John D. Huston


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John D. Huston is an actor and director living in Saskatoon. He has also written a dramatization of Charles Dickens's "Hard Times."

Selected plays
The Saskatchewan Shepherds' Play

To request a copy of any of these plays please contact the playwright directly by via email.

To inquire about performance rights for any of these plays please contact the playwright directly via email.

The Saskatchewan Shepherds' Play
by John D. Huston

Genre: Comedy
Number of Acts: One act
Total actors required: 7 or 5 (with doubling)
Men needed: 3 to 4
Women needed: 1 to 2

Synopsis:
A contemporary retelling of the Medieval Farce/Nativity Play "The Second Shepherds' Play" - the first comedy in the English language. Combining broad slapstick with the story of the shepherds' visit to the manger, "The Saskatchewan Shepherds' Play", mimics the popular appeal and simple devotional nature of the medieval miracle plays. The Story: Three friends, a shepherd, a farmhand, and a trapper meet on the prairie, they're cold, poor and hungry. Mack, the local sheep thief, steals a ewe and takes it home to his wife, Jill, the three friends hot on his trail. Mack is caught red-handed with the sheep but the shepherd elects to spare the thief's life. The trio leave and, as a reward for their mercy towards Mack, are taken to witness the birth of the Christ child. They give the child presents and leave singing a carol.

Additional Notes:
Running time approx. one hour. Musical suggestions are included with the script. The cast can be enlarged to include onstage musicians, additional angels etc.

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