ACTING LIKE JESUS

The following is excerpted from an essay by Tom Letchworth, entitled "If All The World's a Stage." Early in his essay, Letchworth writes:

Jesus himself gave us direction in our role play: "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16: 24). We are to step into his role. Paul says, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). More to the point, he says, "Be imitators of God as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1).

He later writes this:

If we study the life of Jesus, if we think and act like Jesus, if we contextualize that life in our own lives, we will begin to become the ‘Little Christs’ of which Luther spoke. Just one catch. I defy anyone to do this, under their own power.

I've tried. I've seen others try. Trying to live the life of Christ under your own power leads to futility, frustration and failure. Either we become involuted narcissists, constantly asking ourselves "how'm I doing, how'm I doing?" and growing less and less interested in others; or, we become legalistic Pharisees about the very acts and thoughts that should liberate us. Or, worse, we become both of the above-Narcissistic Pharisees.

No, the only way to live Christ's life is to allow Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to dwell in us. We begin, no matter where we are on the spiritual journey, with a repeated act of surrender that imitates Christ in Gethsemane: "Not my will, but Thine be done."

God doesn't wish to obliterate our personality. I've met too many diverse characters and eccentrics who joyfully follow Christ to believe that. What I believe he does want to do is to live his life through us and in us in such a way that the gifts and strengths of our own personality are transformed "by the renewing of our minds."

And, when we have immersed ourselves in the story of Jesus, learned to think and to act like Jesus, forgotten about ourselves; and when Jesus lives his life in and through us, then we will play the greatest role of our lives, and in the lives of others.

(This essay was originally recovered from

http://www.francisasburysociety.com/hcworldstage.htm,
but that link no longer seems to work.)

MIMICS MOVING IN THE SPIRIT

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly beloved children

and live a life of love,

Just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us …

Ephesians 5:1-2

You need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word …

… the mature … by constant use

have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just

and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

… My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.

But

if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense

– Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

1 John 1:9-2:1

Life is made up of making one choice after another, “What will I do now?” Willing to do something comes before doing something. Humans have “free will” and can act according to what they freely choose to do. Since humans are created by God, in God’s image, we would be wise to act according to the will of our Creator. This is what it means to be imitators of God – continually choosing to act like people created in God’s image, always willing to do God’s will.

As we grow and mature, the choices we make form who we become. “Mimics” and “imitators” come from the same Greek word in the Bible. They both mean “to act just like someone else.” The important thing to remember is that human beings are created by God with free choice – they choose how to act. This means that acting like someone else requires making choices like that other person makes. God acted first in creating us to be good, then recreating us through the cross of Christ. All that God does is good. Acting like God means to do good by grace.

How then do we know God’s will? How do we know what is good? God shows us His will by giving us Himself in His Word, written in Scripture and revealed in Jesus Christ. We read in scripture that if we choose to follow Jesus, we are doing God’s will. Jesus showed us that being good means obeying God. Jesus is the Son of God who always obeyed God the Father. He did this by the power of the Holy Spirit. This same power is ours so that we too can become imitators of God.

SYMIMMESIS AS A WAY TO CLARIFY ENIGMATIC REFLECTIONS

1Co 13:12; 2Co 3; Ex 34:29-35; Nu 12:8

Living life is an irresolvable enigma without the love of God in Christ;
it is like trying to solve the riddle of what one may look like while finding only a poor reflection seen hazily through a darkened mirror. Consider the people of Israel, who feared to come near or gaze at Moses when he came down from the mountain to present to them the Word written by God on tablets of stone. Moses was not, at first, aware that his face radiated God’s glory whenever he entered the presence of the LORD and spoke with him face to face. For the sake of the people, Moses put a veil over his face until he went back into the Lord’s presence. Then, as fear dulled their faith, their hearts and minds became veiled as well. Likewise do people without the Spirit see God’s world dully and hear God’s word read with veiled hearts.

In life, without the Spirit, we can only look enigmatically through a mirror, as though faced with a riddle; however, the good news is that by the Spirit we can live life able to see clearly and be seen face to face. Only in Christ is the riddle resolved and the veil taken away; whenever we turn to the Lord we are unveiled so that our faces all reflect the Lord’s glory.

Thus is the ministry of the Spirit full of glory. Filled with the Spirit of Christ, we become living letters, clearly known and read by everybody, written with the Spirit of the living God, not with ink; written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. God has made us competent in Christ as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit: for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. With ever-increasing glory we are being transformed into his likeness. The glory that shines through us comes from the Lord, who is Spirit.

