"Can I change your skit?"

I know what you’re thinking. Before you even ask, I know what the question is. I’ve heard it that many times before. You found my script, and you love it. You think it’s great… BUT, do I think that maybe it might possibly be okay if you… changed one teeny little thing?

It’s okay! Really, don’t feel bad, and do not apologize. It’s a good question. A wise question, and yes, it’s okay to change a few things on the script.

I know, some authors are really uptight about you modifying their words, but as far as I’m concerned, the Beckett Rule (named for Samuel Beckett, who insisted his plays be performed word for word with no variance) is moot when it comes to drama ministry. People like me write scripts for certain times, places, and audiences, and what works in one location isn’t going to be a perfect fit in another. A few changes can go a long way to making your drama more impacting on your audience.

There. Now that the awkward part is over with, I’ll give you a few tips even, some do’s and don’ts for revising drama scripts.

DO add some local flavor. Let’s say your almost perfect script originated at a big church New York. A tiny congregation in Alabama is not going to connect with the skit’s references to Times Square and Bleecker Street. But, when you use local streets, stores, people, events, and the like, it draws in your audience, and even allows for some additional humor. We had a sketch once where a young man was on a job interview and being questioned about his medical history. Our local Arby’s had had a Hepatitis scare a month or so prior to this performance, so when the interviewer got to that question, the young man had a line referencing our recent current event. Tasteless or not, it got a laugh.

DON’T use inside jokes. This applies not only to your small drama group, but the church as a hole. A talented friend of mine brought over some videos he had shot for his church’s weekly college program. Throughout the videos, he gave me a running commentary about the people and lines within the films, letting me in on dozens of inside jokes. While many of the people at church probably enjoyed it, any new faces or visitors would have been completely lost. Make sure you’re not alienating people by leaving them out of the funniest parts. If you lose them with the drama, they won’t be with you when the gospel comes up.

DO adapt to your audience. If your drama is about young artists living in Greenwich Village apartments, it’s not going to connect with working families raising kids in the suburbs. Sometimes simple adjustments can bring the characters in your drama in line with your audience. In certain instances, you can even modify skits written for adults to suit a youth audience, and vice versa.

DON'T use slang. Ever. Especially if you're working with young people. We adults have this misconception that we need to "keep it real" and convey the "411" to the "posse" in their own terms. Trouble is slang terms go in an out of fashion more often than some kids change their underwear. I know you're proud of yourself that you now know what it means to be off the “hizzle,” but the sad truth is by the time you, the grown-up, learn, understand, and know how to use that word in conversation (or a script), it's dated. Therefore, my advice is to stick to plain English, because unless your name is Snoop Dogg, the kids are going to think you’re “wack.”

DO let your actors speak naturally. By that, I mean give them the freedom to let the words flow and bring more realism to the scene. That's not to say you should let them improvise and rewrite every line. Some writer worked hard on the dialogue, and other actors have worked equally hard to learn their cue lines. But a little improvising can enhance a scene and make it more effective.

Finally, and this is very important, DON'T change the meaning of the script. Maybe you like the characters, or the humor. Maybe the situation's right but the message is... well, just a bit off. If that's the case, find another script. Drama writers work hard on the material they produce. They write out of their own faith and convictions, and that faith is expressed in their work. It's unfair to take an author's statement of belief and change it just because it doesn't match your own.

As I said earlier, I understand the reasons why scenes get revised, and most of the time I have no problem with people making minor changes. The times I have said no have been when people wanted to make my script say something I never intended. To change the meaning and purpose of a writer’s script is just the same as misquoting someone in a newspaper article. Out of respect for those of us who write to share our faith and experiences, don't ever change the meaning or the intent of a script.

So in summing up, yes, you may modify my scripts and, if I may be so bold, the scripts of others who have written for the ministry. Please don’t change our message, but do what you must to make sure your church, your audience receives the message we labored to put down on the paper. After all, it’s not truly drama until you put it on stage, and if it doesn’t connect… what good is it?