The Lighting of the
Christmas Tree
In the Vassar Series of Plays
Edited by Gertrude Buck
Adapted by Josephine L. Palmer and Annie L.Thorp, by permission of Messrs. Doubleday,Page & Co., from “The Christmas Guest,” bySelma Lagerlof.
Samuel French: Publisher
28-30 West Thirty-eighth St. : New York
LONDON
Samuel French, Ltd.
26 Southampton Street, Strand
Copyright, 1917, by Josephine L. Palmer andAnnie L. Thorp
Copyright, 1921, by Samuel French
All Rights Reserved
“THE LIGHTING OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE” isfully protected by copyright, and all rights are reserved.
Permission to act, to read publicly, or to make any useof this play must be obtained from Samuel French, 28-30West 38th Street, New York City.
It may be presented by amateurs upon payment of aroyalty of five dollars for each performance, payable toSamuel French one week before the date when the playis given.
Professional rates quoted on application.
Whenever this play is produced the following noticemust appear on all programs, printing and advertising forthe play: Produced by special arrangement with SamuelFrench of New York.
[3]
THE VASSAR SERIES OF PLAYS
Every play in this series has been written by amember of the Play-Writing Class at Vassar College.But each play as printed is the product of agroup-activity. Not merely an individual seated ata desk, but a community working together in atheater, is responsible for it in its final form.
Some of these plays have been “tried out” by theVassar Dramatic Workshop and some by the CommunityTheatre of Poughkeepsie, New York. Bythe coöperative efforts of all who were associated inthese enterprises—actors, committee workers andfinancial supporters—these plays have been given asympathetic and intelligent production before audiencesalso intelligent and sympathetic, whose reactionhas afforded the writers much valuable criticism.In the preliminary readings and rehearsals,also, occasional weak points which had escaped theordeal of class criticism came to light and werestrengthened by the author’s revision. In fact, theplays as they appear in this series are literally a collaborationof the writers with innumerable friendlycritics in the play-writing class, the cast and the audience.And it would be ungracious to put the fruitsof this collaboration at the service of the public withoutgrateful acknowledgment to all those who havein any way helped to establish and carry on the VassarDramatic Workshop or the Community Theatreof Poughkeepsie.
In recent years there has been an increasing demand[4]for well-written, dramatically effective one-actplays, suitable for production by semi-professionalcompanies or by amateur organizations of seriouspurpose and some degree of training. To aid insupplying this demand is the purpose of the VassarSeries of Plays. Other plays written by membersof the Play-Writing Class at Vassar College may besecured in typewritten form by application to TheWorkshop Bureau of Plays, Vassar College