Ready-to-Go Scripture Skits That Teach Serious Stuff 

I tell everyone who asks where I get ideas for skits and games to order the Ready-to-Go series from Saint Mary's Press and they won't regret it. The kids love it! I love it because they have fun while learning!

[Young] people still "hang" on good stories, and these skits help INVOLVE them in the wonderful retelling of the Good News in ways that engage their senses. These skits help me do more than just creatively retell the story; they give me a chance to MAKE THE TEENS A PART OF THE STORY . . . and that is a great help to me as a presenter. You've heard the phrase, "A few fries short of a Happy Meal." This collection of Scripture skits is like a Happy Meal full of extra toys! The laughter and connection it brings are great tools in sharing the Gospel message with my young McFriends.

Attention! Here is a great resource for your youth ministry programs. Five stars to Michael Theisen and Saint Mary's Press! On our high school retreat, we used three of these Scripture skits, and the young people gave them rave reviews. "They are fun, crazy, and I even learned something!" said one young man. Do not wait for the reruns or the DVD version. This is a long-awaited interactive tool for engaging young people with the Scriptures.

Mike Theisen's Ready-to-Go Scripture Skits is a must-have resource for every age!An exciting and incredible blend of zany humor, audience participation, reflection, conversation, and catechesis, Ready-to-Go Scripture Skits delivers an all-encompassing experience that builds community, informs, energizes, and inspires—with a high probability for laughter, tears, and transformation.Absolutely no yawning will occur.

Ready-to-Go Scripture Skits are a great way to get youth and adults thinking about and talking about the Scriptures. The laughter is a doorway to the important messages of life in familiar Scripture stories. The skits would be a dynamic way to bring a parish community together through laughter and study of the word. What a great way to connect with the Scriptures for the coming Sunday liturgy!

Our teens immediately saw the connections between the Gospel story and their own lives. Want proof? They asked, "Can we do another one next time?"

Fun! Interesting and thought-provoking! What a great way to bring vital teachings to life. Guaranteed to inject the Scriptures into our memory banks for the rest of our lives.

I can always use new melodrama skits, as they work well to add participation to my message and require little preparation. Not only are these skits clever—they contain full lessons to follow up the humor. I especially liked the purposeful questions and uncomplicated activities, along with a full lesson plan using many learning styles. I was pleasantly surprised.

There is more to these 10 sessions than spontaneous Scripture skits that will have your teens laughing. Each is followed by commentary that provides more background on the Scripture passage presented in the skit, then time for an engaging activity and discussion. Few props are used and no lines need to be memorized. The sessions are excellent for youth groups, retreats, and religious education or intergenerational programs.

"Are you ready for a completely different way of teaching?" asks author Michael Theisen in Ready-to-Go Scripture Skits (That Teach Serious Stuff). Then he presents a fascinating new form of involving teens in learning through Scripture. There are three acts—or, as he calls them, movements—to each session.

Act 1 engages the group by involving the learners in a Scripture skit. Each skit is quite a bit different from the biblical story we are accustomed to hearing during liturgy. It requires volunteer actors, the youth leader as director/narrator, and an involved audience. As Theisen explains, "These Scripture skits are ready-to-go, they give no time for line memorization or character development—it's improv or bust!" The director reads the script (a slight variation from the exact words of Scripture) and the actors and the audience must do exactly what is read when it is read. The director knows that no one is sate from a Scripture skit, especially the audience. The point here is to grab the attention of both audience and actors.

Act 2 takes the group to another level of insight regarding the Scripture story, a level where its meaning will inform our time. The story is now read as it appears in Scripture. Then a series of commentaries are given to connect the historical meanings of the story with its meanings for today.

Act 3 brings the audience back to their own lives and helps them relate the story and its themes to themselves. This is done first through reflection and discussion in small-group settings of four to six people. Finally, the last phase, the Curtain Call, gathers together the whole group to share their thoughts and ideas about the entire experience.

Through these skits, teens experience and learn from Gospel stories such as "Abraham and Isaac," "Samson," "The Temptations of Jesus," "The Good Samaritan," "The Prodigal Son," and more. Youth ministers and high school religion teachers will find Ready-to-Go Scripture Skits most helpful for use during regular religious education classes, youth gatherings, and retreats.