2018 A Christmas Carol - Play Guide by Theatre Calgary

A Christmas Carol 2018-19 Season

About this Play Guide

Contents The Basics

Theatre Calgaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Play Guides and Interactive Learning Programs are made possible by the support of our sponsors:

Cast & Creative Team

Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Who? Setting and Story Explorations

The Gift of a Little Christmas Book

The Play Guide for A Christmas Carol was created by

Jamie Tymchuk Learning & Engagement Associate

Meet the Artist: Stephen Hair

25 Years of Scrooge

Jenna Turk Artistic Associate

With additional material by Shari Wattling, Zachary Moull & Dom Saliani

Connect with Us Theatre Calgary

Questions? Email jtymchuk@theatrecalgary.com

Mindfullness & A Loving-Kindness Excersize at the Theatre

Terms to Know

Insert Title Here: An Interview with Alex Cherovsky

The Spirit of Giving

@theatrecalgary

Conversations

@theatrecalgary

This production is made possible by the generous support of the Cal Wenzel Family Foundation This play guide is designed to enhance your experience and delve deeper into A Christmas Carol. If you wish to avoid potential spoilers, we recommend enjoying this guide after seeing the production.

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A Christmas Carol: By the Numbers

Conversation Starters

A Christmas Carol Movie Night

Further Reading

Sources

Front Cover Illustration: Andrea Ucini

The Basics

Cast & Creative Team By Charles Dickens

Adapted by Dennis Garnhum

Directed by Simon Mallett

Original Direction by Dennis Garnhum

Ebenezer Scrooge Stephen Hair

Young Ebenezer Elijah Dela Rosa

Boy Ebenezer Tyler Bidyk

Topper Daniel Fong

Ebenezer, Spirit of Christmas Future Devon Brayne

Fred Braden Griffiths

Dick Wilkins, Solicitor, Businessman Alex Cherovsky Tiny Tim Olivia Collier

Abigail Josie Jones Martha Cratchit Marina Kadri Jacob Marley, Businessman Robert Klein

Mrs. Cratchit, Dance & Fight Captain Jamie Konchak Spirit of Christmas Past, Music & Vocal Director Allison Lynch Voice of Charles Dickens Christopher Newton Mr. Fezziwig, Businessman Declan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly Belle, Solicitor Heather Pattengale Spirit of Christmas Present Graham Percy

Mrs. Dilber Anna Cummer

Set & Costume Design Patrick Clark

Production Dramaturg Shari Wattling

Lighting Design Kevin Lamotte

Fight Director Karl H. Sine

Composer Jeremy Spencer

Choreographer Anita Miotti

Skating Choreographers Andrea St. Cyr Monique Wasmann Voice & Dialect Coach Jane MacFarlane Stage Manager Patti Neice

Sound Design Chris Jacko

Head of Lighting Catharine Crumb

Head Stage Carpenter Scott Morris

Head of Sound Bronwyn Bowlby

Head Dresser Rachel Michelle Sheridan

RF Technician Chris Jacko

Stage Hands Mike Booth Tess Cowie Andrew Kerr

Belinda Cratchit Lauren Racz Fan Julianne Smith Mrs. Fezziwig, Laundress Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan Peter Cratchit Evan Andersen Sterns Bob Cratchit Mike Tan Hope Siena Yee

Assistant Stage Manager Ruby Dawn Eustaquio Assistant Stage Manager Ashley Rees Young Company Chaperone Carissa Sams

Ebenezer Scrooge understudy Haysam Kadri

Dresser Mollie Eliza Robertson

Head of Wigs Brenda Boutet

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for a home - Edith Sitwell

The Basics

Setting A Christmas Carol takes place in London, England, on Christmas Eve, 1843.

Who’s Who

Synopsis The play begins with a memory – the funeral of Jacob Marley, where his partner Ebenezer Scrooge is the only mourner.

Scrooge and his Household Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly man Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge’s maid The Laundress

Seven years later, on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is working in his office with his clerk Bob Cratchit when two solicitors arrive asking for a donation to help the poor and needy. Scrooge flatly refuses. He also declines an invitation to celebrate the season with his nephew Fred. He does reluctantly agree to let Cratchit spend Christmas Day with his family, as long as he comes in early the next day.

