ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 Comes to Boise Contemporary Theater

Moving Holiday docu-musical, All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 will come back to Boise Contemporary Theater [BCT] for a third time in cooperation with Opera Idaho and poses the question, “Could it really have happened like this? If all the troops along the line had refused to fight, on both sides, would the war have ended then and there?” Previews begin Wednesday, December 3, and shows continue through Saturday, December 20, 2025.

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, which won a 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, is a moving remembrance of the moment when a World War I German soldier laid down his gun, climbed out of the muddy trenches and walked into the barbed-wire-filled “No Man's Land” that divided both sides to sing “Stille Nacht” for Christmas Eve. Thus, in an unofficial truce, men from both fronts followed to trade songs, tobacco, and wine, making a spontaneous holiday celebration that even included a game of football. Told through the words of the great World War I poets, official war documents, diary entries, and letters written by more than thirty soldiers, their words are punctuated by Irish folk tunes, wartime songs, and holiday classics like "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night." This production welcomes Isaiah Rasch in his BCT/Opera Idaho debut with the returning cast of Willis Carr, Curtis Crafton, Gus Curry, David Kepner, Brock MacDonald, Francisco Negron, Ethan Graham Roeder, Jeffrey Seppala, and Tim Stoddard as they bring to life this “BCT collaboration with Opera Idaho [that] is a stunning, electrifying tour-de-force. I dare you not to have chills, for your eyes not to tear up. …It all unfolds through actual letters and firsthand accounts punctuating the story. The songs will lift you up and carry you away… to another place, another time, when life was hard, yet somehow more simple.” -Jeanne Huff, Boise Weekly.

Producing Artistic Director Benjamin Burdick added, “Since we first brought All Is Calm to the BCT stage in conjunction with Opera Idaho in 2021, audiences have been clamoring for its return. And we certainly understand why. Between Tracy's imaginative staging, Michael's precise musical direction and the talent of the actors to carry out both, it's truly breathtaking. Throw in the true story from WWI, and the historical letters and journal entries from soldiers on both sides, it becomes something not to be missed.”

New this season, Boise Contemporary Theater has partnered with The Avery Bar + Brasserie on Main to offer BCT patrons exclusive prix fixe dinners and prix fixe brunches on select show dates. Brunches are $35 per guest (not including drinks) and are offered Saturday, December 13 and 20 from noon to 1:30 pm, just in time for matinee performances of All is Calm! Opening Night dinner is $80 per guest (not including drinks) on Saturday, December 6, from 4:45-6:15 pm, just in time for the 7:00 pm Opening Night performance.