Drama Play – Need Some Advice

This coming semester I am trying to organize a play with my college students. I was thinking of doing a Christmas play so we could have the whole semester to build up to it. I was considering “A Charlie Brown Christmas” but not sure if I have to pay royalties to anyone. Or perhaps a truncated version of “A Christmas Carol” . I assume that is in the public domain by now. People in Taiwan don’t seem to know this story and involving ghosts and all it might be popular.

I saw the recent posting by Maoman on doing plays but didn’t find anything pertinent. Any advice on the feasibility of doing these and where to find scripts would be appreciated.

[quote]EXT. LONDON EXCHANGE

The Phantom’s finger points to two middle-aged men meeting on the massive
stone steps.

			SCROOGE 
		(to the Phantom)
	I know these men, perfectly. Men of 
	business: very wealthy, and of great 
	importance. I've made a point always of 
	standing well in their esteem -- in a 
	business point of view, that is; strictly 
	business. 

			1st BUSINESSMAN 
	How are you?

			2nd BUSINESSMAN 
	How are you?

			1st BUSINESSMAN 
	Well! Old Scratch has got his own at last, 
	hey?

			2nd BUSINESSMAN 
	So I am told. Cold, isn't it?

			1st BUSINESSMAN 
	Seasonable for Christmas time. You're not 
	a skaiter, I suppose?

			2nd BUSINESSMAN 
	No. No. Something else to think of. Good 
	morning!

The two men part. A puzzled Scrooge follows the Phantom through the streets.

EXT. CITY STREET

A busy street corner. Scrooge peers curiously at the Phantom.

			SCROOGE  
	I am rather surprised that you should 
	attach importance to conversations 
	apparently so trivial.

No response from the Phantom.

			SCROOGE  
	They must have some hidden purpose, or 
	else you wouldn't be showing them to me. 
	Is that right?

No response.

			SCROOGE  
	They could scarcely have any bearing on 
	the death of Jacob, my old partner, for 
	his death was in the Past, and this is 
	the Future.

Scrooge looks around at the multitudes of pedestrians pouring past him.

			SCROOGE 
	I can't help but notice that this is my 
	accustomed corner, and I see by the clock 
	that this is my usual time of day for being 
	here... but I see no likeness of myself. 

Caught up in what he’s saying, Scrooge fails to see the Phantom move off.

			SCROOGE 
	Not that I'm surprised, you understand.  
	You see, I've been revolving in my mind a, 
	er, change of life.  And I should like to 
	think...  that is, I rather hope... that my 
	not being here is the result of my having 
	carried out some, ah, resolutions regarding -- 

Scrooge suddenly notices that the Phantom has moved on down the street and
hurriedly follows it.

EXT. BAD PART OF TOWN - DUSK

Scrooge trails the Phantom, looking over this neighborhood, near sunset. The
ways are foul and narrow; the shops and houses wretched; the people half-
naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools,
disgorge their offences of smell, and dirt, and life, upon the straggling
streets; and the whole quarter reeks with crime, with filth, and misery.

INT. SHOP - NIGHT

A low-browed, beetling shop, below a pent-house roof, where iron, old rags,
bottles, bones, and greasy offal, are bought. Upon the floor within, are
piled up heaps of rusty keys, nails, chains, hinges, files, scales, weights,
and refuse iron of all kinds. Secrets that few would like to scrutinise are
bred and hidden in mountains of unseemly rags, masses of corrupted fat, and
sepulchres of bones. Sitting in among the wares he deals in, by a charcoal
stove, made of old bricks, is a grey-haired rascal, nearly seventy years of
age who smokes his pipe in all the luxury of calm retirement. This is OLD JOE.

Scrooge and the Phantom come into his presence, just as a CHARWOMAN with a
heavy bundle slinks into the shop. But she has scarcely entered, when another
woman, a LAUNDRESS, similarly laden, comes in too; and she is closely
followed by a man in faded black, an UNDERTAKER, who is no less startled by
the sight of them, than they had been upon the recognition of each other.
After a short period of blank astonishment, in which Old Joe joins them, they
all three burst into a laugh.

			CHARWOMAN 
		(to all)
	Let the charwoman alone to be the first! 
	Let the laundress alone to be the second; 
	and let the undertaker's man alone to be 
	the third. 
		(to Old Joe) 
	Look here, old Joe, here's a chance! If we 
	haven't all three met here without meaning 
	it!

			OLD JOE
	You couldn't have met in a better place.  
	Come into the parlour. You were made free 
	of it long ago, you know; and the other two 
	ain't strangers. Stop till I shut the door 
	of the shop. 

He shuts the door which creaks badly.

			OLD JOE 
	Ah! There ain't such a rusty bit of metal 
	in the place as its own hinges, I believe; 
	and I'm sure there's no such old bones here, 
	as mine. Ha, ha! We're all suitable to our 
	calling, we're well matched. Come into the 
	parlour. Come into the parlour.

They follow him into:

INT. THE PARLOUR
[/quote]
Something like that?

Feasibility= dependent on Time and Money.

Thanks but I would like to know where to fine something appropriate. I’m also particularly interested in information on royalty or copyright issues for A Charlie Brown Christmas. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has pertinent information on those.