Cambrian Players present A Christmas Carol – Interview with Director Thomas McDonald

Cambrian Players production of A Christmas Carol directed by Thomas McDonald and starring Gabe Ferrazzo as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Cambrian Players Present ‘A Christmas Carol’. Directed by Thomas McDonald and starring Gabe Ferrazzo as Ebenezer Scrooge.

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well in Thunder Bay Ontario as the Cambrian Players present my adaptation of A Christmas Carol directed by Thomas McDonald and starring Gabe Ferrazzo as Ebenezer Scrooge. The production runs from November 29th to December 2nd and December 6th to 9th, with a special Matinee Performance and Tea on Sunday, December 3rd at 2 p.m. and a live-streamed performance on December 8th. There’s also a “pay what you may performance” on Thursday, November 30th. Tickets start at just $22.63 and are available online by following this link: The Cambrian Players present A Christmas Carol: Every man has the power to do good.

I contacted Thomas McDonald to talk with him about the Cambrian Players, his love of theatre, and this year’s production of A Christmas Carol.

JAMES HUTCHISON

So, who are the Cambrian Players and what’s their history? Tell me a little bit about the company and its vision and plans for the future.

THOMAS MCDONALD

Cambrian Players is Thunder Bay’s longest-running community theatre group and has been completely volunteer-run since 1949. It’s truly Theatre For the Love of It! Over the past seventy-plus years, Cambrian Players has presented over 200 mainstage plays, numerous Improv shows, and has recently added a Green Room semi-staged play reading series to its offerings. This season we’re producing on our mainstage, your version of A Christmas Carol ~ Every Man Has The Power To Do Good, as well as Charles Way’s adaptation of The Snow Queen, and Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth.

Cambrian Players is an inclusive volunteer-led, non-profit community theatre organization fostering an appreciation of theatre by producing diverse amateur theatrical productions of the highest quality. We provide training in all aspects of theatrical production both on and offstage; recreational and volunteer opportunities; and affordable entertainment for our members and the community.

Cambrian Players strives to be accessible and a leader in community theatre. Cambrian Players purchased their first home in 2017, a historic building – formerly the Polish Hall on Spring Street. While the building is an incredible new home, it requires retrofitting to be accessible for all our wonderful patrons and volunteers. In advance of our 75th year, we are raising funds to renovate the theatre through a new capital campaign we call Spotlight On Inclusivity, which we hope will make our space physically accessible for all of our patrons.

JAMES

What is it you personally love about theatre? Why do it? What does it provide? What have been some of the magical moments for you as either a director or an actor or as an audience member?

THOMAS

I have been in love with theatre since I was a kid. The first professional show I ever saw was the touring company of Anne of Green Gables from Charlottetown – I know, how Canadian, eh? – and my heart was gone. The idea of escaping to a different world struck me, and I was hooked, and frankly, I still am. As my hubby will tell you, I do a lot of theatre with Cambrian, the College Performing Arts Club, Applauze Productions, and in the past the 10×10 Short Play Festival and during Covid-19 with Come Play With Me Digital Theatre and that love of theatre has never waned.

I work with a lot of amateur performers and people who are new to theatre both on and offstage and I love seeing them come alive and fall in love with the process and ultimately the product. There’s something about seeing their eyes light up and their confidence grow when they get a laugh, or meaningful silence or hear applause just for them the very first time. It provides a home and a chosen family for a lot of folks who, like me, were misfit kids.

As far as magical moments go, I love being surprised in the theatre, seeing a performance that is unexpected, or listening to an actor and realizing you are so caught up in their words that you’re holding your breath. Or feeling tears come to your eyes as you relate to what is happening, or it touches your spirit in a way that you weren’t expecting. However, I still hold on to seeing Anne of Green Gables that first time, and as they sang Ice Cream looking over and seeing my Grandma smile back at me, and knowing we were experiencing that joy together.

Production Still of the Cambrian Players production of A Christmas Carol
Cambrian Players Present ‘A Christmas Carol’. Directed by Thomas McDonald and starring Gabe Ferrazzo as Ebenezer Scrooge.

JAMES

This year you’re producing A Christmas Carol. So, why do you think we keep telling this story? The story of Scrooge. The story of the spirits? Why does it still resonate today?

THOMAS

The story turns 180 this year and still it speaks just as loudly. It’s a redemption story, and who doesn’t love a redemption story? The way you’ve given us Scrooge in this adaptation is very human. He is committed to the life he has chosen, in his mind for all the right reasons. He is “a good man of business”; but not in fact a “good man”. The chances the spirits give him – are to a point – like the choices we make every day. The ways we can do good, but are too busy, too self-involved, too single-minded to see them as what they are – opportunities to better the world we live in. Our Scrooge, Gabe Ferrazzo, says that of all the roles he’s played – Prospero, Shylock, Julius Caesar and more – no role has affected him more personally than Scrooge. A man reflecting on the years behind him, knowing there are fewer years ahead.

Not only the way you have written Scrooge but also the way you’ve written Marley and Scrooge together has given us Marley with more to be redeemed from. The way he isolates Scrooge from all he loves and rewards him for following in his footsteps. The father figures in this version of the story speak to people, Scrooge’s clear struggle with his own father, then being mentored by Fezziwig, then having his head turned by Marley, and then ultimately Scrooge’s relationship with his nephew Fred, and Scrooge’s desire to toughen him for the world are poignant. It’s universal. It’s human. It’s a story for all of us.

JAMES

Every theatre company brings their own vision to telling the story. Tell me a little bit about the vision for this year’s production and the cast you’ve assembled to bring the story to the stage and what magical elements can people look forward to experiencing when they come to see the show.

THOMAS

We are so very blessed to have assembled this talented multi-generational cast. Twenty-five actors play thirty-nine roles – which is a lot for our very small theatre! – ranging in age from 11 to 70+, and ranging in experience have come together to bring your story to life and also provide mentoring and learning opportunities which Cambrian Players sees as the heart of what we do. With so large a cast, we have had to be creative and use all the available space making it a semi-immersive production. We have turned our stage into a world frozen in time, anchored by a huge clock face and a flurry of letters and ledger pages frozen in time.

The idea of Scrooge as a stuck clock came into our minds as we plotted the show and began considering the way Scrooge moves through his world, in straight lines focused on his goals, and it’s not until the spirits intervene that we get circular movement as the clock – or Scrooge’s heart – begins ticking again. We have approached the spirits in an interesting way, but you’ll have to come and see the show or tune in for our virtual production to see it for yourself. There is a real humanity to the show which has been the core of our approach, with period-appropriate costumes, nuanced performances and finding the humour and pathos in the play, we hope to do your play justice and make it something magical for everyone.

Prior to each performance a musical community member will be busking in support of our Spotlight on Inclusivity Campaign and our matinee tea will support the same. We will be doing a relaxed performance in partnership with our friends from Autism Ontario, to present the show in a way that will be safe and welcoming for their members to attend and experience the magic of A Christmas Carol first hand!

JAMES

So, Tom, every year the King gives his Christmas message, and the Prime Minister gives his, the Pope chimes in as well. Politicians, artists, and religious leaders all have their own Christmas messages. What is your Christmas message to your friends and family and the world this holiday season?

THOMAS

I hope that you all find light, love, and strength this holiday season. I hope that you are with those who love you, whether blood or chosen family. I hope that you have an outlet for creativity in your life. I hope that you feel community, and can give back to it. I hope that your heart is light, and you can make peace with that with which you struggle. I hope that you are safe and sheltered, warm and full, cared for and have those to care for. Merry Christmas from Thunder Bay, and from Cambrian Players!

***

A Christmas Carol directed by Thomas McDonald and starring Gabe Ferrazzo as Ebenezer Scrooge runs from November 29th to December 2nd and December 6th to 9th, with a special Matinee Performance and Tea on Sunday, December 3rd at 2pm and a live-streamed performance on December 8th. There’s also a “pay what you may performance” on Thursday, November 30th. Tickets start at just $22.63 and are available online by following this link: The Cambrian Players present A Christmas Carol: Every man has the power to do good.

Poster for The Cambrian Players Production of A Christmas Carol

Cambrian Players Present ‘A Christmas Carol – Every Man has the Power to do Good’
By Charles Dickens Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison
Directed by Thomas McDonald.

Our cast features 25 talented local performers both new and familiar to our audiences: Gabe Ferrazzo as Ebenezer Scrooge with Adam Wayne Lyew-Sang, Alex Jecchinis, Andrea Jacobsen, Ariana McLean, Ben Albert, Caden Lear, Chris Jason, Emily Upper, Janis Swanson, Jarin Brown, Jerry Silen, Joelle Krupa, Joshua Mulzer, Joy Haessler, Kenzie Dillon, Matthew Henry, Matthew Jollineau, Pauline Krupa, Penelope Upper-Smith, Richard Pepper, Ruth Currie, Shawna Marshall, Taylor Onski, Wyatt Krupa



Interview with Actor John Craggs – A Christmas Carol

John Craggs produced a rehearsed reading of my adaptation of A Christmas Carol which featured a stellar cast including Nicholas Le Prevost as Ebenezer Scrooge, Richard O’Callaghan as Mr. Fezziwig, Susannah May as Belle, Jonathan Tafler as Fred, John Craggs as Jacob Marley, Henrietta Bess as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Sebastian Storey as Tiny Tim, Anna Carteret as Mrs. Dilber, Catharine Humphrys as Fan, and Christopher Beck as Bob Cratchit. The production was directed by Jonathan Kydd with original music by Steve Redfern

A Christmas Carol was the seventh in a series of rehearsed readings that John has produced. The play was presented in support of Acting for Others. Acting for Others provides emotional and financial help to the many actors, designers, and technicians that have lost work during the pandemic and are facing tough times both mentally and financially. I had a chance to sit down with John over Zoom back in November and talk with him about A Christmas Carol and his life as an actor.

JAMES HUTCHISON

A lot of movies and stories including A Christmas Carol talk about the spirit of Christmas. How would you describe the Christmas spirit? What does that mean?

JOHN CRAGGS

It’s something that’s happening even now in November. I can sense it. There are people that would walk past other people in the street and not give them the time of day, but at Christmas people are a little more amicable and focused on each other. There’s just something that seems to rain down on people in the nicest possible way at this time of year.

JAMES

What role do you think telling stories and in particular telling stories in theatre plays in our lives?

JOHN

It plays a great deal, I think. Telling stories to people is essential. And you know it can touch anyone, and hopefully, it can change people’s lives depending of course on the subject matter. I think we want to entertain but we also want people to leave the theatre with a message, a story of some kind. And I think that is essential within our entertainment industry. No matter whether it’s a musical, whether it’s just a play, or it’s a comedy, there is always an underlining meaning behind everything that we see within theatre, including pantomime as well.

JAMES

Is there a particular play you’ve done that was sort of that right balance of entertainment and message that comes to mind?

JOHN

Yes, I’m going to go right back to 1997. And that was an Ibsen play – An Enemy of the People at the National Theatre. That play is the equivalent to Peter Benchley’s Jaws as bizarre as it may sound. Are you familiar with An Enemy of the People?

JAMES

I am. And funny you mentioned it because I was figuring that coming out of the pandemic, we should be seeing a lot of productions of An Enemy of the People. Arthur Miller did an adaptation and I recently reread that one. For those people that don’t know the play, it’s about a doctor who sounds the alarm bells about these springs in a community that have some kind of a bacteria in them that makes people sick and none of the business people or politicians want that information made public because they don’t want to shut down the springs and fix them. And you’re right it’s like Jaws. It’s exactly the same thing. They don’t want to shut the beaches down even though they know there’s a shark in the area.

JOHN

When we did the play and the main character Peter Stockman is speaking to the crowd we actually had a guy in the audience – and I think he’d had a few too many drinks – and he actually stood up and out of his seat – and I was working with the fabulous Ian McKellen who was playing Peter Stockman – and this guy stood up in the auditorium and he shouted, “Why don’t you effing well be quiet? You’re talking a load of rubbish. You want locking up.” And the ushers had to come down to remove him from the theatre and we literally froze on stage when that happened. So, when he’d gone, Ian said – within the character – “Right people, I’m going to carry on with what I was saying after I was so rudely interrupted.” And then of course he carried on.

JAMES

What was that experience like? Having a chance to share the stage with Ian McKellen.

JOHN

Ian is a very generous actor, and he is a lovely guy. And he’s got no affectations about him. It was a pleasure working with him. And, you know, he’d already been knighted, and a lot of people did call him Sir Ian and I said to him, “Do you like being called Sir Ian?” “John,” he said, “I was bestowed this title and it was very nice, but my name is Ian.” He’s a lovely guy. I had a good time doing that.

JAMES

What qualities do you think make a good actor so mesmerizing to an audience?

JOHN

Less is more and I think it’s that magical connection you have with another actor when you walk on stage. It’s not so much about the character as it’s about you as an individual. I mean, from a personal point of view when you walk out on stage the audience lifts you and to me that makes a big difference. If you’ve got an audience there – then that magic starts to happen.

JAMES

One of the things that is a big part of being an actor is of course doing auditioning. So, I’m kind of curious, how do you approach an audition? What strategies do you use that have helped you over the years?

JOHN

Well, it depends. I mean, as you probably know, a lot of what’s happening now and especially because of the pandemic and because of lockdown and not being able to be in the room as such, which you know, I miss – and a lot of actors miss – we do things called self-tapes. So basically, my agent will send me something and then I need to film it.

And I see an audition as a job in itself. Which means that I don’t look ahead. You look at the script, familiarize yourself with it. Get the essence of what you’ve got to say. Try to memorize as much as you possibly can but don’t let the words get in the way of the character. If I’ve got quite a bit of time, and if it’s from a play, then obviously I’ll make it my business to look the play up and read about the characters and how my character fits into that scene. And then David Cleverley, my partner, very kindly films it for me. The audition, the casting, the self-tape, that is a job in itself. If you get the job that’s great. If somebody else gets it, you shake their hand and you move on.

JAMES

Well, speaking of auditioning Daniel Craig is ending his run as James Bond. So, in a what-if world would you be interested in playing Bond or would you be more interested in playing a Bond villain?

JOHN

Oh, a villain. Most definitely. I’m too bloody old for James Bond. No, it definitely has to be a villain unless of course they wanted an older James Bond’s brother or something. It definitely has to be a Bond villain.

JAMES

So, you are available for the next film then.

JOHN

Oh yes. Yes. So, keep that bit in. (Laughs) But of course, they tend to go for, shall we say, a more familiar face.

JAMES

One of the things I was thinking about, you know, there’s Twitter, there’s Instagram, there’s Facebook, there’s Tik Tok, there’s LinkedIn. There are all these social media platforms. And I’m wondering, what role do you think social media plays now days in the career of an actor?