As in water face answers to face,
so the heart of man to man.
Pr 27:19

ZanniTAVANI

Theatre Café & Bookshop

featuring

improvisational & interactive theater

with

someMimics friends & players

CONCEPT:

Acting Studio / Bookshop / Café

A. Acting Studio

Acting Studio events will be the focus of ZanniTAVANI Theatre Café & Bookshop.

§ PLAYING AREA: There will be 3 playing areas:

1. Place enough for staging Theatre in Community

- auditorium seating 250 people;

- stage area capable of being utilized as classroom backstage.

2. Black Box studio

- seating capacity of 100.

3. Movement studio

- mirrored walls and dance floor.

§ PLAYERS: Resident troupe of someMimics friends & players

Ø 6-9 actors, male and female.

Ø All actors accomplished in improvisational, interactive, and physical theatre skills.

Ø Theatre events will focus on themes that support building up community.

Ø Resident actors facilitate workshops and participate in Symmimetic Symposiums.

Ø Interns try their skills in Café functions and events.

§ PLAN: Proposed curriculum for each playing area to be developed.

1. Theatre in Community

q ROLES:

on stage (player)

back stage (persona)

off stage (person)

home (privacy)

head (secrecy)

heart (spirituality)

q RELATIONSHIPS

I/me

me / not-me / not-not-me

me/you

us/them

I am / we are

self/other

him/her

him, her / it

same / different

q REWRITING SCRIPTS:

effect of affect

conscious / subconscious / unconscious

2. Black Box

q Arranging space in which relationships are put in context of place

q Presentation of self / Representation of another

q Face-to-face confrontation

(persuasion, exhortation, admonition)

q Solo / Ensemble

q Maskwork

q Acting exercises (improv/physical)

q Clowning

q Concepts:

ignorant / indifferent

silence / listen / speak

Stillness / action

Will / Won’t, Do / Don’t

Feel / Think / Choose / Act

Friend / Lover

Stranger / Acquaintance / Friend / Lover / Enemy

Sensual / Mental / Emotional / Spiritual

Have / Want / Need / Receive / Give

3. Movement

Breathing

(air [still] / wind [moving])

Body awareness

(intention / space / time / place / position / direction)

Making music

(silence / Sound / Noise / Music)

Dance

spontaneity / discipline freedom / bondage

copy (typos) / imitate (mimesis) / create (poesis)

B. Bookshop

Bookshop sells books/items relating to Symposiums in Café or activities in Acting Studio.

§ Inventory reflects the interests of ZanniTAVANI and/or someMimics.

§ Computerized inventory to be managed to have minimal back-room stock!

§ Seating in comfortable couches/chairs to be available for browsing.

§ Books may be taken to Café.

C. Café

Café will serve simple beverage/food menu for Symmimetic Symposiums and other activities.

§ Capacity will be 250.

§ Seating includes movable hexagonal tables and folding chairs.

§ There will be a stage area for readings, live music (acoustic guitars, piano, jazz ensemble), and improv.

§ Patrons will be welcome to participate in occasional interactive theater events.

ZanniTAVANI is affiliated with Tavani Consultants in Human Services.

BECOMING FOLLOWERS:

A TRAGICOMEDY IN SEVERAL ACTS

Dramatis Personae:

God

Everyone else

PRELUDE

Playing alongside Wisdom

ACT I

In the beginning …

ACT II

Beyond the Garden

ACT III

Crucial events, critical people

ACT IV

Gathering together and going out

ACT V

Coming back at last

EPILOGUE

Word to the wise

The zany theme of the fool

There is, in modern theatre, a resurgence of the zany theme of the fool, much of which is inspired by commedia dell’arte. The clever servants of the Zanni have led to the worldwide tradition of the inverted status relationship in which the usually lower-status servant character has the upper hand in terms of wit, truth, and intelligence while the supposedly upper-status master character must content himself with only the trappings of superiority.

This topsy-turvy situation arose from the historical circumstances in which the Commedia developed. This Venetian nickname of Zanni was a dialect version of Giovanni, a name common in the 15^th century among peasants from Bergamo, in Lombardy, who emigrated to Venice and Genoa from the economically destitute regions of Po valley. When the Venetian economy became developed through profit-sharing (maona) among the citizenry, international trade increased, decreasing the price of locally-produced foodstuffs, with the result that the peasants, the zanni, were brought to the point of bankruptcy. Being unable to sell their product, they had no option but to abandon their lands and emigrate in large numbers to Venice and Genoa. This influx was met with resentment and contempt. Zanni were treated as objects of derision, and their presence provided convenient scapegoats for every mishap. They had no command of the local language, they committed gaffes, and they were continuously hungry and in poor health.

The Zanni characters of the Commedia were based on these economic outcasts. Zanni were valet buffoons, clowns, and knavish jacks-of-all-trades; zanni possessed common sense, intelligence, pride, a love of practical jokes, although they often were also quarrelsome, cowardly, envious, spiteful, vindictive, treacherous. Frequently two zanni played contrasting roles, the first clever and adept at confounding, the second a dull-witted foil.

