Every Christmas, people across the world license my 'Carol' script and music and sound effects cues for productions ranging from broadcasts to regional theaters, schools and
even private parties. There have been hundreds of performances of this script since 1997. Here is information about the play, the cast, music and sound effects. The script is
delivered as PDF file via e-mail. Music and sound effects can be downloaded as MP3 files. TO ORDER: Contact me at
and tell me about your intended production. I deliver the
script via e-mail as a PDF file, and the pre-recorded music cues and
pre-recorded sound effects tracks can be downloaded as MP3
files. The live sound effects
(bells, plates, footsteps, etc.) are up to you to assemble, but my script has a "cookbook" section explaining how
to make each sound using items you can find in your town. 'A Christmas Carol' is Tony Palermo's very faithful stage-play adaptation of Charles
Dickens' classic story of Christmas, memory, and
redemption. The dialogue is verbatim Dickens. This adaptation has been performed
by professional theaters, community theatre troupes, colleges, churches, high schools and
elementary students around the world. The full stage-play runs one hour--without intermission--but there is a natural place
to insert one, just after Scrooge returns from the visit with the First Spirit.
But there are two versions of this show--the full-story one-hour version, and a
simpler, half-hour version, trimmed for tight time-slot limits. Changes of gender for characters is permitted as is trimming lines and even
whole scenes. While the show makes use of pre-recorded music for scene
transitions and as dramatic underscoring, this is not a Broadway-style musical.
However, it is possible to employ a choir to serve within scenes as the poor
child carolers dispelled by Scrooge and as Marley's colleagues, the moaning
phantoms. You can choose to insert carolers at Nephew Fred's parties, the
Cratchit household and elsewhere. Here's a free, downloadable stage-play "Christmas Carol" sample script, including scene excerpts and a truncated
version of the 19-page appendix:
You can view/print the sample radio script PDF with the
free Adobe Acrobat Reader program, which works for PCs, Macs,
and Android devices. Audio clip of the iconic "Scrooge & Marley" scene
from my 'Carol' stage-play adaptation - employing voices, music and sound
effects: Detailed information about how I've approached Dickens' themes and characters in my adaptation, plus suggestions for your production.
From my play script's 19-page appendix: Rarely are more than 7 people on stage at any moment, so doubling is suggested. NOTE: Asterisk (*) indicates role is not used in half-hour stage-play version. EBENEZER
SCROOGE Miserly
old man (male) THE
NARRATOR Charles
Dickens (male) MARLEY'S
GHOST Spirit
of Scrooge's partner (male) SECOND
SPIRIT Ghost Of
Christmas Present- Jovial spirit (male or female) FIRST
SPIRIT Ghost Of
Christmas Past - Old/Young Spirit (male or female) NEPHEW
FRED
Scrooge's kind nephew (male) BELLE
Scrooge's young fiancee (female) BOB
CRATCHIT
Scrooge's meek clerk (male) MRS.
CRATCHIT Bob's
kind/feisty wife (female) POOLE Charity
Seeker (male) LAMB Charity
Seeker (male or female) FAN*
Scrooge's young sister (girl) KATE* Nephew
Fred's wife (female) TINY TIM
CRATCHIT` Bob's
crippled young son (boy) PETER
CRATCHIT Bob's 12
year-old son (boy) MARTHA
CRATCHIT Bob's 15
year-old daughter (girl) BELINDA
CRATCHIT Bob's 9
year-old daughter (girl) GUESTS
#1, #2, #3* (3) of
Fred party guests (male or females) OLD JOE* Rag and
bottle shop owner (male or female)
CHARWOMAN* Coarse
cleaning lady (female) MRS.
DILBER* Lower
class laundress (female) BUCK Street
urchin (boy)
BUSINESSMAN #1, #2, #3* (3)
Greedy businessmen (male) BOY
CAROLER Poor
street caroler (boy)
FREDERICK CRATCHIT Bob's 8
year-old son (boy)--one line of dialogue HARRIET
CRATCHIT Bob's 7
year-old daughter (girl)--one line of dialogue CAROLERS (2)
other carolers (boys or girls) DOORSTEP
WOMAN
non-speaking part (female) 9-year
old SCROOGE*
non-speaking part (boy) 16-year
old SCROOGE*
non-speaking part (male) YOUNG
SCROOGE (Age 22)
non-speaking part (male) FIDDLER
non-speaking part (male or female)
CONCERTINA PLAYER
non-speaking part (male or female)
IGNORANCE*
non-speaking part (boy) WANT*
non-speaking part (girl)
UNDERTAKER'S MAN*
non-speaking part (male) Also: Crowds of passersby, moaning phantoms, party goers, Fezziwig's party dancers
Twenty-two pre-recorded, orchestral music cues serve for scene
changes and to dramatically underscore the dialogue at various points. This is
NOT a Broadway style musical, with a singing Scrooge or Tiny Tim. The music cues
I provide function the way film scores do--to support and color the drama.
The instrumentation is strictly Victorian: brass choir, pipe and reed organs,
hand bells, church bells, chimes, cymbals, timpani, fiddle, concertina,
music-box, wine glasses (glass harmonica), choirs and strings. This musical
underscore adds greatly to the production.
'A Christmas Carol' stage-play script, music & sound effects
Last updated: April 9, 2024
ALSO: If the stage-play version is beyond your production capabilities, see my Radio
play version of 'Christmas Carol'. The
live radio play on-stage version is much simpler to produce since it doesn't require sets, costumes, or memorization,
yet still pleases theater audiences who get a kick out of seeing the sound effects artists create the sound of doors,
horses, howling phantoms, thunder, etc.
Other RuyaSonic Plays, Sound Effects and Music Tracks available for Holiday shows
'Christmas Carol' stage-play script sample
SCRIPT SAMPLE - STAGE-PLAY -
'Christmas Carol' - TRUNCATED [PDF]
MP3 -
'Christmas Carol' - 'Scrooge & Marley' scene
Tony Palermo's extensive notes on How to Produce
'A Christmas Carol' as a
stage-play.
'Christmas Carol' Stage-play Cast size:
Without any doubling, the cast requires: 12 males, 6 females, 9 males or
females, 7 boys, 4 girls and 2 boys or girls.
Music Tracks to accompany your production of 'A Christmas Carol'
The 36 minutes of 'Christmas Carol' dramatic underscore music cues are downloadable MP3 files--NOT audio CDs