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Yankaskas
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Winner
of a
National
Endowment for the Arts Playwriting Award.
Easy Children's
Christmas Play
with Lots of Laughs and Comedy!
Winner
of five Ohio
Arts Council Playwriting
Awards.
Short
Children's
Christmas Musical, Holiday Comedy Skit!
Ohio
Theatre
Alliance Award: "Outstanding
Contribution to Theatre"
Children's
Christmas Plays and Children's Christmas Musicals, for Kids to Perform!
Post-Corbett
Award for "literary
excellence in Playwriting."
CChildren's
Scripts and Plays with Audience Participation! Fun, Easy Plays for Kids!
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"It's
a wonderful play
and the reception was really
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I couldn't have been happier. It
was TERRIFIC!"
David
Kilpatrick
Walnut
Street Theatre Philadelphia, PA
Christmas
Plays
for Churches and Community Theatres! Christmas Stories Kids Love!
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|
The
Very Bestest Christmas Present
Christmas
Musical Play, Christmas Skit, Short Christmas Playscript!
Comedy
for Kids, Families, Parties, Schools, Theatres! |
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Cast
List
The
Best Play for You
A
Note from the Playwright
Song
Words & Music
Dialogue
Sample
THE
VERY BESTEST
CHRISTMAS PRESENT
CAST
LIST
Running
Time: 15-20 minutes
Cast
of 13+, all can be Male or Female
Easily
adapted for smaller/larger cast
NORMAN
(or NORMA): (M/F, 50 LINES.)
SALVATION
ARMY SANTA: (M/F, 17 LINES.)
MR.
(or MRS.) TIP-TOP: (M/F, 12 LINES.)
MRS.
(or MR.) HUSTLE-BUSTLE: (M/F, 12 LINES.)
SHYSTER
SAM: (M/F, 13 LINES.)
TOY
MONKEY: (M/F, 1+ LINE.)
MANNEQUIN
#1: (M/F, 1+ LINE.)
MANNEQUIN
#2: (M/F, 1+ LINE.)
ELFRED
THE ELF: (M/F, 8 LINES.)
ELVINA
THE ELF: (M/F, 12 LINES.)
SHEILA
(OR SHELDON): (M/F, 11 LINES.)
HAROLD
(OR HARRIETTE): (M/F, 11 LINES.)
TINSEL:
(M/F, 6+ LINES.)
PERFORMERS
(Unlimited number): (M/F, 5+ LINES.)
"I
just wanted to thank
you for providing us The
Very Bestest Christmas Present!
We had a lot of fun
practicing and performing
it and
when we were through the kids wanted to know what
the next play was going to be!"
Kelly
McClain, Marysville Theatre for Young Actors, WA
THE
VERY BESTEST
CHRISTMAS PRESENT
WHY
IS THIS PLAY BEST FOR YOUR SCHOOL?
Written
especially for young people to perform.
While
you may find large cast plays from other publishers, most of those
were originally written for adults or
professional actors to
perform. They often contain difficult dialogue, unfamiliar or
complex language, and speeches too long for young children to
memorize. They may even contain jokes, innuendos and subject matter
that may not be appropriate for children.
Easy
to understand and memorize.
Dialogue
is simple, fresh, quick and humorous, keeping the action flowing
without stops and starts between scenes. This keeps young people and
young audiences engaged throughout the performance - no awkward
pauses, no dead-time, no wiggles!
Everyone
participates!
All
children are involved throughout the performance. This builds
confidence, promotes team spirit and eliminates rehearsal rowdiness.
The audience is often asked to join in the fun, and action often
spills into the aisles! All of our SCHOOL PLAYS give suggestions on
how to divide up large parts (such as Dorothy in Wizard of Oz) among
several performers so that no one child is the "star".
Familiar
stories with upbeat endings.
The
story line stays as close as possible to the familiar story the kids
already know. While some authors feel the need to
"improve" the story, our SCHOOL PLAYS stay as close to the
familiar narrative as possible, making it easier for children - and
your audience - to understand.
Feel
free to edit! Go ahead and tape it!
Most
publishers insist that no changes may be made to their scripts.
We know that your
goal is to engage every child in the most meaningful way and that
your needs are unique. Cut, eliminate, re-assign lines, or add
as much as you like! Also, there are no restrictions on video
tapes. Parents want a tape or DVD to remember their child's big
moment. Go ahead and tape away!
