74 pages
5 m, 6 w, 6 boys, 4 girls
Emily Ainsley, an idealistic young lady, is trying to provide a home to young orphans, and that's not an easy task in London in 1867. She rents space from a greedy businessman, Aloysius Penningham, but gets behind in the payments. He proposes marriage to her (so that he can manage her future inheritance) or threatens eviction if she refuses. Harrold, an angel in the guise of a gentleman, starts to work on Penningham, while other well-meaning folk attempt to help Mrs. Fritzroy-Palmer locate her long lost daughter. A ragtag band of pickpockets creates havoc and...
42 pages
3 m, 2 w, 1 girl
Father Christmas has been kidnapped! And it's only a week ’til Christmas! Facing disaster, Mother Christmas calls the Council of Fictional Christmas Characters (who have developed some humorous quirks since their stories ended) to solve the crime in this comical Yuletide mystery spoof. With bright dialogue, plot twists and comic confrontations, this show is for everyone! Mother Christmas, Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Jack Frost, the heroes of O. Henry’s “Gift of the Magi” and the strange little girl Want from “A Christmas Carol” join forces to bring their Victorian-...
53 pages
Flexible cast of 10 to 34
Meet a theatre troupe whose Christmas spirit sparkles far more than their acting talent! In this two-act collection of comedy scenes, amateur thespians are preparing a Christmas Eve production at the community center, but nothing is working right. Meet Jordan, who demands fresh flowers in his dressing room (the broom closet); Nicky, whose Christmas monologue is "enhanced" with all the wrong sound effects; and Red who's more than a little worried that Marley's ghost haunts the backstage. Boss, the director, is about to lose his mind! And it doesn't help that L...
69 pages
4 m, 5 w
Missing the Christmas spirit? Has the Yuletide you up in knots? Then subscribe to the Herald Tribune, where editor J.J. Garnes makes sure he uses the holiday to his own advantage, whether it be to expose the crooked mayor or sell a few more issues with just the right angle. And he thinks he finds that angle when he receives a letter from a small boy who "don't want no more Christmases." Delilah and Sarah, Garnes' assistants, are equally cynical until they find a "Wish Moose," a Christmas ornament that grants their fondest wishes. Do they believe? It's up to B...
56 pages
7 m, 7 w + ensemble. (Some doubling possible)
This much loved tale is mostly known as a ballet. However, it began as a classic story of literature by a German author, E.T.A. Hoffmann. The story involves an eccentric inventor whose nephew has been turned into a nutcracker doll by a curse. In order to break the enchantment, the Nutcracker must destroy the Mouse King and find the love of a maiden even in his wooden state. Clara, the inventor's godchild, receives the Nutcracker as a Christmas gift and falls instantly in love with the wooden doll. In a fantasy world, where all the toys come to life, Clara hel...
63 pages
4 m, 10 w, 1 flexible
It's 1841 and Christmas at Moor Manor doesn't promise to be a happy one. The two daughters of the late Lord Fairchild deeply mourn their father's death. Lady Fairchild has invited her old pupil, now Queen Victoria, and her new husband Prince Albert, for Christmas hoping their presence will cheer her daughters. But the girls act even worse than before. On Christmas Eve, as they are about to run away, they bump into five orphans who have been hiding in the house stealing food. Roused by the commotion, Queen Victoria devises a plan for their "punishment." The or...
28 pages
3 m, 5 w, 7 flexible.
Theatrical producer J.W. Allsworth is putting together a spectacular holiday production promising to use 100 authentic elves for the big finale. Phelps, the head elf at the North Pole, says he will have the exact number of singers and dancers at the first rehearsal. He’ll keep it as a surprise for Santa when the money earned will pay off the workshop mortgage. But when Phelps comes up short of elves because Santa has already downsized the staff, Phelps must organize a worldwide search for all past employees. He finally comes up with exactly the required numbe...
63 pages
8 m, 7 w, 1 boy, 1 girl, extras
Jack Thompson's kids are fighting non-stop this Christmas. Yet the season holds wonderful memories for Jack. He relates the story of his family's magical Christmas back in 1965 when life could not be worse. The stage comes alive with Jack, now 13, with his dad about to lose his business. Mom is worried about the two girls they are sheltering from an abusive home. Grandma, newly widowed, has come to live with them while irresponsible Aunt Hilda and her over-pampered son, Little Claude, arrive for an extended visit. Jack's older sister, Corrie, has a boyfriend ...
61 pages
3 m, 6 w, 1 flexible, 2 girls doubling possible
You ever get a Christmas letter? You know, one of those notes inserted into a Christmas card tell you way more than you ever wanted to know about the senders? Karen Brookshire loves writing them. With a boy-crazy daughter, a smarty-pants son and a klutzy husband she has her hands full. So Karen has to write their Christmas letter by herself recalling such events as their daughter's first date, which unfortunately occurred at the same time as two overly-adoring aunts were visiting, and their son's high school graduation where he not only won the embarrassing...
34 pages
4 m, 3 w, 4 flexible, extras
Santa’s elves, Flip and Twip, are sent to help Mrs. Santa with her last-minute preparations for Christmas Eve. The two elves spin mischief, but real trouble arrives in the form of King Sarak and his spoiled son, Prince Horace. By royal decree, Horace’s Christmas stocking must include all the toys in the land! When Santa refuses, offering instead to visit Prince Horace in the usual manner, the King has the toys seized, thus jeopardizing the merriment of Christmas. With Mrs. Santa’s guidance, plus cooperation between Flip and Twip, as well as lots of audience i...
21 pages
4 m, 2 w
It's Christmas time. An old man sits in his sitting room eating his porridge. Just then Marley bursts in and begins to rattle his chains, scaring the man half to death. You all know the story or do you? "I have come to save you from a horrible fate, Ebenezer Scrooge!" Marley shrieks. "I'm not Scrooge!" the man points out. "He moved!" Sure enough, Marley is at the wrong house. Not only the wrong house but on the wrong night. "This is Christmas eve EVE," the old man tells him. "I'm sorry, I've been dead!" Marley alibis. Then the other three ghosts show up. "Wil...
36 pages
7 m, 7 w, 3 flexible, extras
In this lightly-interactive dinner theatre play, King Scrydan is so cheap that he can’t even pay attention. And if he did, he would know that everyone calls him Scrooge behind his back. Coming from beyond Jamaica, his dearly-departed brother Marley tells him, “Bredda, yuh inna big chobble. Yuh be too gravelicious. But me cyan 'elp yuh wit dat problem.” Luckily, Marley has brought along his Jamaican-to-English interpreter who can translate. Marley warns Scrydan that if he does not change his skinflint ways, it will lead to a fate worse than death. Scrydan will...