Adult Christmas

28 pages

3 m, 5 w, 8 flexible, children, doubling possible

Whispering Pines is a small, homey assisted living facility, but for how long? On the death of the owner, the facility has passed to his daughter, who is determined to unload this “albatross.” She has lined up buyers but there’s only one problem. Or really, six problems: the current residents. And together they agree they are not going out without a fight! Knowing that the new owner must find another facility to take them in, they come up with a plan. It’s an elaborate scheme that will ensure that no one else will accept them. So “Operation: Whispering Pines”...

52 pages

5 m, 5 w, 2 flexible. Doubling possible.

Come on back to a simpler time and visit the folks at Juneberry this Christmas! Things seem peaceful at the courthouse on Christmas Eve, and Sheriff Randy Baylor thinks that is mighty fine. His deputy, Arnie Nife, couldn't disagree more. Arnie is tired of the lack of action happening in the small town. Even locking up Curtis, the town drunk, isn't exactly cheering him up. When a few robberies start getting reported and a couple of carolers go missing while singing for the town, boring Juneberry gets real busy, real fast! Come join the citizens of Juneberry, w...

40 pages

7 m, 7 w

In this rest home-clinic setting on Christmas Eve, a group of people are waiting to see the doctor. Among them are Detroit Louie, the hard-hearted pickpocket; Harry, his dumb, but loyal right-hand man; John and Cara, who have just brought their father to be committed permanently and the Old Man, who refuses to believe his son would do such a thing. Also present are Mrs. Aiken, the hypochondriac, and the Blind Girl, who believes strongly in helping others; and Angel No. 2, who is on probation. She must make this mission count in order to get her wings back. Sh...

38 pages

4 m, 4 w [1 is a teenager]

Without their knowledge, the residents of the sleepy country town of Mistletoe Ridge are about to be on national television. When TV producer Nash Adams is stranded in the town and forced to stay at the Pear Tree Inn, he meets the proprietor, Trixiebelle Partridge – and a few other colorful residents who are obsessed with the Christmas holidays. With the Tearjerker Television Network’s failing ratings, Nash Adams realizes that an undercover Christmas special about them would be the perfect solution!

Add in apocal...

52 pages

3 m, 4 w, 3 flexible

Just sit right back and you’ll see a tale of a fateful trip, with seven familiar passengers, but with a few new twists! Join Captain Clipper; his first mate Gulligan; the billionaire Houston Powell and his wife; the movie star Scarlett Rooney; the dean; and the sweet farm girl Kari Ann Winters in this parody full of laughs and adventure. The castaways have become stranded on a deserted island with no cars, no lights, not even Facebook! What may be worse than the lack of comforts is the sad fact that the marooned passengers are unable to celebrate Christmas pr...

32 pages

6 m, 5 w.

The wealthy Hendersons have mounted a large, brightly lit Christmas star on their roof, and they do believe it will attract everyone's attention. It does - only not the way the Hendersons intended! In the middle of trying to tell their maid they're not interested in going to a Christmas Eve service with her, a big snowstorm hits. The Henderson's star becomes a beacon for their neighbor, Angela; two homeless men, the Wise cousins; Pastor Shepherd; and a retired couple who used to manage a motel. From this merry menagerie the Hendersons find out why their Chris...

28 pages

3 m, 4 w.

Kyle is bringing home his fiancee, Katie, a very religious young woman, over Christmas and the Murphys dread it. Talk about a damper on the holidays. Grandma won't even be able to eat her rum balls in peace! When Kyle and Katie start talking about the rapture, the adults exit fast. Soon the young couple take the other children outside to see the snow. At that moment an unexpected power outage hits and in the dark, empty house, the Murphys think the rapture may have actually happened!  Performance time: 30 minutes.