The forbears of the Commedia may have been the comic mime actors of ancient Greece and Rome. The term “mime” indicates that mimes imitated life (recall our theory of mimetic community); rather than being silent, these ancient mimes were masters of the tongue. One name for the mimic actor was autokabdalos, which can be translated “improvised.” As Beatrice Otto explains in Fools are Everywhere:

“These actors were decidedly ready and eager to take advantage of anything which, because of its baseness, its meaness, or its triviality, provided that laughter-provoking contrast between man’s mind and the fettering restrictions of his body, and they were ever ready to stand forward as the secular exponents of popular feeling. Improvisation gave the mimes a jester’s freedom to mock, and throughout history irreverence toward anything blindly revered was the cornerstone of their entertainment. Mimes had sung and spoken parts and could include acrobatic skills in their repertoire. Their acrobatic agility guaranteed that they should never be dull, never be fettered by religious prejudice or ceremonial. They stood, above all, for secularism and the right to laugh.”

However, ZanniTAVANI, stands, above all for TRUTH and the right to laugh in the face of failure. What is true can be well presented as parable; so must theatre go about imitating LIFE.

Zanni?

The troupe’s name, ZanniTAVANI, ^{(remember, Zah-nee, not Zay-nee)} comes first from the founding director, Craig Tavani, who has been developing his theory of symmimesis over the past three decades. The name “Zanni,” on the other hand, applies to those comic characters who played the part of servants in the Italian improvisational theatre known as Commedia dell’arte.

Historically, one finds a variety of forms of the word zanni: zane, zanne, zani, especially, zany. Dei Zanni became a generic term for the commedia dell’arte itself (hence “zany”). The Zanni characters were valet buffoons, clowns, and knavish jacks-of-all-trades; zanni possessed common sense, intelligence, pride, and a love of practical jokes, although they often were also quarrelsome, cowardly, envious, spiteful, vindictive, and treacherous. The zanni’s costumes consisted of a wood or leather half mask with hair and beard glued to it, a loose blouse, wide trousers, and a wide-brimmed or conical hat with long feathers. Frequently one of the zanni carried a wooden sword.

Zanni initiated the action of the play, producing comic impact based on repeated comic actions; this stage business, called lazzi consisted of situations, dialogues, gags, rhymes and rigmaroles which actors could call up at a moment’s notice to give the impression of on-stage improvisation. The lazzi, along with topical and practical jokes (burle), was often directed against the smug, the proud, and the pretentious (sounds like the name of a TV soap opera!). Zanni were also noted for their feats of acrobatics and tumbling. (In the case of ZanniTAVANI, however, this is known as tripping and falling.)

In some commedia performances there was only one zanni; in others there might be two to four. The principal character among them was often called simply Zanni, while his companion(s) had various names – Harlequin, Brighella, Scapino, Scaramouche, Pedrolino, Pulcinella, and others.

Frequently two zanni played contrasting roles, the first clever and adept at confounding, the second a dull-witted foil.

ZanniTAVANI - the acting troupe

The acting troupe of ZanniTAVANI
(pronounced Zah-nee-Tah-vah-nee, not Zay-nee-Tah-vay-nee. Thank you.)
enacts the theory of mimetic community or symmimesis
by engaging in an improvisational way of theatre performance

called, in general, Theatre in Community.

In this particular act it is called sociopathetic clowning,

a physical form of theatre that draws from commedia dell’arte

and a variety of theorists/practitioners of physical theatre

in order to enact symmimetic theory.

Symmimetic theory asserts that

one’s humanity is being formed continuously

through mutual engagement with others.

This involvement is mimetic

whatever one’s level of engagement or disengagement.

PARABOLIC COMMEDIA

Craig R. Tavani

a.k.a ZanniTAVANI

someMimics Theatre in Community

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

NARRATOR & a number of ZANNI

A note on the term “parabolic commedia” –
It should be obvious that I am making explicit reference to Commedia dell’arte, given that the major characters throughout are zanni. Also obvious should be the explicit reference to the parables of Jesus of which most of these scenes are creative readings. The term “parabola” describes the path of a thrown ball, and the word “parable” comes from this. It is interesting to note that another writer, unknown to me prior to entitling this piece “Parabolic Commedia,” did use a similar locution, calling Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST a “parabolic comedy-poesy” in his chapter entitled “‘The Tempest’ and ‘The History of the Wind’” of his book The Shakespeare-Secret, which can be found on-line at http://www.sirbacon.org/btempesthistorywinds.htm:
“The words are full of drastically comical poetry and yet so full of profound knowledge and thought. It is submitted that this passage belongs to the most characteristic of anything which one can imagine within the boundaries of parabolic comedy- poesy.”

