Posts Tagged royalty-free Christmas plays
‘Death By Poinsettia’ in Chicago
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on December 22, 2020
Possibilities Theatre in Chicago produced my Christmas one-act DEATH BY POINSETTIA. It was directed by Rashaad Bond but, alas, I don’t have the names of the two wonderful performers. 
The old mistletoe trick.
The title card.
Audio: ‘This is Angel O’Lord reporting’ in California
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Radio plays, Video on December 21, 2020
Unity of Marin, a church in Marin County, California near San Francisco, produced my short play THIS IS ANGEL O’LORD reporting, as a radio drama as part of the church’s annual holiday show on Dec. 19, 2020.
Video: ‘Shakespeare’s Lost Christmas Play’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Uncategorized, Video on December 13, 2020
On December 12, 2020, I held a video reading of my new Christmas play SHAKESPEARE’S LOST CHRISTMAS PLAY. Here ’tis!
The back story: A teacher in Utah, who has previously produced some of my work, contacted me in September and asked if I would write a Christmas play for her class. It needed to fit her cast size, gender mix and time limits. Plus, it had to be done in a socially distanced fashion, plus she wanted it about trying to produce a show during the pandemic. I changed that to the plague in Shakespeare’s day.
The cast:
* Erasmus a peasant who has perpetually bad luck on stage: Mason Micesvki, Hamilton, Ontario
* Ann, a peasant who doesn’t much like Erasmus and wants to be a snowflake in the pageant: Ella Kennedy, Hamilton, Ontario
* Thomasina, another peasant who wants to be a snowflake in the pageant: Kaiya Hoagland, Bonsack, Virginia.
* Bartholomew, a peasant who isn’t very bright: Scott Cooper, Waterloo, Ontario
* Susan, a peasant who is always hungry: Emily Bolyea-Kyere, Hamilton, Ontario
* Emma, a peasant who is depressed, until she’s not: Giselle Magie, Hamilton, Ontario
* Toby, a peasant who is naïve: William Thomas, Hamilton, Ontario
* Olivia, a peasant given to conspiracy theories: Irene Kenney, Memphis, Tennessee
* Roger, a peasant just returned from London, practical: Stephen Baltz, Christiansburg, Virginia.
* Joan the stage manager, the practical type : Arlene Thomas, Kitchener, Ontario
* Hortense the director: Cheryl Carter, Lynchburg, Virginia.
* The royal herald, who delivers a message Heather Sexton, Salem, Virginia
* The Plague Doctor, who appears in the costume of a medieval plague Doctor , Aisha Mitchell, Radford, Virginia
* Stage directions: B.A. Ciccolella, Norfolk, Virginia
Review of ‘A Dickens of a Christmas’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews, Uncategorized on November 18, 2020
The New Zealand playwright Rex McGregor has left this lovely review on the New Play Exchange for my Christmas full-length A DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS:
“A delightful script with likable characters, witty dialogue and a twist I didn’t see coming.”
A DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS
Two orphan girls in Victorian London desperately want a proper Christmas dinner. At first, they conspire to sneak into a private club and pass themselves off as men. Their plans are frustrated by a retired military man, and two fellow orphans. That’s when they devise another plan that involves the mean old rich woman at the end of the street. Cast: Six – three male, three female.
Here’s a video of a virtual reading of the script in September 2020.
Video reading of ‘A Dickens of a Christmas’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Uncategorized, Video on September 27, 2020
Here’s a video reading of my new Christmas play, A DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS, performed by an international cast with an international audience.
Rose: Kira Simmons (Chantilly, Virginia)
Lily: Irene Kenney (Memphis, Tennessee, but logging in from Nashville)
Colonel Brampton: Charlie Boswell (Roanoke, Virginia)
Toby: Stephen Baltz (Christiansburg, Virginia)
Percy: Mason Micevski (Hamilton, Ontario)
Lady Crumblebum: Martha Boswell (Roanoke, Virginia)
Stage directions: Emily Bolyea-Kyere (Hamilton, Ontario)
Our audience included former Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke (and his wife, Maryellen, both fans of live theatre) and from Auckland, New Zealand, playwright Rex McGregor. Theatre is a small world: Rex and I both had pieces in a monologue festival out of New York earlier this summer. Irene was one of the actresses we saw in that festival — and since then we’ve both recruited her for projects.
A DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS
Two orphan girls in Victorian London desperately want a proper Christmas dinner. At first, they conspire to sneak into a private club and pass themselves off as men. Their plans are frustrated by a retired military man, and two fellow orphans. That’s when they devise another plan that involves the mean old rich woman at the end of the street. Cast: Six – three male, three female.
Video reading of ‘The Broken Angel’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on August 17, 2020
On August 15, I held a Zoom reading of my Christmas play, THE BROKEN ANGEL, with a cast from Ontario.
Stage directions: Giselle Magie (Hamilton, Ontario)
Fluffy: Mason Micevski (Hamilton, Ontario)
Riley: Ella Kennedy (Hamilton, Ontario)
Debbie: Lynne McIntee (Guelph, Ontario)
Angel: Emily Bolyea-Kyere (Hamilton, Ontario)
Church mouse: Arlene Thomas (Kitchener, Ontario)
THE BROKEN ANGEL
A Christmas story that involves a talking cat, a talking mouse, an angel and a newly-single mom and her son/daughter. Christmas is approaching and there’s not much joy for Riley (who can be anywhere from roughly 8-15). His/her parents have broken up and his/her mother says there’s not enough money for even a Christmas tree. Riley decides to fashion his/her own — out of beer cans salvaged from the trash, with sticks to serve as limbs. The mom is touched by this gesture, and, against her better judgement, agrees to hang ornaments on it — including a very old angel ornament that once belonged to her grandmother. The cat — who can talk to the audience, but no one else — tries to warn that this isn’t a good idea, but the humans don’t listen. The ornament falls and breaks, angering the mom, who orders Riley to bed while she tries to drink away her sorrows. It’s then that the broken ornament turns into a real angel, who tries to deliver an important message. Cast: Five. Two females, and three non-gender (including the child).
Photos from ‘The Girl Who Made Emus Believe They Could Fly’ in Mass.
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions on June 12, 2020
Emus take flight.
The Quannapowitt Players Suburban Holidays festival in Reading, Mass. produced my one-act
THE GIRL WHO MADE EMUS BELIEVE THEY COULD FLY in November and December 2019. Out of the blue, they sent me these photos with the note: “It was perhaps the best received play this year.”
More below: Read the rest of this entry »
‘Your play is terrific!”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on December 12, 2019
Fellow playwright Melinda Gros recently attended the Quannapowitt Players Suburban Holidays festival in Reading, Massachusetts where my one-act THE GIRL WHO MADE EMUS BELIEVE THEY COULD FLY was produced Nov. 29-30, Dec. 1, 5-7, 2019. She sends this happy message:
“I saw the production this weekend – the company did a very nice job – and your play is terrific! I don’t know much about emus, but the actors made them very avian and hysterical, especially the ballet-dancing emu. Congrats!”
Photos from ‘Let There Be Lights!’ in Iowa
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions on December 12, 2019
Mills Masquers Theatre in Glenwood, Iowa produced my one-act LET THERE BE LIGHTS! on Dec. 6-8, 13-15, 2019. Director Jeannie Lorimor sends this message and these photos: “We had an amazing turn out Friday and Saturday and we sold out our theater Sunday night! The kids did amazing! And I heard so many compliments on “Let there be Lights” The audience ate it up! One more weekend of shows to go. Friday and Saturday this week we still have seats but Sunday is filling up again and will most likely sell out again! Thank you for writing such an amazing piece! It has been a blast to direct!” You can find the full gallery here.
A cheerleader!
Sunglasses required.
Fancy dress.
MORE FROM LET THERE BE LIGHTS!:
* Otto-Eldred High School in Duke Center, Pennsylvania, Dec. 2018.
* Liberty High School, Liberty, Texas, Dec. 2017.
* Seton Hall University, New Jersey, 2015.
Rehearsal begins for ‘Exchange of Gifts’ tour
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on September 8, 2019
From left: Director Kerry Plank, stage manager Kelly Hoagland, actresses Kaiya Hoagland, Lyndsey Hanks, Olivia Hunter.
On Labor Day weekend, most people were probably thinking about the end of summer, or the beginning of fall, but my thoughts were on Christmas. We held the first rehearsal for my touring Christmas show, EXCHANGE OF GIFTS. Here are some photos.
By the way, our only Roanoke show is now SOLD OUT — three months before the event.
From the other side.
MORE ON EXCHANGE OF GIFTS:
* Full tour schedule and ticket info.
* Behind the scenes of the publicity photos.
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