Christmas in Heaven
By Troy Cady
(c) 2002
Synopsis:
It is Christmas Eve and Larry is dying. For undisclosed reasons, the only family who can be with him now is: his wife, two kids, his sister-in-law. Larry and Kathleen spend one last Christmas Eve together. They spend it talking, laughing, crying, hugging, fighting, joking, loving, giving, living, remembering. For all the wonder of Christmas on earth, there is nothing to compare with what awaits Larry and the rest of the family one day: Christmas in heaven.
©Copyright Note: This play is protected under copyright law and performance is strictly prohibited without the express consent of the author. Though production is generally granted royalty free, please contact Troy Cady for permission to perform this play.
Time:
Christmas Eve, the present. Scene 1: About 10 p.m. Scene 2: About 11:45.
Place:
Any place, except "home". Time zone difference between home and where they are now is maybe 7 or 8 hours. In a hospital room. Depending on what country you are in, you can change the names of the nurses to reflect the culture. We pretended that the play was set in England so we gave our nurses English names. If you pretend the play is set in Germany or France, or Holland or wherever, then give the nurses German, French, or Dutch names.
Theme:
Christmas is a festive time...right? For many, Christmas is a painful, lonely time, amplifying the separation of loved ones either through death, distance, or division. This drama seeks out real answers to the question of pain.
Notes:
The only person we see is his wife, because "sis" is watching the kids for the evening. No hospital staff are seen either, since it is late at night and the play only portrays 2 hours worth of time in the course of two scenes (which take 35-40 minutes to play). It is assumed that time has elapsed between scene one and scene two, albeit only about an hour or so. The actors and directors should have fun seeking out answers to all of the undisclosed information in the play: "Why isn't there more family with them, if he's dying?" "Why are they living overseas?" "What is Larry dying of?" (A side note about this: I saw my grandma die, and it wasn't painful at all. One minute she was alert and awake, and the next, she was dead. People really do just slip away into eternity without so much as a painful groan.) "Why are there no nurses or doctors present?"
Scenic elements:
We used a hospital bed, a tray table, a medical screen, an IV pole, a chair for Kathleen to sit on. Just enough to suggest a hospital room.