The True Gift (Chicken Soup Series)

It’s time for the annual Secret Buddy Week and all the students at Penfield High School are overflowing with excitement. It is the biggest social event of the year where students anonymously give cards and small gifts to one special Secret Buddy every day of the week. Even though the gifts are supposed to be small, all the students’ fantasies of getting the latest and greatest gifts can’t be contained. Eva is a senior and she believes with all her heart that she it is her turn to get the most expensive and flashy gift ever so that she can show it off to everyone. But something is wrong, Eva’s Secret Buddy gives her friendly cards but nothing compared to anyone else. When the tension finally reaches the boiling point, Zoe discovers a part of herself that she is not proud of. The True Gift is story about self-discovery and empathy. It’s about finding out what really matters in life and being sensitive to other people’s feelings no matter who they are. 

This show comes with a teaching guide that will highlight relevant themes from the story and encourage students to closely examine their own personal values. 

The Chicken Soup For the Soul Musical Series is a growing collection of mini-musicals based on real stories with a positive message. The story that is the basis for this show was selected from the Chicken Soup catalogue of over 25,000 stories and written specifically for teens by an award winning creative team.

The True Gift was created to be flexible to your individual performance parameters. The show takes place in and around a typical high school and moves from the hallways, a classroom and a bathroom. One of the key dramatic moments in the show takes place in a girls bathroom where one girl emerges from a stall revelaing that she has overheard a conversation. This can be adapted so that she is hidden in the background and just not seen by the other girls. The sets can be as simple or as elaborate as fits your needs but in their design please be authentic to your own school's enviroment. All of the costumes are street-wear and should relect what students would wear in your school.