Adult Christmas

36 pages

1 m, 1 w, 1 girl, 1 flexible, 2 offstage voices

Joanna is a hard-hitting public relations consultant, willing to work night or day for her clients, especially one who is a U.S. senator. On the night of Christmas Eve, the senator has driven into a ditch. Normally, Joanna would handle everything said to the public about the accident. But to her immense frustration, the senator delegates her chief of staff to communicate with Joanna, and he refuses to give Joanna many details. So, she presses her staff to find out what is happening. Meanwhile, Joanna’s younger brother, Jesse, has just arrived, prepared to cel...

72 pages

6 - 7 m, 6 - 8 w, 2 flexible

Ned Crumpet and his family live a poor life in Appalachia, until one day he gets an offer on his land. Suddenly, the family has more money than they know what to do with! So, with a little help from their new financial advisor, the Crumpets buy a fully furnished home in an upscale community. It seemed like all the family’s dreams have come true, even though Granny, Ned, young Heathrow, Nellie Rae, and the chickens, aren’t warmly welcomed. First, they get a visit from a no-nonsense sheriff’s deputy about their unlicensed yard sale, and then some warnings from ...

43 pages

5 m, 5 w, 2 flexible

We all know the Christmas story as written in Luke, Chapter 2, but what must it have been like for Mary’s family and friends? For Joseph especially? Based on biblical truth, but written in modern English, this drama shows the pain, anger, wonder and joy of those closest to Mary. It focuses on life for those faced with this chaotic situation and the struggles of the time brought on by Rome and tradition. It does not include Mary, except for a short, non-speaking nativity scene. Your audience will find laughter, drama, joy and maybe...

64 pages

5 m, 5 w, 3 flexible

Karen Silver was one of the most sought-after actresses on Broadway. Her star was rising even as she was labeled a self-entitled, demanding, and difficult actress. But something dreadful happens at the opening of her new Broadway play. The director fires Karen on the spot, telling her, "You’ll never work in this town again!”  That's when Karen has a chance encounter with a mysterious man who offers her an opportunity to regain her dignity. She only needs to take a role in a church Christmas play in Virginia.  Despite her adamant refusal, Karen Silver miraculo...

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...

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”...

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...

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...

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...

20 pages

6 - 11 m, 3 - 4 w, 1 flexible, doubling possible

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the library it was quiet, until Tom and Huck wander from their book seeking a new adventure! Opening the cover of “Alice in Wonderland,” the boys are shocked by a rabbit hopping out, quickly followed by Alice. Trying to catch the rabbit leads to more books being knocked open, and they are soon joined by Dorothy Gale from “The Wizard of Oz,” St. Nicholas from “’T’was the Night Before Christmas,” Mrs. March from “Little Women” and old Scrooge with Marley from “A Christmas Carol.” The confused characters try to ma...

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...

20 pages

9 flexible, 1 female, extras for nativity creche

It’s late at night in a small stable in Bethlehem. The animals have been run out of their warm stable because of some human intruders. As they complain and question the fairness of the whole situation, they meet a stranger in the corral, a small and weary donkey. As the humble donkey talks about his trip and his masters, the animals are joined by a dog who has followed his master down from the hills.  He tells them a wild story about some flying creatures that spoke to them about a “Savior” that had just been born. Next, they are joined by the haughty camels ...

22 pages

3 m, 6 w

The children of the Bucklesbury Bible Church have done a production of a Christmas nativity play for the last 80 years. It is the hottest ticket in town and a huge outreach for the church. When the “Mistletoe Flu,” a contagious virus, locks down the entire county, the Christmas program is in jeopardy. The committee of all church committees holds an online meeting to decide whether to cancel the program. The pastor states the church must still fulfill its mission of spreading the gospel. The decision is made to live feed the program so everyone can...

60 pages

6 m, 6 w

Prudy and Pruitt Prouty have sad news this Christmas. Their once successful business, Seagull Commander, is facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They are forced to lay off all their employees and liquidate their assets. Melvin Maldaput is the first employee they break the news to as he and his wife Miranda have become their friends. Last year Melvin was facing Chapter 7 bankruptcy and the Proutys were able to help him.

Melvin is upset because he was counting on using his Christmas bonus for ...

51 pages

5 m, 4 w, 1 flexible and 1 young teen

Vickie Webster, an elderly mother, grandmother and widow, has a mess on her hands. She and her family are in the middle of a financial nightmare that threatens to take her home, her son’s family, and all the joy out of Christmas. They are all in the “red” and can see no possible way out of it.  But with the faith and love of her two crazy “sisters” and the rest of the “family,” they find that God has provided some amazing and comical answers to the problems they face. With the help of an angel that has stepped in before, and a provision that God put in place ...

52 pages

9 m, 6 w

Just one year ago, Doc Nash’s Free Health Clinic was facing closure. With a visit from the Undercover Boss, Lou Grant from the Matthew Chapter 25 Foundation approved a grant, thus saving the Clinic. But town councilwoman Beatrice Chandler now wants the Free Clinic closed. Her son will be opening a new medical practice and she doesn’t want any competition. She pays a visit to Doc, hoping to buy him out. When Doc refuses, Mrs. Chandler storms away in anger as she is accustomed to getting what she wants. Then, the unthinkable happens – a fire! It destroys much o...

28 pages

9 m

It’s Christmas Eve, 1944, in the midst of a raging blizzard…and the throes of a battle that is expected to become the last major assault of WWII, the Battle of the Bulge. A small patrol of battle-fatigued American soldiers, who have captured a German SS officer to interrogate, are lost and seek refuge in a bombed-out church somewhere south of Bastogne, Belgium.

