Jerome McDonough called Not Even A. Mouse his short Chrismouse Tale for child audiences.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring except Andy Mouse. He is searching for a Christmas present for his mom, but it's an adventure full of danger—things like a mousetrap and a jam box nearly put the lights out on his Christmas.

From the author: Not Even A. Mouse is an ensemble play; that is, a great variety of parts are played by a troupe of players. The only two roles which are constant throughout the show are Annie and Andy Mouse. The ensemble may be made up of as few as six or as many as 32 performers (virtually any combination of males and females). Using 32 performers means assigning each role to a different actor. Using less than 32 performers means that actors will double in several roles. All the "scenery" is made in pantomime by an ensemble, making the show easy to tour as well as a good workout in mime.

The first production of Not Even A. Mouse was performed six times on five different campuses between 9:30 in the morning and 2:30 in the afternoon of one school day—with plenty of time in between for a leisurely pizza lunch. Ensembles are, to me, the essence of theatre. Questions of stardom and billing and importance are set aside and a genuine spirit of togetherness bonds the cast. Not Even A. Mouse utilizes a technique which I term the Living Cyclorama. This device employs the actors and actresses in the play as a "backdrop curtain" before which the show takes place. The performers form a large arc upstage of the performance space itself. Any actor not involved in the current scene will stand on this arc, facing away from the audience. This "Cyc" will be constantly changing as actors move out and in. Props and costume elements are placed at the Cyc location where they will be needed. Actors must put on and remove costumes elements without stealing focus. The director may decide to do the show without music or may use the rather bizarre versions of traditional Christmas songs called for in the script available on tape from the publisher.

"It's great—and my students love it."—Joan Ondrovic, St. Mary's Cathedral School, Miami, Fla. "Our audiences loved it! I've never seen a group of children laugh so hard!"—Thea Garnett, N. Harden High School, Radcliff, Ky.

Other McDonough Christmas plays: Carol* A Christmas, A Christmas Carol (1-act), It's Sad, So Sad When an Elf Goes Bad, The Nearest Star, O Little Town, Posadas (bilingual), Señor Scrooge (bilingual)

See also: Animal Characters, Christmas Plays (Non-Musical) and Elementary/Jr. High