The Night Before Christmas:
Drama workshop

✓ Reception - Year 6
✓ Led by a professional actor-facilitator
✓ Christmas, Literacy
✓ In person or online

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

Celebrate the festive season in your primary school with a drama workshop exploring the classic poem. First published in 1823 as ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’, the beloved poem takes place on Christmas Eve and is one of the key inspirations behind the concept of Father Christmas and contemporary festive celebrations.

Available in person or online, the workshops are run class-by-class as the children work alongside an expert drama facilitator. Using drama techniques drawn from professional theatre, they will become immersed in the story’s world as they inhabit the characters, recreate the Victorian setting, and explore the themes of the story.

Created by:
Abigail Rosser
Find out more about our creatives.

 

  • We work with children in their usual classes.
  • Sessions are 35 - 60 minutes for EYFS and KS1.
  • Sessions are 40 - 90 minutes for KS2.
  • Online sessions are up to 50 minutes each.
  • We can work with up to six classes per day.
  • To work with fewer classes we can visit for just an afternoon or morning session.
  • To work with more than seven classes we can visit across multiple days.
  • We will send you a suggested timetable when you enquire and we can work with you to create a timetable that works for your school day.



  • To think critically about the story and empathise with the characters by experiencing it first-hand.
  • To explore different ways of communicating, both verbally and physically.
  • To develop creative ownership and the imagination by working alongside a professional actor-facilitator.
  • Older students also have the opportunity for debate and discussion on the morality of the story.



Online workshops are available year-round for individual classes or up to six classes per day, with sessions running up to 50 minutes each.

These are led by the same professional facilitators who deliver our in person workshops, and are delivered live-on-screen through video conferencing software via your projector or whiteboard.

Your school will need to ensure that we can see and hear the children by webcam, and we offer a test call with you on the day of the visit. The class teacher or TA will need to assist at key points in the session and also with regard to any behaviour management required.

You can read more information about our live-on-screen workshops on our FAQs page.

 

Looking for an alternative festive story? This year we are also running workshops on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, try our FAQs page or send an enquiry and our friendly box office team will help!