Fred’s Family and Friends Fred, Scrooge’s nephew Abigail, Fred’s wife Topper, Fred’s friend, who owes money to Scrooge

At home that evening, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley. The ghost informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits who will help him to avoid the terrible fate that Marley is suffering – wandering the earth bound by the “chains he forged in life.”

People from Scrooge’s Past Fan, Scrooge’s sister The Schoolmaster Young Marley, Jacob Marley as a young man Belle, Scrooge’s sweetheart Mr. Fezziwig, a kind-hearted spirits merchant Mrs. Fezziwig, his wife Dick Wilkins, Scrooge’s fellow clerk at Fezziwigs

The first spirit to appear, the Spirit of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge on a journey to see the places and people of his youth. Scrooge is reminded of the deep affection he felt for his sister Fan, the late mother of Fred. He visits his old employer Mr. Fezziwig and remembers the joy and happiness that the Fezziwigs spread at Christmas time. He also sees his former sweetheart, Belle, who broke up with him because of his singleminded pursuit of wealth.

The Cratchits Bob Cratchit, Ebenezer’s clerk Mrs. Cratchit, his wife Their children: Peter, Martha, Belinda, and Tiny Tim Townspeople Carollers, solicitors, street vendors, businessmen, etc. Ghosts and Spirits Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s late business partner Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future Ignorance and Want

Next, the Spirit of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to see the celebrations happening all around him. They first visit the Cratchit home, where Scrooge learns that his clerk has a very sick son, Tiny Tim. Then Scrooge sees Fred, his wife Abigail, and their friends skating on a frozen river. As they play a guessing game, Scrooge learns what they really think of him. The Spirit of Christmas Future completes Scrooge’s education, showing him three businessmen callously discussing the recent death of an unnamed associate. Then, Scrooge sees his servants selling the belongings of someone who has recently died. Finally, Scrooge is transported to a graveyard, where he watches the Cratchit family mourning the death of Tiny Tim. The Spirit points to another tombstone. Scrooge approaches and discovers the grave bears his own name. Scrooge begs for the Spirit’s pity, and promises to keep the spirit of Christmas in his heart all the year. Scrooge wakes up in his bedroom on Christmas Day. Full of joy, he has a turkey delivered to the Cratchits for their dinner, and when he sees the family in the town square, he gives Cratchit a raise and tells him to take the next day off as well. Then he meets the two solicitors who had appeared in his office the previous day and apologizes for his behaviour by making a sizable donation to their cause. And lastly, finds Fred skating on the river and happily accepts his nephew’s earlier invitation to Christmas dinner.

Explorations

The Gift of “A Little Christmas Book” Charles Dickens was one of the first literary stars to stake out a role as a public intellectual, seeking to shape Britain’s national conversation on social issues through his writings and speeches. “I have a great faith in the poor,” he once wrote. “I always endeavour to present them in a favourable light to the rich.” Born in 1812, Dickens grew up in poverty himself. As a child, he worked long hours in a London boot-blacking (shoe polish) factory starting at the age of twelve, when his father was sent to debtor’s prison. He rose to prominence as an author in the late 1830s, with his early novels often exploring Britain’s treatment of its struggling underclass. Oliver Twist (1838), for example, condemns the brutality of the Poor Law and its workhouses, where the destitute were forced into prisonlike conditions, and paints a sympathetic picture of the poor and their children. The autumn of 1843 was not a time of great cheer for Dickens. Already demoralized by a visit to one of London’s poorest schools, he travelled to Manchester in October to speak at a fundraiser for the Athenaeum, an institution that provided education and recreation for the city’s enormous working class. The Athenaeum was in financial trouble after the economic recession of 1840–42, which had hit Manchester, a sprawling young city driven by the new factories of the Industrial Revolution, particularly hard. In the early 1840s, more than half of the children born in Manchester died before the age of five, and thousands of unemployed workers

relied on the charity of soup kitchens every day. There was little room for Christmas in the industrial city, where factories ran round-the-clock on Christmas Day. But while walking the streets after his rousing speech, buoyed perhaps by the “bright eyes and beaming faces” of the working poor who had applauded his words, Dickens hit upon the idea for A Christmas Carol.

