Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Christmas

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Squeegle
Player
Player

Joined: 3/20/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11

Topic: Christmas
Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:17am

am looking for a full length Christmas play. I am part of a small community theater. Casting shows over 10 to 15 people is difficult. We have done all the "classic" Christmas plays...from It's a Wonderful Life...to A Christmas Story...I am wondering if there is anything else out there...???

Help!!

Thanks!!

Miranda Koontz

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bronco1pat
Walk-On
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Joined: 3/30/11
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6

Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:48am

Inspecting Carol is a great show to do, about a community theatre doing a christmas carol, very funny, sort of has a noises off feel to it as well.. did great for me!

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bnk01
Lead
Lead

Joined: 9/05/09
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 32

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:03am

The Christmas Princess!
Funny, heartwarming, great for kids.
Download a perusal copy for free at
http://youthplays.com/plays/view/122#
or read about it here:
http://www.arthurjolly.com/princess.html

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donzolidis
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Joined: 5/15/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 156

Posted: 8/24/11 at 5:22pm

I have one that might work for you - "A Tiny Miracle with a Fiberoptic Unicorn" - here's the blurb:

"In the winter of 1986, thirteen-year-old Louis vows to kiss the love of his life, the quirky theater queen Carolyn, before Christmas. Standing in his way are the forces of puberty, his big-haired vitriolic older sister, his anal-retentive mother, and his eternally amused father. The surprise arrival of both grandmothers, each crazy in their own way, throws the family into turmoil and cracks Louis' world wide open."

It's very Neil-Simon-y and was just done by the Waukesha Community Theatre (Dramagoon); they had a great time with it. You can read the play for free here:

http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1426

www.donzolidis.com

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edh915
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Joined: 11/19/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 325

Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:44pm

We're doing one this year called FrUiTCaKeS, by Julian Wiles.

Think, "Christmas in Mayberry."

Funny characters and a "lump in your throat" happy ending.

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KeeKeeDee
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Player

Joined: 8/08/07
Location: Japan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 21

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:40pm

Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge

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jonplaywright
Star
Star

Joined: 7/20/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 53

Posted: 8/26/11 at 1:24am

Arthur Jolly's The Christmas Princess is indeed a great choice, particularly since its cast isn't too large. But try this link instead:
http://youthplays.com/plays/view/122

Cheers,
Jonathan

Co-Chair, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights
Resident Playwright, Final Draft

YouthPLAYS, plays for young actors and audiences
www.youthplays.com

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falstaff29
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Joined: 9/17/04
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 155

Posted: 8/26/11 at 1:40am

Hmmm . . .

Depends on your audience, how risque you can get, how outside the box. On the naughtier side, Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer by David Cerda and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode are possibilities.

It's not full-length, but Thornton Wilder's The Long Christmas Dinner is a moving piece.

Then there are some good to great plays that take place at Christmastime but are only nominally about the season: The Lion in Winter, The Seafarer, Reckless, Period of Adjustment.

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MartyW
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Joined: 2/02/04
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 555

Posted: 9/01/11 at 9:03am

One of my favorites is "Charles Dickens' a Christmas Carol: A Traveling Travesty in two tumultuous acts" This is anything but your normal Christmas carol. Small cast, lots of fun for cast and audience. It is a play within a play. The traveling reparatory theater "Stykes Upon Thump" are doing their 15th annual farewell performance of a Christmas carol. In true rep form, each actor takes on multiple characters. This is compounded when the company Diva decides she isn’t in the mood to perform and feigns ill. The other actors all shift roles to make the show go on. Which is fine till the Diva discovers they went on without her, comes back to claim her role (which the stand in does not want to give up) and all heck breaks loose! Fights on stage, costume sanfu's, and basically anything that can go wrong, does. All the way to the set collapsing around the performers in the final scene... Check it out for something different.

