This week I discovered a bountiful resource for children's theater organizations looking to connect with other drama troupes. The National Youth Theatre posts reviews of youth theater productions. They also allow members (the fee is between $40 and $80 for schools and theater groups) to post audition notices and premiere dates.

But even if you aren't a member, there are a tremendous amount of links to other theater organizations. So, if you are a parent looking to find a local workshop for your children, or a humble playwright like myself hoping to connect with directors and producers, their list of youth theaters is invaluable.

Last holiday season, I created a satirical Christmas-monologue called "Mrs. Claus Dumps Santa."

This seasonal monologue may be used by students, actors, directors for educational or professional purposes. But remember, it is purely a work of fiction. In reality, Mr. and Mrs. Claus are happily married!

There have been hundreds of adaptations of this Charles Dickens' Christmas classic. I confess, that I have seen so many different productions, television movies, and cartoon-versions that I have almost gotten tired of the story. Almost. The thing about A Christmas Carol is that the narrative is so tightly crafted, Dickens' prose so smooth, and the end result of Scrooge's transformation so heartwarming, that it's easy to understand why Hollywood keeps plundering the material.

There is an enormous number of incarnations of A Christmas Carol. However, not many know about the C. Z. Barnett's adaptation: A Christmas Carol or The Miser's Warning. This two act play was performed a mere two months after the publication of Dickens' holiday novel. In fact, it was the only adaptation sanctioned by the author. (Which is amusing since Barnett's take does not adds a great deal of sensationalism to the text to appeal to its Victorian audiences).

Learn more about A Christmas Carol and other holiday plays.

Many drama teachers must deal with limited resources -- and I don't simply mean a small wallet and a half-empty box of props. Sometimes a drama teacher has a limited number of performers. What is a director to do if she has only 3 males and 8 females in her cast? The answer: visit a website that offers a play database.

Play databases allow users to input information: cast size, the number of males and females, genre. Users can also refine their search based upon the era of the play as well as the playwright.

One of the best resources can be found at:

Doollee.com - An enormous database designed by Julian Oddy, a very loving husband who simply wanted to organize his wife's plays and practice learning HTML. The result is a databank with information on over 10,000 plays -- both modern and classic. It's huge, but well organized -- especially the page that helps you search for a specific cast size.