“He had fostered more kindly feelings and prompted more positive acts of beneficence.” On his return to London, Dickens threw himself headlong into the new project. He was so eager to finish the book in time for Christmas that he postponed meetings for several weeks, sending his regrets to his lawyer, for example, by explaining that he was “in the middle of a roaring Christmas scene.” Working from morning to evening, Dickens kept up his habit of walking the streets at night for inspiration. In a letter to a friend in Boston, he wrote that while he “walked about the black streets of London, fifteen and twenty miles many a night when all the sober folks had gone to bed,” he had “wept and laughed and wept again,

Charles Dickens in his study

Continued from previous page and excited himself in a most extraordinary manner in the composition” of what he affectionately called “my little Christmas book.” When his publisher expressed doubts about the book, Dickens put his own finances on the line by proceeding with A Christmas Carol on a commission basis. Fortunately, this allowed him to control the book’s design. He contracted the artist John Leech to make illustrations and woodcuts, chose a festive red and gold cover, and set the price at a relatively affordable five shillings (a novel would sell for around 30 shillings at the time). Dickens’ hard work meant that A Christmas Carol was ready just in time for Christmas. Six thousand copies were published on December 19, 1843 – and every single one had been sold by Christmas Day. Newspaper reviews praised the book’s Yuletide message of generosity and goodwill, as well as the power and economy of the tale. “Who can listen to objections regarding such a book as this?” wrote William Makepeace Thackeray, a fellow novelist and one of Dickens’ foremost rivals. “It seems to me a national benefit, and to every man and woman who reads it, a personal kindness.” Indeed, the nation’s response to the book was almost universally warm, with Dickens receiving scores of letters from readers who wanted to thank him for brightening their holiday season. One letter, from a prominent Scottish judge, told Dickens that he had “fostered more kindly feelings and prompted more positive acts of beneficence” with his one small book than had all the sermons and publications of the previous year’s Christmas, combined. As for Dickens himself, he was so cheered that, at a Christmas party soon after Carol’s publication, he spent a full hour performing magic tricks for children – he reportedly made plum pudding appear from a top hat – and then danced late into the night. -Jenna Turk

A Christmas Carol. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

Explorations

Meet the Artist: Stephen Hair Undeniably loved and known as Calgary’s Scrooge, actor Stephen Hair has been playing Ebenezer for the last 25 years at Theatre Calgary. Artistic Associate Jenna Turk sat down with him to discuss his vast experience in the role and as the face of A Christmas Carol. What does Ebenezer mean to you? SH: Well, it means Christmas. Not just to me, but to so many people who come and see us year after year and for people who come for the first time. And, you know I was in it for five years before I played Scrooge, so I got to watch other Scrooges before me. But getting to play it over 23 years, you get to actually find the heart and the soul of the human being. That’s what I’ve tried to do over the years. We’ve gone through so many different types of Scrooge. From farce-Scrooges to darkdark-dark to somewhere in between. Inevitably you’re always trying to find the heart of the human being inside. That’s what I’m trying to do anyway. There is a lot more to it, for me as an actor, than just playing the role. It has become so much more, and I embrace that. I don’t try to fight it like I did for many years. For the first few years, it became a thing where people would introduce me and say, “This is Stephen Hair, he plays Scrooge.” Well, okay, for two months of the year I play Scrooge, but I have played nearly 300 other roles in my career! But people tend to forget that, so I fought that for a while. Then I thought, you know, it’s a wonderful privilege and a great gift for any actor and quite unprecedented within Canada, that’s for sure.