JOHN

I don’t use Tik Tok. I very seldom go on LinkedIn. I’ll use Facebook. I set up my own account on Twitter @johncraggsactor and then of course I set up @network_actor as well. Twitter has given me and a lot of other people a lot of connections.

You have to be careful I think with social media and just watch what you say, but I do think it can create a lot of opportunities. And I think it’s important to connect with people because this is what a lot of this industry is about. Social media is not the real world, but I do think it does play quite a big part in connecting people. Not necessarily getting the work, but the connections can often lead to work.

It’s where people can connect and interact with each other and show their work and their headshots and what they’re doing and that’s been a very, very useful tool.

And, you know, I’ve had people come back and say to me, “Thank you very much. Through doing that I managed to get an agent.” Well, that’s great, but the hard work came from you. I just gave you that platform to do it. What I have to be very careful about, of course, is a lot of people initially thought that there was a team of people running it, but I run it solo as a fellow actor. It’s not a business. I don’t make a penny.

JAMES

One of the things you did as part of your support for the theatre communities, you started performing rehearsed readings of a variety of plays such as King Lear and The Importance of Being Earnest. How did that come about as part of what you’re doing?

JOHN

Right. I’m going to go back to August of 2020. God, it seems like years ago. And this idea was thrown up by my partner David. He said to me, “You said everyone’s getting bored. Everything’s getting shut down. You’re unable to do anything.”

It felt like our hands were tied, and it was literally like being put into a box. You know, we were caged. We couldn’t get out. And he said, “Have you ever thought of doing plays on Zoom or something?”

And I said, “No. Categorically, no way. It isn’t going to work.” And he said, “Well, what about speaking to Anna Carteret.” Anna is quite a well-known British actress and was very good friends with Laurence Olivier and she’s got a lot of contacts in the industry. He said, “Ask Anna. She knows a lot of people.” So, I phone Anna up and I said, “What do you think of this?” And she said, “Oh, it would be just so uplifting for so many of us.”

And so now we’ve done some Shakespeare. A Winter’s Tale, and Twelfth Night, and King Lear. And we’ve done Bram Stoker’s Dracula as an online reading raising funds for Acting for Others. And people loved it. And it’s been brilliant. And Anna Carter played Van Helsing, so we did a gender swap. She was nervous about it, but I said, “Look it just says Professor Van Helsing so let’s have you as Van Helsing.” And she did a terrific performance.

Graphic of Cast in a Christmas Carol

JAMES

And A Christmas Carol is the next rehearsed reading you’re doing. I’m wondering why do you think the story of Ebenezer Scrooge still appeals to people today?

JOHN

Well, I think it’s the essence of Christmas, you know. It’s just the whole atmosphere. And I think everybody knows an Ebenezer Scrooge. And Scrooge is, I think, almost another tragic figure like Macbeth, in the sense that he brought about his own doom and by the manner in which he was influenced by Jacob Marley and his cruelty to Mr. Fezziwig. You know, just taking Fezziwig’s business away from him because he was a kind man. It was horrible and I think everyone can relate to so much in that story. I really do. I implore people to watch it and take from it what you can and you’ll see that there’s something there for you within that story.

JAMES

So, A Christmas Carol uses past, present, and future to examine a man’s life. And I’m wondering if you could talk about theatre in Britain in terms of past, present, and future. What was theatre like pre-COVID? Where are we now? And what do you think things are going to look like next year and beyond?

JOHN

It’s never been an easy industry and a lot of people don’t like this terminology, but it is competitive. And I think pre-COVID there were still a lot of people all fighting for the same job.

But I did notice when COVID happened, when lockdown came, people seemed to unite. People seemed to support each other because we were all in no man’s land. We’re all in the same – not so much the same boat – there are some people that are on cruise liners and some people that are in little rowing boats, you know. But people started to connect with each other a lot more. And I think it was a case of, “Right, we’re all in a dreadful storm together. Let’s weather it together.”

And what has happened now is its transitioning – as things are beginning to open up – we’ve gone back to a little bit of the past, and I don’t think there will be a massive difference, but I hope a majority of people in the future will think about and remember how they were when the doors were closed. And I think if people can keep that unity between each other as much as possible we hopefully will have a better future.

JAMES

So, John, every year the Queen gives her Christmas message, and the Prime Minister gives his, the Pope chimes in as well. Politicians, artists, religious leaders, all have their Christmas messages. What is your Christmas message to your friends and family and the world this year?

JOHN

This time last year, it was almost nine months since lockdown happened and looking back over the last twelve months, there’s been a great deal of unrest and uncertainty, and loss of businesses. And of course, many lives have been lost because of COVID, and I think as I said before, it has in a way drawn many people closer together.

Christmas is a time for reflection. And although this is said by so many people, it’s so true. We need now more than ever to stand by family, friends, and the people who we work with.

And it is always good to remember, if you are with family at this time of the year, there is always going to be individuals who may be alone. They’re vulnerable. So, if you know of anyone who’s spending a festive period on their own, simply act, pick up the phone. A few kind words are priceless.

Speaking for my fellow actors and creatives I’ve said it has been and certainly continues to be a time of uncertainty for us all. On a good note, we are beginning to see some positive movements in the industry and all I can say is that I hope we continue to stick together and support one another. We shall prevail and come through the storm in 2022.

And finally, a little footnote to what I’ve said – a little something to think about. Christmas is a time for giving. But we must care and give to ourselves in order to be able to give back to others and not just at Christmas, but 365 days of the year.


CAST OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Nicholas Le Prevost as Ebenezer Scrooge
Richard O’Callaghan as Ghost of Christmas Present
Susannah May as Belle
Jonathan Tafler as Fred
John Craggs as Jacob Marley
Henrietta Bess as Ghost of Christmas Past
Christopher Beck as Bob Cratchit
Sebastian Storey as Tiny Tim
Anna Carteret as Mrs. Cratchit
Catharine Humphrys as Fan

Directed by Jonathan Kydd
Original Music by Steve Redfern


Link to plays by James Hutchison
Link to Four Christmas Plays for Community Theatre by James Hutchison

A Christmas Carol at Tarleton State University

A Christmas Carol Tarleton University: “I think one thing that’s really beautiful about live theatre specifically is the trust between the audience and the actors on the stage. Because the audience knows it’s not real, but they trust us, and they let themselves be fully engulfed by our story and these characters. And theatre teaches you lessons even if you don’t know it, and you keep those lessons subconsciously for the rest of your life.”

Cheyenne Nash, Lighting Designer


This year my adaptation of A Christmas Carol will be haunting several stages across America this Christmas including the stage at Tarleton State University in Stephenville Texas. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to chat with Prudence Jones Assistant Department Head and Associate Professor of Theatre and several of the students involved with the production of A Christmas Carol.

JAMES HUTCHISON

So, Prudence what do you think it is about the story of Ebenezer Scrooge that still appeals to people more than 175 years after it was written?

PRUDENCE JONES

We all respect and want to see a redemption story. Getting to watch Scrooge and see him change from being this miser to being a good person and realizing that he is not the most important person out there is important, because inside of us all we have qualities about ourselves that we may not like, and we may want to change. A Christmas Carol allows us to see that there is the possibility for someone who was so bad to do what’s right and change and to realize that we are responsible for the other people on this planet – not just ourselves.

JAMES

This is a big show. It’s a large cast. There are lots of scenes, tons of things happening. So, how do you as a director work on a show like this and bring it together?

PRUDENCE

There’s a lot of leg work before we even cast the show. I am a very detail-oriented person, so I spend a lot of time taking the script and breaking it down. Tracking who could play multiple parts. Making sure I know where individual characters are going to be within the show as well as the set pieces because for this particular show the set pieces are moving and double-sided. So, we have Scrooge’s counting-house that turns around to become his bedroom. And the other side of the counting-house turns around to become the Cratchit’s home.

I also have really great assistants, like Larmie who is handled all our choreography and Sarah our stage manager. It’s really important for me as a director to have people that I can rely on. And so, in rehearsal they’re able to use all that prep work that I did to track all the pieces – the props and the actors and the sets and it allows me to focus on my creative side and to be a director.

JAMES

Larmie as the choreographer on the show there’s the party at Fezziwig’s and the description that I’ve put in the play is simply that they perform a dance of the period. What can you tell me about the dances you’re featuring in the production and how you go about working them into the play?

LARMIE GAMBRELL

Right from the get-go Prudence and I had discussed that we wanted to do a waltz because that was a popular dance during that time period. So, I went to Vivian – the sound designer – and she found me a perfect song. As soon as I had a chance to sit down and really listen to the music I pretty much came up with the dance in my head. I’m a very visual person, so I just went in the theatre, and I played the song on repeat over and over, and I danced it myself until I had it down perfect, because I had to teach fourteen other people the dance, and they caught on really quick too. I think they learned it in about forty-five minutes

JAMES

What have you enjoyed most about the theatre program at Tarleton?

LARMIE

I personally love that we’re a smaller program. It allows us the opportunity to get involved with just about anything we want to. One minute I’m painting the set. The next minute I’m acting in a show. There’s a wide variety of things that we get to do here, and we get to feel really close to one another and to learn about one another and to rely on one another and I just like the opportunities that we’re given here.

JAMES

Sarah, you’re the stage manager and I’m not sure everybody understands how important a stage manager is. I was wondering if you could explain some of the key duties of a stage manager and illustrate it with some of the challenges of putting on this production.

SARAH ADAMS

One of the main challenges in this show is just how big the cast is. I’ve never stage managed let alone stage managed this big of a cast and so I have to make sure everyone is on time doing what they’re supposed to do and being quiet and being courteous. Making sure the actors know they’re blocking is probably one of the biggest challenges and I’m also making sure I’m giving time to every single actor and not just focusing on Scrooge or the spirits.

PRUDENCE

Since we’re a generalist program we make it a point that every person is important. Not just the person playing Scrooge. And since Sarah is the one running the show when it comes time for the actual full production we make sure all the students have a good understanding and respect for their stage manager.

SARAH

And I’m working with the designers and making sure I’m aware of what they need from me. I work with the sound designer and the lighting designer throughout the process, and I make sure everyone is comfortable with what they’re doing, and that they know exactly what they’re supposed to be doing and making sure everyone’s on the same page.

JAMES

What attracted you to this particular theatre program?

SARAH

My high school theatre teacher went here and she told me to go do my own visit and I came here and there was this beautiful atmosphere and it felt kind of like home. And everyone here is literally like a family.

JAMES

So, Cheyenne you’re the President of the Tarleton Players and I’m wondering what does that mean? What does that involve?

CHEYENNE NASH

We do a lot of fundraisers and a lot of social events, and we raise money for anything the department needs. And we also want to bring our students a little bit closer together. So, that’s the purpose of the group. And we have a group of officers with a variation of ages and a variation of focuses, and they are kind of the voice for the students, and they make the plans, and I just make them happen. So that’s kind of what I do as the President.

JAMES

Both the sound and lighting elements of a play complement the production and I’m curious as the lighting designer what are you doing with the lighting to tell the story of Scrooge and his Ghostly Spirits as he travels through his past, present, and future?

CHEYENNE

I kind of decided that my biggest challenge would be the spirits. I use the intelligent lighting and LED and colour to separate the worlds between Scrooge’s reality and the supernatural dream. And so, for the first spirit I’m using a lot of sombre colours. Yellows and oranges and white almost. And then the second spirit is vibrant reds and greens. You know, the true Christmas colours because we saw the second spirt as more like a Santa Claus kind of spirit. And for the third spirit I’m using purple, dark blues and colours that are kind of scary.

JAMES

Vivian, you are playing Mrs. Cratchit and the sound designer for the show. How are you incorporating sound in various ways to enhance the production?

VIVIAN ALONSO

There’s a lot of scary scenes like when Jacob Marley first comes or the third spirit appears and so those scenes have a lot of intricate sounds like the chains and footsteps and hellish sounds. And in underscoring the Fezziwig scene I’m using sound to enhance the cheerfulness and to keep up the holiday spirit throughout all of it.

JAMES

You’re also playing Mrs. Cratchit. I’m curious about how you prepare for the role. Have you been looking at lives in Victorian times or are you looking at it more as an emotional journey? What’s been your process?

VIVIAN

It’s been more an emotional journey at least going from her being so happy and content with her family and Tiny Tim and her children and everybody coming together for Christmas. And then the next scene that they’re in, her youngest child is gone. And it’s a huge milestone that she has to get through – holding herself together and holding her family together.

JAMES

Tiffany, you’re playing the ghost of Christmas past. The Ghost of Christmas past offers Scrooge a chance for reflection – what are the qualities you think are most important that the Ghost of Christmas past should possess?

TIFFANY WYNNE

I think all the spirits are very wise and compassionate. What I think is important about the first spirit is that it acts as more of a teacher to Scrooge, and it uses different tactics to make Scrooge come to conclusions himself, rather than directly telling him what he’s done wrong.

JAMES

Since you’re the Ghost of Christmas past I’m wondering when you look at your own Christmas Past are there some traditions or memories that make Christmas time special for you?

TIFFANY

I think what makes my Christmas most special is that my family gets together and cooks all the meals for the holidays. I don’t cook, but I do in fact, participate in that. And I just think that brings us together, and I think that’s probably one of the most important things that we do.

JAMES

Charlie, you’re playing Scrooge. How do you make Scrooge a human character and not just a miserable old miser?

CHARLIE SMITH

Well, it’s the moments that Tiffany mentioned. You know, throughout the play, he sees his own life and where it went wrong. And instead of being told, like Tiffany said, he starts to realize and starts to understand things. So, during those moments, I try to crack the ice a little bit more each time while still retaining that surliness.

JAMES

Why do you think we actually care about what happens to Scrooge? What does that indicate about us as humans?

CHARLIE

Well, it’s sort of piggybacking on what Prudence said at the beginning. We all have a Scrooge within us. A miser that wants to hold onto everything and we might all develop certain tendencies throughout our lives that we come to regret. Sometimes we find it very hard to take back those tendencies or to break out of certain habits. And so, it is good for people to see a story where someone’s so far gone and so self involved that even he can dig himself out of the hole he’s dug for himself.

JAMES

Tyler, you’re playing Bob Cratchit. What type of a man do you think Bob Cratchit is and how does his situation resonate with audiences today?

TYLER KRUMM

I think Bob Cratchit is a very simple man. He doesn’t really require much in life. He doesn’t want much in life. He has what he wants and that makes him happy – his family, his friends. And even though he doesn’t get that much through his job it’s still more than enough than what he needs to be happy. And I think audiences really resonate with that because they look and see what they have in their lives, and I think most people realize they don’t really need a whole lot to be happy.

JAMES

So, if someone was trying to decide between a couple of different theatre programs, what would you tell them about your theatre program and why they should consider it?

