CHRISTMAS 2.0

by Donna Hoke

All Angela wants is a happy Christmas--or a more exciting life--but her daughter's left for college, her husband's obsessed with fantasy football, the plumbing's a mess, and her cat won't stop peeing where he shouldn't. Mom May thinks she should get a hobby--or a handyman--but a run-in with old friend Kelly leaves Angela aspiring to the thrills her pal gets from social media. Before long, Angela's giving Candy...

All Angela wants is a happy Christmas--or a more exciting life--but her daughter's left for college, her husband's obsessed with fantasy football, the plumbing's a mess, and her cat won't stop peeing where he shouldn't. Mom May thinks she should get a hobby--or a handyman--but a run-in with old friend Kelly leaves Angela aspiring to the thrills her pal gets from social media. Before long, Angela's giving Candy Crush lives to high school sweetheart Billy Sweeney, despite Kelly's warnings that Billy's a guy who uses shouty caps and the wrong form of your. Ignoring the danger signs, Angela invites Billy to fix her pipes, and the former prom dates find themselves bonding over flip phones as they color Christmas pictures by the fire. Their nostalgic bliss is interrupted by an ominous phone call from Kelly, but not before Angela's cat and her husband catch them in the act and force everybody, including May, to adopt a healthier relationship with technology.

This play was workshopped at the 2015 Hormel Festival of New Works at Phoenix Theatre and the third place winner of the Pickering Prize for Playwriting Excellence.

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CHRISTMAS 2.0

Recommended by

  • Laura Zlatos: CHRISTMAS 2.0

    A charming holiday play about marriage, cat pee, and our dependence on social media. Hoke weaves a new kind of Christmas story about a lonely and lovable luddite in the digital age that is both funny and heartwarming.

    A charming holiday play about marriage, cat pee, and our dependence on social media. Hoke weaves a new kind of Christmas story about a lonely and lovable luddite in the digital age that is both funny and heartwarming.

  • David Lee White: CHRISTMAS 2.0

    A timely and VERY funny play about marriage, loneliness, the holidays and the lure of social media. Hoke creates a believable set of characters and relationships, then provides them with quick, funny dialogue to keep things buoyant. I laughed out loud several times while reading this. The script is family-friendly with just enough "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" moments to keep things from getting overly sentimental. It's clever, it's smart and would make a great alternative to more traditional holiday fare.

    A timely and VERY funny play about marriage, loneliness, the holidays and the lure of social media. Hoke creates a believable set of characters and relationships, then provides them with quick, funny dialogue to keep things buoyant. I laughed out loud several times while reading this. The script is family-friendly with just enough "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" moments to keep things from getting overly sentimental. It's clever, it's smart and would make a great alternative to more traditional holiday fare.

  • Dominica Plummer: CHRISTMAS 2.0

    I loved this heart-warming play about empty nests, traveling husbands, incontinent cats, and the perils of social media. Donna Hoke gives us a seasonal, laugh out loud drama that feels utterly true to life, yet still manages to give us the happy ending that we all hope for at Christmas. Perfect!

    I loved this heart-warming play about empty nests, traveling husbands, incontinent cats, and the perils of social media. Donna Hoke gives us a seasonal, laugh out loud drama that feels utterly true to life, yet still manages to give us the happy ending that we all hope for at Christmas. Perfect!

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Character Information

  • Angela
    A stay-at-home mom who no longer has a child at home
    Character Age
    37
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Jeff
    Angela's husband, a little unaware
    Character Age
    37-42
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Kelly
    high school friend of Angela's, social media addict
    Character Age
    37
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Billy
    Angela's high school sweetheart, a cute and charming dolt
    Character Age
    37
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • May
    Angela's mother, a Luddite with lots of advice
    Character Age
    70
    Character Gender Identity
    Female

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Rogers Theatre, Year 2021
  • Type Reading, Organization Passage Theatre, Year 2020
  • Type Reading, Organization Prairie Players Civic Theatre, Year 2018
  • Type Reading, Organization Second Generation Theatre, Year 2014

Production History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Phoenix Theatre--Hormel Festival of New Works, Year 2015

Awards

  • Third place, Robert J. Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence
    Branch County Community Theatre
    Finalist
    2018
  • Hormel Festival of New Works
    Phoenix Theatre
    Selection
    2015