O Christmas plays

Judging from the TV commercials I’ve been seeing since Halloween, I’m already way behind on my holiday shopping. What I need is a little jumpstart to put the jingle in my bells. I could pop in my worn-out copy of It’s a Wonderful Life, but instead, I just might pop into the Club Cal-Nevada and watch the Riverfront Theatre do it live.

Besides a keg of eggnog, a play may be the perfect way to wind down after a long day of post-Thanksgiving shopping. Here’s what’s in store:

Proscenium Players Inc. gets a jump on the holiday competition with Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical. The final performances will be held at 8 p.m. Nov. 23-24 at the Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St. in Carson City. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students, seniors and PPI/BAC members. Call 883-1976.

The Actory Theatre Arts Centre wins the award for strangest holiday play name with A Tuna Christmas. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1-2 and 7-9, with a matinee show at 2 p.m. Dec. 8. The Actory will also present a youth adaptation of The Nutcracker dubbed The Enchanted Nutcracker, which will show at 7 p.m. Dec. 3-6. All shows are held at The Actory, 610 S. Rock Blvd., Suite 143, in Sparks. Tickets are $13. Call 331-9228.

Nevada Shakespeare Festival will present Tiny Tim: A Christmas Carol Revisited. This adaptation stars Cameron Crain as the title character all grown up in turn-of-the-century New York City. Performances will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 2 at the McKinley Arts and Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for children under 12. Call 324-4198 or visit www.nevada-shakespeare.org.

The Riverfront Theatre will present a stage version of Frank Capra’s classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6-8, 13-16, 20-23 and 28-30, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Dec. 9. Advance tickets are $17 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors, and all tickets are $20 at the door. Performances will be held at the Riverfront’s new home inside the Club Cal-Neva, 133 N. Virginia St. Call 323-7469.

Grace Community Church, 1220 Robb Drive, will also produce a holiday play, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Performances will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 4-5 and 7. Tickets are $6 for general admission and $4 for students and seniors; family tickets are also available for $20. Call 747-9000.

There are also plenty of dance productions in the works, including Nevada Festival Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Ballet Nevada Performing Arts’ A Christmas Carol and AREA-51 Dance Theatre’s The SpaceCracker. Check out the RN&R’s weekly theater calendar for updates.