No Christmas This Year

NO CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR

A Christmas Play in Three Acts

by

Delvyn C. Case, Jr.


 No Christmas This Year
 Copyright 2000  
by  Delvyn C. Case Jr.
All Rights Reserved
CAUTION: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that NO CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR is subject to a royalty.  It is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, the British Commonwealth, including Canada, and all other countries of the Copyright Union.  All rights, including professional, amateur, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio broadcasting, television, and the rights of translation into foreign language are strictly reserved.
    The amateur live stage performance rights to NO CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR are controlled exclusively by Drama Source and royalty arrangements and licenses must be secured well in advance of presentation.  PLEASE NOTE that amateur royalty fees are set upon application in accordance with your producing circumstances.  When applying for a royalty quotation and license please give us the number of performances intended and dates of production.  Royalties are payable one week before the opening performance of the play to Drama Source Co., 1588 E. 361 N., St. Anthony, Idaho 83445, unless other arrangements are made.      
    Royalty of the required amount must be paid whether the play is presented for charity or gain, and whether or not admission is charged.  For all other rights than those stipulated above, apply to Drama Source Company, 1588 E. 361 N. St. Anthony, Idaho 83445.
    Copying from this book in whole or in part is strictly forbidden by law, and the right of performance is not transferable.
    Whenever the play is produced, the following notice must appear on all programs, printing and advertising for the play, “Produced by special arrangement with Drama Source Co.”
    Due authorship credit must be given on all programs, printing and advertising for the play.

No one shall commit or authorize any act or omission by which the copyright or the rights to copyright of this play may be impaired.

No one shall make changes in this play for the purpose of production without written permission.

Publication of this play does not imply availability for performance.    Both amateurs and professionals considering a production are strongly advised in their own interests to apply to Drama Source Company for written permission before starting rehearsals, advertising, or booking a theatre.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, now known or yet to be invented, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, videotaping or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.Characters (in order of appearance)

CHOIR

SHOPPERS

MARIA ROSS, wife of JOSEPH, 30’s—50’s

CONNIE ALBERTSON, wife of DAVID, 30’s—50’s

JOSEPH ROSS, 30’s—50’s

DAVID ALBERTSTON, 30’s—50’s

STEPHANIE ROSS, daughter of JOSEPH and MARIA, teenager

VALERIE ROSS, daughter of JOSEPH and MARIA, teenager

CINDY ALBERTSON, son of DAVID and CONNIE, teenager

MISS SHAW, high-school choir director, 30’s—50’s

 

Time

Christmas season.  Present.  ACT I 12/19 and 12/20, ACT II 12/21, ACT III 12/23

 
COSTUMES
 
            Contemporary dress.

            Winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves

 

 Place
 
            ACT I Scene 1:  The Mall

            ACT I Scene 2:  Church

            ACT I Scene 3:  The Ross’s Home
 

            ACT II Scene 1:  School

            ACT II Scene 2:  The Hospital

            ACT II Scene 3:  Church
 

            ACT III Scene 1:  The Mall

            ACT III Scene 2:  The Hospital

            ACT III Scene 3:  Grandparent’s Home

            ACT III Scene 4:  The Ross’s Home

 
PROPS

            Bags of gifts

            Tables

            Chairs

            Hospital bed

            School chairs/desks

            Bench

            Free standing door

 

 

 

NO CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR
 

ACT I.  Scene 1:  The Mall

                        (At the lights come up, there is a mall scene with two chairs at center stage.  The CHOIR is singing stage left.  SHOPPERS dressed for winter carrying packages cross the stage listening to the CHOIR and looking into the windows.  MARIA enters from stage right and crosses to the stage right chair.  She carries many packages in both arms.  As she drops into the chair, she lets the packages slowly drop to the sides of the chair.  She watches the SHOPPERS and makes fun of them with mannerisms and facial expressions as the SHOPPERS listen to the CHOIR and shop.  CONNIE enters from stage right carrying packages. She recognizes MARIA.  She notices MARIA’S antics.  The CHOIR finishes. SHOPPERS applaud.  The CHOIR exits stage left.  MARIA mimics them. CONNIE crosses to MARIA.  The SHOPPERS exit stage right and stage left)

                                                   CONNIE
Maria, what are you doing?

                                                  MARIA
 Watching the shoppers.

                                                  CONNIE
Watching?

                                                 MARIA
                         (shrugs shoulders)
I’m having a little fun with them.  With the whole thing.

                                                 CONNIE
                         (incredulously)
The whole thing?

(CONNIE sits down in the stage left chair and puts packages down.  MARIA blows a lock of hair away from her forehead and sighs)

 
                                                 MARIA
 Comic relief.  It’s the only way I’m going to survive another week of this.