Although united in brotherhood through the danger they face, the men are very different; from the tough but well-respected fi...

40 pages

10 m, 6 w, 11 flexible, 3 children, extras, doubling possible

Sam Nazareth is a bumbling, down-on-his-luck private eye who will be out on the streets if he doesn’t get a case soon. Enter Delilah, a mysterious young woman whose boss wants to know why a certain bright star has suddenly appeared in the sky and where it leads. In this film noir-style tale with plenty of humor Sam (including his inner voice) and friends agree to help Delilah solve the mystery. Following that bright star, they take the audience on a journey across the desert to Bethlehem where we meet two silly shepherds, a no-nonsense census taker, and an in...

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...

20 pages

1 m, 1 - 2 w, 3 teen boys, 1 teen girl, (extras: 4 m, 1 w) Plus angelic choir (2 songs)

Owen is disgruntled. It’s time for the annual Christmas pageant and he’s been chosen for the role of a “dumb ole shepherd.” It’s even worse because his older brother will be playing a king carrying a gift of gold and his sister an angel dressed in regal finery. Meanwhile, Owen will be clothed in a “ratty old bathrobe with a towel wrapped around his head” carrying a stick. It just ain’t fair!

While he is stewing over his fate, he drifts off to sleep where he is transported back to the ...

36 pages

4 m, 5 w, 1 flex, extras

Since they were knee high, Dill Mickle and Phil Slaw, now brothers-in-law, have dreamed of being the grand marshals of Crabshore, Maryland’s Christmas Crabtacular. The honor of grand marshal only goes to the fisherman who catches the biggest crab. Gladys Leech has won for the past twenty years! But Phil is trying something different this year, a new tactic. He is going to use faith as bait. (Just like the catch Jesus netted on the Sea of Galilee!) Dill has doubts, but Phil ends up catching a crab of ridiculous measure. They end up beating all the odds to beco...

29 pages

11 characters

Serenity and Charity, two angels under Gabriel’s supervision, have been dispatched to Earth to help mankind remember what Christmas should be about. To maximize their out-reach they tackle the place where there are the most humans: a busy store in the middle of the holiday shopping season! Their scheme is to leave a gift in the “Lost and Found” department, hoping that someone opens it to discover its mysterious contents. Unfortunately, the stressed humans have so many sales to find and buying to do that no one claims the package. As a last resort, th...

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...

68 pages

8 m, 7 w, 2 flexible

Doc Nash had a successful medical career, but five years ago, after losing his wife, he decided to return to his country home in Baynesville, VA. There, he established a medical clinic where residents of his childhood hometown could receive free medical care.  Even with only one Johnny-on-the-spot nurse and a bumbling receptionist, this clinic has become a vital part of this rural community. Since its inception, the clinic has been supported with funds from the local government and private donations. However, with recent cuts in funding and a dip in the econo...

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...

40 pages

4 m, 5 to 7 w, 1 girl, 1 boy non speaking.

It's Christmas Eve, (1960s) and Jake Johnson can muster only an uninspired, "Yeah, whatever," due to the stress of keeping his small, private hospital financially sound. In fact, he's just issued a new policy refusing to help anyone without health insurance, forcing patients to travel to the county hospital miles away. And there's no relief at home either as an elaborate family dinner has been planned which includes the Johnsons' estranged son Reese, and their daughter and her fiancé, whom Jake believes will be just another smart-alecky seminarian. Ill-will s...

20 pages

6 m, 8 w, 1 flexible part. (Also 3 boys, one line each.)

Gina and Steven Hart are ready to take their newborn son home from the hospital Christmas Eve when a man they think is an orderly takes the infant from their arms. Soon they, and the doctors, nurses, minister, and others realize the baby has been kidnapped. As a search swings into force, the distraught, exhausted couple envision the Holy Spirit. In two dramatic inset scenes, the Holy Spirit shows that when parents ask, "Why my child?" as Mary must have questioned the future of baby Jesus, God always has answers. A beautiful ending reaffirms the blessings of t...

20 pages

4 m, 4 w, 4 teen g, 1 teen b, 2 b, 2 g, extras.

An old man, puzzled about Christianity and the purpose of Christmas, sets out to learn about it by looking in on four different families, all of whom call themselves Christians. At the end he discovers to look toward Christ as an example, not other Christians. About 40 minutes. 

37 pages

1 m, 3 teen girls, 3 teen boys.

Megan, too young to have a job, secretly applies for a position as a waitress in order to buy her mom the perfect Christmas gift, a ticket to visit Grandma. Of course she has to make a few innocent "white lies" on the application to get the job. A co-worker, Denon, who has also lied on his job application, doesn't think his "white lies" and deception will hurt anyone either so they both cover up their lies with more lies, resulting in whirled truth. Finally, the lies culminate into a small disaster in the restaurant, leaving Megan and Denon expecting to get f...

12 pages

2 speaking parts.

A minister, alone in the sanctuary, wants something different for Christmas Eve service, something with a real emotional kick, perhaps a famous person. Then the Voice from above speaks. For every glitzy idea the minister has, the Voice counters it. Finally by recounting Jesus' birth, the Voice seems to get through to the minister. The simple nativity story is best. The minister pulls out a tape recorder proclaiming, "But I do have a celebrity!" The tape, however, has only one voice - his own. The minister realizes the old, old story of Love's greatest gift gi...