29 pages

4 m, 5 w

The kids are coming home from college and the Air Force so Marsha Givens wants this Christmas to be perfect. That's why she's un-invited the lonely neighbor, who usually spends the holiday with them, and even told the minister they won't attend Christmas service. But everything goes haywire when Grandma and Grandpa (without his hearing aid!) decide to visit and the kids each bring extra guests, one of whom has never been to church. It's chaos and comedy as Marsha finally discovers what really makes a perfect Christmas. Easy living room set.  Performance time:...

20 pages

3 m, 5 w, numerous extras, choirs, optional pianist

Convinced that God doesn’t really care about the elderly, 84-year-old Beatrice has become the resident Scrooge of her nursing home. No matter what her roommate says, or what Bible stories the expectant nurse’s aide reads, Beatrice is adamant. “God doesn’t care about the elderly. His supposed only Son didn’t even live past 33 years, so how does He know what it’s like to be old!?” she declares. But during a church service she reluctantly attends, she falls asleep and dreams of bits and pieces of the Christmas story she is hearing, scenes of the nativity involvi...

26 pages

2m, 3w, 1 girl

It is a snowy Christmas Eve at a lonely roadside diner. Hope, the owner, and Darla, a waitress, are working the evening shift, anxious to close up and get home. But late-arriving customers need food to warm their bodies and faith to warm their souls. Rusty, a quiet truck driver, arrives first, followed by Meredith, a depressed homeless mother with a young daughter, and finally Randall, a brash, arrogant young man who's been traveling for a while. When Rusty convinces Meredith to get a fresh start through his outreach ministry, his unassuming act of kindness a...

26 pages

5 m, 5 w, 2 flexible, 1 girl

It's Christmas Eve and Jonathan is looking forward to a quiet family celebration with his wife Michelle and daughter Cissy. This idea comes to a screeching halt when, unbeknownst to him, Michelle invites his mountain family to come down for the holiday. These good folks turn up bearing, not only gifts, but a rocking chair (for Pappy's sciatica) and a live turkey for Christmas dinner. When another high-society guest shows up unexpectedly, the mountain folk eagerly pitch in to help. After all, that's what family is for. Unfortunately, their backwoods ways raise...

19 pages

Gender-flexible cast of 12 (with ensemble opportunities)

It’s the greatest story ever told! Well, sort of…. Grade school student Miley accidentally ends up at the annual meeting of the Bethlehem Animal Historical Society. The animals are retelling the story of a miracle night witnessed by their ancestors thousands of years ago in Bethlehem. Only, as they begin to act it out, Miley realizes they may have some of the details and focus wrong. Can Miley help them understand the real meaning and importance of that fateful night?  The animals are shocked to find out the peacock is not the star, the donkey doesn’t win a m...

48 pages

3 m, 6 w, 13 flexible, 14 or more kids

Starlight Inn, a small, quaint hotel with a lot of charm, but not a lot of guests, is struggling to make ends meet. In fact, business has been so bad that on this snowy Christmas Eve, Emily, the owner, has decided to finally break the bad news to the staff: The inn will be sold to a local condo developer and torn down. As they lament the impending doom of their beloved hotel, a major snowstorm hits, forcing travelers to seek shelter. Suddenly, the hotel has several guests: a newlywed couple; a Hollywood diva and her entourage; a traveling church choir; a rock...

36 pages

2 m, 7 w, 3 boys, 2 girls, optional extras.

Two ladies in a rest home are arguing. Florence, who has never had a real family Christmas, fantasizes that a family would come along and take her in for the holiday, but of course no family would put themselves out that way. Yes, they would, says her roommate Myrna who has had years of storybook Christmases with her five children. To prove their differing viewpoints, they invent the fictitious Genevieve, a little old lady in a rest home near Myrna's children in Idaho. If one of them will agree to take “her” in, Florence will really believe in Christmas. Dram...

36 pages

5 m, 4 w, 2 flexible, 1 child, extras, doubling possible

What do a robbery gone wrong, a case of mistaken identity, and a small church’s Christmas program all have in common? For thief Collin Evans, the opportunity to change his life. Collin and his brother-in-law Tim rob a toy store, and in desperation Collin has to hide the money in a nearby church—ironically in the manger for the upcoming play. The director mistakes Collin for a substitute actor and he must play along. But for this young father, angry since his wife’s unexpected death, a change begins to happen as he talks with the pastor and feels the warmth an...

