Mother Christmas

Stepping Out Theatre

Written by Mark Breckon

Christmas Eve, and Santa’s 149th wife, Claudia Claus, despairs of him. He’s hooked on video games and hasn’t delivered a present in person for thirteen years, meaning kids now stop believing in him aged three and a half.

When Claudia and her semi-competent elves take over Santa’s long night of deliveries, an encounter with an entitled 9-year-old leads them to start robbing from the rich to give to the poor - trouble ensues until divine intervention leads to an unexpected conclusion.

Founded inside a Bristol psychiatric hospital on All Fools' Day 1997 and still going strong, Stepping Out Theatre occupy a unique place in the UK's history of theatre and mental health. It has produced a huge range of work on mental health themes and is open to people who have used mental health services and their allies.