Theatre Calgary has been fundraising for the Food Bank with A Christmas Carol’s Toonies for Turkeys program for over twenty years now. Can you tell me how that got started? SH: I think it was my third year playing Scrooge, in 1997, and the cast had always done little collections backstage, or bought food for the Food Bank, or we bought blankets for Mustard Seed. And one day, Lindsay Burns (an actor) said, “Do you think Theatre Calgary would let us do a fundraiser for the Food Bank at the end of the show?” So, I went to Theatre Calgary and said, “What do you think?” And they said, “Sure! Have a go.” And I thought, maybe, we’d collect $500 – and, of course, this was way, way back. And that first year we tried it, we raised over $1500 the first night! And it sort of went from there. And we’ve been up and down through many recessions, and busts and booms, but somehow our incredible Calgary audiences keep giving. We’ll see what happens this year; it’s a very tough time to be asking people for money, really hard, but they will come through. I know they will. In A Christmas Carol, we see Ebenezer transform from a crabby miser to a generous soul; do you believe people can really change? SH: Oh, I know they can, because they’ve come up and told me so. I had one fellow, he must have been

early-forties I guess, and he asked to come backstage. And he was kind of in tears a little bit, and his wife said, “He didn’t really know the story, so we thought we’d come and see it.” So he said that as the play started, he suddenly realized that Scrooge’s journey was his journey. So, he was a little taken aback, and he said that at the end of Act One he was crying. He said, “I couldn’t go outside. I was just a mess.” So when it all changed, when Scrooge sees the light (because it is a journey from dark to light – that’s what it is really about), he said, “I knew then, and found myself laughing along with everybody else.” And he said, “I just want you to know that it’s changed my life.” I don’t necessarily think it’s that major of a change for a lot of people, maybe not as dramatic as what happens to Scrooge, but little changes can happen along the way. And they lead to it – there’s a ripple effect to everything we do. A Christmas Carol features so much music; do you have a favourite carol? And why? SH: In this show, there’s one I had never heard before. It’s called “Still, Still, Still.” And it’s at the end of the play when they sing it, and it’s absolutely beautiful. Beautiful. The snow comes down and the kids are skating, and Scrooge is happy. He’s finding all the joy around him. It gives me tingles every time. It’s quite magical, and very, very uplifting. 8

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25 Years of Scrooge All photos by Trudie Lee

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Explorations

Mindfulness The holidays can sometimes (often times) feel like a burden: Have you started your shopping yet? Gotten the perfect family portrait for the cards? Planned a Michelin star-worthy gluten-free vegan-friendly in-lawpleasing turkey dinner?? It can be difficult to find oneself fully in the present moment, as so often we are caught up in our own ghosts of Christmas Past and Future. But it is important to remember the true spirit of the season and to be generous with each other and ourselves. A great way of staying in the present is learning to be more mindful. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the immediate moment and letting go of any judgements. The following loving-kindness exercise offers good tidings to you and your kin. Good tidings for Christmas and a happy New Year!

A Loving-Kindness Excercise at the Theatre Inspired by a guided meditation created by Dr. Emma Sappällä, Director of Science at Stanford University’s Centre for Compassion and Altruism Education and Research. Sit comfortably. Relax your whole body. Take a deep breath in. And out. Picture someone who loves you. Perhaps it’s your mum or dad, sister or brother, a dear friend. Someone who wishes you happiness, well-being, and good health Bask in their well-wishes. You are loved. Now bring your awareness to the person to your right. You may know them. You may not. Just like you, this person wishes to be happy. Send this person your love. Repeat the following, silently: May you live with ease, may you be happy, may you be free from pain. May you live with ease, may you be happy, may you be free from pain. May you live with ease, may you be happy, may you be free from pain. Now focus your attention on the person to your left. Again, you may not know them. You may. Send them your love and warmth. Just like you this person wishes to have a good life. Repeat the phrases. Bring your awareness now to the space you’re in. The whole theatre. All of these people, all of these actors and ushers, and theatergoers, all of them – just like you – hope to be happy, healthy, and light. Share your warm wishes to them: Just as I wish to, may you live with ease, happiness, and good health. Just as I wish to, may you live with ease, happiness, and good health. Just as I wish to, may you live with ease, happiness, and good health. Take a deep breath in, and let it out. Take another deep breath and then let it go. Notice your state of mind. How do you feel? Enjoy the show!

