A Revolutionary Christmas

It is December 24, 1778, and Richard Kober, a wounded veteran of the 8th Maryland German Regiment, returns to the family farm in Frederick County with an escaped Hessian soldier whom he has recaptured. As Richard navigates his complicated relationships with his stern immigrant father, his widowed sister-in-law, and her two children, his prisoner, Peter Morsberger, helps the Kober family rediscover the spirit of Christmas.

Reiner Prochaska’s play, A Revolutionary Christmas, which premiered at Maryland Ensemble Theatre in 2014 to critical and popular acclaim, returns to Frederick County this holiday season as the county’s final theatrical production to celebrate the Semiquincentennial in 2026.

DC Metro Theatre Arts praised MET’s original production as a “hilarious, heartfelt, and highly refreshing alternative to standard seasonal tropes like A Christmas Carol,” and TheatreBloom hailed it as a “quaint tale… richly populated with local flavor and all the right notions to tug gently at the heartstrings for this spirited time of year.”

Audiences can enjoy A Revolutionary Christmas in an authentic, historical setting—the Collier’s Log House at 12607 Catoctin Furnace Road, Thurmont, Maryland, 21788 on the following dates:

• Thursday, 12/3 7:00 pm
• Friday, 12/4 7:00 pm
• Saturday, 12/5 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
• Sunday, 12/6 3:00 pm

Runtime 1 hour and 10 minutes. No intermission.

The performances on Saturday, 12/5, are part of Catoctin Furnace’s annual Traditional Village Christmas, a beloved holiday tradition that includes heirloom-recipe baked goods, apple cider, and hot mulled wine and offers craft events, such as making holiday ornaments and wreathes.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for teenagers aged 15 and under, seniors 65+, college students with student ID, and active-duty military members. Admission for children aged 7 and under is free. Tickets can be purchased online at this Evenbrite link or at the door [30 minutes prior to curtain]

The 2026 production of A Revolutionary Christmas is made possible through a generous grant from the Frederick County U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission.