"SantaLand Diaries
" is an essay by David Sedaris. It is a true and humorous account of Sedaris' stint working as a Christmas elf in "SantaLand" at Macy's department store.
Sedaris first read the essay on National Public Radio's Morning Edition
on December 23 1992. [1] The piece was well-received, and provided Sedaris with his first major break. [2] Sedaris later published the essay in the collections Barrel Fever
(1994) and Holidays on Ice
(1997).
|
THE SANTALAND DIARIES TICKETS
|
Stage adaptation
In 1996,
Joe Mantello adapted Sedaris' essay for the stage as a one-man,
one-act play, which debuted (as
The Santaland Diaries
) at the
Atlantic Theater Company in New York on
November 7 1996.
[3] Mantello's adaptation has since become a seasonal staple of regional, college and high-school theatre.
Name
The actual Macy's department where children may meet
Santa Claus is called "SantaLand", and this is how Sedaris spells the word in his published collections. However, the play is usually performed as
The Santaland Diaries
, without the
CamelCase "L", and it is common to see the essay styled in this fashion, even by NPR.
References
- Acerbic Adventures in 'Santaland'
- Sedaris and Crumpet the Elf: A Holiday Tradition
- Offstage: An Audience Guide to ''The Santaland Diaries''