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It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life

By Philip Grecian. Based on the film by Frank Capra. It’s a Wonderful Life is based on the story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern.

Now licensing for 2025!
See notes below for current requirements.

Product Code: IF1000

Full-length Play

Comedy | Drama

Cast size: 7 to 17m., 4 to 8w., 2 to 4 boys, 2 to 4 girls.



Rights and availability

This title can be licensed and sold in the following countries:
Canada, United States

Please note this title may be restricted in your area and may require additional processing time.

* 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.

Available Formats
$39.95
In Stock
$10.95
(Unprintable)

Min. Royalty Rate: $90.00/perf

Synopsis

Grecian, who brought A Christmas Story to the stage, now gives us this adaptation of the beloved Frank Capra film. It is Christmas Eve, and George Bailey stands on a bridge looking over the icy waters below, contemplating suicide. Joseph, an unseen angel, calls on The Boss for advice, and they decide on Clarence Oddbody, an Angel Second Class who, after 200 years, has yet to earn his wings. Joseph takes Clarence into the past to see George as a boy, rescuing his brother from drowning, enduring a beating from grieving druggist Gower, saving a child from accidental poisoning, then growing up to forgo college so he can save the family business and keep the citizens of Bedford Falls from being ruined by the Depression and the machinations of the conniving Henry Potter. George marries his childhood sweetheart, has a family, and resigns himself to a life of "failure." When his Uncle Billy misplaces $8,000 of the Building and Loan's money, George takes responsibility and runs to the bridge to commit suicide. Clarence stops him, and when George wishes he had never been born, makes the wish come true. Now George wanders through a Bedford Falls that has been rechristened Pottersville and has fallen far without him to save it. He realizes how many lives he has touched, how many people he has helped—and that he has been a success, after all. Clarence brings him back to "his" Bedford Falls and even manages to make Henry Potter pay for his sins. Available in manuscript only.

Notes

Current important billing and credit requirements are provided in the “Updated Front Pages” PDF in the Downloads tab. Further, all materials used for purposes of advertising, publicizing or otherwise exploiting the title and/or a production must be submitted to Dramatic Publishing prior to use. 

PLEASE NOTE: The print copy is in unbound manuscript format. Upon licensing, a permission to photocopy form will be issued.

Details

  • Status In stock
  • Type of Show Full-length Play
  • Product Code IF1000
  • Minimum Cast Size 15
  • Pages of Dialogue 57
  • Min. Royalty Rate $90.00/perf
  • Approx. Run Time 115 min
  • Staging Area staging.

Categories

  • Target Audience Young Audiences | Middle School | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages) | Senior Adults | Praise Groups
  • Performing Group High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre | Touring Group
  • Genre Comedy | Drama
  • ISBN(13) 9781583429808

* 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.

Hints, Tips, and Tricks

Have a set design that can accommodate many different scenes. You are basically recreating a movie.

Chase Noffsinger, Shelby County HS, Shelbyville, Ky.

Media Reviews

"It's a Wonderful Life soars on angel wings of innovation." -Canada.com

"There cannot be enough praise for It's a Wonderful Life. … Superb and amazing … all someone could ever ask for to get themselves into the Christmas spirit." -Pressplus1.com

Production Map

Location City State Opens Closes
Ilion Little Theater Ilion NY 11/28/2025 12/07/2025
Hope on Houston Sherman TX 12/18/2025 12/20/2025
Courtyard Theater Plano TX 12/19/2025 12/21/2025

Downloads

File Description File Format
Updated Front Pages pdf Download
Performance Poster pdf Download

Poster Suggestions

  • Each poster includes a text box which allows you to customize it with your production information. Once a poster has been opened, position your mouse over the lower third portion until you see a label with instructions on entering your production information. Use the Text Select Tool to customize your poster.
  • You can print the poster in its original format and hand write your information.
  • Your local copy shop should be able to create prints from a file saved to disk. They might even be able to increase the size of the poster for you (although some loss of resolution will occur).

Poster permissions: Please note that while the posters are customizable, the graphics and credits on each poster are not. The permission to manipulate any of the posters on our website is strictly limited to the production promotion box at the bottom of the poster. The graphics and all other text including author credits, title, etc., may not be manipulated in any way. This permission does not include the right to reproduce the graphics on any other media without the express written consent of Dramatic Publishing.