Who Wants to “Play”?

Putting on a play is a great boredom-buster for a rainy Saturday. And it’s a fun family home evening activity too. The play “Naaman Learns to Obey” is on pages 26–27 of this issue of the Friend. Here’s how to plan your play.

1. Invite some friends or family members to be in the play. For “Naaman Learns to Obey” you will need at least four people.

2. Write the names of the parts on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. Take turns drawing them out. For four people, here is how to combine the parts: 1. Narrator, 2. Naaman/King of Israel, 3. Elisha/Naaman’s servant, 4. Girl/King of Syria/Elisha’s messenger. If you have fewer than four people, you can use puppets instead.

3. Find a simple costume for each of your parts. (For example, a king could wear a paper crown. Naaman will need spots made of stickers or tape that are easy to remove.)

4. Learn your lines.

5. Find a place to have your play. It could be a room or somewhere outside.

6. Have at least two rehearsals. For the last one, have everyone wear their costumes and bring their props. This is called a dress rehearsal.

7. Make posters announcing your play, or hand out invitations or tickets to friends and neighbors.

8. For the performance, you might want to make popcorn or other refreshments for your audience.

9. Have fun putting on your play!

Write us a letter and send us a photo to show how your play turned out. We’ll print some of your letters and pictures in an upcoming issue of the Friend. Turn to page 48 to find out how to send us your letter.

Illustrations by Bryan Beach