A Great New Play For The Holidays: How and Why I Wrote "A Wicked Christmas Carol"

Cheyenne Sandau as the Wicked Witch and Elisa Schine as Glinda in "A Wicked Christmas Carol" at the Center Theatre

Greetings everyone, and welcome to Theater is a Sport, my much neglected blog about community and school theater.  Today I wanted to write about my latest published play, A Wicked Christmas Carol, a full-length holiday play that makes me proud.  It is a play that takes the world of Charles Dickens classic story and sets in L. Frank Baum's magical world of Oz.  In my play, the Wicked Witch of the West serves as the Scrooge-type character, and, true to the structure of Dickens, is visited by spirits to send her on a path toward redemption.  The difference is, these spirits are all beloved characters from the Oz books.

This idea had rolled around in my head for a few years.  I don't have many Christmas or other holiday plays published, and was brainstorming ideas for possibilities.  I cannot recall exactly how I first thought of the idea as the Wicked Witch of the West as a Scrooge-like character, but when I did, it was fun to imagine other Oz characters in different roles--- naturally, the Wicked Witch of the East could make a perfect Jacob Marley, I thought, only, instead of bearing heavy chains, she would be laden with pieces of the house that fell on her... that was an image that really stuck out in my mind.

Cheyenne Sandau as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Michelle Fisk as the Ghost of the Wicked Witch of the East in Center Theatre's production of "A Wicked Christmas Carol"

 Despite having this idea for some time, I didn't really act on it, even though I thought it was an idea that could pan out and work successfully.  I was busy working on other plays.  Still, this idea would bubble up every now and then, and I found myself almost looking for an excuse to sit down and write it.  And one day, I had a meeting with Patrick Myers, the Executive Director of the Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, about a completely unrelated topic, but I asked in passing if they knew what they were doing for their Christmas play.  This was in late May, if I recall.  He told me that they were once again going to go with "A Christmas Carol," though something in his tone suggested to me that maybe he wasn't thrilled with the decision, so I said, "You know, I've been meaning to pitch you an idea about a new adaptation 'A Christmas Carol' but it would be set in Oz, with the Wicked Witch of the West as the Scrooge."  Patrick liked the idea, said he would pass it along to the group who pick out the plays.  I went home from that meeting and began to write a synopsis and story treatment for the play.  I sent it along to Patrick, and told him I could have pages for them to read by July. And so, my excuse to write it was alive!

Cheyenne Sandau as the Wicked Witch of the West and Laney Reardon as Tip/Ozma in Center Theatre's Production of "A Wicked Christmas Carol"

I thought "A Wicked Christmas Carol" was a clever title, and people seemed to agree.  I immediately went back and started reading Baum's fourteen Oz books, paying special attention to the first book, of course, the only one in which the Wicked Witch of the West appears.  I wanted to make sure everything in my play was based on Baum's work, as those are the works that are in the public domain.  Though I admire Gregory Maguire's "Wicked" books, and the Broadway musical adaptation, I certainly didn't want to be sued for using their work in any way.  The same is true for the MGM classic, "The Wizard of Oz."  Which is why, in my play, you will find the details are taken directly from Baum:  no ruby slippers, for example, but Silver Shoes.  In my play, The Wicked Witch of the West (who has no other name in the book) is named Lina, though no one calls her this anymore.  It was a name she gave herself in her youth, after the great Fairy Queen Lurline.

I should note that if you have never read Baum's fourteen Oz books, I cannot recommend them enough.  They are a true joy, and it was such a journey getting to live in them for a time.  I hope to revisit my citizenship in Oz at some point.

The challenge when adapting not one, but two very famous pieces of literature is to be find the balance of being true to the source material, but also being true to your own voice.  I set about writing by going to my local library every day with my laptop, my notebook with all of my notes from Baum's Oz books, and a pair of headphones (when I am in a public place, I can only write if I have some way of blocking out the sounds of the rest of the world--- in this case, I was listening to "focus" binaural beats music).  I enjoy writing in the library.  When I take breaks, I can wander through the shelves at all of the other books that started by someone sitting down with an idea.

Will Stecher as Jemkiph, Axel Carlson as Wee Willie, and Cheyenne Sandau as The Wicked Witch of the West in Center Theatre's production of "A Wicked Christmas Carol"

The Center Theatre, similar to most community theaters I have had the pleasure of working with, likes to have large casts for their holiday plays, including children.  Fortunately, this story and setting lends itself to having many characters.

And one of the things I am most proud of?  The fact that the play, like the world of Oz, is populated by so many strong female characters.  Outside of the Wizard in the Emerald City, the power structure of Oz is very female-centered:  The Good Witches rule the North and South, the "Bad" Witches rule the East and West.  And of course, after the Wizard is exposed as the humbug he is, and after a brief rule under the Scarecrow, even the Emerald City is ruled by it's rightful heir, Princess Ozma.

While I love "A Christmas Carol", I have always found it somewhat unfair that some of the biggest and most complex iconic roles are for men.  I cannot even begin to describe how it felt to watch the scene where the Wicked Witch of the West is haunted by the Wicked Witch of the East, based on the infamous Scrooge and Marley scene, and to see these terrific actresses in my production get the opportunity to play this new version of such a classic moment.  I honestly got goosebumps.

Lee Wilber, Cary Libby and Dan Sharrow as the Ghosts of Christmas Present, Cheyenne Sandau as the Wicked Witch of the West, Will Stecher as Jemkiph and Kathleen Reardon as Joslyn Soforth

Clearly, I could go on about this at great length--- this one was kind of my baby.  Getting to write then immediately get to watch it stand on its legs is a dream come true for any playwright.  The cast I assembled were all so into the journey we were taking, and worked so very hard.  Not enough can be said about the volunteer actors who make community theater possible, who donate so much of their time and energy because they love to perform and to be a part of something magical.  Watching them bring my script to life stands among the proudest moments of my career as a playwright and director.

Elora Kares as The Ghost of Christmas Future, Cheyenne Sandau as the Wicked Witch of the West, Jasper Makowski, Will Stecher, Kathleen Reardon, and Abby Kemp as the Soforth family

Though my intention on this blog has never been to just plug my work (that's only a side intention!), this time around I can't help myself.  I wrote this play in mind to be accessible for community and school theaters of any budget, for the setting to be simple (the original production worked well with simple settings and projections as back drops for different locations), and to involve a diverse group of actors.  I was truly touched and grateful by the reception the play had in its initial production, and am truly honored that it has been published by Playscripts, Inc., one of the finest publishers of plays today for so many different markets.  If you would like to learn more about the play, and even read a sample, you can CLICK HERE

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and a big thanks to everyone who helped me along the way with "A Wicked Christmas Carol."  You all hold a special place in my heart.

Now let's try and make this a holiday classic, what do you say?