TYLER

It’s a program that really allows for a lot of different opportunities. No matter what it is you’re going to do. Maybe you want to be backstage doing lighting, or maybe you might think, I want to give acting a try. Well, you can do that here. It’s a small enough program that not only can you really connect with everyone, but it gives you opportunities to work with a lot of different people on a lot of different things.

JAMES

So, a final question for the group and anyone can answer. Why is theatre important? Do we still need it? What does theatre offer our communities?

PRUDENCE

With live theatre you’re sitting there making a memory that no one else can have except for you and the other audience members and the actors on stage. Theatre is one of the very last art forms in the world where it’s just you as an audience member and the people on stage and the rest of the world is gone. It’s the moment that’s happening in front of you right then and there and it can never be repeated and that makes it unique.

CHEYENNE

I think one thing that’s really beautiful about live theatre specifically is the trust between the audience and the actors on the stage. Because the audience knows it’s not real, but they trust us, and they let themselves be fully engulfed by our story and these characters. And theatre teaches you lessons even if you don’t know it, and you keep those lessons subconsciously for the rest of your life.

A Christmas Carol at Theatre Tarleton

CAST of CHARACTERS

Charlie Smith as Ebenezer Scrooge
Clay Luton as Mr. Bentley
Tyler Krumm as Bob Cratchit
Jake Wadkins as Fred
Rolan Garcia as Mr. Granger
Kaitlyn Dearth as Mrs. Harrington
Landen Harbour as a Boy
Rachel Thompson as Mrs. Dilber
Gerik Lyssy as Ghost of Jacob Marley
Tiffany Wynne as the First Spirit
Morgan Williams as the Cook
Luke Thomas as Scrooge as a young boy
JD Dovark as Scrooge as a young man
Allie Mackey as Fan
Damion Smith as Mr. Fezziwig
Nakiya Oleru as Mrs. Fezziwig
Rolan Garcia, Gabriel Leal, Clay Luton as Fezziwig’s Daughters’ Beaux
Emma Morrow, Shiann Reese, Allie Shaffer, Clara Chestnut as Fezziwig’s Daughters
Gerik Lyssy as Jacob Marley
Matalynn Thayer as Belle
Cameron Bishop as Dick Wilkens
Landen Harbour as Hugh
Mary Lou Graves as Georgia
Micaela Medina as Grace
Kyllie Avery as Tabatha
Tommy Vest as Second Spirit
Vivian Alonso as Mrs. Cratchit
Luke Thomas as Peter Cratchit
Vivan Horton as Abigail Cratchit
Erika Owen as Martha Cratchit
Elena Gracia as Tiny Tim Cratchit
Emily Turner as Emma
JD Dovark as Topper
Shiann Reese as Rose
Emily Rose as Ignorance
Micaela Medina as Greed
Gabe Escoto as Third Spirit
Gabriel Leal as First Man Businessman
Clay Luton as Second Man Businessman
Damion Smith as Mr. Newbury
JD Dovark as Old Joe
Cameron Bishop as Thomas
Emma Morrow as Caroline
Landen Harbour as Boy
Mary Lou Graves as Girl

Luke Thomas, Rolan Garcia, JD Dvorak,
Nakiya Oleru, Allie Shaffer, Shiann Reese,
Taylor Fambrough, Clara Chestnut,
Morgan Williams, and Emily Rose
as Carollers

PRODUCTION STAFF

Director – Prudence Jones
Assistant Director/Choreographer – Laramie Gambrell
Stage Manager-Sarah Adams
Assistant Stage Manager-Olivia Santisteban
Set Design- Prudence Jones
Costume Design- Riley Fischer and Carol Stavish
Lighting Design- Cheyenne Nash
Sound Design- Vivian Alonso
Hair Design- Samantha Heately
Make-up Design- Gabe Escoto
Projection Design- Sarah McGrath
Props Head – Cameron Bishop

PRODUCTION CREW

Light Board Operator – McKenzie Lucero
Sound Board Operator – Jakayla Daniels
Spotlight Operator – Phillip Skinner
Projections Operator – Robby Green
Master Electrician – Kody Lewis
Deck Manager – Turner Laxson
Run Crew – Jillian Lambert, Kody Lewis
Paint Charge – Andrea Alviar
Paint Crew – Cheyenne Nash, Allie Shaffer,
Cameron Bishop, Kyllie Avery, Mary-Lou Graves,
Laramie Gambrell, Bella Jarmon
Props Crew – Mary-Lou Graves, Mary Maturo,
McKenzie Lucero, Jillian Lambert,
Rachel Thompson, Emma Morrow
Light Crew – Kyllie Avery, Tiffany Wynne,
Jillian Lambert, Andrea Alviar, Allie Shaffer,
Emma Morrow, Cameron Bishop, Nakiya Oleru,
Sarah McGrath, Tommy Vest
Wardrobe Crew – Alicia German, Andrea Alviar,
Sam Heatley, Jake Wadkins, JD Dvorak
Makeup Crew – Bella Jarmon, Clara Chestnut
Publicity Head – Mary Maturo

Tarleton State University Theatre Program – The Theatre Program encourages creative thinking and the development of the multiple crafts of theatre through experiences in design, rehearsal, and performance. Tarleton strives to provide students with exposure to a wide variety of performance styles and historical periods, opportunities to improve self-discipline in preparation for a deadline-driven, production-oriented career, and a supportive environment where students are encouraged to try new things and learn from their failures.



Interview with Juliet Liraz – Second Chances

A year ago Juliet Liraz a senior Correctional Substance Abuse Counselor produced an inmate-run production of my adaptation of A Christmas Carol in the Department of Corrections in the state in which she lives. This blog is the story of that production, and it contains an account of the production in Juliet’s own words. It contains an interview I did with Juliet in November to talk with her about the production and her work with the Department of Corrections. And it contains two stories, one from Group Facilitator McCoy and one from Group Facilitator Kibeon, about their experience helping to produce A Christmas Carol.

“And in the play when Scrooge went back in time and saw the love of his life and saw how he just pushed her away because he was Scrooge and he was a young man and he’s just making these choices and they’re yelling – the inmates in the audience they’re yelling, “Don’t do it Scrooge!” because as they’re watching that scene they see themselves. They see those pivotal moments in their life where they know they should have gone left, but they went right. And the actor playing Scrooge did such a great job of showing how this horrible belligerent nauseous person just transforms into this carefree young man, and for the audience it was reliving those moments in their lives and seeing what could happen in their own lives if they made a change. It was really magical.”

Juliet Liraz

“The next few days of preparation were a comedy of errors. Murphy’s law really does exist!  What kept us alive and motivated was Ms. Liraz’s belief in us. After years of conditioning, many inmates begin to believe that they are not worthy, not deserving, not trustworthy, stupid, naïve, crooked, and incapable. When someone simply believes in and validates us, we want to give them everything we have.”

GF Kibeon

“A counselor who went to both performances was amazed. She normally doesn’t go to any inmate thing. The experience of doing the play opened people up to our program and the need for an outlet for their feelings. Many people now wanted to participate in the next thing. After being able to do a play in 5 days, we were beyond cocky. All of the GF’s figured if we had a month we could do anything.” 

GF McCoy

When I interviewed Juliet to talk with her about the production of A Christmas Carol she mentioned a Nigerian novelist by the name of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who talks about the danger of a single story which basically means if we only have a single story about another person or another country we run the risk of misjudging that person or that nation.

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story. Show a people as only one thing, over and over again and that is what they become.

The consequences of the single story is this: It robs people of their dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.

Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stores can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – The danger of a single story – TEDGlobal July 2009

And so that’s one of the reasons I wanted to tell this story about the production of A Christmas Carol. It’s not the sort of story you often hear in regard to prison life and for that reason alone it deserves to be told. And what this story revealed to me is how our actions and decisions have consequences that touch many lives and ripple through time. That’s why it’s important to remember that each of us has the power to do good based on how we treat others and live our lives.

Juliet Liraz’s Reflections on A Christmas Carol

“And that’s when the idea arose of producing a Christmas play.”

I was hired by the Department of Corrections shortly after I acquired my counseling license. I had worked with DOC as a teacher while finishing graduate school, and I was excited to serve in a different capacity.

The winter holiday season is a difficult season for many people and especially for incarcerated individuals. I’d heard stories about how this was the most trying time of the year, so I had asked for and received permission to decorate the building for Christmas. 

Decorating the building seemed like a small gesture. However, what I’ve learned toward the end of my time in Corrections, is that small gestures have a long-lasting impact. They teach you about this while you’re in training; however, it’s connected towards negative outcomes such as staff smuggling dangerous contraband into the prison. Negative outcomes do happen, absolutely, but so do positive ones.

I started decorating with a few volunteers. The counselors work alongside inmates certified as Group Facilitators. A few of them helped me decorate the building while groups were in session. We received a lot of wide-eyed stares, and soon, with the approval of the other counselor, my small crew of volunteers expanded. Anyone watching the scene would have seen a group of tatted up convicts, from varied backgrounds, taping garland across the ceiling. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of volunteers.  Together, we created a Winter Wonderland.

I was taken aback by how heartwarming the experience was. Again, I thought nothing of decorating the space. According to my logic, it was no big deal. However, I was never so wrong. Many of the volunteers have never decorated for the holiday, and for various reasons, absolutely dreaded the season. For many, it’s the worst time of the year. The volunteers told me and the other counselor that they felt renewed, happy, and hopeful. The energy in the building was jubilant.

And that’s when the idea arose of producing a Christmas play. I was talking with a GF in my office at the end of the day, and during our conversation, he’d mentioned that he had never seen a play before, and I blurted out, “Hmm…what if we do a play here? A Christmas play?” The idea quickly took root, and my mouth started moving a mile a minute. While teaching, I had my students write original screenplays to satisfy a writing requirement, and they performed their pieces in front of a small audience. But THIS, this could be on a grander level! This could be a unit-wide production! We could have auditions, rehearsals, props, music, and after a brief period of frenzied babble, I finished with, “What do you think?”

Baffled at the sudden and intense turn of events, the GF stammered, “I don’t know.”

I called another GF into my office and told him my idea. As I spoke, several emotions flashed across his face, and after a lengthy pause, he agreed that it was something that was feasible – with permission – and the production might be a wonderful farewell to the retiring Deputy Warden who had a history of supporting inmate rights. It would be a testament to her legacy. We notified the other GF’s to get their feedback. They were caught off guard, nervous, excited, confused, and did I mention, nervous?  But we had a plan, we would perform A Christmas Carol, because I had a vision. A Christmas Carol is a story about a man who was offered an opportunity for redemption. It was a story about second chances. It was the perfect story for the incarceration population.

“Oh. My. God. He said, “yes”.”

The only problem was we didn’t have much time. The DW was leaving in a few weeks, and if this was going to happen, it had to happen fast. 

I needed to ask permission, but before I asked for approval, I needed something to present. We needed a script, and more importantly, permission to use that script. And, if this was going to work, we needed permission in two days.

I went home and researched various adaptations. The time constraints and the lack of funding definitely proved to be an enormous barrier, which was expected. On Sunday, I came across James Hutchison’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and I knew that – like Neo in The Matrix – his version was The One. It was a well-written adaptation of the classic story.

I noticed that his email address was posted, and I thought, “Well, all he can do is say no or simply not respond.” This was our only shot, seriously. We had too much work to do in a short period of time. We needed permission by the end of the day to meet the insanely tight deadlines created by my “What the heck was I thinking?” idea.

I typed the email, made a silent prayer, pressed send, and went about my day with the unsettling feeling that I’d have to tell the GF’s that the play would not happen. Hours later, I checked my email, and blinked. I got a response from the playwright. I read the response and screamed. He said “yes”! Not only did Mr. Hutchison grant us permission to produce his adaptation of A Christmas Carol, but he would allow us to utilize his material for free!

I ran around the house and told my family. We had permission! We could really do this! And then I was hit with a wave of terror. Oh. My. God. He said “yes”.

“How in the world would we be able to pull off a production in only a week?”

Once we received permission to produce the play, we needed permission from my supervisor and the Deputy Warden to actually produce an inmate run production. Always a champion for a good cause, my supervisor said, “If the DW approves, then go for it!” With her permission, I sent an email to the DW and a memo regarding the production, but we had to wait for a response. The DW was unavailable for a few days, and it couldn’t be helped.

We didn’t wait idly. In the interim, we prepped. When or if, we received approval, we would be ready to take off sprinting.

As each day passed with no word, our anxiety heightened. How in the world would we be able to pull off a production in only a week? When the DW and I finally spoke, she mentioned that she had always wanted to see an inmate-run play in prison during her leadership. We received permission on the last workday of the week. Time to move.

We posted flyers that said that any individual interested in auditioning for A Christmas Carol, had to sign up by the end of the day. The rumors on the yard were rampant. Who produces a play in prison? Doesn’t she know where she works? Doesn’t the play have female roles? No one was going to audition! This is prison!

Well…by the end of the day, we had very few audition slots available. We were booked solid.

The auditions were unbelievable. We had a line of inmates who didn’t sign up by our abrupt deadline, but they still wanted a chance to audition. We didn’t turn anyone away. The judges and I sat behind a long table, ala American Idol, and watched in amazement as performer after performer recited line after line. Many were nervous, some bold, a few slightly defiant in their stance, and others shy. However, they each brought something special into the room, and when asked why they auditioned, their answers were woven with a similar thread. They knew that in order to change their lives, they had to try something new. This was an opportunity to see themselves in a new light, and they didn’t want to miss their chance. We really wanted this to work, because after all, second chances is the central theme of A Christmas Carol.

And then entered Scrooge.

One of the GF’s decided to audition and the mild-mannered man transformed into a disgruntled, highly abrasive, powerhouse who berated the judges on their lack of professionalism (we were running behind on time) and demanded excellence. He paced back and forth as he recited the passage that he obviously felt was beneath him. Finished, GF Kibeon gave the judges a look of utter contempt before storming out of the room.

Apparently, he was done.

The GF’s and I looked at each other with identical expressions of bewilderment and utter excitement. We found our Scrooge! This could work! We could actually pull this off!

“The show must go on.”

As I walked onto the yard, the following day, my mind went over the list. The cast was selected, check. The music for the performance was selected and burned onto discs, check. The sound crew went over the script, check. The scripts were given to the actors, check. The instruments and sound system were in working order, check. The props were mostly created and accounted for, check. Visitation was scheduled for rehearsal, check.

I paused. The yard, which is usually brimming with orange, was empty. My heart sunk. No! I called the control office. Was the yard locked down?

Their reply was succinct. “Yes, ma’am, the yard is locked down for searches.” Jesus, just take me now! Of all the days to lock down the yard for searches, it had to be the day our rehearsal was scheduled. The only day we could rehearse. The day right before our first performance!

