About the Play:

Coney Island Christmas is a full-length comedy by Donald Margulies. Based on a Grace Paley short story The Loudest Voice, this holiday comedy is the story of Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who is cast as Jesus in the school's Christmas pageant, as told by her in later years to her great-granddaughter.

Coney Island Christmas is a hilarious and heartwarming holiday show for people of all ages and all faiths. When Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl is cast as Jesus in her school's Christmas pageant, her family doesn't know what to think. Her mother is anxious, her father accepting (enough), and her drama and music teachers adamant. Many years later, the tale of this holiday season is gleefully recited by a much older Shirley recalling the story to her great grandchild, as the audience laughs along. Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies captures the essence of multicultural festivities, and what it means to celebrate any holiday.

Coney Island Christmas premiered in 2012 at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, California. The play has become a popular choice for school and community theatre productions.

Cast: 10 female, 8 male (doubling, flexible casting)

What people say:

"Gave me the gift of wonder…incredible enchantment." — Los Angeles Times

"A jewel…simply hilarious." — Variety

"The biggest hit of the jam-packed holiday season." — Backstage

About the Playwright:

Donald Margulies is an American playwright, screenwriter, and a professor of English and Theater Studies at Yale University. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2000 for his play, Dinner With Friends. Other plays include Pulitzer Prize finalists Sight Unseen and Collected Stories. He has also developed screenplays for HBO, NBC, Paramount, Propaganda, Touchstone, Warner Bros., TriStar and Universal.