Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of a poor little girl who is trying to sell matches on the coldest day of the year. Ill-clad and shivering, she’s afraid to return home empty-handed for fear she’ll be beaten. The holiday merry-makers are too engrossed in their own worlds to pay attention to the ragged child as she slowly freezes to death. In an attempt to get warm, the girl lights her matches. With each one she makes a wish and sees visions of worlds known to her only from her grandmother’s stories, visions of a street carnival, a toy shop, a holiday feast, a skating party, a grand ball and a warm, green meadow. In her final moments, she gets a vision of her grandmother who takes her away to heaven.

“The beauty and lyricism of this show…remains spiritually compelling and more than a little awesome.” –St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch

“A lovely dance to the joy of dreams and the spirit of the seasonÂ…a warm-hearted and colorful spectacle.” – Minneapolis Tribune

Classroom Reading Fee: $50 per classroom, per semester
Amateur/Educational Royalty Fee: $65 per performance
Professional Royalty Fee: please inquire for a quote
The royalty fee includes permission to make copies of the perusal script for your cast.