The GF’s, the sound crew, and I were able to go into Visitation to visualize and plan the layout for the performance, but by the time the lockdown was lifted, there was no way to run through a full rehearsal. The inmates didn’t even have lunch yet, which was a process in itself.

I remember looking around the empty Visitation room, and thinking, “How is this going to work? How are we going to rally random inmates, most of whom have no acting experience, to perform in front of their peers with no rehearsal time? They JUST got their scripts yesterday! And there was a dancing scene!!!”

I watched the Correctional Officers pass by the windows with a curious look on their faces. This. Is. Not. Good. This play is the talk of the town, and it’s going to be a disaster. To say that we were in panic mode would be an understatement. But as they say in the biz, “The show must go on.”

“Everyone was looking at me to lead the team.”

Worried, I arrived early on opening day. I walked into the building, flipped on the light, and saw a life-sized coffin beautifully crafted out of cardboard in the middle of the floor. The props crew had gotten permission from a CO to finish the props the night before. I’ve heard it said many times, but man! There is so much talent behind bars.

I almost cried, and a tiny glimmer of hope sprung from the darkness. Just…maybe.

The GF’s and volunteers arrived shortly after, and it was time to get to work. We grabbed scripts, props, blankets, lists with character names and the actors housing locations, extra chairs, tables, and so much more. I was the only staff member in the building, so I had to race back and forth to provide supervision. My heart was thumping in time with my footsteps. We were running out of time.

The sound crew met with the recreation CO in Visitation who graciously allowed us to use his sound equipment for the play. In an hour, we had set up the stage and the seating. Now, where the heck were the actors?  Seriously! Where. Were. The. Actors.

The actors were supposed to arrive an hour early to prep and run through their scenes. We had a room for them to rehearse in and wait for the stage manager to alert them of their upcoming scene.  The play had over 25 roles, and I only saw 10 actors amidst the buzz of activity. I was told that “so and so was here, but such and such didn’t want to do it anymore. Or what’s his face would be late. Uh, could I call x, y, and z on the radio so he could be released from work.”

Alright, stop!

I told everyone that I was going to do a roll call. If they were not part of the cast or crew, they would have to step outside so we could prepare to give them the show of a lifetime. One older gentleman crossed his arms, and said, “I’m not moving.  If I leave, then I won’t come back.”  Well…then. 

I had someone monitor the door, and I called roll.

I had all the actors assemble in the back room, and I sent two GF’s to find the missing cast. If they weren’t coming, I needed to know NOW so I could find replacements. The play was scheduled to start in mere minutes, and we didn’t have all of our cast. Most of the actors who had arrived didn’t have their scripts, and everyone was looking at me to lead the team.

“Scene after scene went without a hitch…until…”

Damage control. I spoke to the actors who were available and asked if they would assume another role. They were ready and willing. Perfect. Focusing on the first five scenes so we could start – the audience was filing in – the GF’s and I split our scripts into sections and provided them to the actors. I quickly created an 8 count for the dancing scene and hurriedly taught the actors. We found a few volunteers to lift the curtain in between scenes, and we were off!

I took a deep breath, and with more confidence than I felt, I introduced our play. We started about 20 minutes late. The stage was flanked by two curtains. The prop crew and I were on one side. The sound crew, the stage manager, and the actors were on the other side. We all had a script with notes that we followed throughout the performance, and oh! What a performance!

One of the CD players broke, and we couldn’t switch songs as much as planned. The sound crew worked feverishly to accommodate the numerous song changes in time with each scene. To get the attention of GF McCoy and the rest of the sound crew, I would flap my arms like a bird, and write messages on the back of the script like “Change song” or “Repeat.”

In this version of the play there are letters that Scrooge’s nephew Fred gives to his Uncle Scrooge but the letters were on my side of the stage. I handed the letters to the runner and whispered, “Walk around and hand these to Fred.” He nodded and disappeared. Well, the actor who played Fred hadn’t arrived, so he had no idea who to give the letters to. In the meantime, a volunteer who’d helped in every other capacity, but was insistent that he did not want to act, walked onto the stage and read the lines for Fred. I felt such gratitude. He performed the part beautifully, and then came the line about the letters.

There was a pause on stage, and suddenly, a hand whips the curtains back, and hands the letters to Fred. The audience erupts in laughter. There were several magical moments during that performance that simply took my breath away. Moments when everything flowed, and in the middle of the chaos, I would stand and watch, captivated. The scene with Scrooge and Marley was so powerful, the audience clapped and whistled.

We were doing it! The dance scene, with male and female roles, was a huge hit! They twirled around and repeated the 8 count that they had just learned while the musician sang his heart out! Scene after scene went without a hitch…until…

We lost our scripts. Remember, when I’d mentioned that the GF’s and I gave out most of our scripts to the actors. Well, it just got worse. In the last scene before intermission, Scrooge glanced off stage. He needed a script. I looked at the stage manager who said, “I gave you my script.” I looked at him and said, “I gave it to Scrooge.” We looked at someone else who gave their script to someone else. Everyone was so confused that Scrooge just lifted up his hands and said, “I don’t know what’s going on,” and walked off the stage.

“The second half was marvelous!”

On that note, I had to walk in front of the audience and ask them to return later in the day for the remainder of the play. The audience hollered that they wanted to stay during outcount, but we had to regroup. We had a late start, and since we didn’t have a rehearsal, we didn’t know the production’s running time.

The cast and crew barely spoke over lunch. We were so dejected. I felt like a complete failure, and we even discussed cancelling our second performance. Why embarrass ourselves a second time?

We took a deep breath and made more copies of the script. I wrote my name across the top of my script in big letters. I wasn’t giving that sucker away. The sound crew and I went over the musical transitions. We looked at the list of characters and chopped the cast by half. We’d only focus on the actors that had committed. We didn’t have time to search the unit for people. We didn’t have time for a lot of things. We reorganized the prop schedule and went with a minimal look.

We learned from our mistakes, and when the curtain went up we were ready to finish the play and never do anything like this ever again.

The second half was marvelous! Utter magic! The scenes mimicked our theatrical journey. After much turmoil, we triumphed. We felt renewed. We had hope. We had a second chance. I couldn’t describe how I felt as I saw everything flow in perfect harmony.

We looked at each other when we received a standing ovation. Okay, maybe we could do a second performance.

“A Christmas miracle.”

A Christmas Carol was a Christmas miracle. A few people have told me that it was the best Christmas they’d ever had in their life. Ironically, it was in prison. The unit was filled with a joy that bubbled just under the surface, and the effect lasted for weeks. The positivity was contagious, and there were even murmurs about building a stage. This play helped transform the worst time of the year into a year that no one would forget.

A Christmas Carol was one of the most unforgettable experiences in my life. I was aware that there were certain moments within this extraordinary experience that changed the trajectory of the production: having a supportive supervisor, meeting the Group Facilitators, the volunteers I met while decorating for Christmas, the random conversation with the GF in my office about a play, emailing that particular playwright, the retiring DW’s desire to witness an inmate-run play, nudging GF Kibeon to play Scrooge and his unforgettable audition, meeting the sound crew (we couldn’t have completed the play without them), the support from the correctional staff, and the courage of the actors who auditioned and performed.

I didn’t realize until almost a year later, how much strength it took the inmates to participate in the play. Prison culture heavily discouraged personal discovery, and each participant knew the code. They made a conscious decision to go against the status quo and choose something different, even for a moment. For this, I am eternally grateful.

And they wanted more! The actors who were in the play, wanted a larger role next time. The people who didn’t audition, wanted to audition for the next one. The people who missed the performance, wanted a first-row seat for the next play. The assumption was that there would be a next time.

“…with this team, we could do anything.”

After the play, I said, “Never again.” Though the experience was exceptional, I didn’t think I could go through the process again. I didn’t think I even wanted to do the process again.

The GF’s were on another track altogether, and soon, they won me over. I didn’t know much, but I did know one thing – with this team, we could do anything. I mean, we produced A Christmas Carol, in 5 days. Everything else would be a piece of cake.

We came up with a new program that would consist of four rotating monthly events: Poetry Corner, Talent Showcase, The Fine Arts & Crafts Show, and a Seasonal Play. The mission was to Celebrate Recovery by allowing inmates an outlet for self-expression, let them showcase/discover their skills and talents, break out of their comfort zones, and validate and affirm their humanity. The program gives the inmates something to look forward to, something to prepare for, something to participate in, and something to challenge their view of themselves. In summation, it’s therapy in disguise. More importantly, like A Christmas Carol, it would be available to anyone on the yard.

Great plan, but we had a problem. The DW retired, and the new DW might not be so program friendly. If the DW said no, then it was a wrap. He was the boss.

The new DW was absolutely supportive, and we moved full speed ahead. We hosted our first Poetry Corner, which like A Christmas Carol, had auditions, rehearsals (thank God!), props, and a packed performance. The performance had a café feel, and the GF’s, resembling waiters, providing popcorn and coffee for our guests.

We were on a roll. We had auditions for our next event, the Talent Showcase, and I even managed to speak to donors to help fund future performances. It seemed as if nothing could stop us.

Enter COVID-19. Like the rest of the world, everything changed, and our program was dismantled.


It’s unfortunate that the program was cancelled but I’ve come to learn in life that there are only temporary victories. That the rights won today must be defended tomorrow. And it’s not just people that require transformation it’s institutions as well and that’s a much bigger and much longer process. But even though things may not always work out we should remember the words of Scrooge’s nephew Fred when he tells his Uncle why he celebrates Christmas.

“Uncle I have always thought of Christmas time as a kind, forgiving, charitable time. It is the one time of the year, when men and women open their hearts and think of all people as fellow passengers to the grave, and not as another race of creatures bound on different journeys. And therefore, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”


Interview with Juliet Liraz: Everybody needs compassion.

At the end of November, I contacted Juliet Liraz to talk with her a little more about her experience producing A Christmas Carol at the Department of Corrections and about the transformative nature of theatre and story. I started off by asking her if she thought our role in life is to make the world a better place, and if so, how do we do that.

JULIET

I do personally believe that our role is to make the world better and to make it better in a way that’s uniquely us. So, the way people do that is through their gifts and through their experience, and I think it’s varied, but the theme is always the same. You hope that the world is a better place because you were in it. I try intentionally with every interaction I have to leave the other person feeling better than they were before I walked in the room. Because you never really know what somebody’s going through. And it can’t hurt. It can only heal. It can only help. That’s my personal philosophy.

JAMES

Where do you think that compassion comes from?

JULIET

I just know when I was at my worst…when I was at my most unlovable and hateful…that was always the time when I needed somebody to brush past that and go into my circle and tell me, “It’s okay.” And sometimes I still need that. It’s part of the human experience. So, I try to assume, regardless of how happy or miserable somebody is on the outside everybody needs compassion.

JAMES

You mentioned prison culture in your description of putting on the play. What is prison culture? What is that like?

JULIET

I know about prison culture from working in a prison. I was always a visitor. So, I was always aware that I’m only seeing the tip of the iceberg. It’s very different asking somebody who was incarcerated for a certain period of time about prison culture. They’ll definitely have their own version. But from what I glimpsed, prison culture is very insular. There are definite codes. They say there’s a difference between a convict and there’s a difference between an inmate. A convict is the more positive version because that’s someone that has the code, and they stick to the code, and they mind their own business. They follow the rules. I was aware of that, to some extent, but doing the play really just threw all of that to the side. And I’m really surprised that it was as successful as it was.

JAMES

What is the biggest misconception based on your experience that people have who are outside of the prison system – the general public – what is the biggest misconception they have about what prisons are, do you think?

JULIET

I don’t want to say this lightly. There are violent things that happen in prison. That’s absolutely true. But Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie talks about the danger of only having a single story about another person or another country and how that can lead to misunderstanding. And everything I knew about prison was what I saw on TV and the articles I read about stabbings and things of that nature. And those things absolutely do happen, but that’s a single story, and that’s why I’m really glad that you’re having this interview because there are wonderful things that happen in the most unlikely of spaces. I’ve seen acts of kindness and compassion that took my breath away. While I was working there I saw people who had nothing give freely. Even though they say in prison culture nothing’s free. Be careful. Gifts aren’t free in prison. They say there’s always a string attached to it. But I had the most transformative experiences in a positive way while working in prison. There’s so much more than meets the eye.

JAMES

You mentioned stories. You mentioned you had seen transformative things. I want to talk about stories and the power of story and the importance of story. What do you think it is about a story that gives it the power to be transformative?

JULIET

Human beings are hardwired for storytelling. Certain parts of our brain like cortisol. Cortisol is part of our fight or flight response. That’s triggered when you’re listening to a story. Oxytocin is triggered when you listen to a story and that’s attached to love and connection and belonging. And together that creates empathy. So, our brains literally just light up when we hear a story. We’re able to feel exactly what the character’s feeling. If the characters sad our brain tells us we feel sad. Our mirror neurons mean we are literally hardwired to learn, to grow, to develop, to adapt, to explore through listening to stories.

JAMES

Why did you choose A Christmas Carol for the story you wanted to tell?

JULIET

A Christmas Carol to me is the classic story about redemption. You have Scrooge who was really poor and that’s something that some of the incarcerated can really relate to. He’s this poor guy who worked his way up the ranks. People are scared of him. He walks into a room – everybody stops talking. He’s all about money. And he pushes away the more humane aspects of who he is on his climb up. And then his business partner comes down and says, “You have to stop what you’re doing otherwise what happened to me is going to happen to you.” So, it’s a story about second chances.

JAMES

Why do you think it’s important to give people second chances?

JULIET

Because we’re human. We’re going to make mistakes. Some of them are small, and some of them are catastrophic, and you can never take it back, and they’re devastating. But I choose to live my life believing that regardless people have value, and we should show compassion and give people that opportunity for change. A lot of people are like you need to change you need to do this, but we have to create an atmosphere that’s supportive of change, and second chances, and new beginnings.

You asked about prison culture. When some of the GF’s were reflecting on the story of A Christmas Carol they were talking about how they treat each other. And you’re treated as if you’re nothing. As if you’re never going to be anything. This is who you are. Stay down here. Know your place. You can’t grow. What are you thinking? Your life is over. And that just creates a cycle. So, just like in the story when Scrooge realizes he wants a better future and made a change I think the inmates definitely learned from that.

JAMES

Right, we have to – as a society – figure out what is the society we would like to have in the future. So, if these people who are incarcerated are going to have an opportunity to participate in that future then we have to figure out what we need to do now to make it possible for them to reintegrate, and it sounds like we’re not really providing them with the tools and opportunities necessary to be able to get back into normal society.

