Quicky Christmas Show??
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
Forum Discription: Need help finding a show that's right for your theater? Ask here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5571
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 12:38am
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Topic: Quicky Christmas Show??
Posted By: Majicwrench
Subject: Quicky Christmas Show??
Date Posted: 11/05/14 at 4:15pm
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Decided a month or so ago would not do a Christmas play this year. Now getting it from all sides, might change my mind.
So, am pondering, do you have a fav quick and easy Xmas show?? Have done Christmas Carol twice in last ten years. Have very little budget. We are a tiny troupe in a tiny town, have plenty of good people, but need something I can put together in 4-5 weeks.
Thoughts??
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Replies:
Posted By: Martin
Date Posted: 11/06/14 at 5:42am
Reindeer Games: A Christmas Pageant for Young and Old! Published by Lazy Bee Scripts. www.lazybeescripts.co.uk
Minimum Male roles = 8. Minimum Female roles = 5. Minimum total with doubling = 22. Minimum total without doubling = 57. Chorus. Could be done with a lot of doubling, but is intended as a large-cast piece.Suitable for a mixed-age group. For school groups, church groups, and community theatre.
Doubling, tripling possible, gender flexibility. The more the merrier!
Running time: 55-60 minutes.
Synopsis: Reindeer Games: A Christmas Pageant for Young and Old! is an evening of ragtag holiday merry-making, festivity, revelry, audience participation, happy yuletide songs, and jollification featuring: Elves, Fairies, Children, Choristers, Ancient Citizens, The Christmas Bear, Red Riding Hood and The Wolf, Rudolph and Clarisse, a holiday quiz show, The Giant Blunderbore, the retelling of the old mummers tale, Saint George and the Dragon, and Father Christmas himself!
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Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 11/06/14 at 9:16pm
"Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" by Tom Mula - parts of which can be done readers theatre style.
"The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge" Single set. Good show. Might be able to swing it.
"Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)" - If you've ever seen "The Complete Works of Shakespeare - Abridged", it's a holiday show in the same vein. Prop intensive, but free wheeling enough that you might pull it off.
Or there's "It's A Wonderful Life, The Radio Show" - The actors perform it as though they were broadcasting a radio show. The actors get to carry their scripts. You just need to have sound effects. (This is an idea you can actually carry over into any show you'd like: "Blah, Blah, Blah - The Radio Show" -- Might work. -- "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol", the Tom Mula show, would work very well as a "Radio Show"
Break a leg!
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Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 11/07/14 at 11:46am
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Good ideas all.
I like the reader's theatre thought...might work something like that radio show. Would ease my mind having something we can do without weeks of rehearsal.
Off topic a bit, , I have seen "The Complete Works of Will" twice and never have really liked it...
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Posted By: Thudster
Date Posted: 11/07/14 at 3:05pm
Tiny troupe in a tiny town sounds like my situation. I've got one I've been performing, "The Christmas Present". It's a short one (10 minutes or so), minimal set, 4 actors and a card girl. I can send it to you if you'd like.
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"Hey look! That's my dad up there whacking himself with silverware!"
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Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 11/07/14 at 3:59pm
Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 11/07/14 at 8:31pm
Majicwrench - re: The Complete Works of Will...
Professional productions? or Amateur?
A key component to the success of the production (which I'm not "wild" about myself, but audiences enjoy it) is that the three actors absolutely must have three distinct personality types - the Serious one, the Amiable one, and the Manchild/Gay one. The interactions of the three "types" inform as subtext and maintain directorial cohesion.
Many amateur productions miss that aspect (or worse: overplay it).
Happy Holidays!!!
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Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 11/10/14 at 12:44pm
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Re:CW of Will, once it was a professional production, once amateur. Just wasn't my thing.
THUDSTER, thanks for the script, fun little skit, maybe...
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Posted By: Thudster
Date Posted: 11/10/14 at 1:27pm
Thanks. It was originally a darker drama, but people started laughing with it so I rewrote it that way. It's been specifically adapted for the stage and event we perform it at.
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"Hey look! That's my dad up there whacking himself with silverware!"
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Posted By: Ogreking4
Date Posted: 11/10/14 at 3:40pm
I also recommend "Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)" though there are a lot of lines for three actors and the props can be many...
Have you looked at "A Mostly Minnesota Christmas"?
http://www.hitplays.com/default.aspx?pg=sd&st=MOSTLY+MINNESOTA+CHRISTMAS&p=4319
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Posted By: bnk01
Date Posted: 12/31/14 at 9:30am
Obviously, I missed the deadline on this post - but for next year, look at "The Christmas Princess" - funny, original, and well received.
http://www.arthurjolly.com/princess.html
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