Explorations

Terms to Know Christmas Carols Carols are traditionally associated with Christmas. By definition, however, a carol is a song of joy and praise, often with a religious theme or lesson. The Christmas tradition of caroling, or going door to door and singing for the occupants, was established during the Middle Ages. Many of the carols that are popular today were written in the 1800s. Wassail The first carol sung by the play’s carollers includes the line: “Here we come a-wassailing.” Wassail is a drink consisting of ale or wine sweetened with sugar and spices. The word derives from the Norse ves heill, which means “be of good health.” Wassailing comes from the old English tradition of visiting houses with a wassail bowl and singing songs that wished good fortune upon the household. Money words “Bob” is slang for a shilling. In the British currency system at the time, there was 12 pence to a shilling, and 20 shillings to a pound. A pound can also be called a “quid.” Bob Cratchit earns 15 shillings a week. This is considerably less than the average salary for a clerk at the time, which was around 25 shillings a week. Bedlam At the beginning of the play, Scrooge states that Bob Cratchit should be sent to “Bedlam.” In London at the time, there was an insane asylum at the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem. “Bedlam” was a commonly used contraction for Bethlehem and this hospital.

As a result, the word “bedlam” has entered our vocabulary and refers to a state of utter confusion and chaos. Workhouses and the Poor Law Scrooge suggests to the solicitors that a solution for the misery of poor people is to send them to prison or the workhouses. During Dickens’ time, the British Poor Law forced poor people to enter a workhouse, where they would be provided with food and shelter as payment for menial work. To discourage people from taking advantage of the workhouses, the authorities ensured conditions were terribly unpleasant. Ignorance and Want Just before the Spirit of Christmas Present departs, he shows Scrooge two miserable children and calls them Ignorance and Want. This scene, like so many others in Dickens’ works, emphasizes his deep concern for the plight of the hundreds of thousands of English children living in poverty. Dickens believed that the only way to break the cycle of poverty was through education. The Spirit warns Scrooge that “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.” Very little schooling was available for poor children in Dickens’ day, and there was no public education system in England until 1870 – almost thirty years after A Christmas Carol.

One Shilling. Wikimedia Commons

Cotton manufacturing factory. National Archives

“Ignorance and Want” by John Leech, from the 1843 first edition of A Christmas Carol

Explorations

To the Max (Bell): An Interview with Alex Cherovsky Theatre Calgary’s Shakespeare by the Bow program was established to provide emerging artists practical knowledge and production experience by working with a professional production team to present a Shakespeare play. Many of our SBTB alumni have moved on to perform in our main stage productions. Alex Cherovsky is one of those alums that is making his Theatre Calgary debut in A Christmas Carol this season. You actually have performed in two productions with Shakespeare by the Bow. One, this past summer in Two Gentlemen of Verona, as well as The Comedy of Errors, back in 2014. Can you tell us more about your experiences?

As far as comparing it to SBTB, it’s really very similar. I think that’s part of what SBTB does. It works on preparing emerging artists for the professional theatre hall and the expectations that presents. What was the auditioning process like?

The first production, The Comedy of Errors, I would say I was much more ‘green’. I had just graduated from Mount Royal University and felt like I was on looks gravel and trying to get my bearings. I was really excited to have a chance to be involved again, because I definitely was much more prepared. I had just finished three years at the University of Alberta and a lot of my training really prepared me this second time around. The big draw in doing Shakespeare by the Bow is getting the opportunity to work with theatre professionals, especially as a young artist, just out of university. It really is incredible.

And now, you are moving into the second week of rehearsals for A Christmas Carol, a production with a rich history at Theatre Calgary, with some cast members that have been involved for decades. How does that compare? It’s amazing. Surreal really. I went to A Christmas Carol at Theatre Calgary when I was in junior high and watched Stephen Hair as Scrooge, and now getting the opportunity to work with him and these other artists that I’ve watched on stage for years is just amazing. I’ve admired these actors from afar and now we will be sharing the stage. It can a bit intimidating being a new cast member, because so many returning members are already off book and know where they go for each scene, but everyone has been so generous and open to new choices and allowing to experiment and play.

