Reaching Out - Reaching Back

A Christmas Drama

(This drama can be used as a standard drama or as a Sunday School Christmas presentation featuring younger actors. If younger actors are used, thorough casting is essential for key roles.)

This drama contrasts the original Christmas with modern celebrations. It explores the concept of "no room in the inn" and compares it to how we make—or fail to make—room for others in celebrating Jesus' birth. It also highlights the contrast between the Magi's reverence in giving gifts and the modern, self-focused approach to Christmas giving.

The drama unfolds as parallel stories interwoven throughout the performance. The Original Christmas scenes follow families such as Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the Wise Men, and the Innkeeper. The Contemporary Christmas scenes depict modern families dealing with exclusion, giving grudgingly, and struggling with the meaning of Christmas. Themes include:

• No room in the inn & no room for a homeless family during the holidays
• Shepherds celebrating the birth & a group celebrating "The Birthday Party"
• Three kings bringing gifts to the Christ Child & a couple assembling a Christmas gift
• A boy invites a non-Christian friend to a concert & a shepherd boy invites a friend to visit the manger

Estimated Total Cast Size: 20-25 actors (some roles can be doubled if needed).

Estimaged Run-Time:  35-45 minutes

Stage Layout, Costumes, Props & Sets

The stage is divided into three areas:

• Stage Right – Contemporary Christmas
• Stage Left – Original Christmas
• Upstage Left or Center – Raised platform where "Luke the disciple" narrates, quoting extensively from the Gospel of Luke.

A dark brown tarp serves as a full-stage backdrop. Painted cloth backdrops can be lowered to create different settings (e.g., a street scene, a stable, a modern home). Scene transitions occur through lighting changes.

A. Raised Stage (Upstage Left or Center)

• Fully railed for safety but designed to be as unobtrusive as possible.
• Luke sits when not speaking to remain inconspicuous.

B. Original Christmas Stage (Stage Left)

• Set I: A street scene with building facades, an inn, and trees. A fire at center stage (rotating artificial fireplace) remains throughout but is turned off during Contemporary Christmas scenes.
• Set III: A pasture scene with scrub brush and rocks.
• Set V, VIII: The manger scene with a low manger, Mary seated behind it, and a stable backdrop.
• Set XI: The manger scene expands to include all actors.

Costumes: Biblical period dress in dark, earthy tones. Mary and Joseph wear lighter colors for contrast. The Wise Men are in rich, vibrant colors. Luke’s costume blends with the backdrop to remain subtle when unlit.

Lighting: Soft blue hues create a nighttime atmosphere. A spotlight represents the star in Set III. A dim, backlit glow over the manger enhances key moments.

C. Contemporary Christmas Stage (Stage Right)

• Set II: Exterior of a modern home with artificial snow and a wheelchair. If possible, include an overhead "street light."
• Set IV, VII, IX: Minimal setup with two front-row seats in the audience area for realism.
• Set VI: A birthday party setting with plain walls, a high stool for Jessie, party hats, and noisemakers.
• Set X: A living room with a couch, table, chairs, and a toy train. Props remain covered when not in use.

Costumes: Modern-day casual wear. Heavy jackets for Set II. The two boys wear bright colors for visibility. Rocky's clothing should appear slightly worn.

Lighting: Stark, untinted, or red-hued lighting for tension. Softer blue tones emerge midway through Set X to symbolize transformation.

Conduct of Characters

• Original Christmas: Characters are quieter, reverent, and awe-struck.
• Luke: Animated, with a deep, measured voice, delivering lines with thoughtful precision.
• Johnathan: Kind and loving, the "nice kid next door."
• Rocky: Loud and brash, but his underlying pain should be evident.
• Contemporary Christmas: Characters are louder and more aggressive, except for the family and Anne in Set II. In Set X, they gradually soften in tone as the scene progresses.

Sound Considerations

Wireless microphones are ideal, especially for the two boys. Conceal standing microphones in props like the manger or a birthday cake. Ensure unused microphones are turned off.

Sample Script

Set I: The Journey to Bethlehem

(Lights up on raised stage, Upstage Left. Luke paces, narrating the birth of Jesus.)

LUKE: They call me Luke, the Doctor. Many have sought to record the events we believe, just as they were passed down by eyewitnesses. Having carefully investigated everything, I now write an orderly account, so you may know the certainty of what you have been taught.

(Lights come up slowly on Stage Left. A group of biblical travelers enter from Upstage Center, finding no space to rest. Joseph and Mary enter last, their presence becoming the focal point. Joseph helps Mary, who appears weary.)

LUKE: In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register.

(The crowd fills the stage, sitting and lying down as though exhausted. Joseph knocks at an inn’s door.)

JOSEPH: Sir, we need a room.

INNKEEPER: There is no room. The census has filled the inn.

JOSEPH: Please! My wife is about to give birth. Surely, you wouldn’t turn us away?

(The Innkeeper hesitates. His wife, Elizabeth, emerges.)

ELIZABETH: Jacob, look at her—she’s just a girl. We must do something!

INNKEEPER: We have no midwife. The law requires one!

ELIZABETH: Then let them stay in the stable.

MARY: God bless you!

(Lights fade as the couple heads to the stable. Lights rise on Luke.)

LUKE: And while they were there, the time came for the baby to be born…

Set II: A Modern Parallel

(Lights up on Contemporary Stage, Stage Right. A man in a wheelchair, George, is with his wife Doris and their sick daughter Diana, knocking on a door.)

DOUG (opening the door, frowning): It’s Christmas Eve! What can I do for you?

GEORGE: Our car broke down. Our daughter is sick. Can we come inside, just to warm up?

DOUG: I’d really like to help, but we’re getting ready for Christmas. Maybe you could try the hotel down the road?

GEORGE: We have no money. Please, just for a moment?

(Anne, Doug’s wife, appears.)

ANNE: Doug, this child has a fever. They need help!

DOUG: We have no room…

ANNE: There’s the summer cottage. We’ll make it work.

Want to see how the story unfolds? DramaShare members get this complete script— and access to our entire library—free! Not a member? You can still grab this individual script and bring it to life.