Open-Door Playhouse Spotlights Holiday Plays This Month

Open-Door Playhouse continues to present short plays in podcast form. The Playhouse is spotlighting seven of the most popular holiday-themed comedies and dramas in its archives from December 18 through December 31, 2023 online at http://opendoorplayhouse.org. Go the website, click on "Open-Door Playhouse," click on a title's corresponding box (numbered for your convenience) and access the entertaining audio content. Titles include:

The Christmas Goat (Theater 64): Goat is disconsolate. There's a Nativity Scene being mounted for public display at Christmastime. Goat has been shut out of it because there was no goat present at the time of the historical Nativity. Goat's barnyard pal, Pig, has figured out a way for Goat to be the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) participant in the Christmas festivities this year. Can you guess what Pig has planned for Goat? Kim Hlavac directs a cast that includes Sue Gisser, James P. Gleason, Daamen Krall, Jeffrey S.S. Johnson and Camille Ameen. Dwayne Yancey is the playwright.

The Night Max Saved Christmas (Theater 53): A dog named Max saves the day in this hilarious send-up of a famous Christmas legend (no spoilers here). Written by E.E. Mathias. Directed by Bernadette Armstrong. Cast: Amir Abdullah, Gary B. Lamb, Joyce Hannael

Santa's Secret (Theater 51): A heartwarming story in which a young lad learns the secret of the true spirit of Christmas. Written by Fabiana Medici. Directed by Bernadette Armstrong. Cast: Elaine Mello, Gary Reed.

Yes Twinkie, There Is a Santa Claus (Theater 52). A thoroughly disillusioned elf is about to receive a very special present from Kris Kringle. Written by Don Goodrum. Directed by Sophie Goldstein. Cast: Chris Dorman, Julia Sanford.

Six Italians, Seven Fishes (Theater 85): An Italian-American family is gathered at the home of Joe and Marie for Christmas Eve dinner prior to Midnight Mass. Dinner (the seven fishes, a family tradition) is on hold because Vinnie and his Polish wife Peony have not yet arrived. The hours drag by, and Vinnie and Peony are still missing. Has something happened to them? Are they all right? Will the family ultimately be together for Christmas Eve dinner? Bernadette Armstrong directs a cast that includes Elaine Mello, David Purdham, Anne Cooper, Gary Lamb, Natalie Eleftheriadis, Michael Fletcher, Oscar Maldonado and Leah Jarvik. Patricia Motto is the playwright.

The Very Furious Kugel (Theater 16): As Chanukah and Christmas intersect this year, we're including this one. A woman discovers that her husband's leftover noodle kugel has been possessed by a demonic entity called a dybbuk. Written by Clare Bierman. Directed by Gary Reed. Cast: Anne Cooper.

The Woods (Theater 54): The Woods. Two guys are trapped by a sudden blizzard and seek refuge in an isolated cabin in the woods. One of them hears a distant call for help. A tale of the supernatural. Written by Matthew Scott Montgomery, Directed by Bernadette Armstrong. Cast: Matthew Scott Montgomery, Andrew Puente.

Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What's Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

There's no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opendoorplayhouse.org

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