 times. Then he’d just made me tell 'im how much I loved him 3 times. He'd forgiven me and made things right again y'see. Everythings OK again. That's what Jesus does you see - he doesn't leave stuff in a mess - he makes things right again.
Elizabeth:  Oh that calls for a celebration! Fancy a cuppa love?
[Theme tune]

Version 2

[Theme tune]
[Elizabeth is already in the kitchen. Enter Peter.]
Peter:  Hiya Liz – I'm home!
Elizabeth:  You're back then Peter!
Peter:  Aye – and I’ve brought fish – we can have fish 'n' chips! I love fish and chips – do you know Liz, one day we should we could open a fish and chip shop one-day!
Elizabeth:  What? Sorry! Slow down!  You’ve …been…fishing?! 
Peter:  Yes I know – we caught 153 between all of us.  And they were this big!! [indicates large size with hands in typical fisherman style] We'll even have enough for …
Both:  … that Martha next door.
Peter: Aye.
Elizabeth:  How did you catch so many?
Peter:  I'll give you one guess.
Elizabeth:  Not that Jesus again [Peter nods] Oo - he is full of surprises that Jesus.
Peter:  I know! [Very excited] He appeared to us again!
Elizabeth: So what happened then?
Peter:  Well since…you know Jesus died and come back, and …well we’ve not seen him for a few days so we were at a loose end like. So we went fishing, as you do, and we'd caught nothing...
Elizabeth:  As you do
Peter:  [ignoring her] Oi! I'm just a little rusty alright! – anyway we'd caught nowt when this voice comes from the shore "Throw your nets over the right side t' boat". So we thought, aye aye, a landlubber who thinks he's an expert. But we thought what the heck. So we did - and by! - there were that many fish, that many fish we could hardly haul 'em in. Nearly broke the nets. Then I thought hang on this is like that "Dodgy View" …
Elizabeth:  No love I think you mean "Deja vu".
Peter:  Well anyway it were that feeling of having been there before? But of course - it had happened before - with Jesus! Then I realised that the bloke on the shore must be Jesus. "Its Jesus", I said to t'others and I jumped over side t'boat and waded in like. And there was Jesus with a fire going with fish already on it n'all. So, anyway we had a grand barbeque breakfast like.
Elizabeth:  Ooo - then what did he do next?
Peter: Er. Well … er nothin' much … we went for a bit of a chat…er… I don't think its very interesting.
Elizabeth:  Peter! Go on what happened?
Peter:  Er…we went for a bit of a walk…well…I don't really want to say. Its embarrassing!
Elizabeth:  [Very frustrated] Peter - what - happened?
Peter:  Alright calm down dear!* Well, do you remember when I were telling you about the night that I betrayed him. When I said I never knew him? Do you remember?
Elizabeth:  Ye-es, what of it?
Peter:  Well, what I didn't tell you is that as I denied him that last time he was being taken across the other end of the courtyard into another part of building, anyway, he looked straight at me, and I knew that he knew what I'd said, And I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew what I said. That's when I broke down and ran outside.
Elizabeth:  Well that was weeks ago Peter I’m sure it doesn't matter.
Peter:  Of course it mattered - how could he trust me anymore? Least thats what I thought. But a strange thing happened today.
Elizabeth: You still haven't said! What happened!?
Peter:  Well, after breakfast he said, "Peter, do you love me more than these". And I said. "Don't be daft Lord, 'course I love you". Then he said it again, "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes Lord, course I love you". Then he said it a third time, "Peter do you really love me". And I were right hurt that he'd asked me three times so I said. "Look Lord you know everything - you know that I love you". Then he said, "Follow me" exactly the way he'd said it to me when we first met. Then I twigged you see. I'd denied him 3 times. Then he’d just made me tell 'im how much I loved him 3 times. He'd forgiven me and made things right again y'see. Everythings OK again. That's the thing with Jesus – its all about forgiveness - he doesn't leave stuff in a mess - he makes things right again.
Elizabeth:  Oh Peter that does call for a celebration! Fancy a cuppa love?
Peter:  Aye that'd be grand
[Theme tune]

*We should probably point out that this was a topical joke.  The week we performed this sketch Prime Minister David Cameron was lambasted in the press for using this exact put-down to a female member of the opposition in Parliament.