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by Rylee Coppel

Charleston Stage, now celebrating its 48th Season, is South Carolina’s largest professional theatre company in residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre. Charleston Stage’s acclaimed full-scale productions light up the stage with stunning scenery, dazzling costumes, and brilliant lights! Productions feature a Professional Resident Acting Company and over 100 professional actors, singers, designers and theatre artists All performances take place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre, “America’s First Theatre,” in the heart of downtown Charleston.

By Ken Ludwig Presented by Arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS:

Ken Ludwig’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas is a lively, family-friendly play that reimagines the classic holiday poem. The story begins on Christmas Eve when Uncle Brierly starts reading the familiar lines, only to be interrupted by Amos the mouse. Amos reveals that Santa missed their house the previous year, prompting Emily, his best friend, to join him and Amos on a journey to the North Pole. There, they discover that Santa’s Naughty and Nice list has been stolen, and they must work together to retrieve it and save Christmas.

RUN TIME:

Approximately 60-70 minutes without intermission

AGE SUITABILITY:

Recommended for ages 5 and up (grades K–5). Appropriate for most elementary school settings.

BACKGROUND INFO

PLAYWRIGHT BIOGRAPHY

Ken Ludwig

Ken Ludwig is an American playwright and theatre director whose works have been performed in over 30 countries and translated into more than 20 languages. He has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world every night of the year. Ludwig is known for his farces and comedies, including Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, and Leading Ladies. He received his BA in Music Theory and Composition from Haverford College, studied at Harvard University, and earned his JD from Harvard Law School.

CONTENT WARNINGS

Mild Theatrical Elements to Note:

Mischief and Light Conflict: The characters face small challenges and comedic “bad guy” antics, such as a suspicious character trying to steal Santa’s Naughty and Nice list

Cartoonish Villainy: There is a comical villain (a mouse named Mulch and a rogue elf named Sir Guy), but they are portrayed in a silly and non-threatening way. No real danger is presented.

Physical Comedy: Some slapstick and fast-paced scenes may include loud noises, exaggerated movements, or pratfalls (e.g., tripping, crashing sounds).

Breaking the Fourth Wall: Characters may speak directly to the audience or act in exaggerated ways for humor, which might be surprising to very young or neurodivergent children without prior context

SC STATE STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

English Language Arts (ELA)

K.RL.1.2 / 1.RL.1.2 / 2.RL.1.2: Retell stories, including key details; determine the central message, lesson, or moral

K.W.2.3 / 1.W.2.3 / 2.W.2.3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events; include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings.

K.SL.1 / 1.SL.1 / 2.SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups

Mathematics

K.CC.4 / 1.CC.4: Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality

K OA 1 / 1 OA 1: Represent and solve addition and subtraction problems within 20

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1. Design Your Own Christmas Character

Objective: Encourage creativity and descriptive writing.

Materials: Paper, crayons, markers.

Instructions: Students create their own holiday character (e.g., a friendly elf, a talking snowman) and write a short story about their character's adventures on Christmas Eve.

2. Naughty or Nice List Sorting

Objective: Practice categorization and decision-making.

Materials: Printed images of various behaviors (e.g., sharing, helping, being rude).

Instructions: Students sort the behaviors into "Naughty" and "Nice" categories, discussing why each behavior belongs in its respective group

3. Role-Playing: Saving Christmas

Objective: Develop teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Materials: Props for characters (e.g., Santa hat, toy tools).

Instructions: In groups, students role-play a scene where they must work together to retrieve the stolen Naughty and Nice list, using their imagination and collaboration

4. Science of Snowflakes

Objective: Introduce basic scientific concepts.

Materials: Paper, scissors, glitter.

Instructions: Students learn about the formation of snowflakes and create their own paper snowflakes, discussing symmetry and patterns.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Before the Play

What do you think happens at the North Pole?

Why do you think Santa keeps a Naughty and Nice list? What would you do if you were left off the Naughty or Nice list?

During the Play

How did Emily and Amos feel when they learned Santa missed their house?

What challenges did the characters face in retrieving the list?

How did teamwork help the characters succeed?

After the Play

What lesson did you learn from the story?

How can you apply the lesson to your own life?

What would you do differently if you were in Emily's or Amos's shoes?