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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Play Suggestions
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Play Suggestions

Author	Message
Squeegle Player Joined: 3/20/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 11	Topic: Christmas Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:17am
	am looking for a full length Christmas play. I am part of a small community theater. Casting shows over 10 to 15 people is difficult. We have done all the "classic" Christmas plays...from It's a Wonderful Life...to A Christmas Story...I am wondering if there is anything else out there...??? Help!! Thanks!! Miranda Koontz
	MK

	IP Logged

bronco1pat Walk-On Joined: 3/30/11 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:48am
	Inspecting Carol is a great show to do, about a community theatre doing a christmas carol, very funny, sort of has a noises off feel to it as well.. did great for me!
	IP Logged

bnk01 Lead Joined: 9/05/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 32	Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:03am
	The Christmas Princess! Funny, heartwarming, great for kids. Download a perusal copy for free at http://youthplays.com/plays/view/122# or read about it here: http://www.arthurjolly.com/princess.html
	IP Logged

donzolidis Celebrity Joined: 5/15/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 156	Posted: 8/24/11 at 5:22pm
	I have one that might work for you - "A Tiny Miracle with a Fiberoptic Unicorn" - here's the blurb: "In the winter of 1986, thirteen-year-old Louis vows to kiss the love of his life, the quirky theater queen Carolyn, before Christmas. Standing in his way are the forces of puberty, his big-haired vitriolic older sister, his anal-retentive mother, and his eternally amused father. The surprise arrival of both grandmothers, each crazy in their own way, throws the family into turmoil and cracks Louis' world wide open." It's very Neil-Simon-y and was just done by the Waukesha Community Theatre (Dramagoon); they had a great time with it. You can read the play for free here: http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1426
	www.donzolidis.com
	IP Logged

edh915 Celebrity Joined: 11/19/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:44pm
	We're doing one this year called FrUiTCaKeS, by Julian Wiles. Think, "Christmas in Mayberry." Funny characters and a "lump in your throat" happy ending.
	IP Logged

KeeKeeDee Player Joined: 8/08/07 Location: Japan Online Status: Offline Posts: 21	Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:40pm
	*Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge*
	IP Logged

jonplaywright Star Joined: 7/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 53	Posted: 8/26/11 at 1:24am
	Arthur Jolly's *The Christmas Princess* is indeed a great choice, particularly since its cast isn't too large. But try this link instead: http://youthplays.com/plays/view/122 Cheers, Jonathan
	Co-Chair, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights Resident Playwright, Final Draft YouthPLAYS, plays for young actors and audiences www.youthplays.com
	IP Logged

falstaff29 Celebrity Joined: 9/17/04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 155	Posted: 8/26/11 at 1:40am
	Hmmm . . . Depends on your audience, how risque you can get, how outside the box. On the naughtier side, Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer by David Cerda and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode are possibilities. It's not full-length, but Thornton Wilder's The Long Christmas Dinner is a moving piece. Then there are some good to great plays that take place at Christmastime but are only nominally about the season: The Lion in Winter, The Seafarer, Reckless, Period of Adjustment.
	IP Logged

MartyW Celebrity Joined: 2/02/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 555	Posted: 9/01/11 at 9:03am
	One of my favorites is "Charles Dickens' a Christmas Carol: A Traveling Travesty in two tumultuous acts" This is anything but your normal Christmas carol. Small cast, lots of fun for cast and audience. It is a play within a play. The traveling reparatory theater "Stykes Upon Thump" are doing their 15th annual farewell performance of a Christmas carol. In true rep form, each actor takes on multiple characters. This is compounded when the company Diva decides she isn’t in the mood to perform and feigns ill. The other actors all shift roles to make the show go on. Which is fine till the Diva discovers they went on without her, comes back to claim her role (which the stand in does not want to give up) and all heck breaks loose! Fights on stage, costume sanfu's, and basically anything that can go wrong, does. All the way to the set collapsing around the performers in the final scene... Check it out for something different.
	Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.."
	IP Logged

Topic: Christmas