JULIET

Correct. A lot of guys will say, “Oh, I’ll do this when I leave.” or “I’ll start this when I get released.” But you don’t make those changes when you’re already out there. A boxer doesn’t practice when he gets into the ring. He practices before. And a lot of our interventions happen right before somebody leaves, if they even have that opportunity at all. There are thousands of people in prison who don’t have access to programming because we don’t have the staff, or they’re not on a certain list. We’re limiting what people are able to do while they’re in prison, but if we want there to be some sort of massive shift in their consciousness we have to create that.

One of the main events in A Christmas Carol is when Marley came to Scrooge and he said, “If you don’t change your ways this is what’s going to happen to you. I’m giving you this second chance where the universe is going to help you in this magical way for you to be able to go back in your life and to see all these things.” For one, the inmates can really relate to that because they’ve heard that same thing from friends, or if they haven’t heard it before that play was their wake-up call and at that point it was like, “Oh my gosh, I need to change things.”

And in the play when Scrooge went back in time and saw the love of his life and saw how he just pushed her away because he was Scrooge and he was a young man and he’s just making these choices and they’re yelling – the inmates in the audience they’re yelling, “Don’t do it Scrooge!” because as they’re watching that scene they see themselves. They see those pivotal moments in their life where they know they should have gone left, but they went right. And the actor playing Scrooge did such a great job of showing how this horrible belligerent nauseous person just transforms into this carefree young man, and for the audience it was reliving those moments in their lives and seeing what could happen in their own lives if they made a change. It was really magical.

JAMES

I was just thinking about our tendency to label somebody by an incident. So, in other words, if somebody commits a crime that then labels them. I wonder if that’s just part of human nature that we, like you’ve mentioned, latch on to the simplest explanation of the single story, and then we define that person based on that first impression. How do you think as a society we can can help people see the full person?

JULIET

Through art, right. Through storytellers. I am such a fan of the arts because you can touch so many people. One piece of art can touch millions of people, and they can interact with it, and it leads to how they treat their families and other people. And I know we’re not trying to minimize victims’ rights but in order for our society to grow and to evolve we have to see that people are complicated. And I believe the arts are a huge medium for sharing multiple stories about a single event.

JAMES

When you look back at A Christmas Carol what are some of the highlights that come to you in terms of putting on the production.

JULIET

One was when we got the okay from you. You’re like, “Okay let’s do it.” You said yes to this play even though several people would have actually said no to having their play done with this population group. You said, “Hey it’s not a big deal. It’s a great idea.”

And then I had to get permission to actually do it. So, it could be a real thing. And coming in and seeing huge life-sized props that they created out of cardboard. And seeing that enthusiasm where they didn’t know what we were doing, they didn’t know if this was going to work, but we all had that same goal that we were going to make it happen.

And I wanted to make sure that every single person on the yard had the ability to audition. Everyone was like, “Can I come?” Like sure you can. And when you see them walk in and they’re so nervous and then they read for like Tiny Tim – and we talked about prison culture earlier – and in prison culture you don’t do that. Like in most prisons you’re segregated by race. You sit here. You do this. You’re a good soldier, right. And this was something that required them to take their own initiative. Not only that but to say, “I know this isn’t what’s done here, but I’m going to try it anyway.” Like, just having people accept that gift. That to me was the most transformative experience. Having them go, “I’m not going to waste this opportunity. I don’t care what I look like. I’m going to take it.” And to me that type of bravery, especially when I worked in the prison longer and I really realized what was at stake and what they were risking was amazing. I have no words for it.

And I created a program for the production and I can’t tell you how many people wanted more than one. They sent it to their moms. They sent it to their wives. They sent it to their kids especially to tell them, “Look what I did. You never thought I would be in something like this. Look what I did. Look at what I was a part of.” It had their name on it. I had a little biography in there just like in playbill, and they said their families were so proud of them. And it almost brought some of them to tears to be able to say, “I took this opportunity. I was a part of something, and I saw a different version of myself.”

And that to me was the miracle. Not only that but to have all the GFs come, because if it wasn’t for them this wouldn’t have happened because they worked nonstop. They set up flyers. They helped with our props. They helped, with these ideas, I would have at the last minute, and they would make it go through. And even with all the fumbles and there were several – you could see the joy – and it was literally the best Christmas that they’ve ever had…myself included. You literally gave several people including myself the best Christmas we’ve ever had, and I can’t even imagine the ripple effect that it had. You absolutely can positively say that you created this experience that has changed my life forever. And I know I’m not the only one.

JAMES

That’s kind of you to say.


In keeping with the spirit of sharing more than a single story, I’m really excited and grateful to be able to share with you two more stories about last year’s production of A Christmas Carol. Group Facilitator McCoy and Group Facilitator Kibeon were kind enough to write out some of their own reflections about A Christmas Carol and what the experience was like for them.


GF McCoy’s Reflections on A Christmas Carol

“…we kicked things into high gear.”

I become a Group Facilitator and started to facilitate recovery groups in October. In these groups, guys talk about their drug abuse and other issues. As a GF we use our state certification to ensure what is said in groups stays in our groups.

When Ms. Liraz came in early December, she wanted to decorate our building. I do much of the maintaining of books, rosters of who’s in groups, and other office duties. I was more than happy to want to cheer up our workspace.

As part of my responsibilities, I also help tell all new arrivals to the unit about the substance abuse program. Every week, guys would step into the building, comment on the decorations, how they loved seeing them, asking me to light them up, and many would stay after orientation to make sure they saw all of the decorations.

Later, Ms. Liraz was talking with another GF about doing a play. I talked about how I watched the Nutcracker around Christmas while in grade school. Ms. Liraz talked about doing a play here. I told her it was possible. Not thinking she would ever be able to do it.  I almost wanted to ask her if she knew she worked in a prison. Not much later, Ms. Liraz came back with a play, then an approval from the Deputy Warden. This is when we kicked things into high gear.

“Many people thought it would never happen.”

Now that Ms. Liraz got permission to do the play, we volunteered to do something. I, being a former club promoter, who had worked in radio in college, did the sound and posted flyers all over the unit. I posted flyers on shower doors, dining halls, phones, microwave rooms, education rooms, visitation, next to disciplinary, and near guard bubbles on each individual yard. I was also part of the judge’s panel that helped pick guys for roles.

We made 10 copies of the script for all of us to have. I then made another 20 copies for the auditions. We started – hoping to fill what seemed like 40 roles. I was thinking we would have to change some of the names of the characters, so guys didn’t have to play a girl role. After doing the auditions we had no problem filling most roles. Some of the female roles I found people who wouldn’t have a problem playing. I was tasked with filling some of the missing roles as well as making sure that everyone had a copy of their lines.

Part of getting the sound ready was to look through the script and to make a list of all the sounds like the creaking room, footsteps, clock chimes, crackling fire, and crowd at a marketplace. Then, get the list of all these to Ms. Liraz so she could find them and put them on CDs for us to use for the play.

Luckily, there isn’t much to do in prison around Christmas time. The Props Department read the script to find what props they would need and where they can source the cardboard needed to create them. The GF’s worked with the Commissary and Property Departments to use their old cardboard to build sets as well as getting old blankets for curtains.

Many people thought it would never happen.

We scheduled a rehearsal, but that day we had searches happening so no rehearsals. We tried to organize a weekend rehearsal and a lot of the main characters showed up but that went badly.

We set up for the show the next day. Our set included a coffin, door, fireplace, and other easy to get furniture like a desk and chairs. We had heated conversations on where the stage should be and how actors were to go and come from scenes. I was asked by inmates and officers on multiple occasions if it was actually going to happen.

“…word got out…”

To say everyone was nervous was an understatement. As we looked out into the audience, the Deputy Warden, Captain, Lt., Sgt., and other administrative personnel were there with the inmates eager to see the performance. I have a script for sound and all of the GF’s and Ms. Liraz have scripts. Most of the cast doesn’t. Some didn’t come. They got scared, others, never thought it would happen. Now that it is, they lost their script. And, oh yeah, I had to go and get people and hope to find replacements for those that didn’t show up.

The visitation area had like 30 people in attendance as we started. For the sound, I had to piece together 3 CD players and get them to work with the PA system. As we started, everything was smooth. Then one CD player won’t pause to hold where it needs to start. Another CD player now won’t read the CD. Now I’m missing cues. I look across the stage to see Ms. Liraz frantically trying to signal me.

After we started, I see the audience start to grow. A random CO stops by. More inmates come in. Since we never rehearsed, we took longer than expected and we needed to stop, break for lunch outcount, and finish the play in the afternoon. The afternoon performance was packed, word got out that not only did we do it, but it was good with some funny parts.

I was able to work out a cross-stage communication with Ms. Liraz, so now, my panicking about not having the sound at the right spot was less. The second half was much easier. To our amazement, we were able to do another performance the next week. The performance went off with a better understanding of what can happen. More inmates and prison staff showed up.

“After being able to do a play in 5 days, we were beyond cocky.”

I had been in prison for 9 ½ years when we did this play. This is my only prison experience where when I had to go off unit to a doctor’s appointment both the inmates and officers from other units asked me about the play. A counselor who went to both performances was amazed. She normally doesn’t go to any inmate thing.  Many inmates and officers were asking, what’s next?

The experience of doing the play opened people up to our program and the need for an outlet for their feelings. As you might guess, more people are willing to talk with a GF about their feelings. Many people now wanted to participate in the next thing.

After being able to do a play in 5 days, we were beyond cocky. All of the GF’s figured if we had a month we could do anything. Ms. Liraz asked me and another GF to put together a schedule to do just that. The next day we had stretched 5 days into a month. Our first step would be a Poetry Corner, followed by a Talent Show, an Art Show, and a Seasonal Play.

I once again posted flyers all over the unit, with the new schedule. The Poetry Corner that we were able to do was great with an outstanding turnout.  Officers, inmates, and administrators all were in attendance. All actively waiting for the next event, the Talent Show.  Then…COVID.

GF Kibeon’s Reflections on A Christmas Carol

“…this lady is f***ing crazy.”

I have been incarcerated for over 15 ½ years and came to prison when I was 19 years old. I was working as a Group Facilitator when I met Ms. Liraz. From an inmate perspective, anytime we encounter a new staff member, we always try to figure out if they are “pro-inmate” or not. In other words, do they believe we are human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity, or do they believe we are criminals who must be punished and mistreated.

After the first few days working with her, we all knew she was the former. We knew she genuinely wanted to help all of us. She has a heart of gold, and an inspiring light that surrounded her wherever she went. It was contagious. She quickly became the oasis for the yard – the saving grace for those stranded at sea. People like her are sacred and rare because they do not come around very often, and they usually don’t stay long when they do.

She had been here for maybe a month when she first mentioned putting on a Christmas play. The first thought that flashed across my mind was “this lady is f***ing crazy.” I mumbled a response of “that would be cool, but I don’t think staff will go for it.” To my shock, she told me a few days later that everything was approved. My mind continued to be the Doubting Thomas, thinking very few people would want to participate. I learned a valuable lesson that day: Never doubt Ms. Liraz because she will consistently prove you wrong. My new thought was “this should be interesting.”

“I decided to embrace the magic…”

She asked me a few days later if I wanted to audition. I told her that I didn’t really want to audition or act. She pushed, prodded, and encouraged me to do it. “Come on, it will be fun, and you would be great.” I reluctantly told her that I would audition for a role as a backup if no one else volunteered. I figured this was a good way to appease her, and I probably would not have to act, and if I did, it would be a small part. I had no idea that at that point I just strapped myself into the seat of a roller coaster…

On audition day, I was informed that there was one person who auditioned for Scrooge and he had a legal call, so since I agreed to be a backup, I would be auditioning for Scrooge in a few hours. “Oh, f***!!” I thought. Ms. Liraz told me to just have fun and don’t worry about it.  She said I didn’t have to do it if I didn’t want to. But I had already committed, so I agreed to audition.

A coworker of mine told me, “Kibeon, this will be a good experience of walking through fear, that’s what we preach to the guys we work with in recovery.” I responded, “Well, I’m glad you have such a positive outlook on it.  I guess that means you will have no problem taking my place.” “Oh no, I can’t do that, what, are you crazy?” I was overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. I was scared…I was pissed.

I arrived later for auditions, and I was impressed by how official and organized things were. There was an actual casting crew in the backroom and there was a doorman who greeted me, gave me a script, and said I should be going in, in about 15 minutes. The doorman was a well-known skinhead with a swastika tattooed on his head. He kept smiling and asking me, “Isn’t this the coolest thing in the world? Bro, this is the first time in 20 years of prison that it’s ever felt like Christmas. This is awesome, isn’t?”

At that moment, I realized there was something seriously magical going on. This play had already begun transforming a skinhead’s stereotypical anger and hate into a childlike innocence. Ms. Liraz single-handedly shattered and challenged every cultural norm we had all grown accustomed to living in this place. I decided to embrace the magic and give it my all.

I took my long ponytail down and laid my hair over my face. I decided to become a method actor and not break character during the audition. I channeled all of my anger, bitterness, and resentment that had accumulated throughout my life, took a deep breath, and walked through the door. 

Immediately, Ms. Liraz and my coworkers started laughing. I raised my voice in an angry serious tone and began berating them for laughing and treating this like a joke, and almost stormed out the room. The look of fear and confusion that ran across everyone’s faces was priceless, as they did not know if I was joking or not (sidenote: I was joking). I fed off this energy and tried to give the performance of my life…I was hired!

“That experience was one of the most transformative of my life…”

The next few days of preparation were a comedy of errors. Murphy’s law really does exist! What kept us alive and motivated was Ms. Liraz’s belief in us. After years of conditioning, many inmates begin to believe that they are not worthy, not deserving, not trustworthy, stupid, naïve, crooked, and incapable. When someone simply believes in and validates us, we want to give them everything we have.

The nervousness, stress, and anxiety never went away – all the way up until showtime. Once the show started, I transformed into Scrooge and everything else faded away. My coworker was right, walking through our own fear is a great medicine. For weeks afterward people were coming up to me on the yard giving me thanks and praise. I felt like a Rockstar. That experience was one of the most transformative of my life, and it was a result of something so simple: Somebody caring about us, and somebody believing that we are magical and deserve to be treated as human beings.


When I think of A Christmas Carol there are two themes that dominate the story. The themes of compassion and redemption. And I think it’s important to note that the compassion component isn’t just that Scrooge learns to feel empathy and compassion for others but that his change comes about due to the compassion shown to him by the people in his life. His nephew Fred shows up at Scrooge’s office year after year imploring his Uncle to celebrate the Holiday and come for dinner. His business partner Jacob Marley returns from the grave and gives Scrooge a chance for redemption. And his clerk Bob Cratchit and Bob Cratchit’s son Tiny Tim insist on toasting and blessing Scrooge as the founder of the Christmas Feast even though Scrooge’s wages provide a meagre meal for the Cratchit family.

