THE CHRISTMAS PRINCESS
by Arthur M. Jolly

8+ players, 4-8+ female, 4-5+ Male.
Running time: 70 mins.

CHARACTERS

JESTER - a bumbling court jester, "the worst fool ever".
KING - Stern and strict.
QUEEN - his domineering wife.
PRINCESS - Beautiful, but spoiled and vain
LUCY THE MAID - The Princess' maid-servant.
PRINCE VALIANT - Handome, but as dumb as a bucket of rocks.
WOODCUTTER - A handsome young woodsman.
WAKENDA THE WITCH - Maybe a witch. Maybe a wise woman. Maybe a nosy old baggage.
CRESCENT MOON BEAR - A character from Japanese folklore - a huge and scary bear.
DRAGON - Even bigger and scarier. An oversize puppet.

SETTING

A royal palace, and a dark forest.

SYNOPSIS

It is Christmas Eve - and the palace is in turmoil. The next day is not only Christmas, it is the wedding day of the Beautiful Princess and the handsome Prince Valiant.
The problem is - the Princess doesn't want to marry the Prince. Desperate to find a way out of the marriage, she disguises herself as a maid, and seeks the advice of Wakenda the Witch, who sends her on a quest to find three magical gifts that will allow her to escape her wedding - a hair from the chest of the Crescent Moon Bear, a tear from a Dragon, and a petal from a blood-rose.
Meanwhile, the Prince falls for the maid, and the Jester - the worst fool ever - is given an ultimatum: to make the King laugh by the royal wedding the next day, or be thrown into a dungeon.
On her journey, the Princess learns to use her courage and her wit to find her true self - which turns out to be where the real magic lies; and manages to not only get out of marrying the Prince, she finds true love with a lowly woodsman, and everyone lives happily ever after.