I actually have auditioned for this role twice now. Once, right after graduating at MRU, which I didn’t get. For this year, I submitted a video audition as I was out of town at the time. My girlfriend helped me with setting two chairs up on a table, which she placed her arms on to create a stable surface while holding the camera. I filmed a scene from the show and sang a Christmas carol, and found out I was cast around mid October. I’m based in Edmonton so it was a quick turnaround, but I’m fortunate that I’m staying with my roommate from U of A, which is kind of a fun throwback to those days. What advice would you have for our younger patrons that are interested in pursuing theatre as a career? One of the greatest pieces of advice I have been given is when you are in school, or not currently performing, always consider yourself a professional artist. Finding a job that sustains you, while supporting your artistic goals is incredibly important. For instance, I work at Farrow, a coffee and sandwich shop in Edmonton, and am very fortunate that the management understands that everyone has their own endeavours individually, and they support their staff to pursue them. I also have done voice acting, commercials, and working as a background extra on films. Working artistically isn’t always done on stage, and you’ve got to find those jobs to feed that artistic need.

You play Dick Wilkins. Can you tell us more about your character? Dick Wilkins is a friend of young Ebenezer, and attempts to convince Scrooge to get in to the Christmas mood and not worry so much about work and money. Have you, yourself been getting into the Christmas spirit? Oh yeah, I love Christmas. It’s my favourite holiday! I love the story of A Christmas Carol too. The Alastair Sim film is one I watch every year. As soon as we started the music rehearsals and singing the Christmas carols, it really brought on the holiday mood. What is your favourite Christmas carol? Silent Night. The classic version. I’m a big fan of the traditional carol songs.

I’m auditioning for Stratford in February, so I am preparing and looking forward to that. I love Shakespeare, even in high school, I loved it. I feel very comfortable and have a lot of fun doing Shakespeare. A dream role is to play Benedict from Much Ado About Nothing. Are you asking Santa for anything this year? Honestly, I had to sell my Playstation 4 recently, and I would love to have it back.

Alex Cherovsky in The Comedy of Errors (2014). Photo by Trudie Lee.

What’s next for you in the new year?

Explorations

The Spirit of Giving The true lesson learned by Ebenezer in A Christmas Carol is that the Christmas spirit should be carried throughout all the days of the year. With the Fezziwigs and Ebenezer’s nephew Fred leading by example, it seems a life of generosity and celebration is a life well lived. Theatre Calgary could not agree more! Theatre Calgary’s A Christmas Carol has been partnering with the Calgary Food Bank for over twenty years. Our Toonies for Turkeys fundraising campaign began in 1997 when an actor in the company, Lindsay Burns, had the thoughtful idea to collect money for the Food Bank after the show. It’s these acts of kindness that James McAra, CEO of the Calgary Food Bank, appreciates most. “Toonies for Turkeys connects the spirit of our community and our daily challenges.The awareness, the understanding, the focus on building the future all come from Theatre Calgary’s Toonies for Turkeys initiative. People can have a holiday feast, break bread together, and more than just turkey. It is about the gift of holiday celebration and the warmth of sharing. It is the quintessential reminder that our community can care all year long.” The first year of the campaign, it was only done at a select few performances, but since then Toonies for Turkeys has grown to become an integral part of the annual A Christmas Carol experience. To date, Theatre Calgary staff, volunteers, and you – our audience – have helped raise more than 1.8 million dollars. Despite the recent financial

downturn, James McAra says people are still giving, “Calgarians understand generosity. We have firsthand experience of the tragedies wrought from economic, environmental and community crisis. People give time, talent and more in proportion to their condition. Calgarians get it.” Every $2 donated allows the Calgary Food Bank to distribute $10 worth of food. After each performance, our patrons are invited to donate whatever they can to help those less fortunate in our community. Actors, still in costume and armed with baskets, fill the lobbies, and without fail our patrons open their hearts and their pocketbooks. Some long-time subscribers even come to the show with cheques in hand! For this, we are incredibly appreciative.