PARABOLIC COMMEDIA

PROLOGUE

NARRATOR:
There are those who are wise …
Z :
… and then there are … the rest of us.
NARRATOR:
It’s funny how folly can follow us and find us acting foolishly.
Z :
We may be wise in our own eyes,
but others will see through that disguise.
Z :
Their perception unmasks us
and makes a mockery of our deception.
NARRATOR:
Most of us, most likely, may want to be masters,
supposedly to enjoy the service of others.
Z :
Truth be told, however,
all of us are simply servants of someone other than ourselves,
Z :
none of us self-sufficient to stand alone.
Z :
Such a servant character is actually typical of being human,
Z :
for it serves us right to submit to another’s will.
Z :
There being only one Master who made us to become wise;
Z :
it is us who make fools of ourselves instead.
NARRATOR:
To simplify the situation,
let’s see how some stories might settle how we see ourselves.
These are stories of servants,
Z :
some wise (though they certainly may seem silly),
Z :
some others … not so wise.
NARRATOR:
We’ll call these servants Zanni, a traditional name for clownish characters like those you are about to see.
Some zanni are more stupid than others,
but all of them figure out fantastic ways to be foolish.
Consider the form of these stories to be parabolic
- telling stories is like throwing a ball
Z :
(if you catch our meaning).
Z :
Call them “parables” if you will
Z :
– and if you won’t, call them what you will;
Z :
you’ll catch on eventually.
NARRATOR:
Call all of this commedia, a comic form of theatre that professes
to be a funny way of making money
whether or not it makes any sense.
Z :
And if you cannot pay us money,
we hope you will at least pay attention,
… just in case we stumble upon the truth.

SCENE 1

NARRATOR:
Take care in how you act out your faith:
doing things merely to be seen by others
will get you no reward
from the Master of this Good Realm.
Thus …
Z :
Whenever you do some charitable act, do not act like a hypocrite –
trumpets blaring before you on streets
and in other places where people meet –
… just to be praised for what you seem to be doing.
To tell you the truth, hypocrisy has its own reward
– whatever that is, which is not much.
Z :
But when you do care enough to give,
act like your left hand has no idea what your right hand is doing,
so that your gift may be in secret.
Z :
And your Master, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Z :
Whenever you pray, do not act like the hypocrites –
because they love to pray while standing up in meetings
and on street corners
… so that people can see them.
Z :
To tell you the truth, hypocrisy has its own reward
– whatever that is, which is not much.
Z :
But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, …
… and pray to your Master in secret.
And your Master, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Z :
When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like Goofballs –
… they think that by their many words they will be heard.
Z :
Do not be like these hypocrites,
for your Master knows what you need before you ask him.

So put your petition this way:
Good Master,
may your name be honored, may your realm begin where we are,
may what you will be done here as it is everywhere in your Good Realm.
Daily give us the bread we need for the day, and forgive us our debts,
as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
And do not let us be led according to our failure to be faithful, but set us free from our folly.
If you forgive others for their indebtedness to you,
your Good Master will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
your Master will not forgive you your debt.
Z :
When you exercise some strict discipline,
do not act like hypocrites –
… looking sullen, making unattractive faces …
… so that people will see you as being under strict discipline.
To tell you the truth, hypocrisy has its own reward
– whatever that is, which is not much.
When you fast, groom yourself in the best way possible
– at least wash your face –
so that, when you are under strict discipline,
it will not be obvious to others, …
… but only to your Master who is in secret.
And your Master, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Z :
Do not heap up treasures for yourselves
where moth and rust destroy
… and where thieves break in and steal.
NARRATOR:
Your treasure should be invested in the Realm of the Master,
where moth and rust do not destroy,
and thieves do not break in and steal.