40 pages

4 m, 4 w, and 1 teen

What does Christmas really mean in the heart of the average person? That is what news reporter Vicki Huffman is assigned to find out and her story will be featured in the paper’s Christmas edition. She needs to interview a number of people from different walks of life to try to come to some consensus about this special holiday. She is assisted by her friend Elisabeth, who already has a good handle on what Christmas is about, as well as a young papergirl who touches the hearts of everyone in the office and beyond. She even melts th...

60 pages

24 - 30+ flexible, doubling possible

A guy with an invisible drum, a medieval restaurant host who won’t break character, a milkmaid who just wants to get rid of some cheese, and a dancing snowflake in the world’s ugliest costume. These are just some of the characters you’ll find in “And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.”  This 60-minute holiday play weaves together 12 five-minute scenes based on the well-known verses of the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” With a basic set and hugely flexible cast from adults to children, this play uses humor an...

36 pages

4 m, 5 w, 3 flexible, 2 children, extras

The mission/soup kitchen is in financial trouble, and one of the biggest donors wants to find out what’s really going on there. Wealthy Ms. Witherspoon decides to send her personal assistant in to investigate, discreetly of course. What she finds out is so shocking that Ms. Witherspoon herself must go in, disguised as a street person, to see if her past has entered the present. The shelter director and his faithful assistant, both of whom are deeply committed to Christ and the mission, are totally unaware of the unfolding events and are praying for a miracle ...

44 pages

7 m, 11 w.

An arguing couple, a hypochondriac, a singer who won't stop humming scales, two selfish daughters bent on putting their mother in a rest home, and other colorful characters are stranded at a remote mission house when their bus breaks down. Tired, cold, and a little put out, they only seek food and shelter until they can be on their way again. But the two ladies running the house are on a mission from above to provide not only food for the body, but more importantly, food for the soul as well. That's not so easy, especially when the old Scrooge who holds the l...

46 pages

2 m, 5 w, 1 flexible, 1 optional

   Detective Vic Torious is called to Pine Valley Church by their secretary, Barb Dwyer who reports the church’s historic, antique grand piano missing! Key members of the congregation (aka suspects!) arrive at the request of the detective. Was it Barb Dwyer herself, who may or may not be a piano player and perhaps may want to frame someone else? Or maybe it’s the new pastor, Rev. Oliver Sudden. Little is known about him.

   Perhaps it was Frieda Livery, a truck driver who makes deliveries almost daily, or Anne Tickwitty, a...

40 pages

8 m, 8 w, 1 flexible, 1 child.

This is the first Christmas Tim and Lisa have ever spent with both of their families together under one roof. It could be explosive since Tim's upper income family objects to his marriage to Lisa, who comes from a religious farm family. There are plenty of tense and hilarious moments that put the young couple's marriage to the test. Besides the obvious friction between the parents, a nosy neighbor and her henpecked husband are on the lookout for any signs of crime, and eccentric Grandma and Grandpa arrive having just escaped from their nursing home. Then add ...

44 pages

4 m, 5 - 6 w

Detective Vic Torious is called to the home of famed archaeologist, Dr. Zeke N. Yeshalfind, who is hosting his annual Christmas dinner party for a few close friends and co-workers. During the party, he suddenly notices that his priceless 15th-century Nativity set is missing one of the magi. He demands that everyone remain there until Detective Vic Torious arrives. It is now Vic Torious’ task to discover who “moved” the missing magi. After the suspects have been questioned, the audience will vote for who they think did it. The epilogue, delivered post-intermis...

14 pages

6 m (doubling possible), 4 w, 2 flexible, 2 teen boys, 2 girls.

