The Good King

A Christmas Skit with Heart, Humor, and a Message That Matters

It’s back… another Christmas skit — and the kids are dreading it. But this time, something unexpected happens.

The Good King © is a delightful and moving 45-minute Christmas drama written for teens and pre-teens who are roped into yet another church skit — only to find themselves wrestling with the deeper meaning behind the old carol, Good King Wenceslas. With laughs, light-hearted teasing, and a few surprising moments of insight, the kids begin to uncover a timeless message about service, compassion, and what it really means to walk in the footsteps of a “good king.”

Through clever dialogue, hilarious callbacks to past skits (While Shepherds Washed Their Socks, anyone?), and a powerful blend of humor and heart, the cast explores how King Wenceslas — a real servant-king — points to the greatest Servant King of all: Jesus.

Cast: 9 (likely teen and pre-teen, may be m or f, ages shown are approximate)
Colbee, 17 f very all-together person
Daphne, 12 f
Erica, 12 f
Mary, 11 f
Allison, 11 f
Taylor, 10 f not impressed with Alex
Alex, 9 m cousin of Connor
Connor, m 9 cousin of Alex
Rosie, f 9

Set: likely blank scene or church hall

Music:  "The Good King” © DramaShare, can be accessed with script download.

Original music, “Musical Interlude” can (at the discretion of the director) be played VERY SOFTLY as background while Colbee is speaking between verses of “The Good King”. This music can be accessed with your script download.

Time: 45

Sample of script:

All actors, except Colbee, are standing around chatting.]

Alex:
Where’s Colbee?

Rosie:
Mrs. Belk wanted to talk to Colbee about our church Christmas program.

Allison (worried):
That sounds like trouble!

Connor:
What’s wrong with talking to Mrs. Belk about the Christmas program?

Allison:
Well, all I can say is I for sure hope we aren’t forced to do another Christmas skit this year.

Mary:
Remember the skit last year?

Daphne:
Called “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” as I recall.

Taylor (upset):
OK, Alex Anderson, go for it… you never once missed a chance to clown around about the name of the skit before, so go for it!

Alex (laughing):
“While Shepherds Washed Their Socks”...

Taylor:
There now, that’s been said. Don’t you dare ever say it again or I just might hurt you bad, Alex Anderson!

Rosie:
Well, the skit wasn’t really so bad. I mean… except for wearing those beards, that is!

Erica:
And Connor never stuck to using his own beard… and he got the inside of the beards all wet and yucky!

Connor:
I did not!

Rosie:
Did too! Just because of you, Connor Anderson, the beards were full of boy germs! Yuck!
(makes a face)

Alex:
Just ’cause Connor and me were the only boys in the play, all you girls went and blamed us for everything!

Erica:
Of course we blamed you for everything, Alex. You two were the ones who always messed up on everything!

Connor:
I sincerely felt we were the stars of the show.

Alex:
I agree, Connor. For sure, we did bring a touch of class to the performance.

Erica:
Wake up to reality, you two! Colbee was the best of the best…

Taylor:
Colbee is so good at acting!

[Colbee enters.]

Colbee:
What a nice thing to say, Taylor! Thank you! And I have good news!
Mrs. Belk has a new skit idea for us to do for the Christmas program!

Erica:
Oh man!

Connor:
What is it this time?

Alex:
Is it “When Shepherds Washed Their Socks: The Sequel”?

Taylor:
I warned you, Alex Anderson!

Allison:
Awww, Colbee, didn’t you try to talk Mrs. Belk out of yet another Christmas skit?

Daphne:
I think it will be kinda nice to do a skit again this Christmas… I mean… kinda.

Rosie:
I just hope there’s not too many lines for me to memorize. I’m not real good at memorizing.

Mary:
Oh Rosie, you always do super well. You’ll be just fine, just wait and see.

Taylor:
What’s the skit about this year, Colbee?

Colbee:
Called “Good King Wenceslas.”

Erica:
Good King what?

Colbee:
It’s about a king that lived way back in the 10th century.

Connor:
Likely my Grandpa would have known that king fella.

Taylor:
Connor Anderson, you and your cousin Alex are like first-class pains!
In case you didn’t realize it, the 10th century is like a thousand years ago!

Alex:
Wow! That was even before Grandpa!

Rosie:
Look on the bright side — no shepherds, no beards.

Colbee:
I’m excited! There’s this nice old carol song for us to sing.

Taylor:
And, Colbee, that makes you excited… for what reason?

Mary:
What Taylor means is…

Alex:
To put it nicely… you can’t sing, Colbee...

Daphne:
Alex, that isn’t nice!

Alex:
When it comes to Colbee’s singing, I can’t be nice and honest at the same time, Daphne.

Colbee:
That’s OK, Daphne. I realize I need some help with singing.
That’s why I’m so thankful that you guys are such incredible singers.

[Alex puts his arm around Colbee’s shoulder.]

Alex:
Stick with me, Colbee. I’ll teach you how to sing.
You may not realize it, but I was the guy who gave Justin Timberlake his voice.

Taylor:
And Justin has been trying to get rid of it ever since.

[Colbee hands out papers.]

Colbee:
I have copies of the song for everyone.

[Actors read song, react.]

Alex:
Seems like a good first line...
(sings)
Good King went to class, looked out...

Taylor:
OK, that did it, Alex Anderson!

Rosie:
Chill, you two! What’s the Feast of Stephen?

Colbee:
It was a day to honor Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and it was celebrated on December 26th.

Connor:
What’s with “hither page and stand by me”?

Alex:
That’s easy — it was an electronic book. One that responded to voice messages.

Allison:
This happened a gazillion years ago.
Electronic books weren’t around for, like, a gazillion years after the 10th century!

Mary:
“Yonder peasant”?

Alex:
Likely meant some kind of pheasant. Just a typo — no big deal.

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