Holiday

69 pages

Flexible cast, approx. 6 - 8 m, 6 - 8 w

"Dear Santa" is composed of a number of short scenes that range from the hilarious to the touching. Many views of Santa are seen - from the point of view of the child who alphabetizes her Christmas list and sends it out in August as well as that of children at various stages of belief - and disbelief! Santa and his helpers shed light on many of the mysteries surrounding him, including why you don't always get the gift you ask for, how Santa delivers all those gifts in one night, how he finds children spending Christmas away from home, and how his power transc...

70 pages

4 m, 1 w, 3 male teens, 4 female teens, 1 girl, 2 flexible, extras

David and Ashley Johnson and their six children are excited about the upcoming holidays singing gleefully “I Can’t Wait for Christmas.” But like most families today, they are over-extended and over-committed! That’s why on Christmas Eve they still need to hit the mall to shop for gifts, stop at a local tree lot to buy the perfect tree, and once home, dig out the old decorations for said tree -- and the rest of the house! The family is so consumed with all the last-minute secular preparations they ignore the most important reasons for the holiday, even when th...

64 pages

Lead roles for 7 m, 7 w, 1 boy and 2 girls.

It's December, 1944. K-M-A-S Radio station manager Arthur Kensington hopes a special show will raise the ratings and advertising dollars, but his staff is in disarray. There's a dyslexic sound man, a poetry/drama queen, and pompous crew of actors, including one who has written a new radio play retelling the Nativity as a hard-boiled detective story. On top of that, everyone's hopes are dashed when an anticipated visit from the famous singing Andrews Sisters turns out to be the not-so-famous Epstein Cousins. Oh, and did we mention the orphans, the rival radio ...

20 pages

2 m, 3 w, 1 boy, 1 girl

Ted and Jane are hosting Ted’s mother and sister for Christmas. As they share memories of their childhood home (acted out live) it becomes clear that their perspectives about the past are very different. An on-going “falling off the ladder” gag adds to the laughs. Finally, Mom presents them each with a DVD featuring their old home movies. As they watch it together, the realization that perhaps they each had things better than they remember brings a lump to the throat and an appreciation for the value of family. Performing groups can be as creative as desired ...

64 pages

7 m, 5 w, 5 flexible, and kids (doubling possible)

A timeless masterpiece told in the spirit of La Frontera! This holiday ghost story is filled with thrills and chills to delight young and old alike. But more than a yuletide spectacle, this play is a tale of family, solitude, and redemption. By transplanting the familiar Dickens’ classic from Victorian England to the US/Mexican border, the story finds new life and cultural relevance. Though easily understood by English-speaking audiences, the play has a generous helping of español to add authenticity to the borderland story.

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...

28 pages

2 m, 3 w, 2 flexible parts

It's the day of Eleanor's annual church Christmas dinner for the poor. She's brought along her new boyfriend, Leo, to meet her grown granddaughter, Jane, for the first time. Jane has also brought along her new boyfriend, Bobby, to meet her grandmother. Unfortunately, they are so busy serving the dinner that the two couples do not get the chance for formal introductions. Through a series of misunderstandings, Eleanor soon thinks Bobby is one of the homeless people while Jane thinks Leo is an insane stalker. The confusion escalates until the final hilarious con...

56 pages

15 m, 6 w, extras

This dramatic comedy tells the story of a Christmas in 1938 in the small town of Comfort Falls: population 603. The cream of society is getting ready for their out-of-doors holiday extravaganza at the town bandstand until they find out that the local church is planning a "competing" program, their annual Christmas Eve pageant, also at the bandstand on the same night! The society set, lead by the Widow Jeffries, and the church drama troupe, defended by her long-suffering son-in-law Mayor Hoshpepper, are joined by a hilarious group of eccentric townspeople, inc...

59 pages

14 m, 13 w, much doubling possible

It's the 1880s and Dot Dallrimple and her friend May Fielding are Christmas shopping. A miserly store owner, Mr. Tackleton, has eyes for May and has her fiance Edward kidnapped and sent off to sea, never to return to England. Ten years pass with no word from Edward. Poor May has remained single, even though Tackleton has continued to court her. Meanwhile, Dot has married John Peerybingle and his delivery business has prospered. Two days before Christmas he brings home a ragged, mute stranger. In one awkward moment, John see his wife throw her arms around the ...

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 ...

58 pages

3 m, 6 w

Geraldine Pointer is a selfish woman whose materialism alienated both her husband and daughter. But years have passed, and something strange is happening to Geraldine. Although she never gives anything to anybody, her neighbors and friends are turning up with gifts and cards attributed to Geraldine, and in her own handwriting no less! First the cleaning lady receives a hundred dollar tip, then an old boyfriend gets a pure Italian silk tie, and finally the neighbor with the sick little boy gets money to help his recovery. Geraldine doesn't know what's going on...

50 pages

5 m, 9 w, 2 boys, 1 girl, extras

It's frantic in the Albert home. Mom is trying to direct a Christmas pageant that no one wants to be in. Dad, an obstetrician, is hoping he doesn't have to deliver any babies the night of the pageant so that he can attend. David, 12, is trying to avoid Victoria Monroe, the meanest girl in town, who insists she play Mary to his Joseph so that they can hold hands. Molly, 15, is worried and guilty when her dreaded math teacher, Miss Morris, informs her mom just how far Molly and her friends have begun harassing the new girl, Darlene. But some special Christmas m...

58 pages

7-8 m, 11 w.

In a small police station Julius Buttrum is having his usual difficult time meeting the demands of both his superior, Lt. Frank Rhule, and his girlfriend, Emily. The capture of the notorious Big Al Gang in this sleepy coastal community has touched off a panic at the station. As it is Christmas, Julius is the one who has to watch the gang throughout the holiday. However, the mild-mannered police officer is under the impression that the Big Al Gang is actually Santa Claus, his helpers and reindeer. Can Santa save Julius from his much put-upon life and bring him...

46 pages

7 m, 5 w, 11 teen girls, 3 teen boys.

The Davies’ house is a picture of confusion and complications this Christmas Day with the arrival of various extended family members and guests. No one can find Uncle John, there’s body glitter all over Kelly’s room, Sandy and her daughters have been doing something with feathers in the kitchen, and nobody knows what Nana Jane might do this year! But then a stranger appears who might be Sandy’s new boyfriend, Phil’s old friend from college, or (if we believe Grandpa) the mysterious Uncle Don from the Amazon. The stranger says nothing, and yet his soft smile i...

68 pages

6 m, 4 w (optional chorus for one carol)

This Christmas the folks affected by Ebenezer Scrooge's miserly ways hatch a plan to get him intoxicated and act out his life before his miserly little eyes, and force him to become "the most generous soul in London." That night as Scrooge imbibes "exceptionally fine" tea, the Cratchits and friends present several funny and poignant scenes of Christmases past, present, and future. Laughs abound as they try to convert the curmudgeon. Everyone's having a grand escapade but crafty old Scrooge isn't as drunk as he pretends. Amid the fun, each character learns a l...