The life-size nativity is up once again for public display along a busy sidewalk. Different views of Christmas abound and each will leave their mark on the nativity. Meet the attorney who believes he's well on his way to heaven by his wonderful contributions to society, or the two teenagers who find it hard to fit Jesus into their high-tech world. Cheerful shoppers are sure all the nativity needs is a bit of sprucing up to be appealing, and an apathetic Christian finds it easier to follow than to lead. Unbelief plagues two construction workers who find Jesus ...

53 pages

11 m, 10 w, 3 boys, and 12 flexible (With doubling, 4 m, 3 w, 1 boy, 6 flexible)

Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser, choosing to spend Christmas Eve alone instead of with his cheerful nephew, Fred. That night, he is visited by his old colleague, Jacob Marley, who explains that three ghosts will come. After seeing his Christmas Past, Present, and Future, Scrooge awakens with renewed faith. In his redemption, he embraces family and friends and gives generously, forever changed. Following the story of Charles Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol," this unique version incorporates singing narrators, traditional carols, and continuous action on ...

31 pages

4 m, 6 w, extras.

Everyone wants this year's Christmas pageant at church done right - that means done their way! As the committee members argue over ideas at a fruitless (and funny!) meeting, they realize the Baby Jesus prop for the nativity can't be located. Finally it is found on top of some old records about the church's very first Christmas pageant, and everyone realizes they had lost sight of keeping Christ in Christmas. Lots of humor with an optional ending for a nativity scene and carol. Performance time: 40 minutes (or longer with optional nativity scene).

42 pages

8 m, 12 w, 7 children

The colorful, crazy yet thoroughly Christian staff and residents of the Jesus House, a retirement home, prepare to welcome Ellery Jamison into their world. His daughter, whom he hasn't seen in twenty years, is responsible for arranging his present placement. Unfortunately, Mr. Jamison is an atheist, and the last place on earth he wants to be is in a Christian nursing home, especially where one of the residents prides himself on making red and green fruitcakes for Christmas. Jamison's disdain for the home and all its residents is obvious, and it's tough for th...

24 pages

5 m, 6 w

It's Christmas and city slicker Gerald King is trying to find a way to bring his family closer together. They have drifted apart due to their daily routines: Gerald with his job; Alice, her meetings; and the kids – well, they’re teenagers (say no more). They have embarked on a trip to the mountains to get their very own Christmas tree. However, they get lost and have to be rescued by the Shepherds, an extended mountain family. The Shepherds mistake them as being down on their luck and welcome them into their home and their hearts. As relationships develop, th...

62 pages

5 m, 4 w, 3 boys, 4 girls

A small group of weary travelers discover the power of the season while trapped in a lonely train station on Christmas Eve. As a blizzard rages outside, the troubled people are forced to turn to each other for companionship. Trying to make them more comfortable is the old stationmaster, Charlie. When the clock strikes midnight, there is a knock on the station door and seven youngsters appear. They've seen the station lights from the nearby church where, in secret, they've been practicing the story of the nativity which they plan to present at regular service....

52 pages

Widely flexible cast (suggested minimum 4 m, 4 w, 1 narrator, 3 children)

These 12 Yuletide sketches will provide an evening of laughter while never losing sight of the holiness of the season. With flexible casting and only a chair or bench for scenery, they're just right for any stage and ideal for dinner theatre. On this visit to Christmastown you'll meet some passersby in a park who tell you what Christmas really means to them and some strangers waiting for a bus who give gifts to each other, inspired by a little girl's doll. Find out what the wise men were thinking, at least when they are portrayed by three 10-year-olds in thei...

42 pages

6 m, 6 w, 2 girls, 3 flexible

Here is a touching comedy, a modern-day spin on the story of the Prodigal Son. After years of being over-shadowed by her pretty and over-confident older sister, Peri leaves home, taking the money from her college savings. Like the story from the New Testament, Peri, once quiet and hard-working, lives a life of excess, but finally realizes she wants to return to her family. A homeless man, who has more connection to the family than anyone initially realizes, urges Peri to call home. But will it be the same old story, or will the Stewarts have learned something...