10/15/18
Maxwell Snyder is our 2018-19 Marketing Intern. This week, he sat in on the first read-through of A Christmas Carol.
On Tuesday, October 9, we began rehearsals for our 41st annual production of A Christmas Carol. The past 40 years have been met with so much love and support, and we hope to return that love in this upcoming production. With director Mark Valdez at the helm, we are already deep into the Christmas spirit.
Like any room full of new faces, we were introduced to the excited cast, designers, donors, community partners, staff, and this year’s special guests; choir leaders. For every public performance of this year’s A Christmas Carol, there will be a new choir from the community performing alongside our cast. We currently have over 50 choirs booked for the run and are excited to be working with every single one!
Before the reading began, Mark gave us a few words to think about during the read-through: “Are people capable of change? How do we go about instilling that change?” It is so easy to get bogged down by the chaos happening around us that we can become like Scrooge – without a care in the world for those around us. But Mark wanted to make sure that we can put our own tribulations aside and take the time to care about others in order to get into the Christmas spirit.
Once the reading started, everyone in the room was enraptured by the story. A tale we’ve heard over and over again was able to feel new and exciting with this stellar cast. Stephen Thorne began the reading with a “Bah, Humbug!” and we were underway, watching the progression of change for this truly empathetic character of Ebenezer Scrooge. Daniel Duque-Estrada and Fred Sullivan Jr. lit up the room with laughter when they starting speaking as Bob Cratchit and the Ghost of Christmas Present, respectively. Everyone was filled with merriment and cheer by the end of the reading as Tiny Tim proclaimed, “God bless us, every one!”
With a happy heart, we were able to look over the costume and set design. The costumes, designed by Gary Lennon, are vibrant and exciting. The Ghost of Christmas Present is especially bright and fun, which will absolutely match the jolly energy of Fred Sullivan Jr. Michael McGarty’s set design is as spectacular as always, with various levels and a lot of playing space for the actors to move around.
Between choirs, designers, actors, and our fabulous director, our 41st annual production of A Christmas Carol is gearing up to be a dazzling production. A Christmas Carol starts previews November 8 and is sure to be a thrilling and light-hearted way to get into the Christmas spirit. You will not want to miss this exuberant bundle of laughs, running until December 30! Get your tickets today, before they sell out!