Community Theatre Holiday Plays & Musicals

36 pages

2 m, 7 w, 3 boys, 2 girls, optional extras.

Two ladies in a rest home are arguing. Florence, who has never had a real family Christmas, fantasizes that a family would come along and take her in for the holiday, but of course no family would put themselves out that way. Yes, they would, says her roommate Myrna who has had years of storybook Christmases with her five children. To prove their differing viewpoints, they invent the fictitious Genevieve, a little old lady in a rest home near Myrna's children in Idaho. If one of them will agree to take “her” in, Florence will really believe in Christmas. Dram...

55 pages

4 m, 5 w, 2 girls

J. D. Morse has been looking high and low for a special Christmas gift for his grandson. Finally, as a last resort, he wanders into Nick's Emporium, an old-fashioned store chock full of all sorts of gifts and knickknacks. He has a hard time explaining to Nick what he's looking for, but finds himself falling under the old storekeeper's spell. Just when Morse is about to buy something, he runs to the street to chase kids away from his car. When he returns, he finds the store suddenly dark and quiet. A policeman then shows up to run him off because, "This place ...

15 pages

9 to 18 students

The Christmas Stockings, Sugarplums, Snowflakes, Rudolph, and Santa Claus have decided they are tired of hearing "I want, I want." Children just never give them a break. They are going to strike. But when a serious accident occurs, everybody does a complete about-face, and once again the real meaning of Christmas is accentuated. One act.

69 pages

4 m, 7 w, extras

Ever since tragedy befell Grandpa Howard on Christmas Eve 25 years earlier, he makes life miserable for everyone including himself. He won't let Mrs. Howard borrow his car for a fund-raising drive and won't listen to a plea from Mr. Howard and daughter Susan to borrow money for a very important business deal for Susan's boyfriend. Young Larry and the neighborhood pest, Betty, are constantly running afoul of Grandpa's temper. Pathos and fantasy come from Grandpa's dreamy reminiscing over the beautiful girl who was once his wife the humor arises from the hilari...

62 pages

4 m, 5 w, extras

It's winter in a poor coal mining town in the early 1900s. When a foundling baby girl appears on the doorsteps of the company store, Annie, the possessive wife of the proprietor, takes a shine to her. But Arly, who works at the store and makes Christmas presents for all the kids in town, learns that Francine is the real mother. Francine loves the baby, but is too poor to raise her with her other daughter. A cave-in at the mine sows tragedy among the miners and their families and complicates matters further. Francine, who has lost her husband in the disaster, ...

57 pages

Flexible cast and performance time

Here are four plays tailor-made for traveling with minimal props and scenery. In "The Christmas Caper" (9 parts), Santa is kidnapped by a little-known fairytale character who just wants to be popular. In "The Night of the New and Improved Christmas" (9 parts), a Madison Avenue public relations firm wants to update Santa and the whole holiday tradition. In "Christmas With the Cratchits" (8 parts), Tiny Tim's family is ecstatic when they think they've won the lottery. In "Million Dollar Christmas" (11 parts), three of the most miserly people ever known must giv...

56 pages

5 m, 5 w, extra children

Ray awakens from a coma to learn that the country is celebrating Christmas every month, (Hanukkah every quarter), in order to stimulate the economy. “A Christmas Carol” is constantly playing at the local community theatre, Christmas lights blaze all night, and there’s enough fruitcake to choke a camel. Ray himself is different and his bitter attitude is affecting his fiancée, Mary. When she expresses her frustration with not being able to stop the multiple Christmases, and more importantly, with Ray’s behavior, he pulls a stunt that lands him in jail. There h...

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...

26 pages

2 m, 5 w, 3 flexible

This time it's not Ebenezer Scrooge but his grandson, Engelbert, who is "bah humbugging." The fun begins when the first ghost, a lovely young lady, pops in, intent on showing the crotchety old executive a grand tour of Christmases past. Add to this merry melange another two ghosts, a snippy secretary, and carolers, and the result is a hilarious situation that Dickens couldn't possibly have foreseen. One act.

13 pages

Flexible cast

Abigail Scrooge, the epitome of the school marm, doesn't care about Christmas or all the homework she's assigned over the holiday, UNTIL the ghost of Josephine Marley haunts her along with the spirits of assignments past, present and future. The play spoofs not only the original classic, but also schools and teachers. Easy to produce. One act.

26 pages

Approx. 11 m, 9 w, and extra children.

This is one Christmas Eve you'll want to spend out of town - with the friendly folks of Nazareth, Texas. Modern day scenes with the flavor and poignancy of "Steel Magnolias" bring the Christmas story to life. From the Chic 'N Sassy beauty shop where Rhonda Gae learns she is pregnant, to the Starlight Motel where Leona helps a poor young couple find refuge, to a lonely farmhouse where the lost Jubilee Trio singers deliver gifts to an infant, you'll see the Christmas story unfold in a very special way. A Christmas Spirit introduces the scenes and ties the play ...

76 pages

5 m, 5 w, 1 girl

“Who IS that guy?” That’s what they’re asking each other at the local police station when Santa Claus shows up handing out gifts. This Santa seems to know them all so well…but they haven’t a clue who he is. It’s not like they haven’t seen people dressed for the holidays, especially since Earlene visits costumed first as an elf and then as a big bunny. Even Chief Culpepper has been known to don the Santa suit. As if this weren’t enough to keep them guessing, state investigator Russell Brooks arrives to check on some irregularities. It doesn’t take long for Bro...

17 pages

2 m, 8 w (doubling possible) 1 b, 1 g, and carolers

This turn-of-the-century Christmas is going to be a white one for bachelor Robert Kelley: white because his white lie has caught up with him! His boss, who only hires family men, wants to meet Robert's wife and kids. Robert decides to rent a family but has to disqualify several zany applicants. He is desperate until he spies sweet Mary O'Riley selling fruit. This one-act play is lighthearted, easy-to-stage and includes suggestions for favorite carols as well as one new song.

32 pages

4 m, 6 w, extras

Accident-prone Arnold is so big and awkward that when accidents happen, they happen big. When Carol asks him over for Christmas Eve, her family is in a panic, not knowing whether their liability insurance will cover everything. His run-in with Miss Gertrude, the choir director, and her carolers brings misery to all. Dianne and Carol get their heads together along with Jack and decide that Constance, a psychology major, is the answer. She helps Arnold - until he happily gets into his car. Laugh your way into the Christmas spirit with this one!

60 pages

4 m, 4 w, 4 children

One Christmas Eve, as carolers gather about a fire, a young boy who cannot sleep discovers a book on his desk. As he opens it, the portraits of his ancestors come alive to take him through the journey of its story. The book, of course, is "A Christmas Carol" and in his travels, the boy meets a man on another journey, Ebenezer Scrooge in the company of the Spirits. This is a startlingly different adaptation of Charles Dickens' Christmas classic. The use of the three Ancestors to do the narration provides an active way to tell the story. These master raconteurs...