Jonah and the Whale Assembly or Class Play

Jonah and the Whale Assembly
Class play for 7 – 11 year olds - Key Stage II
This is one of the Biblical Banter series. The writer, Sue Russell, has to date written three other scripts in this series, including The Creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and Noah’s Ark.
Cast of 30 - easily adaptable up or down.
Duration: Speaking time around 15 minutes. This does not include a great playlist of 10 songs which could potentially double time of performance to 30 mins at least!
Sample Text:
(Sound of thunder and lightning)
Captain: Whoah! What was that?
Sailor 2: Sounded like thunder and lightning to me!
Sailor 3: Oh oh! That’s not good!
Jonah: (Nervously) What do you mean?
Sailor 4: He means, there’s a storm approaching!
Jonah: Oh, that’s all right! I’ve brought an umbrella!
(All sailors laugh)
Sailor 5: Er, you’re going to need a little more than an umbrella if this storm takes a hold!
(Boat starts rocking furiously, as sound of raging wind gathers momentum)
Sailor 6: Whoa! Hold on everyone!
Sailor 7: We’re in for a rough one!
Jonah: (Holding his stomach) Oh dear, I’m beginning to feel a bit queasy!
Sailor 8: You’ll be feeling more than that if you don’t get a move on and help!
(Everyone rushes around trying to tie things down; storm continues to get worse and worse)
Sailor 1: My! This is some storm!
Sailor 2: We’ve never had one like this before!
Sailor 3: Something tells me someone on board has brought with them more than a little bad luck!
(All sailors round on Jonah)
Jonah: Who? Me?
Captain: Tell me again why you wanted to join my crew on this trip?
Jonah: (Spluttering) I, er, well, it’s like this
Captain: Come on man, spit it out! What’s your real story?
Jonah: (Sighing) OK. I suppose you deserve the truth. You see, I was running!
Sailor 4: Running?
Sailor 5: Away from what?
Jonah: Away from my God.
(All Sailors groan and clutch their heads)
Captain: Well, that explains it! Had I known, I’d never have allowed you on board my ship!