'It's A Wonderful Life!'

Stage-Play Script, Music & Sound Effects

Available to license for the 2024 Christmas season!

Adapted for the stage from Frank Capra's 1946 film

by Anthony E. Palermo, radio dramatist, sound effects artist, composer

It's a Wonderful Life is based on the story, The Greatest Gift, by Philip Van Doren Stern

I offer an adaptation of Frank Capra's 1946 film as a traditional stage-play, with sets, costumes and props. The stage-play is faithful to the film while being thoroughly entertaining as a theatrical production. (I also offer a radio-on-stage "WL" version that features actors reading from scripts, speaking into microphones.)

TO ORDER: Contact me at and tell me about your intended production. Performance rights vary according to the venue and length of the run. I accept credit cards via the free and secure www.Paypal.com service.  Once payment is received, the full script is delivered via e-mail as a PDF file. You can have the script, pre-recorded sound effects and music (and optionally, the sheet music for the original score) in your hands within hours.

I'm a working professional and I understand that sometimes changes need to be made to fit a troupe's budget and cast makeup. Unlike other playwrights, I allow you to skip or alter scenes, change the gender of characters, and fit the script to your troupe. Also, I allow you to make as many photocopies of the script as you need for cast and crew--at no additional fee.

Since I am also a professional sound effects artist, I offer pre-recorded tracks of the more unusual sounds--(plunging into the river, glass breaking, crickets, cars, etc.) for a one time fee. I also offer pre-recorded music tracks--using an authentic theater organ, piano, accordion and small jazz-combo (for one cue)--for a one-time fee. Additionally, I offer sheet music (for organ and piano) matching the pre-recorded music tracks.

It's A Wonderful Life is about dreams, sacrifice and redemption in small town America. Tony's imaginative adaptation has been performed by numerous professional troupes, community theatre troupes, schools and churches across the country. Tony's adaptation has been performed by such Hollywood professionals in productions starring Annette Bening, Bryan Cranston, Peter Gallagher and Shirley Jones, Michael Richards, Sara Rue, Susan Sullivan and Orson Bean,  Alfred Molina, Brooke Adams and Tony Shalhoub, as well as another run, starring Joe Mantegna, Sharon Lawrence, Fred Willard, and Jamie Farr. The full show runs 102 minutes--without intermission, but the three act structure allows for several intermissions.

Free "It's A Wonderful Life" Stage-Play Script:
Here's a downloadable stage-play script, including scene excerpts and a truncated version of the 25-page appendix:

        SCRIPT SAMPLE - STAGE-PLAY VERSION - It's A Wonderful Life - TRUNCATED.pdf

You can view/print the script, which is in the PDF format, via the free Adobe Acrobat reader program, which works for PCs and Macs. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html

Tony's Notes On How to Produce 'It's A Wonderful Life' for the stage
Valuable information about how I've approached this adaptation and suggestions for how you handle your production.

Cast size:

Throughout the play, there are never more than 11 characters in a scene, so a small cast can easily perform the entire show. However, you can employ anywhere from 11 to 35 actors.

Maximum: 10 men, 9 women, 16 men-OR-women, and optionally, 2 boys and 2 girls (but those roles can be handled by adults--as in the golden age of radio.)
With doubling of roles, this show has been done with only 11 actors (7 men, 4 women) In the sample script above, you will find a 30-page appendix with suggestions for doubling roles.

George Bailey	Dreamer/Loan Officer (male)
Clarence	Angel, Second Grade (m/f)
Uncle Billy	Absent-minded clerk (male)
Mr. Potter	Warped, old financier (m/f)
Bert	Local policeman (m/f)
Ernie	Cab driver (m/f)
SAM WAINWRIGHT	Successful businessman (male)
POP Bailey	George’s father (male)
Harry Bailey	George’s younger brother (male)
MR. WELCH	Irate husband (male)
Mary Hatch Bailey	George’s Wife/Librarian (female)
VIOLET BICK	Easy girl (female)
Ma Bailey	George’s mother (female)
Cousin Tilly	Loan office clerk (m/f)
Mrs. Hatch	Mary’s mother (female)
Zuzu Bailey	Girl, age 5 (female)
Janie Bailey	Girl, age 8 (female)
Dr. CAMPBELL	Board President (m/f)
MRS. THOMPSON	Shareholder (female)
Mrs. DAVIS	Shareholder (female)
SUPERINTENDENT	Boss of Angels (m/f)
Gower	Pharmacist (m/f)
Nick	Ornery shareholder/bartender (m/f)
MARTINI	Italian café owner (m/f)
CHARLIE	Difficult shareholder (m/f)
Young George Bailey	Boy, age 10 (m/f)
NIGHT WATCHMAN	Night Watchman (m/f)
BANK TELLER	Bank clerk (m/f)
Eustace	Loan office clerk (m/f)
Carter	Bank Examiner (m/f)
PeteY Bailey	Boy, age 9 (m/f)
Nosey NEIGHBOR	Impatient neighbor (m/f)
RANDY	Shareholder (m/f)
SHERIFF	County Sheriff (m/f)
EdDY	Shareholder (m/f)

