Boo! It's already October, and the only thing scarier than Halloween is realizing you've got less than two months to get ready for your school's big holiday play!

Before you panic and start tearing into the bite-sized Twix, now might be a good time to remember that Stage Partners has holiday plays for young actors that you can read FOR FREE and download right from this website. (For the record: That's even faster than Santa can deliver the goods.)

This year we have exciting new holiday plays like the heartwarming full-length adventure Alice in Winter Wonderland and the hilariously bratty tech-addicted comedy The Surviving Christmas App.

They make great additions to a collection of school-friendly plays that already includes the laugh-out-loud antics of The Elf on a Shelf Must Die and The Semi-Amazing, Sort-of-Sensational, Almost Unbelievable Christmas Spectacular! (You might need a bigger poster for that last one.)

So, relax! And let Stage Partners be your secret theatrical elf. We'll make sure your school's holiday play is a hit! And even if you already have this year's holiday show picked out, you know what they say: It's never too early to start planning next year's holiday play...


  • Drama
  • Full-length (75-85 minutes)
  • 6-20+ actors, gender flexible

Alice is having a horrible holiday. Her parents are busy, her neighbors are mean, and her brother is totally annoying. On top of all that, she has homework -- on Christmas Eve! -- which involves writing a book report on Alice in Wonderland.

While reading, Alice becomes drowsy, sees a White Rabbit, and follows it down a rabbit hole, plummeting her into Wonderland in the middle of winter.

Now it's up to Alice, and many of Lewis Carroll’s iconic characters, to restore Wonder to Wonderland. A contemporary, heartfelt reimagining of the classic story that is sure to bring joy and warmth to the holiday season.

Alice in Winter Wonderland

  • Christmas Comedy
  • One-act (30-35 minutes)
  • 10-30 actors, flexible

What happens when a school tries to put on a Christmas Spectacular for the bargain price $11.50? You get a ton of elves, a spirit of Christmas, a visit from the little match girl, Jacob Marley and a partridge in a pear tree. It may be low on budget, but it's high on laughs as we watch the Christmas characters we know and love hilariously collide in this Christmas disaster for the ages.

Check out these amazing production photos from the Sante Fe University of Art and Design!


  • Holiday Comedy/Drama with Music
  • Full-length (65-75 minutes)
  • 10-50+ actors, gender flexible

The Austin family has a cherished tradition of doing something special every day counting down to Christmas - from baking cookies to decorating the tree. This year is a stressful one for Vicky Austin as she's cast as the youngest angel in the Christmas Pageant. Plus the family is preparing for the birth of a new brother or sister.

Will the baby wait until January? Will Vicky mess up her big role? Will Christmas be ruined?!

Filled with elves, carols, and laughter this heartwarming adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's The 24 Days Before Christmas is sure to bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.


Madeleine L'Engle's The 24 Days Before Christmas

The Surviving Christmas App

  • Christmas Comedy
  • One-act (30-35 minutes)
  • 10-20 actors, gender flexible

Tired of having your heart warmed with ooey gooey holiday traditions? Thankfully, there's an app for that!

Sisters Sam and Shelly’s blissful Christmas of violent video games and selfies is interrupted when their sentimental mother wants the family to watch the legendarily awful Christmas dog movie Santa Woofs!

That’s when a mysterious Surviving Christmas App appears on Shelly’s phone. Suddenly people keep showing up at the house with unfinished school worksheets and unexpected marriage proposals, ruining mom's sappy plans.

It's all fun and reindeer games until a preacher arrives with thick accent and a pack of rowdy orphans. Now the sisters have to figure how to outwit the Surviving Christmas App before they get stuck in a holiday nightmare.


  • Christmas Comedy
  • One-act (30-35 minutes)
  • 12-20 actors, gender flexible

The stakes are life and death when Sammy and Mook's parents present them with Pip, an Elf of a Shelf. This little snitch is going to be reporting all their activities to Santa, and that means their hopes of a Christmas Xbox look doomed. Oh, and that's before Sammy accidentally murders Pip (whoops!). What follows is a Tarantinoesque Christmas caper as the two kids race against the clock to bring their elf back to life before Santa finds out.

Watch the mayhem unfold with these hilarious production photos from Keller Middle School!

For more great school theater recommendations and production photos be sure to follow Stage Partners on Facebook and Twitter!


  • Holiday Comedy
  • One-act, 25-30 minutes
  • 6-18 actors, gender flexible

What's worse than accidentally murdering an elf? Try interviewing for a replacement!

When Santa's head elf Buckles unexpectedly quits, a desperate search is conducted for a replacement. From Rudolph's bodyguard to a Grinch to the Tooth Fairy, the interviews prove... difficult, to say the least.

Put Head Elf on your Christmas list and you won't regret a single laugh-inducing second.

Head Elf