The Unexpectedly Epic Christmas Play
When a high school performance of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” goes south and several main characters walk out mid-performance, it is up to Nick to save the day. In the original script Nick only has two lines, and he hasn't paid much attention during rehearsals to know the entire plot, but if he doesn't at least try, his girlfriend will fail the class and get kicked off the lacrosse team. On stage with a mission to rescue her and the Christmas play, Nick and several of his classmates set out on a fun and sometimes confusing tale of teamwork, self-sacrifice, and a lot of improvisation!
Productions
Behind The Scenes
What inspired you to write this play?
I write a Christmas play for my honors group each year. This year I wanted to write a hectic fast paced comedy about a play that was falling apart from the inside. I thought using flats to show which side of the stage the action was coming from would be a lot of fun. (and it was!) Of course, as a child of the 80's and someone who grew up watching Rudolph and Frosty, there are a lot of influences from those shows present.
What's your favorite part or line in the play? Why?
It took several times of running the scene with the Christmas Gooch for us to not break character. I absolutely love the idea of this character being played by a hyper-serious high school method actor who doesn't play around. The actor that played the actual role couldn't be farther from that type of person in real life, but he nailed it in the show. Plus, the outfit we put on the Gooch was outstanding. We had too much fun with this scene.
Where did the characters come from? Are they based on people you know?
A lot of the characters were written with the high school students that would be playing them in mind. However, the role of Keith, was written with my father in law in mind. He passed away at the end of September of this year and was a funny, but really dry and laid back person. I wrote that character with him in mind specifically. The girl who played Blake was indeed Jewish (and proudly so), and Ben and Max were played by two actors that were basically allowed to be themselves on stage. All of these characters have shades of typical teenagers, and that's why I think it works as well as it does.
What did you try to achieve with this play?
We're always looking to laugh and have fun on stage. This play really allowed us to do that and I hope it does the same for you. Christmas plays are always so magical and full of color and we just wanted to bring that, and a bit of chaos to the holiday season.
Do you have anything else you'd like to add?
I am perfectly fine with small alterations to fit your situation. Please contact Eldridge if you have any questions. I can also answer questions on Facebook or through my website (brenthollandplays.com).