Why The Love of Three Oranges makes an excellent, if unconventional, choice for your holiday school play

It’s coming up on the holidays and you’re looking for something for your school to do. But you don’t want to offend or exclude which can limit your options. If only there was something that had the spirit of a holiday play without any religious or cultural baggage.

Consider The Love of Three Oranges. Sure, it may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the holidays but it may just be the perfect choice.

1. It’s Nutcracker-esque. Dancing mice and sugar plumbs have become a holiday staple. I love The Nutcracker as much as the next girl but, this time of year, everyone and their mom is doing a version of it. Looking for fantasy spectacle, princesses, crazy animal costumes, a magical kingdom and fun with music? The Love of Three Oranges has all of that and your audience will appreciate something they haven’t seen before instead of the show they’ve seen a billion times before.
2. Oranges are already a Christmas thing. Seriously. Google it. Many people already associate oranges with the holidays so it gives the play a holiday flavor without specifically being a holiday play.
3. It’s easy to holiday-up. There’s no reason the story can’t take place during winter (that would even open up some comic potential for the Wind God and other scenes). The ball in Act 1 would work just as well as a holiday ball. You can have some fun putting a holiday spin on the elements already in the play if you want to make it more seasonal.
4. It’s a feel good, family friendly show. The holidays are about coming together with family and friends and having a good time. What better choice than a show the whole family can watch together that will leave them happy and laughing?
5. It’s not even remotely preachy or commercialized. You know how some holiday shows are. You feel like you’re getting the true meaning of gift giving beat into your head over and over again. The only moral to Three Oranges is this: laughter is good. Laugh more. See? A message everyone can agree on.