Coyote's Christmas Carol
The play is a fairly direct adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, set in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Following are brief descriptions of main characters that are significantly different from the original story.
Main Characters:
SCROOGE - A poor boy from Mexico who made his fortune in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is now a cold, bitter, miserly old man.
COYOTE - Replaces the role of Marley’s Ghost in the original Christmas Carol. Coyote is the chief animal spirit of the pre-human age, whose exploits are told in hundreds of Native American stories. He has the power to transform beings and objects, and is responsible for such necessities as fire and daylight. He is also a humorous character—a clever trickster intent on getting us to drop our masks and embrace life with courage and laughter. In Mexico, a “coyote” is someone who illegally smuggles people across the border. In appearance and attitude, our Coyote is a mixture of Native American Shaman, Pachuco street kid, and homeboy.
MARIPOSA - Mariposa (butterfly) is The Ghost of Christmas Past. She is based on the Native American Animal Spirit, Butterfly/Caterpillar, whose Powers include reincarnation, transformation and magic.
VENADO -The Ghost of Christmas Present. Based on the Animal Spirit, Deer, whose wisdom includes gentleness, ability to listen, gratitude, giving and survival. He is virile and athletic like the Mexican Folklorico Yaqui Deer Dancer.
LA LLORONA -The Ghost of Christmas Future. La Llorona is a well-known character in Mexican and Southwestern folklore. She is a nocturnal mourner who roams the countryside, wailing in sorrow as she searches for her lost children. She is cloaked in black gauze and lace, and perhaps her face is painted as a skull.
ELISA - Scrooge’s longtime housekeeper. While she lives in Scrooge’s house, she spends her free time with her son, Bob Cratchit and her five grandchildren, including Tiny Tim.
LUPE - Guadalupe Martinez was young Scrooge’s girlfriend in his small town in Mexico. She was the love of his life, as was the character, Belle, in the original Dickens story.
CHANGERS - A group of actors used to change the scenery in full view of the audience. They are Coyote’s mystical assistants, which is reflected in their appearance and manner. Could be played by male or female actors.
The characters who should be played by male actors are Scrooge, Young
Scrooge, Bob, Fred and probably Coyote.
That leaves dozens of good female roles like Elisa, Lupe, Mariposa, La Llorona,
Changers, and many more.
Cast size is very flexible
Take a look at photos from a 2007 production