THE
VERY BESTEST
CHRISTMAS PRESENT
A
NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
In
the past few years we've seen a
tremendous increase of confidence in the teachers we hear from.
Most are finding it easier to let the process flow and worry less
about the final product. I firmly believe that the experience
will be best for all when you keep a few things in mind:
Free
yourself from worry about
whether or not it's "good". No one is paying big
ticket prices; no one expects a Broadway success. The key to
making this project meaningful is to put the emphasis on process;
realize that rehearsal and practice are as much a part of the
experience as the actual performance. Encourage fun and you
will free the children from embarrassment and stress. If the
kids can't learn the lines let them carry a script or use their own
words to convey the character's message. If they seem to wander
the stage, let them explore where they want to go - they might
surprise you with a wonderful idea. In every aspect of the
process give them the wings to create and think. Give them a
comfortable, supportive place to go and their confidence and
self-expression will soar!
Above
all else, make sure you are
having fun. If you've never directed a play before, don't
worry. It's all just pretend -- you can't do it wrong!
The quality of your experience is every bit as important as that of
the children. You need the joy of self-expression too, that
doesn't go away when we grow up. So give yourself a break.
And when all else fails, laugh!
Thank
you so much for choosing The
Very Best Christmas
Present. I hope you and your young friends have as much
fun performing this play as I did writing it.
-
KSM
THE
VERY BESTEST
CHRISTMAS PRESENT
SONG
WORDS & MUSIC
"The
Very Bestest Present"
I
got it!
You
got it?
I
got it, got it, got it!
It's
mine, not yours!
It's
the very bestest present in the whole wide world!
It's
big, it's bright, it's beautiful!
It's
gorgeous and so suitable!
It's
big, it's bright, it's so unique...
It's
only found in La Boutique!
It's
the very bestest present in the whole wide world!
THE
VERY BESTEST
CHRISTMAS PRESENT
DIALOGUE
SAMPLE
|
Shyster
Sam tricks Norman out of his fifty cents.
(Script
pages 8-9) |
NORMAN:
Gee, if only I could get one of those. Just think, the very
bestest present! (Walks in place.) They really got
some big buildings down here. Look at that one. And some
of the people. (Points to kid in audience.) Whew! Look
at that one!
(SHYSTER
SAM enters with TOY MONKEY. The MONKEY hops mechanically and
plays little cymbals. They address the audience.)
SHYSTER:
Hey, get your monkeys here! Toy monkeys! Wind 'em
up! Special deal! Get your wind-up monkeys here! (Sees
NORMAN.) Hey there, little boy, wanna buy a monkey?
NORMAN:
A monkey? No thanks.
(MONKEY
hops from her side of stage over to NORMAN and claps her cymbals at him.)
SHYSTER:
Ain't she cute? Pretty good present, doncha think?
NORMAN:
Pretty good. But not the best.
(MONKEY
looks hurt.)
SHYSTER:
Not the best? Why, look at this monkey. He's battery
operated and everything. Show him your stuff, monkey.
(MONKEY
turns her back and points to her back and indicates:
"See? battteries go here".)
NORMAN:
No thanks. I'm really trying to find the very bestest present.
SHYSTER:
Look, kid, I wouldn't push it, but I got a bum knee. (Suddenly
falls, has to prop himself up on a bench, his "bum" knee
sticking out, stiff.) See that... can't walk for nothin'. I
need the money real bad. It's not for me, you understand...
it's for my... mother... my poor... poor mother. If only my leg
was good like yours, I'd be able to get my poor, sick, dying mother a
Christmas present.
NORMAN:
(Reluctant.) Well... how much does your toy monkey cost?
SHYSTER:
How much you got?
NORMAN:
Fifty cents.
SHYSTER:
Sold!
(MONKEY
is surprised and indignant.)
NORMAN:
Gee, okay. Here. (Gives SHYSTER SAM the coins.)
How do I work this thing?
SHYSTER:
Just crank it up in back. (Tests coins with his teeth.)
(NORMAN
cranks MONKEY, it stands, then drops limp. NORMAN cranks
again, MONKEY drops again.)
NORMAN:
Hey! You tricked me! This toy doesn't work anymore!
SHYSTER:
Hmmm. Batteries must be run down. Gotta buy your own
batteries, kid. Batteries not included.
Note:
This is a sample from the actual script. To review the entire
play, order the PERUSAL SCRIPT (online instant download).
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