And then of course there’s Scrooge’s redemption which reminds us that how we approach life, how we view the world, how we treat others, is within our power to change at any point in time. Just because the world can be cruel and harsh is no reason for us to be cruel. And I think that’s a terrific message at Christmas or at any time of the year. And so we can certainly learn from stories like A Christmas Carol but we can also learn by those who choose to live their lives believing in others because these people put beliefs into action and one of those people is Juliet Liraz and I think it only right that she be given the last word:

I do personally believe that our role is to make the world better and to make it better in a way that’s uniquely us. So, the way people do that is through their gifts and through their experience and I think it’s varied but the theme is always the same. You hope that the world is a better place because you were in it. I try intentionally with every interaction I have to leave the other person feeling better than they were before I walked in the room. Because you never really know what somebody’s going through. And it can’t hurt. It can only heal. It can only help. That’s my personal philosophy.


DOWNLOAD – James Hutchison interviews Juliet Liraz: Wonderful Things Happen in Unlikely Spaces

INTiP International network Theatre In Prison – The INTiP intends to support theatre projects for planning, relationship-building, debate and qualification in prison institutions around the world. INTiP presents itself as an instrument, a reference to the many operators of this growing field in the context of a phenomenon that originated internationally over 60 years ago.

The names of those involved with the production and identifying details regarding organizations and places have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

This interview and the additional content provided for this blog has been edited for length and clarity.


Link to Blog by James Hutchison
Link to Four Christmas Plays for Community Theatre

A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison at Piper’s Opera House

A Christmas Carol at Pipers Opera House: If there’s a ghost of a chance that the spirit of Charles Dickens will turn up at a production of one of my adaptations of A Christmas Carol this year then I’d have to say that the most likely place will be the Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City Nevada. Which would be fitting considering that A Christmas Carol is not only a story of redemption but it’s also a ghost story and in some ways even a time-travelling story. And those storytelling elements along with its central message of redemption are some of the reasons I think it remains popular today.

The Piper’s Players Production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens at the Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City, Nevada. Melody Hoover Photography.

Last spring, I was contacted by Jennifer Hunt who asked if she could customize my adaptation of a Christmas Carol to reflect the history and real-life characters from Virginia City around the time of the gold and silver rush back in 1860. I said sure why don’t we give it a try and see how it works and some months later A Comstock Christmas Carol with a Scrooge named William Sharon hit the stage at the Piper’s Opera House. I connected with Jennifer the first week of December to talk with her about Virginia City, spirits and the production of the play.

JAMES HUTCHISON

Tell me a little bit about Virginia City.

JENNIFER HUNT

Virginia City is about forty minutes south of Reno Nevada and is an incredibly small community with a population of five hundred. However, in the summer months, it can easily swell to 8000 people depending on what activity the town has going on such as our Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival. I don’t know if you know what Rocky Mountain oysters are.

JAMES

We call them prairie oysters here.

JENNIFER

There you go. Yeah, I’ve heard they’re called all sorts of things. Virginia City has been able to crawl out of obscurity because of tourism. Tourism is our life’s blood. And we are very good at tourism. In fact, I believe Virginia City has more parades than any other small town in the United States. I joke that if someone sneezes on the north end, we have a parade on the south end.

We’re also an old mining town. The whole town looks very Western when you drive through it. We still have the western storefronts and the wooden boardwalks. Any improvements that are done have to be done in a historical fashion. We’re very proud of our little historical town. In fact, the mantra is, “Come to Virginia City and come to the past.”

JAMES

Pipers Opera house is where you perform and that’s a historic site. Tell me a little bit about that.

JENNIFER

Piper’s Opera House was built in 1863. It burnt down in 1875 during the great fire that ravaged Virginia City. There have been a couple of fires that have threatened the town, but the 1875 fire was the major one. It destroyed 80 percent of the buildings in the town. The opera house was rebuilt in 1878 and it burned down again in 1883 and then was rebuilt in 1885.

Piper’s Opera House – Virginia City, Nevada – Photo Asa Gilmore

JAMES

I imagining you’ve had some interesting historical folks perform in Virginia City over the years.

JENNIFER

If a theatre company was touring the circuit which included San Francisco, Sacramento, and Carson City then Virginia City was one of the stops. Some of the big names that have been here include Mark Twain, Houdini, Lillie Langtry, and Maude Adams. All of the actors or actresses of that era would have stopped and performed on our stage.

JAMES

Well then, I have to ask. You’ve got an old opera house here, so…

JENNIFER

Is it haunted? (Laughs) I get that question every day. I have worked at the opera house for three years now and I’ve seen some weird things but everything I’ve seen could easily be explained logically. I used to tell people that if you want to see ghosts then you will probably see something.

The actors and the people that are backstage at the opera house and pouring their emotions into the stage and the show they’re doing I have found more susceptible to seeing things than I am. For example, I was walking a group of actors out at the end of their show last season, and I was locking up the building and it was dark and just as I was about to lock the door a little girl, I think she was four at the time, said, “Don’t lock the door, there is a guy trying to get out.”

And I looked at the door and there’s no one there so what do you say to a four-year-old? I said, “Well you need to tell that man to come back during operating hours.” And she looked at the door and then she looked away from the door and she said, “Oh, you can close it now. He already left.” I’m like, “Oh, okay, I’ll just close the door.”

We had a school tour that was going through the opera house about a month ago and one of the kids got a picture of an apparition up on the third floor. But that’s so random. In November, we had a paranormal group that went through the building and they tried for hours and they couldn’t get a whisper.

Built in 1885 and still in use, Piper’s Opera House stage once welcomed President Grant, Buffalo Bill, Al Jolson, Lotta Crabtree, Mark Twain, and more recently Hal Holbrook. Phot Courtesy of Visit Virginia City

JAMES

Did they have any kids with them?

JENNIFER

No, I don’t believe they had any children. They were all adults. But I tried to tell them that what I’ve found is that most people will experience activity when the opera house is full because there is life in the opera house and when everyone leaves and you turn off the lights it’s almost like blowing out a candle and the life of the opera house is put on hold until it’s full of people again.

JAMES

So, you’ve adjusted the play a little bit to reflect some of the historical figures in Virginia City. Tell me a little bit about who the Scrooge character is based on now.

JENNIFER

Last season we incorporated the notion of mining and saloon girls in our last show. And I thought that’s what made the show special. It was very centralized around Virginia City. And people have a connection with Virginia City. When people come into town, I can’t tell you how often I hear people say, “This town is so special. I feel a connection here. I can see why you love it. It’s like coming home.” And that’s the allure of our town. I don’t believe in reincarnation, but many people feel a very strong emotional connection to our town.

And so, we decided to continue bringing those elements into our productions to make them special to Virginia City and when I started thinking about the Scrooge character I started thinking about who would be a good Scrooge.

Scrooge is that character that really makes it all pivotal. At first, I thought, well, one of our big icons is William Mackey. He was one of the silver barons and I thought I should use Mackey because everyone knows his name. But historically speaking, Mackey was a philanthropist and he treated his workers better and he paid them more and he tried to take care of them and that didn’t really make him a good Scrooge character.

JAMES

I think that’s good of you to consider the real legacy of a person and not just use them because their name has recognition especially if they don’t fit.

JENNIFER

You’re right. It needed to mean something. So, I went online, and I put Virginia City into Wikipedia, and I just started looking for names. And finally, I found the name of William Sharon. Apparently, William Sharon owned the Bank of California branch in Virginia City.

And Adolph Sutro who was building this amazing tunnel system underneath all the mines so he could funnel out hot water to them always blamed the failure of his project on William Sharon because Sharon wouldn’t give him the loans he needed. When Sutro wrote about Sharon it was horrible. It was nasty. Apparently, Sharon gave out loans to miners and then upped the interest rates and then took their mines when they couldn’t pay back the loans. Sharon was an awful guy and that got my brain going.

And I started looking into Sharon and he had a partner in San Francisco named William Ralston. And he was the bank Manger in San Franciso and Sharon was the bank manager in Virginia City. And Ralston was not the best of guys. He did so much internal dealings with the bank that he threw himself into San Franciso Bay when he was found out. And I’m like wow that kind of fits you know. And so, Ralston became our Marley and Sharon became our Scrooge.

JAMES

You’re calling the play a Comstock Christmas Carol. Where does the word Comstock come from?

JENNIFER

It comes from Henry Comstock. Apparently, he was one of those slimy car dealership type of guys. When a mine was booming, he’d say he owned part of it and he should be getting some money for it. Because at the time they didn’t keep very good records of who owned what mines and he was able to finagle his way into owning parts of these mines even though he had never owned them or put any money into them. He actually died in obscurity but somehow his name, Comstock, stuck to that booming era of the 1860s to the 1880s. When you drive into Virginia City Comstock is everywhere.

JAMES

Tell me a little bit about the actor you’ve got playing Scrooge.

JENNIFER

Jerry Reyes is our Scrooge and has been on the stage before and he’s also been an extra in films including being one of Jack Sparrow’s crew in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. He moved back to Nevada and he wanted to start doing some live theater again. He’s very charismatic. He comes with all his own costumes and props, which is great and he’s excited to be up there and he’s doing a fantastic job.

Jerry Reyes as Scrooge in the Piper’s Players Production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens at the Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City, Nevada. Melody Hoover Photography.

JAMES

As the playwright, I’m curious about why you picked my particular play. There’s no shortage of adaptations.

JENNIFER

What I started looking for was Christmas Carol scripts and I found yours and I was looking through the pages and I really enjoyed how you adapted it. I liked how you brought the characters in and I just thought it was so classic and so memorable. And it brought in enough of Dickens but made it easy to understand. And that’s what I loved about your script. And that’s why I was so thankful you were willing to work with us and allow us to make it more local because it has been a blessing. This script is so easy. The scenes are short. The actors are really loving all the energy that you pulled in with your words. It’s just phenomenal.

JAMES

Thanks, I appreciate hearing that and I appreciate you sharing my adaptation with your audience. So, why do you think the story of Scrooge and his redemption is still so popular?

JENNIFER

Scrooge is so focused on his needs that he’s forgotten other people’s needs. And we do that in our everyday lives, whether it’s Christmas or whether it’s spring or whether it’s summer we sometimes get these blinders on and we forget about everyone else.

And I think as we watch the story we see ourselves in every character. We can be that selfish Scrooge sometimes in our lives. We can be the regretful Marley where we wish we could have said and done things differently. And we see ourselves in the love and hope of the Cratchits where you’re always hoping for the best regardless of what’s going on. And in my opinion, I think that’s what makes it special. We get to sit back and see ourselves in everything.

And Scourge is so dynamic he goes through so many changes that there’s always empathy for this character. He grovels and he’s a miser and then he’s scared and then he’s worried and then he’s sad and then he’s happy. I mean, how often do you see a character go through such a metamorphosis? And as we watch him go through it, we are also going through it. The audience gets to go through it with him especially when it’s a really good actor.

JAMES

Yes. And it sounds to me like you’ve got a really good actor playing Scrooge.

JENNIFER

I do. I’m very blessed with everyone. I’ve met friends in the theatre that started as acquaintances and turned into something special. And during the season, while we’re working on a play, it’s tough. The lines are tough, and the blocking is tough and learning all these things is tough, but there’s that moment of magic when you get on stage that makes the last three or four months you’ve been working on it mean something. And it makes it special. And it’s a joy to see them on stage. And the best part about theatre is sharing that joy with other people.




A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison at Johnson City Community Theatre Tennessee

Scrooge was in love – once long ago. This must be clearly understood or nothing wonderful can come of the tale you are about to hear.

That’s not exactly how A Christmas Carol begins. No, it begins with Marley was dead and looooong buried. Marley was Scrooge’s business partner and only friend in the world, but Scrooge had once been in love. That is true. He had loved Belle. They were engaged. His life could have been very different and that’s what makes Scrooge such a tragic and sympathetic character.

This Christmas, 176 years after the story was first published, the Johnson City Community Theatre is producing my big cast version of a Christmas Carol from Thursday, December 5th to Saturday, December 22nd. The production is being directed by Melanie Yodkins and stars Tom Sizemore as Ebenezer Scrooge. I connected with Melanie and Tom early in November to talk with them about the Johnson City Community Theatre and the production of the play.

JAMES HUTCHISON

Tell me a little bit about the Johnson City Community Theatre.

Director Melanie Yodkins

MELANIE YODKINS

Johnson City Community Theatre is the longest consecutively running community theatre in the entire state of Tennessee and next year will be our 108th season. The patrons have always kept it going. The people who love to perform. The people who love to be in the productions.

We have an archive going all the way back 108 years with photographs and production brochures and memorabilia. We’ve got folks who have been here forever. Generation after generation.

That’s really the joy of community theatre. Family is really the biggest piece. My husband Jason and my son Andrew are in the play. My son is a year old and cute as the dickens.

TOM SIZEMORE

No pun intended.

MELANIE

No pun intended. I literally only have them walking across the stage and they light the lamps in the street scenes. Andrew is definitely not old enough to handle much more than that. My husband and I actually met on that stage six years ago. We met and fell in love. We were doing a Christmas play, and we started dating on December 18th. We were married less than two years later. And just before our third wedding anniversary, Andrew was born and now he gets to perform on the same stage.

JAMES

But, isn’t that nice. We were talking about history and so when your son is twenty years old there will be a production photo of him and his dad in the play. So, what do you think theatre provides a community?

MELANIE

I think people crave story. I think they crave that connection with literature with the past with people with opposing viewpoints, and I think theatre allows those doors to just be blown wide open, to allow for people to see and to experience things that otherwise they would not.

Actor Tom Sizemore

TOM

And with the times we’re living in people can be transported to, in this case, Victorian England and so it’s a way for them to feel better and feel good about things that maybe in other areas or other walks of life they’re not feeling so good about. And I think it’s a wonderful way for children to develop self-esteem, self-image and confidence.

JAMES

How young were you when you got on the stage, Tom?

TOM

Well, I’ve been doing community theatre for about twenty years. But my parents always said that I was singing before I could talk. I’ve been singing my whole life and after college and having been in a few musical productions it just made sense for me to branch out and do some non-musicals as well.

JAMES

You’ve had a lot of vocal and musical training and I’m wondering when you’re doing a play like a Christmas Carol, which is not a musical, how does your vocal training impact your ability to portray a character?

TOM

Quite a bit, actually. There are moments in this play that are sublime – that really tug at the heartstrings – that are very tender – that are very touching. And so, from a vocal standpoint, and especially in a smaller, more intimate venue, which is what is here at the theatre in Johnson City I’m really trying to use different vocal techniques to bring out some tenderness – to bring out in this character, some vulnerability. Which I definitely think should be there. But at the same time when the spirits are aggravating me to death and wanting me to see things that I really don’t want to see and I don’t want to deal with – then my disapproval or my impatience with that whole situation comes out and I use a lot of vocal techniques to let them know that I’m not happy.