Wishlist

In 2016, the Food Bank served more than 170,000 people – 4 in 10 of whom were children. The Food Bank’s CEO reminds us who uses its services: “Your neighbour, a family member, you.” The Calgary Food Bank is an invaluable resource that provides emergency food hampers to the homeless, milk and formula to mothers and children in need, and meals and snacks to over 228 agencies and programs each year. Please consider making a donation to our Toonies for Turkeys campaign or making a donation as you do your own holiday shopping – there are nonperishable donation bins at most major grocery stores in Calgary. Also, the Calgary Food Bank welcomes donations both nonperishable and perishable made directly to their warehouse at 5000 11 Street SE (loading door 3).

Additionally if you’re feeling the pinch, McAra prompts us to remember the true spirit of giving, “You can volunteer, support your community (shovel snow, coach, pick up the mail, fix the leaky tap, read a good book with friends). Don’t worry about going it alone, we will all help.”

• Canned Meat • Baby Food • Pasta & Pasta Sauce • Canned Vegetables • Fruit Juice • Rice • Canned Fruit

Conversations

A Christmas Carol: By the Numbers Charles Dickens wrote the original novella in 1843 The classic story is now 175 years old 2018 marks Theatre Calgaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 32nd production The 25th for Stephen Hair as Ebenezer Scrooge Tiny Tim will be played by 8 year old, Olivia Collier Olivia will turn 9 years old during the run of A Christmas Carol More than 620,000 people have seen the show over the last 30 years This year 7 performers are new to the cast Marina Kadri returns to the young company this year. She first appeared as Hope in 2013 Our Toonies for Turkeys fundraising campaign was started by just 1 of those actors speaking up To date, we have raised over $1.9 million for the Calgary Food Bank 2018 marks the 22nd anniversary of Toonies for Turkeys Every $2 donated allows the Calgary Food Bank to distribute $10 worth of food There are 23 actors in the cast 8 of which are the young company 11 members of the creative team (directors, dramaturg/ designers/choreographers)

There are over 80 costumes and approximately 30 wigs And 1 chaperone (Carissa Sams).

Stephen Hair in A Christmas Carol (2009). Photo by Trudie Lee.

10 backstage and technical crew

Conversations

Conversation Starters What was your first experience with A Christmas Carol? Was it the book? A movie? This production? Does Scrooge’s Journey still resonate today? How? What is happiness and how do you measure success? Do you think Scrooge would have listened to the spirits if he wasn’t visited by Jacob Marley first? Why was it important for the Spirit of Christmas Past to show Scrooge his memories? How would you define Christmas spirit? The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come remains silent when with Scrooge. How do you think Scrooge “hears” his message. Can things be communicated silently? Food is used to set the mood of different scenes throughout A Christmas Carol. How does food help in telling the story? What holiday foods does your family enjoy every Christmas? Which design choices (set, costumes, props, lighting) helped you understand the specific setting or location of a scene? Which choices created a particular mood or atmosphere for the scene? Is Scrooge’s transformation believable?

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Conversations

A Christmas Carol Movie Night 1

Scrooge An adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, with a screenplay by Noel Langley. It was released as A Christmas Carol in the United States. 1951 | Feature Film | G | 87 min. | Director Brian Desmond Hurst

Mickey’s Christmas Carol Scrooge McDuck plays his namesake, with Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short 1983 | Animated Short | G | 26 min. | Director Burny Mattinson

Scrooged In this loose adaptation, Bill Murray plays a Scrooge-like TV executive. While he produces a special broadcast of A Christmas Carol, events from Dickens’ story start to occur in his own life. 1988 | Feature Film | PG | 101 min. | Director Richard Donner

The Muppet Christmas Carol This surprisingly faithful adaptation features a mix of human actors and Muppets. Michael Caine stars as Scrooge opposite Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit. 1992 | Feature Film | G | 85 min. | Director Brian Henson

A Christmas Carol This is a darker, less “Christmassy” version starring Patrick Stewart who was known for doing theatrical readings of the classic on Broadway and London’s West End. Don’t worry, in this grim tale, there is still a happy ending! 1999 | Feature Film | NR | 95 min. | Director David Hugh Jones

The Man Who Invented Christmas The plot follows Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) at the time when he wrote A Christmas Carol, and how Dickens’ fictional character Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer) was influenced by his real-life father, John Dickens (Jonathan Pryce). 2017 | Feature Film | PG | 104 min. | Director Bharat Nalluri

Conversations