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Home > Browse > A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

By John Jakes. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens.

Product Code: CA4000

Full-length Play

Drama

Cast size: 11m., 6w., 4 boys, 2 girls (expandable).

Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

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This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.

* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.

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Print Script

$11.95

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Director's Script

$25.00

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Min. Royalty Rate: $110.00/perf

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Synopsis

This A Christmas Carol goes beyond other adaptations with a unique dramatic concept: At the opening curtain, Charles Dickens himself is introduced to the audience, ready to present one of the famed platform readings of his stories that packed auditoriums in Europe and America. Of course, the story chosen is one which he often performed, A Christmas Carol (Dickens' marked-up script still exists!). The story unfolds behind him, and soon Dickens is weaving in and out of the action, observing, performing small roles, interpolating short passages of rich narrative never heard in other versions. He handles props and helps Scrooge and others with costume changes. Originally conceived for Mr. Jakes' home stage, the Hilton Head Playhouse, the play is supremely flexible in cast and design. The piece includes "God Bless Us Every One,"* a lovely new carol by Jakes and Tony-nominated composer Mel Marvin, as well as suggestions for placement of incidental music. Jim Volz, former managing director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where the play received its professional premiere, says of it: "In John Jakes' hands, A Christmas Carol recaptures the magic and mystique of the Dickens original. It is a brilliant script."

Notes

Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

Read an Excerpt

Details

Status In stock
Type of Show Full-length Play
Product Code CA4000
Minimum Cast Size 23
Pages of Dialogue 79
Min. Royalty Rate $110.00/perf
Approx. Run Time 90 min
Staging Unit set.

Customer Reviews

This is an easy show to put on for students in grades 6-12 with plenty of parts for everyone who wants to participate.

Christine Crocker, AMSA Charter School, Marlborough, Mass.

The play was most empowering.

Manuel Leybas, Casa Grande Union High School, Casa Grande, AZ

Well written with good directorial advice and directions.

Liz Condray, Salem Senior High School, Salem, MO

It was performed by 21 music theatre students in conjunction with a stage design class and a fashion class. The crowds were great and compliments were abundant. I was so proud of the beautiful show that was produced.

Kim Dafoe, Center Hastings High School, Madoc, Ontario, Canada

Becoming a yearly traditionÑto see and to be in. A family-friendly holiday production that leaves our audiences crying and laughing. Can be as simple or as elaborate as you can make it.

Donna Chalmers, LCOG, Lawrenceville, Ga.

Excellent version of A Christmas Carol. The script flows well, and making Dickens a character in the play works very well. The play does a good job of pulling the emotional strings of the audience. The funny parts are very funny and the serious parts are very serious. A great play if you want your audience to laugh, cry and be frightened in a two-hour performance. I highly recommend it!

David Wilson, Liberty Productions, St. Charles, Mo.

Mr. Jakes has woven a nice, tight version of A Christmas Carol that brings together many of the scenes from the book. The play flows more like a series of montages than a storyÑalmost like the flickering of a dream.

Phillip Leipf, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, N.J.

A big play with lots of sets and costumes. Very colorful and enjoyed by all ages. Plenty of roles for men but we used girls as Ghosts 1 and 2. The cast and audience enjoyed the costumes and the timeless story of redemption.

Andrea Croskery, Smiles and Frowns Playhouse, Greenville, N.C.

Jakes' A Christmas Carol was a huge success for us at Swamp Meadow. People enjoyed Dickens' participation in the play and the deeper insight into how Ebenezer became Scrooge. It was fun to produce and wonderfully received.

Bob Hollis, Swamp Meadow Community Theatre, Foster, R.I.

It is a brilliant script.

Jim Volz, former managing director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival

Hints, Tips, and Tricks

Mood is everything! We decorated the foyer, the gymnasium, had music playing as people enteredÑit really adds to the professionalism of the show.

Kim Dafoe, Center Hastings High School, Madoc, Ontario, Canada

For the Door Knocker scene, we used a concrete mold of a lion's face that we obtained from eBay. It was the same size as a human face. We painted the face gold and made an 8 x 12 hinged opening in the door with the lion's face attached. We covered the opening with pantyhose and, at the proper moment, Marley would open the small door and replace the lion's face with his own. The pantyhose made him look more ghostly.

David Wilson, Liberty Productions, St. Charles, Mo.

The scenes flow very quickly from one to the next. Care needs to be taken that set changes can be very fast, indeed. There are at least 12 scene changes in this 90-minute show, or a change every nine minutes or so. I suggest minimalism and wheels.

Phillip Leipf, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, N.J.

Using tech options of lighting, sound effects, drop box, flying candles, bells, bedcovers, fog machine does a lot to enhance the production.

Bob Hollis, Swamp Meadow Community Theatre, Foster, R.I.

Production Map

Location	City	State	Opens	Closes
Twin City Players	St Joseph	MI	12/05/2025	12/21/2025

Downloads

File Description	File Format
Performance Poster	pdf	Download

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