Please choose one of the following scenes to read as part of your audition.
Scene: Mary and the children
** Please prepare to read as Mary. One of the casting team will read as Child.
Child I still don’t understand why He had to die.
MARY Come here, Joshua. Did you know that once, when He was not much older than
you, we lost Him?
Child No. Where?
MARY Here, in Jerusalem. For three days Joseph and I searched frantically, worried for
His safety, afraid He was lost. And finally we found Him. In the temple. He was
teaching grown men, doctors, priests! And he said to us, “Wist ye not that I must
be about my Father’s business?”
Child His Father’s business?
MARY You see, it was His Father’s will that He leave us those three days. And for these
past three days, when it seemed we had lost Him again, it was the will of His
Father He’s been doing as always. – That is why He laid down his life, so that He could take it up again, and us with
Him.
Child Did you know all this would happen?
MARY No, not exactly, but I remember what He said, those many years ago.
Child I don’t want to ever lose Him again.
MARY You don’t have to, Rebekah. Because if you follow Him, and remember Him,
you’ll always feel Him near.
Child I’ll follow Him, then, wherever He wants me to go.
MARY Oh, Joshua—it’s good to wonder a little about ourselves, but we need never
wonder about the Lord.
Scene: Mary and Elisabeth
** You may choose either Mary or Elizabeth. One of the casting team will be the other.
ELISABETH How is the embroidery coming, Mary?
MARY Swaddling bands aren’t easy, even after three months.
ELISABETH Here, let me see.
MARY It would be easier if I only had to worry about one side, and not about all the
threads on the other.
ELISABETH That’s the idea, dear. First in your marriage, and then in your home, nothing can
be hidden. We must try to make everything beautiful front and back, inside and-
Ooh. (Noticing the stitches)
MARY Elisabeth, do you think I can be as good as these bands should be?
ELISABETH What do you mean?
MARY In my marriage.
ELISABETH With Joseph.
MARY Yes. I need to tell him, so that nothing is hidden.
ELISABETH Good!
MARY But I don’t know if I’m ready.
ELISABETH Well, then, you are ready.
MARY I am? It doesn’t feel that way.
ELISABETH You’re ready because you know you need the Lord. Now you’ll depend on Him.
It will come to you what to say to Joseph. (pause) Oh, I will miss you, Mary . . .
MARY But Elisabeth, the baby. I came here to help you.
ELISABETH Don’t worry. We’ll be depending on the Lord, too.
Scene: Peter and Thomas
** Please prepare to read as Peter. One of the casting team will read Thomas.
PETER I’m sorry you didn’t see Him.
THOMAS What I said about believing—
PETER We understand, Thomas. You want to see Him with your own eyes.
THOMAS So I can be a witness!
PETER You are a witness. Look, Thomas, we did see Him, but that is not enough for any
of us.
THOMAS What?
PETER Plenty of people saw him in life, watched his miracles and heard his teachings, and
yet some of them were among those who condemned Him to the cross. To see
Him, Thomas —to see Him as He is, for who He is—we must look with our hearts.
Do you remember when we came to the borders of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked
us “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” And we answered Him, “Some
say that thou art John the Baptist; some Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”
THOMAS Yes
PETER And then He asked, a second time, “But whom say ye that I am?” And I looked at
him and I said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And he said to
me, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven.” You see Thomas, it isn’t by flesh and blood that we know, but by what
we feel. And one day, when you do see Him, you will not know any better than
you know now that He lives, because you already feel— (pointing to Thomas’ heart) —here.
THOMAS I do, Peter.
PETER Then believe, Thomas, and see
Scene: Cleopas and Disciple
** You may read as either Cleopas or Disciple. One of the casting team will read the other.
DISCIPLE (heavy knocking) Cleopas! Cleopas!
CLEOPAS What?!
DISCIPLE It’s me.
CLEOPAS Shhh. Come in. I’m almost ready
DISCIPLE It’s over!
CLEOPAS Yes. That’s why we’re leaving.
DISCIPLE No, Cleopas. You don’t understand. His body, it’s gone.
CLEOPAS What?!
DISCIPLE Stolen.
CLEOPAS Stolen?
DISCIPLE The tomb was open.
CLEOPAS Are you certain?
DISCIPLE Yes. The seal was broken.
CLEOPAS Does Peter know?
DISCIPLE The women told him. They reported that angels met them at the tomb and said He’s
risen.
CLEOPAS Risen? If only….
DISCIPLE Cleopas, could He have come back, like Lazarus?
CLEOPAS Well, Lazarus’s body was still in his tomb. And if Jesus does rise, how would we
know?–
DISCIPLE Whoever took His body is not going to tell us…
CLEOPAS And besides, we wouldn’t be there to help Him and protect Him, as He did
Lazarus. I don’t see how He could come back now.
DISCIPLE Cleopas, the Savior could do anything…if He wanted. He passed through that
angry crowd…
CLEOPAS Yes, and He turned water into wine, and He healed the blind man, and did a lot of
Wonderful things. But the one thing He didn’t do…and He could have
done…He didn’t come down from that cross and save Himself. (Beat) Hurry. I
want to get to Emmaus before nightfall.
DISCIPLE It’s strange . . . only a week ago He was riding into Jerusalem. People were waving
palms and shouting hosannas–worshipping Him as a mighty prophet. (Beat) Isn’t
that what He said was going to happen? And didn’t He say that in the end He
would deliver us?
CLEOPAS He did say that, and so much more. But what He meant…I don’t know…none of
us know.
DISCIPLE We know that He was the Messiah.
CLEOPAS And that’s why we will always remember Him. Come. Let’s go.