INTERLUDE

NARRATOR:
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Z : [DOTTORE persona]
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness.
NARRATOR:
If what you depend on for light is dark, it will be a vast darkness!
Z :
No one can serve two masters,
Z :
either he will hate the one and love the other,
or …
Z :
he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
NARRATOR:
You cannot serve the Master if you are mastered by money.
Therefore I tell you this – have no worry about your own life,
what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.
There more to life than food and more to the body than clothing.
Z :
Look at the birds in the sky:
They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, …
… yet our Good Master feeds them.
Aren’t we more valuable than they are?
Z :
And which of us by worrying can add even one hour to life?
Z :
Why do we even worry about clothing?
Think about how the flowers of the field grow;
they do not work or spin.
No one is clothed like one of these!
Z :
Yet this is just wild grass –
here today and tomorrow tossed into the fire to heat the oven!
Z :
Will our Master clothe us just as well?
NARRATOR:
Even better! You have so little faith!
There is no need to worry.
Z :
‘What will we eat?’
Z :
‘What will we drink?’
Z :
‘What will we wear?’
NARRATOR:
Foolish zanni fear they will lack such things,
for they have no faith in their Master.
However, the Good Master knows what is needed.
Make the goodness of His realm your first priority;
it is then that all these things will be given to you as well.
So then,
Z :
do not worry about tomorrow, …
Z :
… for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Z :
Today has enough trouble of its own.
NARRATOR:
Zannis must not engage in heated disputes
over foolish and ignorant controversies.
Z :
We know it only breed fights among us.
NARRATOR:
So reject doing it!
Be kind toward all, aptly teaching one another with patience – correct opponents with gentleness.
Z :
If we turn from our foolishness,
perhaps the Master will forgive us?
NARRATOR:
He may give you the opportunity to turn from your foolishness;
you can then know how to be faithful
so that you will come to your senses.
Z :
Zanni are to be subject to their own masters in everything,
They are to do what is wanted and not talk back.
Z :
No pilfering! Zanni are not supposed to be embezzlers!
NARRATOR:
In showing good faith in everything,
zanni bring credit to the Good Realm of the Master.

SCENE 2

NARRATOR:
What is the Good Realm is like?
Z :
A master wanted to settle accounts with his zannis.
Z :
As he began settling his accounts,
a zanni who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him.
NARRATOR: [DOTTORE persona]
This was quite a large sum of money!
A silver talent was worth approximately 6,000 denarii
(with gold talents worth at least 30 times that much)
[the other ZANNIs become uneasy as this explanation drones on and on]
One denarius being the usual day’s wage for a worker.
The denarius was a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight)
with a value which fluctuated,
depending upon the particular monetary system
which prevailed at a particular period of time
[the other ZANNIs, after unmasking and consulting with one another,
pick him up and carry him offstage]
Z :
Because he was not able to repay it,
Z :
the master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children,
and whatever he possessed,
and repayment to be made.
Z :
Then the zanni threw himself to the ground before him, saying,
‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’
Z :
The master had compassion on that zanni
… and released him,
and forgave him the debt.
Z :
After he went out, that same zanni found one of his fellow zannis
… who owed him one hundred silver coins.
Z :
So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him,
Z :
saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
Z :
Then his fellow zanni threw himself down and begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’
Z :
But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt.
Z :
When the other zannis saw what had happened,
they were very upset …
… and went and told their master everything that had taken place.
Z :
Then his master called the first zanni and said to him,
Z :
Foolish zanni! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me!
Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow zanni,
… just as I showed it to you?
Z :
In anger his master turned him over to the basanistes
… until that zanni repaid all he owed.
Z : [confused]
The basanistes?
Z : [DOTTORE persona]
The job of the basanistes was to elicit the truth by way of torture.
NARRATOR:
So also the Good Master will do to you,
if you do not forgive your fellow zanni from your heart.
Z :
One faithful zanni lived in anguish
over the debauched folly of faithless zanni.
This zanni was tormented in his faithful soul
by the foolish acts he saw and heard
while living among fools day after day.
However, the Master,
knowing how to rescue all faithful zanni from their trials,
rescued him,
and likewise knows to reserve the foolish zanni
for punishment at the day of judgment …
… especially those
who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority.

SCENE 3

NARRATOR:
Some zanni came to the master, who is very rich,
to inform him of accusations that his assets were being wasted.
Z :
So the master called in the zanni managing his assets
Z :
and said to him, [PANTALONE persona] ‘What is this I hear about you?
Turn in the account of your administration,
because you can no longer manage my assets.’
Z :
Then the zanni said to himself, ‘What should I do,
… since my master is taking my position away from me?
I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg.
… I know just what to do so that,
when I am put out of management,
people will welcome me into their homes.’
Z :
So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one.
Z :
He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
Z :
The man replied, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’
Z :
The zanni said to him,
‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’
Z :
Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’
Z :
The second man replied, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’
Z :
The zanni said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
Z :
The master … commended the dishonest manager!
… because he acted shrewdly.
NARRATOR:
There are zannis who are more shrewd than others in dealing with their contemporaries.
I tell you,
make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth,
so that when it runs out
you will be welcomed into households of the Good Realm.
Z :
The zanni who is proven faithful in very little
is also faithful in much,
and the zanni who is dishonest in a very little
is also dishonest in much.
If we are not trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,
how can we be trusted with true riches?
And if we aren’t trustworthy with another’s property,
how can we be responsible for our own?
Z :
No zanni can serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
NARRATOR:
You cannot serve the Good Master if you are mastered by money.

