Script for the play "Common Superheroes"

Common Superheroes
Scene 1:
Bobby: Wow! Superman is so awesome. I wish I had super powers and could fly.
(Mom walks in.)
Mom: Okay Bobby, time for bed.
Bobby: Awe man. This is the best part.
Mom: I don’t want you to be tired for school tomorrow.
Bobby: Okay, okay. Goodnight mom.
(Bobby puts comics aside and lays down.)
Mom: Goodnight.

Sign Person: [“In Your Dreams, Bobby”]

(lights dim. Dream sequence begins. “I Believe I Can Fly” plays as Bobby performs heroic acts. [Props pending] Bobby flies through the air. He saves a cat stuck in a tree, and gives it back to two girls. Then he signs autographs for them. He looks down and sees a woman being mugged. He easily beats down some gangsters before blasting the last one with his laser vision. He gives the purse back to the lady. He picks up a random bolder and throws it. The dream ends with his admirers taking)

Scene 2:
(Bobby is reading comic books before bed again. His mom enters the room.)
Mom: Are you almost ready for bed Bobby?
Bobby: Yeah, I guess so.
(Mom sighs.)
Mom: Why don’t we try reading something else tonight like the Book of Mormon. Did you know there are a lot of superheroes in the scriptures?
Bobby: I don’t remember anyone flying in the Book of Mormon.
Mom: You don’t have to fly to be a superhero. Come here. I’ll show you.
(Mom sits on the bed and pats her hand for Bobby to sit next to her. She opens the scriptures to Alma 56.)
Mom: Let me tell you a story about some real heroes. One time in the scriptures the Lamanites were coming to fight the Nephites, so Helaman led a group of 2,000 young men to fight them. These men were probably pretty young and had never fought before, but they were valiant and not one of them was killed. The scriptures say (read verse 47). They may not have had super powers, but because they were courageous and had faith that Heavenly Father would protect them, they were able to be heroes for their families.
Bobby: Wow! That is a neat story. Almost as good as when Superman defeated the Annihilator.
Mom: Oh, it’s getting late. Let’s get you in bed.
(Mom tucks Bobby into bed. They say goodnight to each other.)
Scene 3: Bobby’s stripling warrior dreams
Part 1
Theme - Soldier explains to Helaman that none of the stripling warriors had been killed.
Setting – Two leaders (Antipus and Lamonihah) reporting to Helaman about the outcome of the battle.
Helaman: Antipus, how many of your men have fallen?
Antipus: Sir, this was a difficult battle for my men. We have numbered nearly a thousand dead among our ranks, but there are still many more still to be identified. Were it not for the valiant efforts of your young soldiers, we would have undoubtedly lost many more of our men.
Helaman: Yes Antipus, my stripling warriors showed maturity beyond their years. It will be difficult to report to their families the losses of those boys who didn’t survive the battle.

[Lamonihah, a leader of the stripling warriors enters the scene]

Helaman: Lamonihah, what is your report?
Lamonihah: Sir, we have taken a full count of the survivors.
Helaman: How many survived this terrible battle?
Lamonihah: Two thousand and sixty, sir.
Helaman: (surprised) Two thousand and sixty? [pauses] That’s the whole army!
Lamonihah: Yes, sir. We have all received many wounds, some of which are critical. However, by the grace of God, we have all been preserved.
Helaman: This is a miracle. In all my years of warfare, I have never witnessed the preservation of an entire army.
Lamonihah: Sir, despite our young ages and our inexperience, our men were motivated by the faith of our mothers. We felt the strength of their prayers, even in the midst of a terrible war. We attribute this great miracle to the prayers of our mothers on our behalf.
[Lights dim on the scene.]
Part 2
[Lights up on three mothers talking with their children. Background music – “Teach Me to Walk in the Light”]

Child: Mom, is it true what people say about our fathers burying their weapons when Ammon taught them the gospel?
Mom 1: Yes, Jacob. Your father promised that he would never fight again once he accepted Ammon’s message and was baptized.
Mom 2: All our husbands and fathers covenanted not to fight. They were so committed to that promise that some of them even allowed themselves to be killed by the unconverted Lamanites rather than to risk offending God.
Child: Wow. Does that mean I should never fight, even if someone wants to kill me?
Mom 3: Your father made the covenant to show his sincere repentance. There may be times when the Lord would expect you to fight in order to defend your family.
Mom 1: The important thing is to always seek the Lord’s guidance in whatever you are called to do. Place your faith in him, and he has promised to guide you and to protect you.


