Nov 26-Dec 19 | Fallon House
A family-friendly holiday production. The play includes discussions of mental health, brief institutionalization, and a courtroom proceeding questioning whether Kris Kringle is mentally competent. Recommended for ages 6 and up.
Kris Kringle has been hired to play Santa at Macy’s, but there is something unusual about the kindly old gentleman: he insists he is the real Santa Claus. Rather than push parents toward whatever the store has in stock, Kris sends them wherever they can find exactly what their children want, setting off an unexpected wave of goodwill across New York City.
His generosity wins over customers, but not everyone is charmed. When Kris’s sanity is questioned, his remarkable claim becomes the subject of a courtroom battle with consequences reaching far beyond the department store. At the center of it all is Susan, a practical young girl who has been taught not to believe in fantasy and must decide for herself whether miracles are still possible.
Adapted from the beloved novel and motion picture, Miracle on 34th Street, the Play is a warm and lively holiday story about decency, imagination, and choosing people over commercialism. Filled with humor, heart, and the bustle of Christmas in New York, it offers a timeless reminder of what the season can be.
Playing at the Historic Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Historic Park, 11175 Washington St., Columbia, California.
Produced by special arrangement with
DRAMATIC PUBLISHING, Woodstock, Illinois
Mountain Community Theater is a member-run nonprofit theatre company based at Park Hall in Ben Lomond, California. Founded by a collective of actors in 1982, it is the longest continuously operating community theatre company in Santa Cruz County.
The company’s adaptation of Miracle on 34th Street began in its inaugural season, when co-founders Peter Troxell and Rita Wadsworth created a stage version of Valentine Davies’ beloved holiday story. The adaptation became a recurring Mountain Community Theater tradition and was later revised and prepared for publication. In 1996, Dramatic Publishing began licensing the play for productions by other theatres. Now performed as Miracle on 34th Street, the Play, the adaptation has allowed the company’s work to reach audiences well beyond California’s San Lorenzo Valley.
Valentine Davies (1905–1961) was an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and director. Born in New York City, he attended the University of Michigan and later studied at the Yale School of Drama. After writing several plays for Broadway, Davies moved to California and built a successful career in motion pictures.
Davies is best remembered for creating the story of Miracle on 34th Street, which earned him the 1947 Academy Award for Best Story. His other notable film credits include It Happens Every Spring, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Glenn Miller Story, and The Benny Goodman Story. He also served as president of the Screen Writers Guild and later as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Writers Guild of America’s Valentine Davies Award was established in his honor and recognizes writers whose humanitarian service has brought dignity and distinction to the profession.
Scott Viets is Sierra Rep’s Executive Producer. He has directed over 60 shows for SRT since his arrival in 2002. As a director, his SRT favorites include The Wizard of Oz, Intimate Apparel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Story, All My Sons, Shipwrecked, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Glass Menagerie. Thank you for supporting live theatre and continuing (or beginning) your journey with us!
Jerry Lee is Sierra Rep’s Artistic Director. He’s appeared in the SRT productions of Misery, Sunday in the Park with George, Elf The Musical, Shrek The Musical, Camelot, Cabaret, Route 66, Intimate Apparel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Man of La Mancha, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair, and The Drowsy Chaperone. As an actor: I Love You…Change, Forbidden Broadway (California Musical Theatre); Life Could Be a Dream, A Christmas Carol (CenterREP); A Little Princess, The Fantasticks (Sacramento Theatre Company); West Side Story (Mountain Play); Orlando, An Iliad, A Tale of Two Cities (SacImpulse Theatre). As a soloist: Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration (Sacramento Choral Society); Billy Bigelow in Carousel in Concert (Sacramento Philharmonic). As a director: HAIR, Little Shop of Horrors, Mean Girls JR., Sh-Boom! A Christmas Miracle (World Premiere), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Twelfth Night, Jersey Boys, Clue, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh KIDS, Elvis The Musical (West Coast Premiere), Dogfight, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Steel Magnolias, Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka KIDS, I Love You…Change, The Wizard of Oz, Holiday Jukebox, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Robber Bridegroom (SRT); I Love You…Change (STC). Lee began his association with Sierra Rep in 2010 when he stepped in as a replacement in Guys and Dolls.
In 2019, Lee created SRT in Schools, a touring program that brings live professional theatre to Tuolumne County schools at no cost to the schools, students, or their families. In 2023, the program branched out to include Stanislaus and Calaveras counties.
* indicates member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)
† indicates member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
‡ indicates member of United Scenic Artists (USA)