Children's Program for A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens Adapted by Troy Siebels

Directed by Troy SiebelsMusical Director & Organist • Timothy EvansChoreographer • Ilyse Robbins

Associate Director • Steve Gagliastro* Associate Director/Dance Captain • Annie Kerins* Set Designer • Jim Kronzer+ Costume Designer • Gail Astrid Buckley+ Lighting Designer • Charlie Morrison+ Production Manager • Jon Rosbrook Audio Engineer • Nick Joyce Master Electrician/LXBoard Op • Brenda Shepard Flying Effects • ZFX, Inc.

+ Member of United Scenic Artists * Member of Actors' Equity Association

This program belongs to : ______________________________________

I saw A Christmas Carol on: ____________________________

I saw the show with: __________________________________________

Theatre Etiquette

• Be sure to use the restroom before the show! You don’t want to miss any of the action.

• Turn your cell phones off.

• Keep your feet off the back of the seats.

• Photography is never allowed!

• It is standard etiquette to applaud at the end of the show. Not only are you applauding for the performers, but also the hard work that everyone has put in behind the scenes!

• Above all, the theatre is truly a special place. Unlike movies or TV, what you see onstage is happening right before your eyes. The performers are giving their all, so it’s important that you give them your full attention.

Thank you and enjoy the show!

2 Southbridge Street Worcester, MA 01608 TheHanoverTheatre.org

Worcester Center for Performing Arts, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Characters

Ebenezer Scrooge - The greedy, disagreeable owner of a London counting-house, a nineteenth century term for an accountant's office.

Bob Cratchit - Scrooge's clerk, a kind, mild, and very poor man with a large family.Tiny Tim - Bob Cratchit's youngest son, crippled from birth.

The Ghost of Jacob Marley - In the living world, Ebenezer Scrooge's equally greedy partner.

The Spirit of Christmas Past - The first spirit to visit Scrooge, a young girl who takes Scrooge on a tour of Christmases in his past.

The Spirit of Christmas Present - The second spirit to visit Scrooge, a majestic giant in a green robe. He takes Scrooge to see the present day Christmas celebrations of a few other characters.

The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come - The third and final spirit to visit Scrooge, a silent phantom clothed in a hooded black robe. This ghost shows Scrooge scenes of what might happen to him if he does not change his ways.

Fred - Scrooge's nephew, a good-natured man who loves Christmas.Millie - Fred’s wife.Fezziwig - The joyful merchant with whom the young Scrooge apprenticed.Belle - A beautiful woman who Scrooge loved deeply when he was a young man.Belinda Cratchit - Bob’s youngest daughter.Peter Cratchit - Bob's oldest son.Martha Cratchit - Bob's oldest daughter, who works in a hat maker's shop.Mrs. Cratchit - Bob's wife, a kind and loving woman.Fan - Scrooge's sister; Fred's mother.

Spirits on Stage

A Christmas Carol is a unique show because a few of the key characters are spirits or ghosts. To make the actors look “otherworldly,” the creative team uses special costumes, makeup and special effects.

Check out some of their spooky transformations below!

Ghost of Jacob Marley

Spirit of Christmas Present

Did You Know?

This production of A Christmas Carol has been performed every year since the theatre opened in 2008. Here are some fun facts about the production’s journey over the years.

• There are four different kinds of snow used in the production. See if you can spot all of them!

• The quickest full costume change is under 40 seconds! Two members of the youth ensemble have to completely change their costumes in this time, shoes and all!

• The role of Tiny Tim is the only role in the show that is played by a new actor or actress every year.

• The organ used to play the ` accompaniment for the show, “The Mighty Wurlitzer,” is made up of over 2,400 pipes and is the largest instrument of its kind in New England!

• The cast has just about three weeks of rehearsals together before the show opens.

Learn to Speak Dickens

When Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in 1843, there were many words he used that we don’t always use in conversation today. Below are some of the words you’ll hear in the show that you may not recognize.

apprentice – a person bound by legal agreement to work for another in return for instruction in a trade, art, or business

assign – to set aside or appoint for a particular purpose. Scrooge was Marley’s “sole assign,” meaning the only person named in Marley’s will to inherit his part of the business

bedlam – a notorious madhouse in London that no longer exists, but has become the term used when referring to any place of noise and confusion

benevolence – a tendency to perform charitable acts; good willCamden Town – a town of London, England comprising government divisions

Counting House – an office in which a business conducts operations such as accounting and correspondence

cravat – a necktie or a scarf worn as a necktiedowry – money or property given by a bride to her husband upon marriagegruel – a thin, watery porridgehalf-a-crown – the sum of two shillings and sixpenceheed – to listen and considerhumbug – nonsense, rubbish

Parliament – the governing body of the United Kingdom, made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons

pounds – the basic monetary unit of the United Kingdomshilling – a coin equal to 1/20 of an English Poundsixpence – a coin worth six penniesSmoking Bishop – a Christmas drink or punch made of red wine, oranges and spicesSpecter – a ghost; phantom; apparition

Union Workhouse – a former public institution in Britain where the poor were fed and forced to work

Intermission ActivitiesWord Scramble

Rearrange the letters in these scrambles to reveal a character from A Christmas Carol

1) benzeree orogesc : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _2) nity mti: _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3) pitris fo hmastrsic sapt: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4) obb rtchacti: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5) cobja leyarm : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Word Search

Answers: 1. Ebenezer Scrooge 2. Tiny Tim 3. Spirit of Christmas 4. Bob Cratchit 5. Jacob Marley

Who Said It?

Test your listening skills by matching the quote from the show with the character that said it.

"I am sure I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time."

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"

"Bah, humbug!""God bless us, everyone!"

"These are but shadows of the things that have been. They are what they are, do not blame me!"

"I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link and yard by yard."

KEY

• Ebenezer Scrooge

• The Spirit of Christmas Past

• Fred

• The Ghost of Jacob Marley

• Tiny Tim

• The Spirit of Christmas Present

The Story Behind the Show

A Christmas Carol, one of the most well-known stories of Western culture, was first created by Charles Dickens in London in 1843. At age 31, Dickens was already a very successful author. Sales of his books, however, were declining, and he was being pressured by his publishers to write again. They threatened to decrease his monthly salary from £200 to £150. His wife was expecting their fifth child, and he was considering moving his family from England to Italy, where they could live for less money. Dickens instead wrote A Christmas Carol in six weeks, completing the story in November 1843. It marked the first time that Dickens had written anything all at once, as opposed to the way in which he had published all of his previous work, month by month. It was an instant success and a best-seller. Dickens was confident that A Christmas Carol would make enough money to get him out of debt. Unfortunately, instead of being paid £1000 as he expected, Dickens received only £250 due to the large amount of money it took to produce the story.

The creation of A Christmas Carol was not only important to Dickens' career, but also to his personal life. While writing the story, he wrote to a friend that he "wept and laughed, and wept again, and excited himself in a most extraordinary manner in the composition; and thinking whereof he walked about the black streets of London fifteen and twenty miles many a night when all the sober folks had gone to bed."

A Christmas Carol continued to be a success in both Europe and the United States, but Dickens received money only for British sales. US publishers believed that British writers had already been compensated in their own country and therefore did not need to receive any money from sales in the US. Dickens fought against this unfair treatment and eventually got caught in a complicated legal battle, which he finally won.

After the show. . .

We hope you enjoyed this performance of A Christmas Carol! To remember this wonderful experience, use these spaces to describe your memories of your favorite songs, scenes, characters and actors.

My Favorite SongsMy Favorite Scenes

My Favorite CharactersMy Favorite Actors