Ephesus Schmephesus
Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran
Genre: Comedy
Cast size: 3
Duration: 15 - 20 mins approx
Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran| Comedy | One Act | 2m, 1f
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
In 2011 the Bush Theatre in London moved from a room over a pub in Shepherd’s Bush, to a swanky new home in a former public library. Coincidentally, this move took place exactly 400 years after the publication of the King James Bible, so Josie Rourke, Director of the Bush, mounted a festival of 66 new short plays, one for each book of the Bible. Laurence and Maurice take up the story...
"Most of the plays were serious. Many of the plays were religious. Ours is neither. When approached we didn’t have a favourite book of the Bible, but if we had we doubted that it would come from the New Testament. However, when we were told that St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the shortest books, that’s the one we chose.
We were intrigued by St Paul because he was such an enthusiastic letter-writer. He dashed off more epistles than we’ve had salt beef sandwiches. We couldn’t help wondering what his poor mother thought of all of this nonsense. One minute she has a nice observant Jewish son called Saul, then he takes a trip to Damascus, a very popular holiday destination at the time, has a vision, changes his name, announces he’s a saint and starts eating shellfish."
What’s a Jewish mother to do? Send for the rabbi, of course. Rabbi Mordachai is a wise old sage, who knows the Bible backwards…which is a problem because everyone else only knows it forwards. Can he persuade Saul, sorry Paul, to turn his back on the gimmicky new religion – Christianity – or will Miriam have to put up with Paul’s twelve best friends moving in and eating her out of house and home?
Applying for and paying royalties
To apply for royalties, please complete the form on our apply for royalties page.
To pay for fixed fee royalties having received your Quotation from us, please go to this payment form.
More information
If you require any additional information regarding this script, please don’t hesitate to contact us here.
Frequently asked questions
Can we try before we buy?
Of course! All our plays and pantomimes have a free Preview Script available for download as an A4 pdf file that contains 60-75% of the full script. If you like what you read then you can buy an inexpensive e-script of the entire play (typically less than half the cost of a traditional printed script) which is licensed to you for your personal use. Purchasing a script copying licence allows you to make just enough copies to support rehearsals and performances.
All our musicals are included in our perusal service. Through this, representatives of producing organisations can request a USB Stick of perusal material which comprise the script/libretto and piano/vocal score as PDF files; a Cast (or Studio) Recording as MP3 files and (where available) an MP4 file video of either the premiere production or of a subsequent production.
Some titles have the facility to read the entire script online on our website.
Do we need a Licence To Perform?
The simple answer is, yes.
Under the international laws of copyright, you must be in possession of a valid, unexpired licence before performing any piece of theatre unless the owner or managers of the copyright has waived their rights.
Why do you insist on providing a formal royalties quotation?
When you request a quotation, it is logged in our system, it forms part of an orderly queue and protects your place in that queue should multiple licensing requests occur for the same show.
Need help?
Contact us
If you need help with our scripts, please contact our customer service team, we would be more than happy to help.
Established for over 25 years
Unearthing future talent
Stagescripts is a trusted licensing company run by theatre professionals with decades of experience on and off stage. Our curated catalogue includes over 1,000 carefully selected plays, musicals, and pantomimes — from fresh, undiscovered writing to well-loved classics.
We’re passionate about helping theatre-makers at every level discover scripts that inspire, challenge, and connect with audiences. Whether you're staging a village hall production or leading a professional company, our team offers expert advice, flexible support, and a responsive, personal service to help your next performance shine.