JAMES

So, Tom, you and Melanie are talking to me from a room in your home that is filled with Christmas Carol memorabilia. Clearly this story is a love and a passion for you.

TOM

It is. I told Melanie that this is a dream come true for me. I had played Marley in a previous production but to play the old miser is something I’ve always wanted to do. I grew up in the Washington DC area and it was a tradition for us to go to Ford’s Theatre, every Christmas and see their production of Christmas Carol. I’ve been fortunate because I’ve been able to meet Charles Dickens’ great-grandson and his great, great-grandson and to have been to Dickens’ home in London. When I was growing up the story was one that I just loved, and I’ve seen every version that I could find whether it was film or television or just in any media. And then I started collecting things that are related to that including a 1916 poster from a version of A Christmas Carol, and I actually have a silent movie and was produced by Thomas Edison.

JAMES

You’ve been prepping for this role for a long time.

TOM

I have.

The Ghost of Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge in the Johnson City Community Theatre Production of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison. Directed by Melanie Yodkins. Eric Donahue Photography

JAMES

Melanie, I’m curious to know what resonated with you about my particular adaptation?

MELANIE

I read over fifty scripts and when I was reading through your script what it provided that no other script did was the ability to add my own creative flair to the story. And you had already written in several things that I wanted to do. For example, the part where Christmas Future comes out of the box and wraps all of the chains around Scrooge and then Scrooge ends up in the box and I wanted to do that very same thing and it was already written in your script.

And I was reading it myself but I decided I needed more voices so I could just sit and listen to the voices telling the story so I could visualize it. So, I put together a table reading with some folks who I trusted and I just sat there and I listened. And it just resonated so deeply with me. And it was a no brainer. I was like, “This is the one I want. This is the one I want to do.”

JAMES

So, tell me a little bit then about some of the things you’re doing in terms of design elements for your vision of the story?

MELANIE

Andrew Whitman is our set designer. He’s actually one of my students from eons ago. He was in high school doing a summer arts program and I was one of the teachers running the program. And he has since graduated from college and worked at the Barter Theatre, the equity theatre up in Virginia. And so, I asked him to pitch me some ideas after reading the script himself. And one of the things that he brought up was that he wanted the desk to also be Scrooges bed and Scrooges tomb.

So, we’ve built this gargantuan desk. It’s big enough that Tom can fit on top of it. And Tom can also fit inside of it with another person. We really wanted to play on that concept that the desk represented Scrooges Empire. It really is his idol. It really is his life and then to have him buried in it or entombed in it we thought would be a really poignant way to drive home that little nugget. And then we also have it on a three-foot-high platform. So, I’ve got two staircases that kind of move around this platform so you can create different spaces based on where the stairs are so for example when they’re both in front of it that’s when it’s Scrooge and Marley’s. So, it’s this homage to the great and powerful desk and Scrooge.

JAMES

One of the most challenging parts for me to write was the scene where Belle leaves Scrooge. I rewrote that a number of times because I needed to make it very clear what was going on there. I love that the older Scrooge watching the scene tells his younger self to “Go after her you fool.” That’s a wonderful moment but we wouldn’t feel anything unless we had the earlier scenes where we see some real tenderness and love between them.

MELANIE

You have to feel something for Scrooge, or it wouldn’t matter. It’s not enough to know that he is who he is. You have to understand how he got to be the way he is. And you have to understand what he sacrificed to become that person without even realizing that he was sacrificing it.

You know, the first time the actors playing young Scrooge and Belle went through that scene their levels just kept going up and up and up until they were actually yelling at each other. And all of a sudden she says, “Are you not miserable?” And he just looks at her and there’s this dead silence there for a minute and you just sit there holding your breath. And, then she goes on to say, “I have no choice but to release you. And, I hope you’re happy in the life that you’ve chosen instead of a life with me and I will always mourn the life that we could have had.” And she leaves him standing there absolutely shredded.

JAMES

Tom, what are your thoughts about Scrooge’s journey to redemption?

TOM

By the end of the play he needs to show how deeply affected he is by what he has been shown, but he resists and fights it tooth and nail and he tries to make excuses. And one of the other ways I’ve looked at it is Scrooge is a businessman and being a businessman he’s smooth and persuasive and he’s used to getting his own way and when he doesn’t that’s not a feeling that he is very comfortable with. But I also think there is a humourous aspect to it as well. For instance, when the Ghost of Jacob Marley asks him, “Do you believe in me or not?” Melanie has blocked the scene so that Marley is only about an inch from my face. And then Scrooge says, “No, I do not.”

JAMES

Why do you think A Christmas Carol resonates today so many years after it was originally written?

MELANIE

I think there is a little bit of Scrooge in every single person. To the extent that we get wrapped up in me, me, me, my, my, my, this is my world, this is what I’m doing. These are my goals. This is my focus. And then all of a sudden, Christmas comes around and we’re like, oh, hey, we can give ten dollars to a charity or we can collect food for the food bank or we can give gifts to people that they’re going to love. But then you still have people who don’t even want to do that.

I love the fact that this truly is a story of redemption which makes a really beautiful connection to Christmas too. Because if we think about the biblical side of it Christmas represents the time of Christ’s birth and the beginning of redemption and you kind of have a really nice parallel with Scrooges own redemption and the redemption that we find in Christ, which is much of what literature of the time alluded to back when A Christmas Carol was written. People weren’t writing Bible stories, but they were utilizing the same moral concepts from Scripture and putting it into story form.

And so it touches people’s hearts in such a way that doesn’t make them feel like we’re shoving Jesus down their throat. We’re touching people’s hearts on a totally different level and reminding people about charity and compassion and those are the things that should really be our business in life. That’s why we’re here. We’re here for all of humanity. It’s all our responsibility. And all of those elements work together to create a reason why so many people love this story.

JAMES

Tom, how about you?

TOM

Tiny Tim and Ebenezer Scrooge in the Johnson City Community Theatre Production of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison. Directed by Melanie Yodkins. Eric Donahue Photography

If Scrooge can change, we all can change, but that process is not easy. And in Scrooge’s case I think there’s a reason Dickens wrote it as a ghost story. It’s significant to me that in order for this process to begin, Scrooge has to be scared to the point that his legs are shaking. He’s never experienced anything like this before in this life. So, in order for change to occur sometimes, we have to experience something that we would never expect or something out of this world has to happen in order for a person to change. And because of all of the relationships, the family bonds, the love of the Cratchits the story is timeless. We probably all have, truth be known, family members that we are reminded of from the story.

JAMES

Why should folks come out and see Johnson City theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol?

MELANIE

Because the artistic concept of how we’re presenting this play, while telling an absolutely fabulous story, isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen. It’s incredibly original. And we have incredible actors. After Tom auditioned, I needed to find a Marley that matched the epitome of the Scrooge that Tom brought to his audition. And the young man who is playing Marley, absolutely, bar none just blew me out of the water. It brings such a high calibre of performance quality to this production that people need to come and see the hard work, the dedication and the heart of storytelling that is found only on this stage this season.

TOM

I think it’s definitely an ensemble cast so that each person brings something to their role and their character. People will be talking about it and raving about it. And it goes without saying that I’m just honoured and privileged to be part of it.


Cast A Christmas Carol

Olivia Ares, Gavin Arsenault, Larry Bunton, Asher Church, Lorelai Church, Sam Church, Adam Derrick, Tony DeVault, Camden Downes, Hudson Downes, Cierra Fannon, Jada Greenlee, Shanna Greenlee, Danielle Hammonds, Andrew Headen, Jason Headen, Linden Hillhouse, E.C. Huff, Landon Kell, Audrey Kuykendall, Magee Little, Jamie Lombardi, Richard Lura, McKenna Marr, Tom Sizemore, Nathaniel Oaks, Evangeline Perreault, Matthew Pickle, Raelyn Price, Elizabeth Renfro, Saqqara Scott, Derek Smithpeters, Alice Tester, Lucy Tester, Daniel Tester


Links to Play Page where you can download four Christmas Play Scripts by Playwright James Hutchison for Free including the comedy What the Dickens, the romantic comedy Under the Mistletoe, and both a large cast version and small cast version of A Christmas Carol.


A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison at Wokingham Theatre England

“You may find me cold and unfeeling sir, but I would venture to say I am a man of my word; a man whose word carries weight; a man whose word allows him the ability to strike a deal and back it up with his signature. My signature is worth something. Yours it would appear – if you continue to treat your financial obligations and business dealings in this manner – will soon be worthless.”

Jerry Radburn as Scrooge in the Wokingham Theatre Production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison. Directed by David Stacey. Photograph Simon Vail Photography

These are the words of a man who hates Christmas! A man who hates anything that does not make him richer and so he hates Christmas most of all. These are the words of a man filled with pride who has forsaken humanity and measures his life in dollars or pounds sterling only. These are the words of Ebenezer Scrooge.

And this Christmas those words, which happen to be from my adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, are being brought to life in Wokingham England where Wokingham Theatre is producing my small cast version of the play from December 4th to 14th. The production is being directed by David Stacey who I connected with in early November to talk with him about Wokingham Theatre and his production of the play.

JAMES HUTCHISON

Tell me a little bit about Wokingham. The community and the theatre.

Director David Stacey

DAVID STACEY

It’s quite a traditional lovely old English town that has a good community atmosphere. The theatre group itself started back in the 1940s. And through community spirit and amateur theatre clubs it developed and sustained itself and in the 1980s they built a theatre. Unlike a lot of other theatre groups who have to either rent accommodation or share the space with other societies or groups Wokingham Theatre has its own space.

JAMES

Why do you think A Christmas Carol still resonates so many years after it was originally written?

DAVID

The Christmas that we know, certainly here in Britain, with the roast turkey or roast goose, the Victorian Christmas carols and all those kinds of traditions come from Dickens. Everybody, when they’re celebrating Christmas, encounters all of those as part of the Christmas season. So that’s partly it, but it’s also a lovely moral story that taps into what is important about Christmas. And that’s not necessarily anything to do with religion, even though it’s obviously a religious feast, but for those that aren’t religious they can still tap into the spirit of the story and what Christmas means. And everybody knows the story and they like to listen to it, again and again, year after year, and it has a happy ending which audiences love.

Vicky Lawford as Mrs. Dilber and Jerry Radburn as Scrooge in the Wokingham Theatre Production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison and directed by David Stacey. Photograph Simon Vail Photography

JAMES

What are some of the unique things that you’re bringing to your production?

DAVID

When the spirits arrive there will be some video projection onto the stage to add special effects. And we’ve got music that has been written for the show. It’s not a musical or anything but rather than just taking pre-recorded Christmas carols or Christmas music, which everyone will have heard before, we’re composing music. I also wanted to keep it traditional. So, we’re still using the Victorian setting and we still have the Victorian imagery and everything, but we’re doing things slightly different with how the spirits look and how that’s played.

So, for example, the second spirit rather than dressed exactly in the costume, as described in the book, our second spirit is going to be on stilts. So, he’s quite the giant but a bit more like a circus or Willy Wonka type of character rather than a Santa Claus character in the big beard and costume. And the third spirit is traditionally done as a grim reaper, so I wanted to do something different with that. He’s quite creepy. You look at his face that has a mask on and a black suit and he has these long fingers. And we have an interactive set that moves and hopefully the audience will be magically surprised by that.

JAMES

What do you like about directing?

DAVID

It’s the creativity. I do acting as well as directing. And when I act in something I tend to miss the directing and when I direct something I tend to miss the acting. But I really like directing and trying to get my vision of the story out and seeing it created. Whether that’s doing a small black box studio theatre show or something larger on the stage in Wokingham with more people involved. It’s about bringing the magic of the story to the audience. And I will read the script and think this is my vision of it. And I want to then be able to turn that into a reality and that’s why I really enjoy reading play scripts, rather than novels. Because the play script is written for somebody else to take and to visualize it and to physically produce it and turn it into something for people to watch. And I find that really exciting, rather than books which stay in your head, you’re not expected to physically recreate the physicality of it. And I like that the audience is watching it from the front, and then from behind you have all of these sets that are actually all fake. And it’s all people in makeup and costumes that are taking on a character and I really, really like that.

JAMES

One of the things I tried to do in my adaptation was have Scrooge interact more with the spirits or speaking to the people that are memories and making him more resistant to changing by having him argue more with the spirits than what’s in the book. Scrooge has to take the whole night to change and that’s a process and a journey and I wonder if you’ve found that playing well and just how the actors are using it.

DAVID

That’s one of the things that attracted me to this particular script. And also because you introduced the device of the letters. The letters allow Scrooge to have more regret at the end. In the original book he wakes up the next morning and is going to change but there needs to be some sort of regret as well because he’s lost out on marrying his childhood sweetheart because he didn’t behave very well. And that’s life. You can’t go through life behaving badly and then decided to change your mind and get everything back that you’ve missed out on. The letters are a lovely, lovely device to really emphasize that and as you say the talking to the spirits is good fun. He’s particularly argumentative with the first spirit and we’re having the first spirit be quite argumentative back. She’s not playing it all nice. Because even though it’s not a complete nightmare, it isn’t a pleasant dream he’s having in any way.

JAMES

Well as a playwright I’m not set in you having to produce the play as I’ve described it. Generally when I write I try to minimize the amount of character description and character action I put in my scripts because I believe those things are going to be discovered by how you design the set, by the actors you cast, by how you want to stage the play, by the size of your stage, all of these things that I can’t anticipate. So, it’s absolutely wonderful and so fascinating to see the different takes on telling the story that all come from the same script.

DAVID

And because our audience is an adult audience we’re not trying to do anything that’s too saccharine or anything like that. It’s not really targeted to a child or family audience so we can have some bits that are maybe a little bit more unpleasant or you don’t have to worry about scaring kids or getting them upset.

And so one of the other things I’ve introduced for when Scrooge travels with the spirits is to make the journey quite unpleasant. Particularly with the first spirit. When she says, “I will take you or let’s go and see somebody else or the Fezziwigs – that kind of stuff – she grabs hold of Scrooge and it’s almost as if he’s being electrocuted. So, there’s going to be lots of special effects of electricity and sparks and things like that. And it’s painful for him. And then with the second spirit, it’s a bit more wonderous and swirly and everything is going to get spun around and he’s going to get physically thrown around as if he’s on a sort of like a roller coaster. I didn’t want it to be where they all just float off into the sky like Peter Pan and drift around pleasantly, because then I’m not convinced that Scrooge has changed. Or why would he change if it’s all been a nice dream? No, it’s because he’s been taught a lesson in a painful way and I think the script allows for that.