SCENE 4

NARRATOR:
A zanni comes in from the field after plowing
or shepherding sheep.
Z :
Would any master say,
“Come at once and sit down for a meal”?
NARRATOR:
The master instead would say to that zanni, [PANTALONE persona]
Get my dinner ready!
… and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink.
Then you may eat and drink.
NARRATOR:
He won’t thank the zanni because he did what he was told, will he? So it is with zannis …
Z :
When we have done everything we have been commanded to do, we should say:
We zannis deserve no special praise;
we have only done what was our duty.
NARRATOR:
What do you think of this? A master had two sons.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
He went to the first and said,
‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
Z :
The boy answered, ‘I will not.’
But later he had a change of heart and went.
Z :
The father went to the other son and said the same thing.
Z :
This boy answered, ‘I will, sir,’
… but did not go.
NARRATOR:
Which of the two did his father’s will?
Z :
The first.
NARRATOR:
There you have it.

SCENE 5

NARRATOR:
One rich old landowner had an abundant harvest.
Z :
so he thought to himself,
‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
Z :
Then what did he do?
Z :
He said, ‘I will do this:
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones,
where I will store all my grain and my goods.
I will have plenty of goods stored up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, celebrate!
Z :
But the Master said to him, ‘You fool!
This very night your life will be demanded back from you,
but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
NARRATOR:
So it is with the one who selfishly stores up riches and goods,
but is not rich toward goodness.

SCENE 6

NARRATOR:
If any of you had a hundred sheep,
what would you do if you lost one of them?
Z :
Any one would leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture …
Z :
… and go look for the one that is lost
… until that one sheep is found.
Z :
Then he would rejoice that he has found the lost sheep!
Z :
He would place it on his shoulders … and return home.
Z :
Returning home, he would call together his friends and neighbors,
Z :
telling them,
‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’
NARRATOR:
I tell you, in the same way there will be joy in the Master’s realm.
Z :
… over just one zanni?
NARRATOR:
Yes! There will be joy in the Master’s realm
over one zanni who turns from foolishness to faithfulness
than over ninety-nine seemingly faithful zannies
who have not acted like fools.

SCENE 7

NARRATOR:
Or what about this:
Z :
A zanni has ten silver coins.
She loses one of them.
Z :
What does she do then?
Z :
She lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches thoroughly …
Z :
… until she finds it!
Z :
Then when she has found it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors,
Z :
saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’
NARRATOR:
In the same way, I tell you,
there will be joy in the Master’s household …
… over one zanni who turns from being foolish to being faithful.”

SCENE 8

NARRATOR:
A Master had two sons.
Z :
The younger of them said to his father,
Z :
Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.
Z :
So the Master divided his assets between them.
Z :
After only a few days, …
Z :
the younger son gathered together all he had …
… and left …
Z :
He went on a journey …
… to someplace far, far away.
Z :
And there he squandered his wealth …
Z :
… with a wild lifestyle.
Z :
Evenually, that second son spent everything.
Z :
A severe famine took place in that place far away …
… and the second son began to be in need.
Z :
So this foolish fellow went to find work
for some farmer in that far-away place.
Z :
The farmer sent him to his fields …
Z :
… to feed pigs.
Z :
The second son, while feeding the pigs,
longed to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating ….
Z :
… but none of them gave him anything.
Z :
Eventually the second son came to his senses.
Z :
he said,

‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have food enough to spare,
but here I am dying from hunger!
I will get up and go to my father and say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against your whole realm and against you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son;
treat me like one of your zannis.” ’
Z :
So he got up and went to his father.
Z :
But while he was still a long way from home …
… his father saw him, and his heart went out to him;
… he ran and hugged his son and kissed him.
Z :
Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned
– against the Good Realm and against you;
I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
Z :
But the father said to his zannis, ‘Hurry!
Bring the best robe, and put it on him!
Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet!
Bring the fattened calf … and kill it!
Let us eat and celebrate,
because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again
– he was lost and is found!’
Z :
So they began to celebrate.
Z :
Now his older son was in the field.
Z :
As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
Z :
So he called one of the zannis and asked what was happening.
Z :
The zanni replied,
‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf
because he got his son back safe and sound.’
Z :
But the older son became angry and refused to go in.

Z :
His father came out and appealed to him,
Z :
but he answered his father,
‘Look! These many years I have worked for you – like a zanni!
Never have I disobeyed your commands.
Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!
But now this son of yours comes back!
He devoured your assets – with prostitutes! – yet you killed the fattened calf for him?’
Z :
Then the father said to him,
‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours.
It was proper to have a party, to celebrate and be glad,
for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’”

INTERLUDE

Z :

[a ZANNI is wearing a sandwich board sign

declaring “The Day of Judgment is coming!”]