ALSO:    several extras for use as pedestrians and in crowd scenes

Pre-recorded sound effects
Available as pre-recorded tracks, over 30-minutes worth (downloadable MP3 files)

Track	Description
01	Ice Cracks, splashes into ice pond
02	Gower’s phone rings (3X) – can be done live, also
03	1928 Dance Band - Gym-floor Retracting - Splashes
04	Crickets #1
05	Distant window shattered by rock #1
06	Distant window shattered by rock #2
07	Downtown Bedford Falls (Traffic)
08	Crickets #2
09	“Buffalo Gals” 78RPM record
10	Mary’s phone – (20X) – can be done live, also
11	Cab driving #1
12	Cab pulls over
13	Uncle Billy’s phone – (1-1/2X) - can be done live
14	Office phone – (1-1/4X) - can be done live
15	Bailey’s phone rings (3X) - can be done live
16	Clarence jumps in river, splashes around
17	George jumps in river, splashes around
18	Magical harp glissando—UP
19	Wind #1
20	Downtown Pottersville (Traffic)
21	Interior of cab driving #2
22	Wind #2 (Cemetery)
23	Police whistle & gunshots 2X) – off-stage action
24	Wind #3 (Bridge)
25	Magical harp glissando—DOWN

Pre-recorded musical score
36 minutes worth of music--featuring 1940s theatrical organ, piano, accordion and jazz combo. (downloadable MP3 files)

Track	Description
1.	(BED) “Wonderful Overture" (OPTIONAL)
2.	(BED) “Wonderful Life Intro”
3.	(BED) “Heavenly” #1
4.	(BRIDGE) “Gower’s Sad Drugstore”
5.	(BED) “Tender Moment”
6.	(BRIDGE) “Rip to Heavenly”
7.	(BED) “Heavenly” #3
8.	(BRIDGE) Last 2 Bars of “Buffalo Gals” setup
9.	(BRIDGE) “Tragic” into “Heavenly”
10.	(BRIDGE) “Oh Well” segues to “Heavenly”
11.	(BRIDGE) “Downtown Bedford Falls”
12.	(BRIDGE) “From Violet to Mary”
13.	(BED) “Wrenching”
14.	(BED) “Heavenly” #6
15.	(BRIDGE) “Wedding March Taxi”
16.	(BED) “Act 1 Outro”
17.	(BED) “Wonderful Life Act 2 Intro”
18.	(BED) “Heavenly”
19.	(BED) “Time Passing”
20.	(BRIDGE) “Bride” to “Heavenly”
21.	(BRIDGE) “Indignant” to “Sleepy”
22.	(BRIDGE) “Baby” to “Heavenly”
23.	(BED) “War Montage”
24.	(BRIDGE) “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” - ends sourly
25.	(BRIDGE) “Lost” to “Heavenly”
26.	(BRIDGE) “Desperate” -- Let it Finish
27.	(SOURCE) Janie Piano Practice - #1 - “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
28.	(SOURCE) Janie Piano Practice - #2 - “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
29.	(SOURCE) Janie Piano Practice - #3 - “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
30.	(BRIDGE) “Troubled”
31.	(BRIDGE) “Cruel” to “Heavenly”
32.	(SOURCE) “Santa Lucia” on accordion--gets abruptly stopped
33.	(BRIDGE) “Alone” to “Heavenly”
34.	(BRIDGE) ACT 2 Outro --ends in suspense chord
35	(BED) “Act 3 Intro/“Dire Bridge”
36.	(SOURCE) “Juke Joint Jingle Bells”--under entire scene
37.	(SOURCE) “Pottersville Streetscene”--under entire scene
38.	(BRIDGE) “I Know That Girl”
39.	(BRIDGE) “Empty Granville House”
40.	(GLISSANDO UP) “Magical Help”
41.	(BRIDGE) “Escape” to “Mean Mother”
42.	(BED) “Shattered” to “The Cemetery”
43.	(BRIDGE) “Lightly” to “Old Maid”
44.	(BED) “Lynch Mob” to “Redemption”
45.	(BED) “Organ Hark The Herald Angels Sing”
46.	(BED) “Piano Auld Lang Syne” – Janie playing
47.	(BED) “Organ Auld Lang Syne” – Chorus only
48.	(BED) “Organ Auld Lang Syne” – Verse & 2 choruses (OPTIONAL)
49.	(BED) "Wonderful Overture - for Bows" (OPTIONAL)

Sheet Music for "It's A Wonderful Life" score: 

I also offer sheet music that matches the above-described original score--to allow a single keyboardist to accompany your show--LIVE. The instrumentation consists of organ and piano.  The score is delivered via e-mail as a PDF document. The book also contains info on how to get 1940s organ sounds. NOTE: The accordion and jazz combo cues would be produced by pre-recorded tracks—included when you purchase the sheet music.

Here's a downloadable stage-play sheet music excerpt:

        SHEET MUSIC  SAMPLE - STAGE-PLAY - It's A Wonderful Life Overture - TRUNCATED [PDF]

NOTE: Many troupes find it useful to purchase both the sheet music AND the pre-recorded music tracks—since this allows the actors and crew to rehearse the full show without having the accompanist present at every rehearsal.