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Saturday Afternoon, November 16

Lampeter Church of the Brethren

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Introductions and housekeeping information. Cell phones off, etc.

This play – a modern-day parable – was written by Don Bosley and produced by special arrangement with Lillenas Publishing Company.

The story is built around the D’Baquel family who are on vacation at a much-published bed and breakfast. Their stay goes awry, however, when they find the lodge full of animated goofballs, and a bellhop who keeps tossing their luggage into the cavernous canyon that lies below the hotel.

Sam D’Baquel was out of breath and could barely talk to the bellhop after climbing 347 flights of stairs. In this scene Jake (the bellhop) is offering him a bottle of water.

Sam’s wife Irene tries to convince him that this is indeed a much-loved bed and breakfast while their children try to figure out what is going on.

Clarisse, from the guest desk.

In this scene, she is listening to the family’s concerns.

Sam, the father, became increasingly unraveled as he had to traverse the 347 flights of stairs to retrieve his belongings that Jake kept throwing into the great canyon below.

Jake the bellhop continued to appear in scenes – sometimes bringing the bed and breakfast back to order.

Jake listening to Sam’s continuous complaints about the place and the people who were always dancing to songs that were played intermittently during the play.

Even Sam and Irene’s son Eddie got caught up in one of songs and danced on the table.

When the other bed and breakfast guests weren’t dancing, they were enjoying games and each other’s company.

Before long we realized that the D’Baquel family had some deep dark secrets, beginning with Brittany when she tried to cut her wrist and was tormented by demon guests. I was so caught up in the demon scene that I didn’t think to take a picture. It was so well done.

Eddie revealed a hatred for his father.

Irene displayed her secret addiction to alcohol.

One by one they began to turn over their baggage to Jake the bellhop, and we gradually began to recognize that he was Jesus Christ.

Brittany was the first to surrender her baggage to Him.

Relief was displayed on her face.

Irene was next to surrender her alcohol addiction.

Being relieved of her baggage.

Sam could not understand when his son Eddie gave up his baggage of hatred.

Sam kept resisting until just one stroke before midnight, when he realized that the bill from the bed and breakfast was too large for him to pay.

Sam began to understand and surrendered the entire weight of his baggage after Jake sacrificed his own life to pay the bill. In this setting, Jake did that by standing on the railing, spreading out his arms, and disappearing into the dark canyon.

Sam kept emptying his baggage until each sin was gone and forgiven.

Jake (Jesus) came back in white after his sacrificial death.

What a relief when the weight of his baggage was gone.

Another well-done play by The Promise Players.

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It was fun to meet Clarisse (desk clerk) afterwards when she introduced herself to us as the granddaughter of our friends Joe and Carol Fretz. We also met another actress (behind the couch in blue in picture #11) and learned that she was the daughter of my childhood friend Jean Keller Meck.