Little Peace for Christmas
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 is calming to everyone, and things seem to get better all around him. As the various crises are resolved and the family is finally united, they ask the stranger to stay to share dinner with them. He gently declines, for he is, after all, needed many other places.
Productions
Behind The Scenes
PLAYWRIGHT TIM MOGFORD TALKS ABOUT
“A LITTLE PEACE FOR CHRISTMAS”
Q: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS PLAY?
A: Family homes during the holidays have always seemed to me naturally suited to comedy and pathos. I’ve also long been interested in how people react to silence – we tend to find our own meanings, or own conversations, when other people simply listen. These two ideas just came together when I wanted to write a play about the great potential blessings of Christmas from an unusual perspective. As with prayer, the characters find a new, more uplifting path by listening to what seems silence.
Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OR LINE IN THE PLAY? WHY?
A: I like Autumn’s reaction to the dinner arrangements. When she says that the death of the turkey has caused a “tremor in the zen bubble” she’s using words that I couldn’t actually put together like that with a straight face. She can and it’s reassuring to know someone can.
Q: WHERE DID THE CHARACTERS COME FROM?
ARE THEY BASED ON PEOPLE YOU KNOW?
A: I hope they’re based on people we all know. I’m pleading the fifth.
Q: WHAT DID YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS PLAY?
A: I wanted to write a piece that moved fast, with plenty of physical and verbal comedic possibilities, that would also make an audience walk away thinking about the mystery and joy that “Uncle Don from the Amazon” reveals. We don’t have to travel far to catch a glimpse of something truly wonderful.