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Read
Cast List, Hear Sound Cues, Read Free Script
Sample!
"We chose ArtReach's A Christmas Carol for the storytelling
elements, the staging flexibility and great opportunities for our
team's creative pizazz!"
Joseph
Wright, Executive Director, Riverby Theatre Guild, Gallipolis
Creative
staging involves the audience throughout the performance of A
Christmas Carol! It's easy to include Special Needs kids!
Everyone has a meaningful role to play!
"Thank you for your play, A Christmas Carol. It was a huge
success at our school! I managed to fit 150 kids into this play
by utilizing the singing opportunities."
Colleen
Murphy, Music/Drama Teacher, Korean International School
A
Christmas Carol requires no professional experience in theatre!
It is written in simple terms with lots of staging suggestions.
"Magnolia Arts has done three ArtReach plays and all have been
wonderful! Our last play A Christmas Carol we
decided to add adults in the mix. It worked beautifully!"
Janet
Rider-Babbitt, Executive Director, Magnolia Arts
Teachers, A
Christmas Carol
is written just for you and your students. It is a faithful telling
of the familiar story with traditional Christmas songs and music,
audience participation and lots of fun for everyone!
A
Christmas Carol is Recommended for Grades 1
and Up! The
script suggests how to use simple percussion instruments (raid the
music room!) to excellent effect.
"I
will be recommending A Christmas Carol!"
Bliss
Lanier, Executive Director, CYT-North Idaho
Open
staging! Your gymnasium, cafeteria or any other large room is perfect.
"We did "A Christmas Carol" last year and it was a hit!"
Velvet
Ivers, Yakutat School District, Yakutat, AK
Costume
pieces and scenery can be made in the classroom.
"Thanks
for writing such a great script. A Christmas Carol has been our best
show yet. The kids have really had a lot of fun with it."
Joseph Reynolds,
GMS Drama Director
The
musical script has Lots of humor, fun and helpful directing tips.
Kids
and Audience sing Familiar Christmas Carols
together!
A
Christmas Carol has simple, easy staging tips for beginning play directors!
"A Christmas Carol The play was absolutely
a wonderful experience from beginning to end. There were many
special needs students in my class."
Donna
Stafford, First Grade Teacher, Kinston, NC
"A
Christmas Carol was the perfect vehicle for a young group of
inexperienced child actors. We loved that there were Christmas Carols
which encouraged the audience to participate as well."
Bliss
Lanier, Executive Director, CYT-North Idaho
"We
have done 2 of your plays and everyone loves them to pieces!"
Eva
Allen, BACH Homeschool Group
"Thank you for making it so easy for us to pull off such a great
children's play experience for our students! I can't wait
to use another one of your scripts
this spring!"
Felicia
Hill, Union Chapel Elementary School, Kansas City
"We performed A Christmas Carol last December and it was a hit!"
Carla
Brake, Prairie Fest Director,
Arkansas Area Arts Council
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A
Christmas Carol |
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Cast
List
CD
Soundtrack Cues
Script
Sample
A
CHRISTMAS CAROL
CAST
LIST
Running Time:
About 45 minutes
Flexible Cast
of 33-38, 6 Male, 5 Female, All others M/F
Easily adapted
for larger or smaller cast
STORYTELLERS
CHESTNUT: (M/F,
17 lines)
FIGGY: (M/F, 17 lines)
HOLLY: (M/F, 17 lines)
MISTLETOE:
(M/F, 18 lines)
PEPPERMINT:
(M/F, 19 lines)
CHARLES
DICKENS: (M, 23 lines)
DRAMA TEACHER:
(M/F, 5 lines)
EBENEZER
SCROOGE: (M, 114 lines)
SCROOGE #1:
(M/F, 17 lines)
SCROOGE #2:
(M/F, 22 lines)
SCROOGE #3:
(M/F, 25 lines)
SCROOGE #4:
(M/F, 19 lines)
SCROOGE #5:
(M/F, 11 lines)
SCROOGE #6:
(M/F, 18 lines)
BOB CRATCHIT:
(M, 15 lines)
NEPHEW/FRED:
(M/F, 7 lines)
MERRY: (M/F, 4 lines)
GLEE: (M/F, 4 lines)
SCROOGE'S DOOR:
(M/F, significant movement)
JACOB MARLEY
(KNOCKER, PICTURE): (M/F, 14 lines)
SPIRIT OF
CHRISTMAS PAST: (M/F, 22 lines)
TED (BOYHOOD
FRIEND): (M/F, 2 lines)
HARRY (BOYHOOD
FRIEND): (M/F, 2 lines)
YOUNG EBENEZER:
(M, 7 lines)
FRAN (SISTER):
(F, 2 lines)
FEZZIWIG: (M, 4 lines)
DICK WILKINS:
(M/F, 0 lines)
BELLE
(GIRLFRIEND): (F, 5 lines)
SPIRIT OF
CHRISTMAS PRESENT: (M/F, 16 lines)
MRS. CRATCHIT:
(F, 11 lines)
PETER CRATCHIT:
(M, 4 lines)
MARTHA
CRATCHIT: (F, 4 lines)
TINY TIM: (M, 5 lines)
SPIRIT OF
CHRISTMAS FUTURE: (M/F, 1 line, movement)
POCKETS: (M/F,
3 lines)
MOOHLAH:
(M/F, 3 lines)
CHAR WOMAN: (F,
5 lines)
OLD JOE:
(M/F 5 lines)
LUCKY BOY:
(M/F, 6 lines)
Easy
to Adapt for Your School or Theatre!
