Room at the Manger

Written by  Bruce Maples

Christmas feels a long way away in Jacktown.

Maria has just been thrown out of her home, she is scared she may be pregnant, and her friends are dealing with struggles of their own. When someone suggests that God probably does not come to places or people like them, Sam challenges the group to look again at the Christmas story.

What if Mary and Joseph were young, frightened, poor, and uncertain too? What if the shepherds really were the overlooked people of their day? And what if the message of the manger was meant for people like Maria, Joe, and their friends after all?

Room at the Manger is a Christmas youth drama about grace, hope, and discovering that there is room at the manger for everyone. As the teens connect the familiar Nativity story with the realities of their own lives, they begin to understand that Christmas is not simply about what happened in Bethlehem long ago. It is about a God who still seeks people out and invites them to make room for Him today.

Script Details

Run Time: Approximately 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the number and length of musical selections used.

Cast: Flexible youth ensemble with 4 main characters plus additional youth roles, adult carolers, and one offstage voice. Bruce specifically notes that the supporting youth parts can be adjusted to fit the size of the group. 

Main Characters:
Sam
Maria
Julie
Joe

Additional Roles:
Maria’s Father, offstage voice
Adult Carolers
Flexible Youth Male and Youth Female roles

Setting: A sidewalk in a run-down neighborhood in front of several brownstone-style homes. A park or bus-stop bench is an important part of the set. The author notes that the production may use a full set or be staged very minimally.

Music: The script includes several suggested musical selections, but the author states that churches may substitute different songs or perform the drama without music.

Bible Reference

Primary: Luke 2:1-20

Additional:
Luke 1:26-38
Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew 2:1-12
John 3:16
Romans 5:8

Sample Script

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Opening Scene: A sidewalk in a run-down neighborhood in front of a row of three brownstones. Each brownstone has a stoop, with three steps going up to the stoop. There is a park bench stage slightly left of center, and a broken street light stage right.

As the lights come up, a group of carolers enters right, positions themselves in front of the stage-right stoop, and begin to sing. One of them is carrying a Christmas basket. They are well-dressed, and obviously do not belong in this neighborhood.

Song 0 – Joy to the World – Adult Carolers

At end of first verse, carolers hum as Sam enters left. They continue humming as he speaks to the audience.

Sam Ah, Christmas! Such a wonderful time of year. The sights, the smells, (indicates carolers) the sounds.

Offstage Voice Ahwh, shaddup you! (The front door opens of the stage-left stoop, and an unseen hand throws a shoe at the carolers, who stop humming and duck.)

Sam Of course, the sounds of Christmas vary from locale to locale.

Caroler (nervously) Maybe we’d better just leave the basket and get out of here.

The other carolers hastily agree and, leaving the basket on the stage-right stoop, beat a hasty retreat stage right, with the one who spoke looking nervously back over his/her shoulder at the door from which the shoe came.

Sam (speaking while crossing to the basket) Yes, here in Jacktown, you’re more likely to hear the sound of hangovers than of handbells, or of cardsharks than of carolers. Just a few blocks from here, there are shops with big displays and shoppers with big plans. But here? Most of the kids in Jacktown will be lucky to have one present on Christmas Day, much less a stocking to put it in. It’s just hard to find much to celebrate when you’re out of money, out of work, and out of luck.

Some of us try, of course, especially those of us who know the Founder of Christmas. But hard times sometimes make hard people, and in Jacktown, even at Christmas, things can get rough in a hurry.

Same Offstage Voice You what? (pause) Get out! Get out!

Maria (also offstage) But Daddy…

S.O.V. Don’t ‘But Daddy’ me! I said out!

The same stage-left door opens, and out comes Maria, as if propelled by someone. She stumbles down the steps to the sidewalk, while the door slams behind her. Catching herself at the bottom of the steps, she stands for a moment, looking up at the door as if in shock at the sudden predicament she finds herself in. Then, she walks over to the bench and plops down on it, with a sigh.

Sam (He has observed the previous activity, and now crosses to the bench, carrying the basket. He sets the basket on the ground beside the bench as he sits beside Maria.) Morning, Maria.

Maria (She looks up.) Oh, hi, Sam. What’s up?

Sam I was just going to ask you the same thing. Kinda early to be sitting at a bus stop on a Saturday, ain’t it? You trying to catch a bus?

Maria No, just sittin’ and thinkin’. Even if I had the money for the bus, I don’t know where I’d go.

Sam Well, it sure looks like you won’t be going back home, at least not for a while.

Maria Oh, did you hear my dad? (Sam nods.) Yeah, he kicked me out. He may change his mind when he sobers up, but I guess I’ll have to crash somewhere else for a while.

Sam Why’d he kick you out?

Maria Oh, Sam, I messed up big this time. I’m in major trouble.

Sam Did you stay out all night again with Joe?

Maria Naw, man, worse than that. I just don’t know what to do, Sam. I think …

Julie (offstage right) Maria! (Sam and Maria look up as Julie and the rest of the girls enter stage right.) Hey, girl – we were just getting ready to walk up to the mall and hang for a while. You want to go with us?

Maria I don’t know. I don’t feel much like doing anything. Maybe I’ll walk up there with you and call my sister.

Julie (sitting on the other end of the bench, beside Maria, as the rest of the girls gather beside and behind) Your sister? You haven’t talked to her in forever! What do you need to call her for?

Maria I need to see if I can stay with her for a while.

Julie Why? Did old Shoe-Thrower toss all your shoes out the window?

Maria No, he tossed me out the door – for good, or so he says.

Lori Why’d he do that? You in some sort of trouble?

Maria I’ll say. (She looks up at Lori.) I think …

YM (offstage right) Hey, there they are! Hey, Sam! (All the boys enter from right, crossing to the side of the bench away from the girls. Sam stands and exchanges greetings with Joe and some of the guys, then sits again.)

Joe Hey Maria, me and the guys were going up to the mall to hang out. You want to go?

Julie No, she was just going to the mall with all of us girls, (kiddingly) not with you guys.

YF (flirting) Yeah, who wants to hang out with a bunch of guys …

YF (also flirting) … especially a bunch like you!

YM Aw, come on, it’ll be fun. We’re going to ride up and down the escalators and bug people!

Maria (looking away) No, I don’t want to go.

Julie What do you mean, you don’t want to go? Just a minute ago you said you wanted to go call your sister.

Maria (getting upset) Well, I changed my mind, that’s all!

Julie Hey, no need to go ballistic!

Joe Yeah, what’s wrong with you, anyhow?

Maria (stands and crosses to where Joe is standing) As if YOU wouldn’t know!

Joe How am I supposed to know what’s wrong with you? I’m not a mind-reader!

Sam (aside) Maybe you’d better start.

Maria You’re not a mind-reader, eh? Well, you sure know how to read other parts of me, don’t you!

(murmurs and low whistles from the crowd)

Joe And what’s that crack supposed to mean? What’s gotten into you?

Maria (slowly crossing left while speaking) Nothing! Nothing at all, except that my old man’s drunk again …

Joe Nothing new there.

Maria … and he’s kicked me out of the house …

Julie Nothing new there.

Maria (turning and facing Joe again, at a distance) AND I THINK I’M PREGNANT!

Stunned silence.

Joe (crosses to bench, sits beside Sam, stares into audience two beats, then speaks) Whoa, that’s major.

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