[Bobby wakes up from his dream]
Bobby: Wow, those stripling warriors were incredible. They must have had some serious fighting skills. [Pauses to think for a few seconds] But, they said that it was their mothers’ training that qualified them to be scriptural superheroes.

Scene 4
[Breakfast with Bobby and his mother]
Mom: Here are your pancakes, Bobby.
Bobby: Thanks, Mom. [ponders what to say while watching his mother cleaning the kitchen] Hey Mom, have you ever wondered if you might have special powers?
Mom: Special powers? Like what, Bobby?
Bobby: Like maybe super strength, or laser vision, or some ability that other people don’t have.
Mom: Well, I have been know to do some pretty amazing things, I guess.
Bobby: Like what?
Mom: I help Dad get to work on time every day. I taught you how to read and write. I’ve fixed plenty of broken hearts and damaged self-esteems. Not to mention that I was pretty instrumental in giving life to you and your brother and sisters.
Bobby: Wow, I never thought about it that way before. [pauses for a few seconds] Mom, I think you really do qualify as a super hero. [pause] Can I be your sidekick?
Mom: Sure, but I do have one condition you have to meet in order to qualify as my sidekick.
Bobby: Okay. What do I have to do?
Mom: I can’t have a sidekick who doesn’t keep his room clean.
Bobby: Hmmm. This super hero stuff is going to be harder than I thought.

Casting for Common Superheroes

Bobby: One of two lead actors, a young boy fascinated with comic book legends
Bobby’s Mom
Sign person: Someone to introduce scenes using a sign
Girl’s with cat stuck in a tree - rescued by Bobby
Group of thug gangsters - three or four boys
Woman being mugged
Paparazzi - group of four to six people who take pictures of Bobby and ask for his autograph in his dream
Helaman - as found in Alma 56
Lamonihah - a fictional stripling warrior captain
Antipus - as found in Alma 56
Stripling warriors - 4-8 followers of Helaman
Lamanite soldiers - 4-8 soldiers battling Helaman's army
Ammonite mothers - three women shown teaching their children
Ammonite children - 3-5 children, one of which should be old enough to remember two simple lines; the rest of which should at least be able to sit still and act as if they're listening to the mothers.

Spanish Fork South Stake Roadshow - September 2008

After the Pioneer Day fireworks concluded on July 24th, 2008, I ran into two of the activities coordinators for our ward. One of them had sent around a sign-up list a few weeks before. Our stake was having a roadshow for the first time in at least ten years, and our activities people wanted to find out who was interested in participating. Well, if you knew much about our ward, you'd understand that activities and volunteering for things aren't all that popular, so our activities people were ready to just drop our ward from the program. As a last ditch effort, they asked me to spearhead the project. When I finally wandered home after being asked - the rest of my family hadn't waited up for me - my wife was surprised to find out that I had "volunteered" to do the following:

• Write a fifteen to twenty minute play
• Cast all the members of the play
• Figure out what props, sound effects, etc. would be needed for the roadshow and somehow produce them.
• Direct the cast and ultimately pull off a successful play worth attending.

After we considered all that would be involved, my wife and I realized we were taking on a lot, especially since we had a newborn baby, and I own and manage RobbinsSports.com, an online team sports retail store.

Putting all of this together over the course of the next two months was a chore to say the least. I am creating this blog page as a resource for anyone who might find himself or herself in a similar situation. You're welcome to the content that follows: "Common Superheroes".

Some Background...

The theme for our stake's roadshow was "Superheroes of the Scriptures". It was recommended that we creatively tie our program in with scriptural heroes. We approached the play as an opportunity to teach the principle that superhero-type capabilities can be found in seemingly ordinary people. With that perspective, the story tells how a young boy, fascinated with comic book stars, discovers that his mother is actually, in many ways, a bonafide superhero.