THEATRE EDUCATION

Acting Classes

200+ Students Attend Acting Classes After School

Charleston Stage’s TheatreSchool offers classes year-round, for students from kindergarten through 8th grade at Charleston Stage’s West Ashley Theatre Center. Acting classes for students of all ages and abilities are taught by members of Charleston Stage’s Professional Resident Acting Company. Classes range from beginning classes

to performance workshops and troupes. We now offer a full-year registration. Tuition scholarships are available for need-based students. Register online today at CharlestonStage.com/education

ArtReach In-School Workshops

Bringing Professional Actors Into the Classroom

Charleston Stage’s Professional Resident Actors provide dynamic workshops in area schools throughout the Lowcountry. Workshops use theatrical skills to teach academic subjects and can be combined with a school matinee performance experience. For information on booking ArtReach workshops, contact Rylee Coppel, Director of Education and Engagement, at rcoppel@charlestonstage.com or (843) 225-3900

TheatreWings High School Apprenticeships

A Tuition-Free Apprentice Program For Teens

The TheatreWings High School Apprentice Program is designed to allow talented young people the opportunity to work directly with theatre professionals and gain first-hand experience in professional theatrical production. Students explore stage management, lighting and sound, as well as set, prop, and costume design and construction. Designed for highly dedicated students, TheatreWings requires more than 100+ hours of apprenticeship each season. For more information, email

TheatreWings Co-Coordinators Ravyn Meador or Caleb Garner at wings@charlestonstage.com.

For more information on our Education programs, call the Education Office at (843) 225-3900 or visit CharlestonStage.com/education.

DOCK STREET THEATRE

For almost 300 years audiences have delighted in performances at the Historic Dock Street Theatre which stands on the site of the very first theatre building in America which opened its doors in 1736. The current building, originally The Planter’s Hotel was built in 1803 and in 1937 was converted into the Dock Street Theatre know today. Charleston Stage presents over 150 performances at the Historic Dock Street Theatre playing to theatre goers from every state in the union and many foreign countries. The Dock Street Theatre, newly renovated in 2010, is currently owned and managed by the City of Charleston. Other performing arts groups including Spoleto Festival USA perform here annually

On February 12, 1736 the Dock Street Theatre opened with a performance of The Recruiting Officer. Built on the corner of Church Street and Dock Street (now known as Queen Street), the Historic Dock Street Theatre was the first building in America built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances. Flora, the first opera performance in America, took place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre.

The original Dock Street Theatre was probably destroyed by the Great Fire of 1740 which destroyed many of the buildings in Charleston’s French Quarter. In 1809, the Planter’s Hotel was built on this site and in 1835 the wrought iron balcony and sandstone columns of the Church Street facade were added. A number of notable persons worked and patronized the Planter’s Hotel including the noted 19th Century actor Junius Brutus Booth (father of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth). Robert Smalls, an African-American Civil War hero, who stole a steamboat in the harbor and sailed it out past the Confederate-held Ft. Sumter and turned it over to the blockading Union Fleet, served as a waiter in the hotel’s dining room prior to the war. Charleston’s famed Planter’s Punch was first introduced here

After the Civil War, the Planter’s Hotel fell into disrepair and was slated for demolition. But in 1935, after Milton Pearlstine made the property available to the City of Charleston and at the urging of Mayor Burnet Maybank and other notable citizens, the original building became a Depression Era WPA (Works Progress Administration) project. At that time, the present theatre was constructed within the shell of the Planter’s Hotel. The hotel’s grand

foyer became the grand foyer of the theatre and the hotel’s dining room now serves as the box office lobby. The beautiful woodwork and mantels of the second-floor drawing room were salvaged from the Radcliffe-King Mansion (circa 1799) which stood at the corner of George and Meeting Streets and was razed to build the College of Charleston gymnasium, another WPA project. Modeled on eighteenth century London playhouses by Charleston architect Albert Simons, the present Dock Street Theatre’s new stage house and auditorium were built in the hotel’s courtyard. The local carpenters who were put to work as a part of this Depression era relief effort utilized locally grown and milled native black cypress for the beautiful warm wooden interior. Following this $350,000 renovation,

The Historic Dock Street Theatre’s second grand opening took place on November 26, 1937. Notables in the audience included author DuBose Heyward (Porgy) who was named writerin-residence.

The Historic Dock Street Theatre reopened for the third time on March 18, 2010 after a three-year, $19 million dollar renovation by the City of Charleston. This extensive full-scale renovation brought the historic theatre into the 21st century with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, modern heating and air conditioning, and new restrooms and seating. In addition, the theatre was made seismically secure and fully handicapped accessible. Extensive soundproofing was added to ensure that outside noises no longer intruded on performances inside