Cornerstone
Christian Academy - Gulf Coast Home School
The
School Play Package gives you the rights to adapt the script, add
characters, lines, songs! You may also make a Video/DVD of your
special performance!
"We
used students ages 3 through high school and then our teachers and
friends of the school participating. Our little three and four year
olds were the wind to carry in the spirits. It was so much fun!"
Phyllis Wilson,
Cornerstone Christian Academy, OH
A
CHRISTMAS CAROL
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!
"A
Huge Success At Our School!"
Valley Musical Theatre,
Ellensburg WA
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Kathryn Schultz Miller
is one the most prolific and most produced playwrights for
children. Her script, A THOUSAND CRANES, won the National
Endowment for the Arts Playwright Award (and countless others) at a
time when plays for children were not considered serious works. Now,
many of her published scripts are considered classics for young
audiences. When teachers voiced their need for great plays that
kids can perform Ms. Miller responded with ArtReachs School
Plays: I never dreamed Id write for anyone other
than professionals. But writing for child performers has been
the most profound and rewarding experience of my life. |
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A
CHRISTMAS CAROL
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 A
Christmas
Carol.
I hope you and your young friends have as much fun performing this
play as I did writing it.
- KSM
Audience & Cast Sing
Together - GCole Productions - Rhode Island
A
CHRISTMAS CAROL
CD
SOUNDTRACK CUES
Piano
accompaniment to Christmas songs,
sound effects,
background music.
The CD
Soundtrack contains special sound effects and background music
(public domain traditional Christmas songs) that may be used to
greatly enhance the performance. It also contains simple music to
accompany the performers and audience as they sing the Christmas
songs in the play (song cues shown below in red).
Cues have 10 seconds of silence at the end - times shown below
include silence.
[ Click on [sample]
to hear a short sample of the indicated cues ]
1. THUNDEROUS
APPLAUSE (0:39) [sample]
2. WE
WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS (0:51) [sample]
3. GOD
REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN (0:51) [sample]
4. SILENT
NIGHT (1:11) [sample]
5. BELL,
CHAINS, SCARY (0:55) [sample]
6.
CHAINS, BELL, SCARY (0:27)
7. IT
CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR (0:48) [sample]
8. WIND,
COLD, EERIE (0:53)
9.
FLYING! (0:49)
10. DECK
THE HALLS (1:06) [sample]
11. OH
LITTLE TOWN (0:54) [sample]
12. HAPPY
FAT TURKEY MUSIC (0:43)
13.
STREETS OF LONDON (0:41) [sample]
14. BELL,
WIND, SCARY (0:45)
15. BELL
TOLLS TWELVE (0:59)
16. JOY
TO THE WORLD (0:43) [sample]
17.
JOYOUS CHRISTMAS MUSIC (4:06)
18. WE
WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS (1:44) [sample]
Note:
The songs included in the script are suggestions of traditional
Christmas songs that can be easily sung by the cast and
audience. The CD Soundtrack has simple instrumental
accompaniment for each song - words and piano music matching the CD
are available in the Teachers Guide. You can also use a live
band or piano to accompany the sing-along for each of the songs - all
of these songs should be in any Christmas songbook available from a
music store, library, the Internet (or use the piano music in the
Teachers Guide). You can even include the school glee club
(church choir, etc.)!
Music
& Sound Resources Available on the Internet
( Sheet
Music, Song Books, CDs, DVDs, Sing-along,
Karaoke, Sound
Effects )
Internet
Music Resources: Karaoke
CDs & Sheet
Music
Click
to search Internet for karaoke cds or sheet music
Charles
Dickens Christmas Classic for Kids!
Take a Bow
Productions, Christmas Play Production, ON
"The audience loved the performance and the humor of the script.
A good time was had by all!"
