“Stormy Night, Holy Night”
written by Frederick Passmore
copyright 2015 Sheep Laughs Publications
Synopsis: A new 18-minute “No Lines To Learn” Christmas script with soundtrack… and it only takes TWO people to perform! On Christmas Eve, a father and teen daughter take refuge in their basement from a coming storm. The storm building in the young girl’s mind and heart, stemming from the loss of her mother over a year ago, coincides with the tornado that hits the town. Featuring another powerful song written and sung by songwriter Archie Jordan, this easy-to-do mini-play is full of drama and has a touching end that will move you. (This short play is part of the longer play “Assignment: Comfort and Joy!” It has been isolated to be performed by itself here.)
(Soundtrack key: NO LINES TO LEARN, the Skit Trax supply the narration, background music and sound effects.)
Length of play: 18 minutes.
Number of cast: Two
Category: Christmas, Dramatic, Medium-length Skit, No Lines to Learn
Price of script PDF & MP3 Skit Trax: Instant download: $14.99 Add to Cart
Price of script PDF & Physical CD: $19.99 Plus Shipping; Add to Cart
YOU MAY ALSO ORDER THE SCRIPT AND SOUNDTRACK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
Length: 18 minutes, the length of the soundtrack CD.
Characters: Caroline, a teenage girl. Harold, the father.
Setting: The story is a small and intimate play, happening in a basement. The only light used is a camping lantern, or better yet, a hurricane oil lamp, and a flashlight to get them started before they settle in and light the lantern. So there is no need for stage decorations beyond the boxes behind and around them.
Furnishing: two lawn chairs or the kind that fold up for sporting events; a small table or plastic storage box for the lamp,
Props: oil lantern or hurricane lamp; flashlight; a small Nativity scene for tabletop, radio, a Christmas book of some kind; a number of cardboard boxes to place behind them, as if they are in the corner of a basement where items are stored. A wrapped present, which is a book with a Christmas card attached. Smartphone.
Costumes: casual clothes, nothing special needed.
(Here is a general description of the script; not all details or scenes are here, but it gives you an overall picture of what it is like.)
The play opens in darkness, as the narrator on the soundtrack is heard relating some Old Testament prophecies relating to coming of the Messiah, as the light springing up to those sitting in darkness, and several from the New Testament that reveal that Jesus was that Light coming into the world. The overhead light is switched on as the two characters come onstage, the father and his teen-aged daughter. The father, Harold, is carrying a flashlight. They are taking shelter from a bad thunderstorm, and there is a tornado warning. it is Christmas Eve.
We learn from the narrator that this is the first Christmas the two have had after losing the man’s wife and the girl’s mother in a car accident a little over a year ago, who had been on her way to spend some time with her ailing mother, who passed away also shortly after the woman’s accident. The loss of them both has made this Christmas a sad and lonely one, and now the approaching storm is making things worse. As the father tries to make things better by making light conversation, the teen Caroline is getting progressively more fearful.
Preview a PDF page of the script that contains the scene above by clicking here: stormy_night_holy_night_sample_01
Preview the section of the soundtrack that is heard during the scene above by clicking on the player below.
After turning on a radio found in the basement, they hear a weather report which warns that conditions are right for a tornado. Shortly after, with a crack of lightning and thunder, the lights go out. Lighting the oil lamp, the father sets them up a couple of old lawn chairs near a table where the lamp provides the only light. As a Christmas carol plays on the radio, Harold finds a box of Christmas decorations and books, which they did not bring out this year. Setting up a small table-top manger scene, he recalls some of the Christmases past when he would read stories to her. Frustrated by her inability to get a signal on her smartphone, and by the fact that the Wi-Fi is out also, she is getting more upset by the minute. Harold decides to help take his daughter’s mind off the situation by reading the Nativity Story from one of the books.
Preview a PDF page of the script that contains the scene above by clicking here: stormy_night_holy_night_sample_02
Preview the section of the soundtrack that is heard during the scene above by clicking on the player below.
We hear the story of the birth of Jesus from the Bible as he reads, and the girl as well as the audience is reminded of the real meaning of the holiday. But when it is over, she resumes her fiddling with the phone. Being out of touch with her friends and the outside world is making the looming storm seem more threatening. Just then a tornado warning comes over the radio, informing them that one has touched down nearby and is headed in their direction. As Caroline paces frantically, she sees her father sitting calmly, and demands to know how he can be so relaxed at a time like this. He reminds her of the Lord’s promises to be with them all the time, and that He can bring peace in the midst of a storm. He gently reminds her of her lack of personal Bible reading and prayer time lately. She retorts that her mother was a believer, but the Lord let her down, and the rest of them, when he let the accident happen. She is dealing with not only grief but a crisis of faith, and bitterness. Then the tornado approaches, and they both huddle together as the wind roars, the thunder crashes, and debris can be heard impacting the house and windows. As they pray, the daughter feels the presence of the Lord, and we hear the song by Archie Jordan, “When Your World Turns Dark.”
Preview the section of the soundtrack that is heard during the scene above by clicking on the player below.
As the tornado passes, and they are unharmed, they rejoice in the Lord’s protection. Looking through the box of decorations, Caroline finds an unopened present among the items, with her name on it, from her mother. She realizes that her mother must have hidden it before last Christmas, intending on giving it to her, but never got the chance. Opening it, she finds a book and a card with a hand-written note to her. In it, the mother, who was going on a trip to stay with her ailing mother soon, tells her daughter that she needs to help take care of her father while she is gone, to be good, and that she will see her again soon. The book is a collection of daily devotionals that she loves and wanted her daughter to have. Caroline is moved to tears as the letter seems almost written to her from heaven and sent as a special gift now. She also realizes that had it not been for the storm which forced them to take shelter in the basement, she might never have found the gift. She now understands the way the Lord used circumstances to bless us, even when they might seem unpleasant or scary at the time.
Preview a PDF page of the script that contains the scene above by clicking here: Stormy_Night_Holy_Night_sample_03
Preview the section of the soundtrack that is heard during the scene above by clicking on the player below.
Okay, if you liked the story breakdown, read the sample pages and enjoyed the Skit Trax previews, buy the complete script and soundtrack here!
Get the script PDF (to print out) and audio tracks (to burn to your own CD) here.
Price of script PDF & MP3 Skit Trax: Instant download: $14.99 Add to Cart
Get the physical CD mailed to you by ordering here. You will be taken to a page where you can print out the script PDF as well as an email containing the script PDF. Physical CD: $19.99 Plus Shipping; Add to Cart
Order through the mail with a check or money order by printing out this order form and mailing it to us. Click to open or download: order_form_new
Questions before ordering? Call me at 912-347-9579!