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  • 1.  New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-11-2016 12:47

    Looking for ideas for our holiday production...we have done The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Seussified Christmas Carol, Gift of the Magi and A Christmas Carol.

    large cast!

    revenue-stream

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    Donalda A. McCarthy
    Tweets @MissDonni
    IG @IntlTheatreTeacher

    Theatre Education
    Palm Beach Lakes High School
    West Palm Beach, FL, USA
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  • 2.  RE: New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-12-2016 08:50
    http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/p735/It's-a-Wonderful-Life-(Rodgers)/product_info.html

    I have done this show 3 times.

    http://www.samuelfrench.com/p/5747/under-the-bridge

    This is what I did last Christmas. Can have big chorus.

    ---------------------------------
    Daniel Barrett
    Theater Director
    Faith West Academy
    Katy, TX
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-12-2016 11:30
    Do you want a full-length or a one-act? There is a hugely funny one-act that skewers Christmas Carol, entitled Twisting Carol. I believe it's by Jonathan Dorf and is available through Playscripts.
    Speaking of which, Playscripts has a large selection of holiday plays, both serious and comic. Most accommodate large casts.

    Sent from my iPhone


    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-14-2016 18:12

    Thanks so much for the shout-out, Nancy. Twisting Carol is indeed my one-act, and it's at Playscripts here:
    https://www.playscripts.com/play/806

    Cheers,
    Jonathan

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    Jonathan Dorf
    Playwright/ Co-founder of YouthPLAYS/ Co-chair of The Alliance Of Los Angeles Playwrights
    Los Angeles CA

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-12-2016 11:34
    We just did It's a Wonderful Life and had a great success this past fall. We have also done Miracle on 34th Street. Both of these have opportunities for little kids which can help with ticket sales.

    Good luck!

    --
    James P. Fry, Ed.D.
    Director of Student Life
    Malvern Preparatory School
    484-595-1166


    "Love is the deepest knowledge of things. Analytical, inferential knowledge is superficial
    knowledge, and it cannot grasp reality. We can reach reality only through love. 
    Love is the culmination of knowledge." - Kitaro Nishida


    Malvern Preparatory School
    418 South Warren Avenue | Malvern, PA 19355
    An Independent, Augustinian, Catholic School

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  • 6.  RE: New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-14-2016 01:09

    Hi,

    Two years ago we produced Donald Margulies play Coney Island Christmas (Dramatist Play Service). It is a charming play commissioned by Gil Cates for the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in 2012, and has a great message for the season which speaks to all faiths. 

    I have never had a holiday play in my season as we are a very diverse community, but this production was very well received during it's run. I was able to cast 40 kids, bring in a dialect coach, and workshops with our local cantor to incorporate some additional music.

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    Krista Carson Elhai
    Theatre Director
    Claremont HS
    An International Baccalaureate World School
    Claremont CA

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-12-2016 13:13

    Here's my own seasonal favorite, "The Christmas Doll" by Joan Cushing:

    http://www.joancushing.com/musicalsDollSynopsis.html

    It's an especially good choice if you've got lots of girls. We staged this very successfully in Juneau, Alaska, with a young cast (kids age 8 up to high school age), a small pit (piano, cello, violin, flute, clarinet) and modest production elements.

    Another fine choice off the beaten reindeer track, if you've got access to a good bluegrass band, is "Beautiful Star: An Appalachian Nativity":

    https://www.playscripts.com/play/2051

    Good luck, and happy holidays!

    Julie 

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    Julie Coppens
    Senior Associate Editor - Dramatics
    Juneau AK

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: New holiday show ideas

    Posted 07-19-2016 10:52

    I've got two suggestions for you - STRIKING 12 and JINGLE ARRGH THE WAY!

    "STRIKING 12" 

    http://www.theatricalrights.com/show/striking-12/

    STRIKING 12 is a perfect alternative to standard holiday fare while still being family-friendly. On New Year’s Eve, an over-worked and under-inspired single guy who’s had enough of holiday cheer makes a resolution: to stay home and go to bed early. On another New Year’s Eve, a continent away—and more than a century earlier—Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Match Girl tries unsuccessfully to sell her matches in the snow.
    The two stories are brought together when a young woman selling special “full-spectrum holiday light bulbs” to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder shows up at the grumpy man’s door. Though the man (who probably could use the bulbs) seems to enjoy the young woman’s company, he sends her away. It’s not until he reads “The Little Match Girl” that he is finally pulled out of his funk.
    All of this unfolds through a tuneful pop/rock/jazz score that retains the vibrant style of its original performers: the celebrated band, GrooveLily. (The show has since been expanded to 8 or more actors and 6 musicians). The witty and deeply moving script weaves three stories and settings: contemporary New York City, 19th century Denmark, and the very room in which the show is presented. Through simple, unpretentious theater created through the voices and instruments of the performers, Striking 12 reminds us that “the world looks like new… on the first day of the year.”

    Casting note from the authors:

    Note that roles can be played by more, or by fewer actors, for desired cast size.
    The overall sense should be that there is one group of players: musicians, singers, actors, out of which everyone steps to become their character when needed. When not playing a role in any given moment everyone is in a sense themselves, as well as a potential chorus member. We recommend including band members act as narrators to bolster the sense of the whole group creating the story together.

    "JINGLE ARRGH THE WAY!"

    http://www.theatricalrights.com/show/jingle-arrgh-the-way-a-how-i-became-a-pirate-christmas-adventure/

    The “How I Became a Pirate” crew is back! A mysterious message left in the crow’s nest of their ship brings Captain Braid Beard and his pirate mates back to North Beach to seek out young Jeremy Jacob to help solve a riddle and find the Christmas treasure. Favorite characters, a rollicking story, great songs, and a trip to the North Pole to find “you know who” – makes “Jingle ARRGH the Way!” a wonderful holiday show for the whole family. Based on a story by Melinda Long, author of “How I Became a Pirate.”

    Casting note from the authors:

    To expand the cast size — additional Pirates (male or female) can be added depending upon budget and production needs. The Director may choose to assign character names to these additional Pirates – and have them greeted by Jeremy along with the other PIRATES or the Director may simply add PIRATES to the show without assigning names.
    Director may choose to cast male or female PIRATES if appropriate to the character – with the exception of BRAID BEARD, JEREMY JACOB, and SHARKTOOTH – who should be male.
     
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    Michael McDonough
    TRW - Director of Amateur Licensing
    New York

    Original Message


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