Brenda Yankaskas,
Friends Meeting School, Ijamsville, MD
A
CHRISTMAS CAROL
SCRIPT SAMPLE
Scrooge
is visited by the spooky Ghost of Jacob Marley...
(Script
pages 15-17) |
MISTLETOE: Now there
was a portrait of Jacob Marley that hung in Scrooge's bedroom.
(DOOR becomes FRAME and
KNOCKER becomes MARLEY'S image inside the frame. FRAME may arch
his arms over MARLEY'S image or hold a cardboard frame, framing the
image. MARLEY dons his spectacles and takes a formal pose with
two fingers between his buttons at his chest. SCROOGE speaks as
he gets ready for bed, putting on his nightcap.)
SCROOGE: (Snaps
his fingers at the "portrait") There was a man
who knew how to keep Christmas! What was it you used to say,
Jacob? Christmas is a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket
every year. How true, how true.
PEPPERMINT: Maybe
the door knocker didn't frighten him.
SCROOGE: Humbug!
CHESTNUT: Maybe the
darkness didn't spook him.
SCROOGE: Bah!
HOLLY: Maybe the
shadows didn't scare him...
SCROOGE: (Snaps fingers.) Ha!
MISTLETOE: But he
double locked his door just the same.
(SCROOGE's hand shakes wildly
as he jiggles keys in imaginary door and quickly jumps in bed.
Bed can a bench or a few benches together. He takes blanket and
holds it beneath his chin, peering out into the darkness.)
SCROOGE: Come
blessed sleep, come!
(SOUND CUE #4: Intro to next song.)
DICKENS: At last
Scrooge drifted away, and it seemed a choir of angels sang him to sleep.
(ALL sing. SONG
SUGGESTION: Silent Night.
SCROOGE closes eyes and
snores. SOUND CUE ENDS. When song is done the bells
begin. PERFORMERS all have bells. One begins to
ring, then another, then another until there is a mass confusion of
bells. Soon we hear...
SOUND CUE #5: Long low toll of
church bell...
SCROOGE jumps from the bed
covers his ears.)
SCROOGE: What can it
mean? What can it mean?
(Suddenly all bells
cease. SOUND: Bell changes to chains and eerie sounds,
continues through following scene.)
Huh?
(Seated PERFORMERS begin
making frightening sounds. They may repeat these sounds as
needed in excess of what is written here.)
PERFORMERS:
Ooooooooooohhh. OOOOOoooooooooooooo...
SCROOGE: Who is
there? Who?
PERFORMERS:
Ebeneeeeeeeeesssserrrrrrr!! EEEEEEehhhhhhhbee-nnneeeeeeezzzzzzzzer...
SCROOGE: That's my
name! I admit it! Who calls for me???
(PERFORMERS have chains and
things to make the sound of rattling such as tin cans filled with
marbles, jingle bells, triangles, rain sticks. They may tap a
pen against the seat of a metal chair.)
Who? Who is there?
(While SCROOGE runs around
calling out, two PERFORMERS dress PICTURE/MARLEY in gauzy white cloth
that drapes from his head to his feet. They wrap him in
chains. SOUND CUE ENDS. MARLEY speaks loudly...)
MARLEY: IT IS I...
(MARLEY steps from the picture
FRAME into SCROOGE'S bedroom. SCROOGE screams in horror!)
SCROOGE:
AAAhhhh! What do you want from me?
MARLEY: Much!
SCROOGE: Who are you?
MARLEY: Ask me who I was.
SCROOGE: Who were
you then?
MARLEY: In life I
was your partner, Jacob Marley.
SCROOGE: It can't be true!
MARLEY: You don't
believe in me!
SCROOGE: (Straightening
himself up.) Not at all. You're nothing but a
stomach cramp, a bit of undigested beef...
Note:
This is a sample from the actual script. To review the entire
play, order the PERUSAL SCRIPT (online instant download). Or
to save 20% on the full production kit and royalty for one
performance, order the SCHOOL PLAY PACKAGE (below) and start
rehearsals today!
SCHOOL PLAY PACKAGE (Everything)
One payment for
everything you need to perform the play at your school or
organization. No need to purchase multiple scripts, no royalty quote,
no separate royalty payment. Order the School Play Package and you're
done -- start rehearsals immediately!
The
SCHOOL PLAY PACKAGE Includes:
1.
Master Script ($9.95)
2.
Teachers Guide ($9.95)
3.
CD Soundtrack ($29.95)
4.
Performance License ($60.00)
(License:
Rights to copy script, Royalty
for one performance)
Get
Everything ($109.85
value) - Only $99.95
(
SAVE MORE $$$ WITH FULL
DOWNLOAD - NO
SHIPPING COSTS! )
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