Who knows when Judgment Day will come?
Z :
No one …
Z :
– not even the angels –
Z :
… no one knows that day and hour … except our Good Master.
NARRATOR:
Watch out that no one misleads you. Just be ready,
… because that Day will come at an hour when no one expects it.

SCENE 9

NARRATOR:
There was a master who owned some land where he planted a vineyard.
Z :
He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.

Z :
When the harvest time was near,
At harvest time he sent a zanni to the tenants
to collect from them his portion of the crop.
Z :
But those tenants seized his zanni, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Z :
So he sent another zanni to them again.
Z :
This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously.
Z :
He sent another,
Z :
and that one they killed.
Z :
This happened to many others,
and they treated them the same way.
Z :
Some of whom were beaten, …
Z :
… others were killed.
Z :
He had one left,
… his one dearly beloved son.
Finally he sent his son to them,
saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
Z :
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves,
Z :
‘This is the heir.
Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’
Z :
So they seized him, … killed him, …
and threw his body out of the vineyard.
NARRATOR:
Now when the owner of the vineyard comes,
what will he do to those tenants?
Z :
He will utterly destroy those fools!
Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants
who will give him his portion at the harvest.

SCENE 10

NARRATOR:
Who then is the faithful and wise zanni?
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
The master puts the faithful and wise zanni in charge of his household,
Z :
to give the other zannis their food at the proper time.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
Happy is that zanni whom the master finds at work when he comes.
Z :
I tell you the truth,
the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Z :
But …what if the zanni were foolish?
Z :
That zanni might say to himself,
‘My master is staying away a long time.’
Z :
Then he begins to beat his fellow zannis
… and to eat and drink with drunkards!
Z :
Then what happens when that zanni’s master returns?
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
The Master will surely come
on a day when that zanni does not expect him!
At some unforeseeable hour, the master will come and will cut that zanni in two.
NARRATOR:
He’ll be assigned a place with the hypocrites,
Z :
… where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

INTERLUDE

Z :
Someone is hungry – have you food to give?
Z :
Someone is thirsty – have you something to drink?
Z :
Someone is a stranger – have you hospitality?
Z :
Someone is naked – have you clothing to give?
Z :
Someone is sick – do you care?
Z :
Someone is in prison – have you time to visit?


SCENE 11
NARRATOR:
At the time of judgment, what will the realm of the master be like?
Z :
Ten zannis took their lamps …
Z :
… and went out to meet the Master.
Z :
Five of the zannis were foolish, …
Z :
… and five were wise.
Z :
When the foolish ones took their lamps,
did they take extra olive oil with them?
Z :
They did not.
Z :
The wise ones, however, took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.
Z :
Then the Master was delayed … a long time,
Z :
… they … all … became drowsy … and … fell asleep.
Z :
But at midnight there was a shout! ‘Look, the Master is here! Come out to meet him.’
Z :
Then … all the zannis woke up … and trimmed their lamps.
Z :
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
Z :
The others replied ‘No. There won’t be enough for you and for us.
Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
Z :
But … while they had gone to buy it, [LOVER persona]
… the Master arrived, and …
Z :
those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet.
Z :
Then the door was shut.
Z :
Later, the other zannis came too, saying, ‘Master, master! Let us in!’
Z :
But … he replied, [LOVER persona] ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!’
NARRATOR:
Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.

SCENE 12

NARRATOR:
The realm of the Master is like …
Z :
A man going on a journey summoned his zannis.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
Entrusting his property to them,
he gave to each according to his ability –
Z :
to one he gave five talents,
Z :
to another two talents,
Z :
and … to another only one talent.
NARRATOR: [DOTTORE persona]
This was quite a large sum of money!
A silver talent was worth approximately 6,000 denarii
(with gold talents worth at least 30 times that much)
[the other ZANNIs become uneasy as this explanation drones on and on]
One denarius being the usual day’s wage for a worker.
The denarius was a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight)
with a value which fluctuated,
depending upon the particular monetary system
which prevailed at a particular period of time
[the other ZANNIs, after unmasking and consulting with one another,
pick him up and carry him offstage]
Z :
Then he went on his journey.
Z :
The one who had received five talents went off right away
and put his money to work and gained five more.
Z :
In the same way,
the one who had two gained two more.
Z :
But … the one who had received one talent went out
and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it.
Z :
After a … long time, …
Z :
the master of those zannis came and settled his accounts with them.
Z :
The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more,
saying, ‘Master, you entrusted me with five talents.
See, I have gained five more.’
Z :
His master answered, [PANTALONE persona]
‘Well done, good and faithful zanni!
You have been faithful in a few things.
I will put you in charge of many things.
Enter into the joy of your master.’
Z :
The one with the two talents also came and said,
‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me.
See, I have gained two more.’
Z :
His master answered, [PANTALONE persona]
‘Well done, good and faithful zanni!
You have been faithful with a few things.
I will put you in charge of many things.
Enter into the joy of your master.’
Z :
Then the one who had received the one talent came
Z :
and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man,
harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed.
I was so afraid! I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
Z :
But his master answered, [PANTALONE persona]
‘Fool! What a lazy zanni you are! So you knew that
I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?
Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and
on my return I would have received my money back with interest!
Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.
Throw that worthless zanni into the outer darkness!
Z :
… where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
NARRATOR:
For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough.
But the one who does not have,
even what he has will be taken from him.

