32 pages
Large, flexible cast. With doubling: 5 m, 2 w, extras, carolers.
The human stories behind our beloved Christmas carols are brought to life in this joyful, hour-long musical. Easily rehearsed vignettes and the option of using carolers rather than actors for singing make this show extremely flexible. Among the stories included: Issac Watts was discouraged over the hymns that were being sung in church, so he wrote a new one every week for the next two years, including "Joy to the World." Rev. Edmund Sears could feel the tensions caused by the Industrial Revolution and upcoming Civil War. He wrote "It Came Upon a Midnight Clea...
26 pages
1 m, 3 w, 1 flexible, 1 boy, extras
Goldie, Frank, and Myrna, three counselors at an emotional helpline, have devised a way to have Christmas Eve off this year. They have engaged Thomas Wellmore, a charming but self-centered Wall Street type, to man the phones. He willingly embraces the opportunity to “balance his karma” and “do something real at Christmas for those less fortunate.” As the evening wears on and no one calls, he becomes increasingly irritated and his true character is revealed. Then, at the stroke of midnight, a cleaning woman enters with her young son, Christopher. Though the ey...
28 pages
Flexible cast of 23 (Approx. 8 m, 9 w, 2 flexible, 4 children, extras)
The church's Christmas play rehearsal is a disaster. The actors haven't had time to learn their lines and they're tripping and falling over each other. During a much needed break, Wendy, a busy lady playing Mary, complains to the new janitor, an old man, that she feels in all the holiday hustle and bustle she has lost God. He urges Wendy to pray. She does, and with a renewed sense of hope and vigor, calls the rest of the cast back on stage. But a mishap occurs and the janitor is knocked down. As he rises, we see the nail-hole scars in the palms of his hands. ...
35 pages
4 m, 7 w, 2 male teens, 2 female teens, 2 boys
An angel, who remains comically nameless throughout the play, shows a small group of squabbling strangers what the phrase "Merry Christmas" really means. From a well-off but rude family to a stressed waitress at a café, and from some tense and terse bank customers to overworked employees, we see how thoughtless people can be as the holiday approaches. Through some heavenly intervention, they all end up at the home of a typical family whose struggles to make ends meet almost, but not quite, override their path to a Christian Christmas. Together, these people e...
17 pages
5 m, 7 w, extras.
Here's the story of a woman of Bethlehem so caught up in the activities of the day that she missed the very first Christmas. It is also the story of some of the people of our own time who almost miss Christmas for the same reason. A closing nativity scene blends both contemporary and Biblical characters to give a meaningful message. Ten carols add to the beauty of this program. Performance time: 50 minutes.
46 pages
4 m, 4 w, 1 girl.
To Grandma Molly, Easter means a time of rejoicing and for her fullest joy, Molly needs her children about her in worship at church. But she finds that isn't easy. She grieves over her daughter's lack of interest, the unbelief of her son-in-law, and the worries of her son and daughter-in-law over their teenagers. Allen, a widower, is understanding for he has "crumbling walls" in his family too. Together, Molly and Allen gather up the fragments and go on, for nothing can completely spoil Easter, the time of the empty tomb. About 90 minutes.