JAMES

I think you found my big cast version of the script first and then I sent you my smaller cast version for you to read. That version has one actor play Scrooge and then the other actors play multiple roles. How is that working for you in terms of staging the play and telling the story

DAVID

Wokingham Theatre is a relatively large group, but we certainly couldn’t have cast a thirty strong production. So, I really liked how you reduced it down and have the multi rolling and have it as an ensemble piece. And, that’s the main reason I went with the smaller cast version although we didn’t go strictly with the casting as you have it in your script. But I like the idea of the actors taking on more than one role because it gives them more to do and they do enjoy that in my experience, and it gives them a bit more stage time.

Peter Pearson as Jacob Marley and Jerry Radburn as Scrooge in the Wokingham Theatre Production of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison and directed by David Stacey. Photograph by Simon Vail Photography.

JAMES

Tell me a little bit about the cast.

DAVID

Jerry Radburn who is playing Scrooge and has been acting at Wokingham Theatre and at various other theatres for a very long time is someone I know very well. I’ve been in lots of plays with him but I haven’t directed him before. Most of the cast I know and I’ve worked with in various guises either being in plays with several of them or directed them in other shows but there’s one or two that I’d never met before who turned up because we have open auditions. And so, it’s really, really nice when we get new people coming along. And as part of this season I had a policy that I sent to all of my directors that you needed to cast at least one new person for each show if they’re suitable for a particular role just to expand the diversity of the group. And we have a youth theatre group, as part of Wokingham Theater, which runs classes and so we often tap into that to find keen youngsters who want to take parts and be in our main season shows. And so that’s kind of good fun to work with the youth cast as well. The key thing is that everybody’s doing it because they love it. Everyone has fun and that’s the main priority.


A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and adapted for the stage by James Hutchison runs from December 4th to December 14th at Wokingham Theatre. The production stars Jerry Radburn as Scrooge and is directed by David Stacey. To find out more about Wokingham Theatre and their upcoming season visit the Wokingham Theatre Website.

Wokingham Theatre A Christmas Carol – Cast & Crew

Jerry Radburn – Scrooge
Matthew Lugg – Fred
Claire Bray – Bob Cratchit, Scrooge as a young man
Peter Pearson – Mr. Bentley, Jacob Marley, Thomas
Chris Westgate – Mr. Granger, Second Spirit, Mr. Fezziwig
Gary Smith – Mr. Harrington, Old Joe
Vicky Lawford – Mrs. Dilber, Mrs. Fezziwig, Mrs. Cratchit
Becca Tizzard – First Spirit, Martha Cratchit. Rose
Louise Punter – Cook
Sophie Marsden – Belle, Emma, Caroline
Andi Lee – Granny Cratchit

Youth Cast:
Oliver Lees, Nicholas Zezula, Amber Pearce, Annabel Brittain, Jonathan Willis, Joseph Rea

Director – David Stacey
Assistant Director – Heather Maceachern
Production Manager – Claire Lawrence
Stage Manager – Mike Rogers
Costume – Rosemary Matthews & Sue deQuidt
Props/models – Claire Willis
Lights – Nick Gill & Richard Field
Sound – John Gold
Original Music – Charlie Lester
Choreography – Lesley Richards
Set Design – Henry Ball


Links to Play Page where you can download four Christmas Play Scripts by Playwright James Hutchison for Free including the comedy What the Dickens, the romantic comedy Under the Mistletoe, and both a large cast version and small cast version of A Christmas Carol.


A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison premieres at the Carriage House Theatre

I get a very special gift this year because A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres at the Carriage House Theatre in Cardston Alberta this December. Santa certainly outdid himself this year and so here’s an interview with some of the wonderful people bringing my adaptation of the famous story to life.

“But Uncle I have always thought of Christmas time as a kind, forgiving, charitable time. It is the one time of the year when men and women open their hearts and think of all people as fellow passengers to the grave, and not as another race of creatures bound on different journeys. And therefore, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

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And so do I! That’s Fred talking to his Uncle Scrooge about why he values Christmas so much. Christmas continues to be a time of celebration, reconciliation and compassion. There are so many wonderful and inspiring stories to enjoy this time of year. It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart and Lionel Barrymore is one of my all-time favourites. And I never miss a chance to catch The Bishop’s Wife starring Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young. And of course, no Christmas would be complete without a telling of Charles Dicken’s classic tale A Christmas Carol.

When I sat down seven years ago, this very Christmas, to write my own adaption of A Christmas Carol, I discovered that I didn’t really have anything new to bring to the story, so I decided to write another play instead called What the Dickens!

What the Dickens! is a play in the tradition of Noises Off by Michael Frayn or Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig. It’s basically a play within a play and in this case it’s about the Pine Tree Player’s disastrous production of A Christmas Carol.

But as a result of working on that play I had spent a lot of time with the text of A Christmas Carol and I gained a lot of fresh insights into the story and so once I had finished What the Dickens! I was finally ready to begin writing my own adaption of the original story.

 Peter Hauge who plays Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres
Peter Hague as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol Photograph by Kelsey Pankhurst

One of the things I wanted to do in my version of A Christmas Carol was show how Scrooge was shaped into the man he became. We all live in societies and all societies influence and shape the values and opinions of its members. So, I’ve expanded the role of Jacob Marley, which was Scrooge’s business partner and mentor, and I’ve added another business associate of Scrooge’s named Mr. Bentley in order to illustrate how Scrooge was shaped into the man he became and not alone in his disdain for Christmas.

As Fred, Scrooge’s nephew says, “There are those who see Christmas as a waste of time and energy and my Uncle Scrooge was not only a member of that tribe but in all likelihood their loudest cheerleader and most ardent supporter. He hated Christmas. He hated anything that did not make him richer and so he hated Christmas most of all.”

The production is being directed by Juliann Sommerfeltd who says that A Christmas Carol is a story about hope. “We all have Scrooge-like moments and so that makes him a relatable character whom we pity. His overnight transformation gives us hope that we can alter our own bad habits.”

“The reason I love the story so much and keep coming back to it is because I love the opportunity it shows that people have a second chance. There’s so much depression in the world that being able to realize that there is another day and that you can write on a brand-new page tomorrow and that no matter where you’ve been you can turn things around and start over is an important message.”

“Also, watching Fred’s kindness to his mean Uncle inspires hope that our own kindness can ignite change in the ones we love the most. All that, and a Christmas story as well.”

Over the year’s Scrooge has been played by an assortment of actors including Alistair Sim, George C. Scott and now here in Cardston by Peter Hague. Juliann says she chose Peter because “He has the ability to give Scrooge the edge he needs at the beginning of the play and then end the play with the audience smiling at Scrooge’s bouncing enthusiasm over his changed ways. He goes from bear to teddy bear and you just want to hug this teddy bear of a man.”

Peter says that “There’s some Scrooge in all of us and that’s why this time-honoured character is so compelling. Wealth is very important to Scrooge because he feels it brings him respect and power in his community.”

As Scrooge says to Mr. Harrington who has come to Scrooge’s office on Christmas eve asking for an extension on his loan, “You may find me cold and unfeeling sir, but I would venture to say I am a man of my word; a man whose word carries weight; a man whose word allows him the ability to strike a deal and back it up with his signature. My signature is worth something. Yours it would appear – if you continue to treat your financial obligations and business dealings in this manner – will soon be worthless.”

“Many people in this world, like Scrooge, are too self-absorbed to feel sympathy for others because they evaluate life as the world affects them instead of how they might affect the world.” says Peter. “It’s not until Scrooge sees life from the perspective of others that he has an epiphany that makes him feel that he has missed the mark. The “mark” being people, love and the relationships built in life. As audiences watch the show I hope they will consider what might be amiss in their lives and make changes that will make their lives and the lives of their fellow men more fulfilling.”

“The Carriage House Theatre,” according to Alonna Leavitt, Managing Director of the Carriage House Theatre Foundation, “is an integral part of the Cardston Community.”

Production still - A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison premieres
Michael Holthe as Dick Wilkens and Cassidy Duce as Belle in A Christmas Carol – Photograph by Kelsey Pankhurst

“For some people, it’s the place they go to see their children and grandchildren perform in the school choir concert. For some, the Carriage House Theatre is the place they take their family to attend a movie. And then many people look forward to seeing the next live theater production – whether it’s a Summer Theatre show, a Junior High production or a Community Theatre production. And for many people, the theatre becomes an extension of their home where they feel safe. They involve themselves on the stage or behind the scenes in a production role and feel satisfaction and joy from that experience.”

“When a production such as A Christmas Carol is presented – where the cast and crew are all members of the community, the community spirit and enthusiasm is exciting. The Carriage House Theatre is a happening place for a small community like Cardston. We are so fortunate and feel so blessed to have this facility in our town.”

Dr. Robert Russell says the The Carriage House Theatre is the result of a dream that started thirty years ago when he along with two other business partners bought the local Cardston movie theatre, The Mayfair, in 1990. The Mayfair was completely gutted and renovated and reopened in 1992 as a 333 seat live theatre and movie venue. Dr. Russell’s two partners dropped out early and he’s had the whole thing for the last twenty-eight years. “The theatre is here to serve people and to educate, enrich and enjoy. And when we talk about educate we’re not just talking about the mechanics of theatre production but to educate people to think and think seriously about what they’re seeing.”

A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres

“In A Christmas Carol you have Scrooge who has wealth and materialism but no spirit. And if I can – with my limited means – present a story about change and the transition to a more Christ like type of attitude maybe people will leave the theatre with some idea of incorporating away from materialism and money, in their own lives, which are the two main things that drive a secular society. That’s what A Christmas Carol is – Scrooge becomes a Christian. He transitions from a miserly old unhappy man and finds joy by extending himself and his resources to other people – which is the very premise of Christianity. To me that’s the biggest thing. My whole premise in my life has been service to other people. I was a physician and my whole attitude of being a physician was to serve my fellow man with skill and expertise to make their lives longer and better.”

Scrooge echos Dr. Russell’s premise when he says, to his nephew Fred, at the end of the play, “You’re right. Christmas is a kind, forgiving, and charitable time. A time when men and women open their hearts and think of their fellow man. A time for mercy, charity, and benevolence. And so, in the memory of your dear mother, I will honour Christmas and keep it all the year – and I say along with you, God bless it!”

And so, this Christmas, might I suggest, you gather up the family and friends and head on over to the Carriage House Theatre and catch this fresh, fun and lively adaptation of A Christmas Carol where you’ll meet Mr. Bentley, learn all about the letters Scrooge wrote to his sister Fan, and find out who Mr. Newbury is. You’ll still find all the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future along with Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Old Fezziwig, Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and the love of Scrooge’s life, Belle. There are some new scary bits, a few good laughs, a tender moment or two and some surprises! It’s a fresh take on an old tale sure to thrill young and old alike.

The entire cast of A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison Premieres
Cast & Crew of The Carriage House Theatre Production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted for the stage by James Hutchison – Photograph by Kelsey Pankhurst

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY JAMES HUTCHISON PREMIERES

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Peter Hague as Ebenezer Scrooge
Rob Crawford as Mr. Bentley
Mike Morphis as Bob Cratchit
Grant Comin as Fred
Blake Bevans as Mr. Granger and the Headmaster
Ben DeVuyst as Mr. Harrington and a Business Man
Levi Mason as Mr. Murdock and Old Fezziwig
Luke Credd as a Poor Boy and Cousin Herb
Sawyer Pawlenchuk as Mr. Newbury, Topper and Thomas
Esther Leighton as Mrs. Dilber
Darren Cahoom as Ghost of Jacob Marley
Candace Perry as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Rose and Caroline
Max Bevans as Scrooge as a young boy and Belle & Dick’s Child
Brad Peterson as Scrooge as a young man
Ellandra Leighton as Fan and Fezziwig’s Child
Jennica Williams as Mrs Fezziwig
Madisyn Bevans as Fezziwig Child and Caroler
Emma Schneider as Fezziwig Children and  Belle and Dick’s Child
Mike Devuyst as Jacob Marley and Old Joe
Cassidy Duce as Belle
Michael Holthe as Dick Wilkens and a Business Man
Jack Crawford as Belle and Dick’s Child, Ignorance and a Boy on the Street
Emma Quinton as Belle and Dick’s Child and Want
Emma Bevans as Belle and Dick’s Child
Asa Verdon as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Spirit
Marie Morphis as Mrs Cratchit
Isaac Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Alexi Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Josh Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Julie Anne Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Adam Morphis as Cratchit child and Fezziwig Orchestra
Nathan Morphis as Tiny Tim
Ashtyn Lybbert as Emma
Dominic Caravaggio as the Ghost of Christmas Future
Anica Baff as a Business Woman
Daniel Atwood as a Spirit
Synevie Wilde as a Spirit
Shelby Robson as a Spirit
Capri Powlesland as a Spirit
Vicky Powlesland as a Caroler
Mika McCarty as a Caroler
Brianne Watson as a Caroler
Savannah Hunter as a Caroler

PRODUCTION STAFF

Producer – Alonna Leavitt
Director – Juliann Sommerfeldt
Musical Director – Alonna Leavitt
Stage Managers – Samantha Atwood & Eden Atwood
Lighting Design – Jim Fletcher
Costumes – Val Jensen & Alonna Leavitt
Costume Construction – Doreen Card, Marina Leavitt, Sheila Hague, Janet Crapo, Darren Cahoon
Set Construction – Don Pierson
Set Painting – Janet Mein, Esther Leighton, Josh Creason, Paige DeVuyst, Levi Mason, Anica Baff
Box Office – Norma Reeves
Lighting Technician – Evy Schnoor
Make-up & Hair Design – Dalys Fletcher
Make-up & Hair Assistants – Kim Schneider, Tonnia Watson, Lacey Quinton, Teagan Perry, Ivy Schnoor, Katia Van Dysse, Beth Holthe, Krystin Bevans, Emma DeVuyst
House Manager – Debbie Fletcher

The Carriage House Theatre: The Carriage House Theatre has been providing the town of Cardston and Southern Alberta with live family-oriented entertainment for more than twenty-five years. The Theatre produces a regular season of plays as well as its popular summer musical festival while providing opportunities for talented local youth to participate in live theatre productions.

The Alberta Playwrights Network:  The Alberta Playwrights’ Network exists to nurture Alberta playwrights and provide support for the development of their plays. APN promotes Alberta playwrights and plays to the theatre community, while building and fostering a network of playwrights through education, advocacy and outreach. A Christmas Carol was partly developed and workshopped through the Alberta Playwrights Network Wordshed Program in 2015 with the participation of Trevor Rueger, Laura Parken, Roberta Mauer-Phillips and Julie Orton.

  • Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
  • Background information for this post included the article, Yesterday Once More, by James Frey in the summer 2005 edition of Lethbridge Living magazine.

Link to A Christmas Carol by James Hutchison

Link to What the Dickens by James Hutchison