SCENE 13

NARRATOR:
Get dressed for service and keep your lamps burning;
be like zanni waiting for their master’s son
to come back for the wedding celebration,
so that when he comes and knocks
they can immediately open the door for him.
Z :
Happy are those zanni whom their master finds alert when he returns!
NARRATOR:
I tell you the truth, the Master’s Son will dress himself to serve,
have the zanni take their place at the table,
and will come and wait on them!
Z :
Happy are those zanni whom the Master’s Son finds alert,
no matter how or when he returns!
Z :
It is like the time someone broke into our house
– if the zanni in charge of the house
had known at what hour the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
Zanni must be ready,
because the Master’s Son will come when we do not expect him.
NARRATOR:
Who then is the faithful and wise zanni managing the house?
That is whom the master puts in charge of his household zanni,
to give them their allowance.
Z :
Happy is that zanni whom his master finds at work when he returns.
NARRATOR:
I tell you the truth,
the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Z :
But what if the zanni in charge says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in returning’?
He begins stuffing himself with food,
drinking and getting drunk, beating the other zanni.
NARRATOR:
The master of that foolish zanni will sure to come back on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee,
and will cut him in two,
and assign him a place with the other faithless fools.
That zanni who knows the master’s will
but does not get ready or do what his master asked
will receive a severe beating;
the zanni who acts out in ignorance,
doing things the master considers worthy of punishment,
will receive a light beating.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required,
and from the one who has been entrusted with much,
even more will be asked.
The Master’s Son will come again!
A host of messengers will herald his glorious return.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
When he does come back,
he will then will sit in the place of judgment,
… with all zannis assembled before him.
Z : [LOVER persona]
He will separate one from another …
Z :
like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
putting the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Z :
Then the Master’s son will say to those on his right, [LOVER persona]
‘Come and be happy! You have a share in my Father’s inheritance.
This whole realm has been prepared for you from the beginning.
Z :
For what reason are you doing this?
Z : [LOVER persona]
I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.’
Z :
Then those who are faithful will answer him,
Z :
‘Master, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?
Z :
And the master will answer them,
I tell you the truth,
just as you did it for one of the least among you,
you did it for me.’
Z :
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you cursed fools!
For When I was hungry, did you give me anything to eat? No.
When I was thirsty, did you gave me anything to drink? No.
When I was estranged, did you receive me as a guest? No.
When I was naked, did you did clothe me? No.
When I was sick, when I was in prison, did you visit me? No.
Z :
Then they too will answer,
‘Master, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not give you whatever you needed?’
Z :
Then he will answer them, ‘To tell you the truth –
by not doing it for anyone you thought were of the least of these,
neither did you do it for me.’
NARRATOR:
Those who are foolish,
those who do not act on behalf of the least among them,
Z :
… will depart into eternal punishment,
Z :
… but those who are faithful, those who do whatever is needed, …
will enter into eternal life.

EPILOGUE

Z :
Give food to those who are hungry.
Z :
Give drink to those who are thirsty.
Z :
Invite the stranger in.
Z :
Clothe those who are naked.
Z :
Take care of those who are sick.
Z :
Visit those in prison.
NARRATOR:
Just as you do it for others,
you do it for the Master of this Good Realm.

I have been calling you zannis,

for zanni have no idea know what is going on

in the mind of the Master;

but now I am calling you friends,

for all things that I have heard from the Good Master

are now made known to you.

Scripting Wisdom

I have spent much time this Christmas season considering the visit of the Magi. My plan was to develop a series of scenes involving biblical events that can be related in some way to magi, wise men. This idea morphed into considering Jesus as the Wisdom of God. The working title is RabMAG.

Consider:

that Magi came to pay homage to Jesus;
that Jesus spent some time as a young child in Egypt;
that the boy Jesus was found among the teachers in the temple;
that Nicodemus sought to converse with Jesus;
that Greeks also came to see Jesus;
that Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

Just today I began working on a script focusing on the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate.