The White Christmas and other Merry Christmas Plays

The White Christmas and other
Merry
by Walter Ben Hare

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Title: The White Christmas and other Merry Christmas Plays
Author: Walter Ben Hare
Illustrator: Buckton Nendick
Release Date: November 16, 2006 [EBook #19826]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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WHITE CHRISTMAS ***

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THE WHITE CHRISTMAS
AND OTHER
MERRY CHRISTMAS PLAYS
BY
WALTER BEN HARE
AUTHOR OF THE PLAYS
"Aaron Boggs, Freshman," "Abbu San of Old Japan," "Civil Service,"
"A College Town," "Kicked Out of College," "Macbeth à la Mode,"
"Mrs. Tubbs of Shantytown," "Parlor Matches," "A Poor Married
Man," "My Irish Rose," "A Rustic Romeo," "Savageland," "A Southern
Cinderella," etc.
ILLUSTRATED BY
BUCKTON NENDICK
CHICAGO T.S. DENISON & COMPANY PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT, 1917 BY EBEN H. NORRIS
MADE IN U.S.A.
[Illustration: From "ANITA'S SECRET OR CHRISTMAS IN THE
STEERAGE"]

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
WITH THE BEST WISHES OF THE AUTHOR
TO
FRANCES MAAS ULLMANN

THE ORIGINAL
"ANITA"
AND
LUDWIG BLOCK ULLMANN
THE ORIGINAL
"JOLLY JACK FROST"
* * * * *
"I have always thought of Christmas time ... as a good time; a kind,
forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time ... when men and
women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely ...; and
I say, God bless it!"
CHARLES DICKENS.

FOREWORD
In these little plays I have tried to bring before the public the two
dominant characteristics of the ideal Christmas season, kindness,
expressed by "good will toward men," and the inward joy wrought by
kind acts, and suggested by "peace on earth." As Yuletide draws near
we like to think of the swell of Christmas feeling, kindness, peace and
good will, that rises like a mighty tide over the world, filling it with the
fresh, clean joys and generous impulses that produce the peace that
passeth understanding.
Some of the plays are filled with the spirit of fun and jollity that is
always associated with Christmas merrymaking; in others I have tried
to emphasize the spiritual blessings brought to the children of men on
that first white Christmas night when Christ, the Lord, was born in
Bethlehem, and all the angels sang, "Gloria in excelsis, peace on earth,

good will toward men."
CHILDREN IN PLAYS.
The love of mimetic representation, either as a participant or as a
spectator, is an ineradicable instinct of childhood and adolescence.
Most of these plays call for a somewhat large number of children. This
need not daunt the producer as the chief characters are few and many of
the parts have very few lines to speak. Many extra children may be
introduced in several of the plays, as a chorus. At Christmas time, the
children's season, it is best to allow all who so desire to take part in the
entertainment. Some of the parts are rather long, but all have been
played by children of the age indicated in the text. Very little children
have sometimes done remarkable work in the plays. I remember one
instance when a very tiny Tiny Tim, who was not four years old, spoke
his part correctly, was heard in every corner of the church and acted
with a naturalness that was indeed remarkable.
REHEARSALS.
First and foremost, do not over-rehearse your play. The chief charm in
Christmas plays lies in their naturalness and simplicity, a part of which
is almost sure to be lost if they have rehearsed the play until they have
lost their wonder and excitement and enjoyment in the make-believe
game of amateur theatricals.
The director's aim should be to establish a happy co-operation with the
players that will make the whole production, rehearsals, dress
rehearsals and final performance, a series of good times crowned by a
happy, if not perfect, production. The director should always strive to
be cheerful and happy, ever ready to give advice and ever ready to ask
for advice, even from the youngest players. Take them into your
confidence. Discuss color schemes, costuming, property making,
lighting and scenic effects with your actors.
At the first rehearsal have the children listen to a reading of the play.
Then read a short scene in detail, allowing each actor to read several
parts. Try every child in every child's part before you make your final

selection of the cast of characters. If it is possible, begin your second
rehearsal on the stage where the play