A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Sanders Family Christmas

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  3w, 4m

Written by Connie Ray
Conceived by Alan Bailey

Musical Arrangements by John Foley and Gary Fagin

In this sequel to the ever-popular New York hit Smoke on the Mountain, the Sanders family returns to Mount Pleasant, NC, home of the Mount Pleasant Pickle Factory, on Christmas Eve, 1941, just 18 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Sanders Family Christmas

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Theatre for Young Audiences, Christmas/Holiday, Period, Faith-Based
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences

Details

Summary
Sanders Family Christmas is the sequel to Connie Ray and Alan Bailey’s wildly successful bluegrass gospel musical Smoke on the Mountain. It’s December 24, 1941, and America is going to war. So is Dennis Sanders, of the Sanders Family Singers. Join Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and the rest of the Sanders family as they send Dennis off with hilarious and touching stories and twenty-five Southern Gospel Christmas favorites.

MERVIN OGLETHORPE – Pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, early 30s
BURL SANDERS – Father, 40s
VERA – Mother, 40s
STANLEY – Uncle, 40s
DENNIS and DENISE – Twins, 20s
JUNE – Sister, mid-20s
  • Time Period 1940s/WWII
  • Setting Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, NC. 24 December 1941, 18 days after Pearl Harbor.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“Get in the holiday spirit… a visit with the Sanders family is always sure to cheer you.”– Crossville Chronicle
“Even if you’ve never met the Sanders, you’ve heard their music. And most of their jokes. There’s comfort in that familiarity, something especially welcome at holiday time. There’s a sad resonance, too… Most of the evening, though, is given over to laughter and song” – City Beat (Cincinnati)

Videos

  • Sanders Family Christmas youtube thumbnail

    Sanders Family Christmas

Music

Song Samples

Sample of Samphony Tracks for Sanders Family Christmas

Act I

“Good Christian Men, Rejoice” – Traditional
“Christmas Time's A-Comin'” – by Tex Logan
“Angels We Have Heard On High” – Traditional
“A Country Kind Of Christmas” – by Peggy Newman and Jimmy C. Newman
“Cactus Christmas Tree” – by Ruth Roberts and Bill Katz
“Merry Christmas Down Home” – by Alan Bailey
“I Wonder As I Wander” – Traditional
“Christmas In The Mountains” – by William Lewis Castle
War Medley:
– “Onward, Christian Soldiers” – by Arthur Sullivan and Sabine Baring-Gould
– “I'm On The Battlefield” – Traditional
– “Keep On The Firing Line” – Traditional
– “Hold Fast To The Right” – Traditional
“Joy To The World” – Traditional

Act II

“Did You Ever Go Sailing?” – by Albert E. Brumley
“Longing For That Hallelujah Day” – by Alan Bailey
“I've Been Changed” – by Mosie Lister
Christmas In Other Lands Medley:
– “Noche De Paz” – Traditional
– “Grandpa's Done Gone Crazy” – by Joel McNeely and Connie Ray
– “Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella” – Traditional
– “Nose To Nose” – by Joel McNeely and Connie Ray
“Away In A Manger” – Traditional
Bell Medley:
– “Caroling, Caroling” – by Wihla Hutson and Alfred Burt
– “Jingle Bells” – Traditional
– “Christmas Bells” – by Harry Filler and Leonard Rosen
– “With Bells On” – by Dolly Parton
“Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem” – Traditional
Christmas Carol Sing-Along:
– “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing” – Traditional
– “The First Noel” – Traditional
– “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” – Traditional
“Go Tell It On The Mountain” – Traditional
“We Wish You A Merry Christmas” – Traditional

8 Piano-Conductor (This is a lead sheet style piano-conductor score.)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This score has been arranged to accomodate a wide variety of players' talents. While we have specified piano-vocal parts and guitar chords, we encourage each production's musicians to create a unique instrumentation that reflects their abilities. While some groups may find it impossible to use all the instruments in the list below, we strongly advise using at least piano, guitar, bass, and percussion.

The original production added the following instruments:

Piano
Guitar
Banjo
Mandolin
Stand-Up Bass
Dobro
Fiddle
Autoharp
Ukulele
Harmonica
Accordion
Concertina
Pitch Pipe
Percussion (Wooden Spoons, Tambourine, Washboard With Scrub Brush, Cymbal, Cowbell, Sleigh Bells, Various Bells, Basket-wicker with beans, Triangle, Drumsticks and Mallets)

Performance Tracks Available (Additional Fee)

  • Musical Style Country/Western, Folk
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Small/Combo
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
8 Piano-Conductor
Note: This orchestration includes a lead sheet style piano-conductor score for flexible instrumentation. See the orchestration tab (above) for more information.

Performance Tracks Available (Additional Fee)

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Connie Ray

Connie Ray is a playwright and actress who divides her time between LA and NYC. She wrote the musicals Smoke on the Mountain, Sanders Family Christmas and Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming, three of Samuel French’s most popular titles. Her musicals and plays have been produced ...

View full profile

Alan Bailey

Alan Bailey co-authored one of the country’s most frequently produced musicals, Smoke on the Mountain, which ran more than 500 performances at the Lamb's Theatre in New York, garnering award nominations from the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and the Stage Directors and Ch ...

View full profile
Author

Gary Fagin

John Foley

John Foley is a teacher (Northwestern University and NSCDS) and performer/musician in Evanston, IL.
View full profile

Now Playing