NOTES ON COSTUME AND PRESENTATION
Mrs. Darling. Evening dress.
Bonnet and Catherine wear black, with white maid's apron, collar, and cuffs. Outdoor costume as indicated.
Mrs. McGrath. Shawl and bonnet with no attempt at prevailing styles. Stout, rosy, motherly, and comfortable.
Sally. Pretty and wholesome-looking. Appears at first in a limp blue kitchen-apron, later in her outdoor coat and hat, neat, but cheap-looking.
Tibbie. Old dress, very neat and clean, but faded, and with an outgrown, hand-me-down appearance. She is a thin and half-fed little tenement-house child, to whom the luxury of Mrs. Darling's house is an undreamed-of fairy-land.
This part was played by a little girl of nine, who delighted in learning and acting it. A bright and appreciative child can do it without undue effort, although it is, of course, the important rôle of the play.
The Dolls. The number of dolls need not be over fifteen or twenty, if so arranged as to suggest more tiers hidden from view at the back of the couch. They should be as nearly of one size as is practicable, though uniformity goes no further. The broken one should be broken first, and Tibbie must slip it to the floor unnoticed before she sits down to rock the others.
[GENERAL NOTES]
Fireplace. If scenery is not available, the fireplace used in this play, and in several others, can easily be built up from packing-boxes covered with cambric (dull side out), the bricks or tiles marked in black paint, or even with ink. A valuable and effective stage-property, used when "Tom's Plan" was first given, and in many subsequent plays, was an old-fashioned wooden mantel, obtained through a carpenter who was tearing down an old house. This may be a suggestion for other amateurs. A small screen can be covered with cambric, and painted to represent the back of the fireplace, an opening being left at one side, through which Santa Claus, in "Tom's Plan," "The Christmas Brownie," and "Their Christmas Party," makes his entrance. Andirons, with logs and a red electric bulb, will make a very pretty and effective fire. In "Their Christmas Party," the poor children hide in the fireplace, and the "Christmas Brownie" goes in and out several times.
Santa Claus. Red or brown coat, trimmed with ermine (cotton, or, if practicable, some real fur); high boots; cap to match coat, with fur brim. He wears a string of sleigh bells over his shoulder, and carries a pack full of small toys for distribution. White hair, mustache, and long white beard.
In these plays, in which Santa Claus has often an important part, do not on any account allow him to wear a mask. The hair, mustache, and beard, with a good rosy make-up, are sufficient disguise for him, and in those cases where there are little children in the cast whose literal belief in Santa Claus must not be disturbed, he is not indispensable at rehearsals. Partly because he should not be recognized, an adult player is always indicated for this part, rather than an older boy, who is apt to be in more intimate touch with the children.
Christmas Tree. If the play is to serve as introduction to a Christmas Tree, the tree should be placed as near the stage as possible. When the play is over, the lighted tree is unveiled, and the children who have taken part distribute the presents under the leadership of Santa Claus. Or, if found more practicable, the tree may be placed in another room, and Santa Claus may invite the children of the play and the audience to go with him in search of it. An appropriate tree song may be sung by the whole audience. Reference to such songs may be found on the following page.
[SUGGESTIONS FOR CAROLS]
Songs and Games for Little Ones. Gertrude Walker and Harriet S. Jenks. Oliver Ditson Company, Boston.
Contains a number of useful songs and carols, among which the following may be specially mentioned:
"Oh, Ring, Glad Bells!" (P. 58.)
"The First Christmas." (P. 60.)
Good for little children.
"Noël, Noël, the Christ is Born!" (P. 62.)
Excellent processional.
"A Wonderful Tree." (P. 67.)
Tree song.
Songs for Little Children. Part I. Eleanor Smith. Milton Bradley Co., Springfield, Mass.
"In Another Land and Time." (P. 31.)
"Waken, Little Children." (P. 33.)
Very simple. Good for small children.
Part II of the same contains Santa Claus and Jack Frost songs.
The New Hosanna. New-Church Board of Publication, 3 West 29th Street, N.Y.
Has a good tree song:
"The Christmas Bells in Many a Clime." (P. 4.)
For little children:
"Can There Be a Sweeter Story?" (P. 21.)
There are also a number of old English carols, among them:
"The First Nowell." (P. 2.)
"Come, Ye Lofty, Come, Ye Lowly." (P. 23.)
"From Far Away We Come to You." (P. 30.)
Also several of the more familiar Christmas hymns to be found in most church hymnals.
For old music, see the following:
Christmas Carols, New and Old. Novello & Company.
Twelve Old Carols, English and Foreign. Novello & Company.
Folk Songs, and Other Songs for Children. Oliver Ditson Company, Boston.
The first and last of these both contain "Good King Wenceslas," which is included in other collections as well.
Martin Luther's Christmas hymn for his own children, which is very good for small children, beginning "Away in a manger," is in
Dainty Songs for Little Lads and Lasses. John Church Company, Cincinnati.
[FOOTNOTES]
[1] Hosanna, p. 122. New Church Board of Publication, 3 West 29th St., New York.
[2] From The Nursery, Vol. 27 (1880).
[3] See note on Fireplace, [p. 313].
[4] Copyright, 1893, by the John Church Company. Used by permission.
[5] By permission of the Universalist Publishing House.
[6] Courtesy of Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company.
[7] See note on Fireplace, [p. 313].
[8] See note on Carols, [p. 315].
[9] See note on Tree, [p. 314], and on Tree-songs, [p. 315].
[10] See note on Fireplace, [p. 313].
[11] Quoted from St. Nicholas, by courtesy of Tudor Jenks and The Century Company.
[12] See note on Tree, [p. 314], and on Carols, [p. 315].
[13] See note on Fireplace, [p. 313].
[14] See note on Carols, [p. 315].
[17] "Songs and Games for Little Ones" (p. 89). See [Suggestions for Carols], [p. 315].
[18] Carol used by Waits: "Noël! Noël! the Christ is born" (p. 62, "Songs and Games for Little Ones"). No better marching song can be found. See Suggestions for Carols, [p. 315].
[19] See note on Tree, [p. 314], and Tree-song, [p. 315].
[21] By courtesy of Miss K.A. Prichard and The Century Company.
[22] See note on Fireplace, [p. 313].
[23] As the boys would hardly have been permitted to finish their song, the mother may leave the room before they begin, coming back to reprove them sharply when it is over.
[24] See note on Carols, [p. 315].
[25] See note on Carols, [p. 316].
[26] By permission of Mrs. Freeman and of Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company.
[27] See note on Fireplace, [p. 313].
[28] Words printed in "[A Puritan Christmas]," [p. 136].
[30] See note, [p. 146], in regard to the English, following "[A Puritan Christmas]."
[31] Courtesy of Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company.
[32] Used by courtesy of Colonel Thomas E. Davis.
[33] See note on Fireplace, [p. 313].
[34] Copyrighted, 1896, by Harper & Bros. Used by courtesy of Miss Hall and Harper & Bros.