                        (MARIA takes right foot out of shoe and rubs foot)

                                                 CONNIE
 This?

                                                 MARIA
 The Christmas season.

                                                 CONNIE
 It’s that bad?

                                                 MARIA
 Worse.  Connie, this is the first time I’ve sat down since the day after Thanksgiving.

                                                 CONNIE
 Maria!

 (MARIA pulls out a long list out of her pocketbook and show CONNIE)                

                                                 MARIA
 Look at this!  I’m nowhere done.  (speaking with more intensity) And presents aren’t all.  I gotta buy dresses to wear at two parties.  One’s not enough.  Joseph says we have to make a good impression at the office party and the neighborhood party.

                                                   CONNIE
                         (trying to calm MARIA down)
Wait.

                                                 MARIA
                         (looking straight ahead)
I haven’t begun to cook all the stuff everyone wants.  The kids say, (mockingly) “Make the Santa cookies, make the Santa cookies”.  (to CONNIE) Of course I’ll throw most of them out on New Year’s along with the dried out Christmas tree.

                                                 CONNIE
 Just a minute.

                                                 MARIA
                         (with more intensity and speed)
When you’re screaming for a little rest, there’s Christmas eve.  You think it’s over after a big family dinner and church.  (shakes head) It’s just the beginning.  Up ‘til one…(with mocking) wrapping and taping and wrapping and taping…

                                                 CONNIE
                         (trying to calm MARIA down)
Slow down.

                                                 MARIA
                         (hands up)
Then the dreadful day begins.  There’s the yelling and screaming:  “That’s mine!”  “No it’s not!”  In the midst of total chaos, (slowly) we have to stop to take pictures.  (mockingly) Do I look lovely?  (loudly) In my bathrobe?  (faster) While the kids are stuffing themselves with all the chocolate and candy the grandparents have dropped into their stockings—they’re going to eat after that?– I have to start dinner.  I’m still in my bathrobe as I set the table.

                                                 CONNIE
                         (strongly)
Maria, please!

                                                 MARIA
 After working so long to make a nice dinner with everyone’s favorites, it’s over in five,  maybe ten minutes.  They’re like locusts.  They’d make Moses proud.  (looking at CONNIE) You don’t think I should make fun of “the whole thing”?  (looking straight ahead)  I can’t wait ‘til four on Christmas day when I can lay on the couch with my feet up and fall asleep.  It’ll be the first rest I’ll get from this moment ‘til then.  (MARIA sits back and blows away another lock of hair)

                                                 CONNIE
 Are you done?  You’ve exhausted me.

                                                 MARIA
 (looking ahead) I’ve hardly started.

                                                 CONNIE
 I read in…some magazine that there is as much stress at Christmas as there is with a divorce or death of a spouse.

                                                   MARIA
 (looking at CONNIE) Maybe we shouldn’t have it.

                                                 CONNIE
 What?

                                                 MARIA
 Christmas.

                                                   CONNIE
 (startled)
You don’t mean that.

                                                 MARIA
 I know the kids would squawk.

                                                 CONNIE
 For sure.

                                                 MARIA
                         (putting her shoe on)
Joseph would go ballistic.  He’s such a Christmas person.  And his parents. Ouch! They’d never forgive me.

                         (MARIA picks up packages and stands up)

                                                 MARIA (cont’d)
                        (looking at CONNIE)
Would I dare?

                                                 CONNIE
                         (standing up)
You wouldn’t!

                                                 MARIA&

No Christmas This Year

Author: Delvyn Case
Delvyn served as Director of Drama at First Baptist Church in Portland, Maine for 20 years, and is now Director of Drama at First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs, Florida. At the churches he has written and directed a large number of his one-act and full-length plays developed in connection with the church services and holidays. Delvyn is also passionate about international social justice. Several of his plays concerning the Rwandan genocide have been commissioned by Central Africa Vision U.S.A. and have been performed under Delvyn’s direction in Rwanda and Burundi. Delvyn’s plays have been performed in a number of churches and festivals including The Maine Playwrights Festival, Karitos Conference, Art of the Play Festival, Northern Writes, Crowbait Club, Snowlion Repertory Company Playlab, Maine Restaurant Week, Boston Theater Marathon, Northport One-Act Play Festival, the Samuel French One-Act Play Festival, THE SEVEN One-Act Play Festival, and Stage It! 10-Minute Play Festival. He has won the Maine Literary Award for Drama, Writer’s Digest Writing Award (Drama), and the Christians in Theatre Arts Play Award. Most recently Delvyn has studied Drama and Literature in summers at the University of Oxford. Delvyn is a full member of the Dramatists Guild of America and Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC). He has been designated as an Emerging Artist by the SDC. Delvyn is published by Drama Source.

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