Local Kids Star in “A Christmas Carol” at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
Who: The Utah Shakespeare Festival Playmakers
Over 50 local children
What: “Charles' Dickens' A Christmas Carol”
When: Dec. 16-17 at 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 18 at 2 p.m.
Where: Randall L. Jones Theatre, 300 West Center Street, Cedar City, Utah 84720
Tickets: $5 for adults and $3 for children. Call 1-800-PLAYTIX
Cedar City, UT—Join the Utah Shakespeare Festival this holiday season for the third annual Playmakers production of “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.” This unique children’s theatre production will feature over 50 local children. Performances will take place in the Randall L. Jones Theatre on Dec. 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Dec. 18. Tickets are $3 for children and $5 for adults, and are available now at 1-800-PLAYTIX. Tickets will also be available at the door.
“The best way to capture the spirit of Christmas through Dickens’ classic ghost story is by seeing it enthusiastically presented by stellar child performers,” said Michael Bahr, Festival education director.
The cast features 29 child actors, 12 children in the chorus, and 14 children in the orchestra. The participants are members of the Festival Playmakers education program and range in ages from seven to seventeen.
This production is a more traditional approach to Dickens beloved story. Audiences will have the opportunity to see an original script created by Miranda Giles, Festival education outreach coordinator. Unlike many stage versions of “A Christmas Carol,” the Playmakers production uses the actual words of Charles Dickens taken directly from his beloved book. The production will also feature traditional Dickens’ era Christmas carols.
"This year’s cast is more excited than ever to tell this magical story,” said Giles. “It is amazing to watch them connect with it so clearly in rehearsal.”
The Festival education department is hoping that this will be an educational and fun experience for the entire community. Giles will visit 30 Iron County classrooms to prepare more than 2,000 students to attend student matinees and the evening performances with their families.
Bahr believes that the important messages of Christmas magic and redemption that are found in Dickens’ famous story become even more poignant when told by children.
“Children can completely connect to their characters because of their energetic honesty,” said Bahr. “I believe this creates a more compelling evening of theatre for audience members.”
Media Contact: Amanda Caraway, 435-586-1969, Caraway@bard.org
For more information and photos visit: http://www.bard.org/news/index.html. Username: press, password: usf2006.
###
Harvey Beacham as Tiny Tim in the 2009 Festival Playmakers' production of "Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment