The holiday season has always been special to me. It’s a time that is filled with shopping for presents, decorating trees, and baking cookies. But in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the season events, it can be easy to forget what matters most — the generosity of one’s spirit and heart. Now is the time when we should reflect on the year behind us and look forward to the possibilities of the year ahead in which we can be better than we were before. This is why I love the story of A Christmas Carol. In Scrooge’s wild and crazy night, we see moments of reflection, revelation and ultimately redemption unlike any other in classic literature.
Charles Dickens: A Literary Giant
Charles Dickens’ rags-to-riches life encapsulated the best and worst Victorian London had to offer. He was born in 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens in Portsmouth, England, but they later moved to London. The family of ten was of humble means, and this was made worse by John Dickens’ poor management of the family’s money. In fact, when Dickens was just twelve years old his father was imprisoned for bad debts. Young Dickens was then sent to work in a shoe factory instead of attending school, an experience that informed his social criticisms in books such as Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens worked in Warren’s Blacking Factory alongside other children pasting labels on bottles of shoe dye. He became intimately aware of the long hours and horrible working conditions of child labor. Dickens later recounted feeling neglect, shame, and hopelessness during that time of his life. His works often deal with children trapped or lost in the urban world of industrialized London. Reading was a necessary escape during that time in his childhood, and Dickens tore through the pages of books such as Robinson Crusoe and The Arabian Nights. These books kept his imagination alive and laid the foundation for his own literary genius. Natural literary talent eventually allowed Dickens to rise out of the workhouses and become a writer, but not before working in a number of other fields. He first worked as a journalist at The Morning Chronicle and The Mirror of Parliament, creating connections that helped him break into publishing. He also pursued jobs as a court stenographer and a sketch artist, publishing the successful Sketches by Boz (1836). His second publication of sketches, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1836-1837), launched Dickens to fame and led to the start of a busy literary career. He often wrote multiple novels at once and worked right up to his deadlines. Dickens’ personal relationships were not as successful as his literary career. His 1836 wedding to Catherine Hogarth marked the beginning of a long and unhappy marriage, complicated by his close relationships to Mary and Georgina Hogarth, two of Catherine’s sisters. But Dickens’ illustrious writing career allowed him to live abroad in Italy and Switzerland for periods of time. He even embarked on an 1842 reading tour of America that was met with hoards of fans. In 1856, Dickens finally bought a long-desired country home in Gadshill, where he lived until his death in 1870.
I must admit that I have not always had an appreciation for Dickens’ tale. I saw it merely as a play that was programmed in regional theaters out of tradition and obligation. As I sat in a crowded airport six years ago reading Dickens’ novella, I was moved beyond words through the poignancy and relevancy of its themes. The words leaped off the page and stayed with me long after I arrived home. Unlike most other adaptations, Preston Lane has kept with the spirit of the ghost story Dickens wrote to haunt us on a winter night. It is through the eyes of beggar children that we see the world that Dickens hoped to change. There can be no denying we are still dealing with many of the same problems of 1843 and we live in a world that can be very unforgiving and cold. However, it is the hope of change for the better that keeps us moving forward. I have been fortunate enough to work on this adaptation for six seasons, first as an assistant director, then as the director for the remounted production in Greensboro, and finally as the director of the new production for Winston-Salem. It is with a heart full of happiness and gratitude that I return to this season’s production of A Christmas Carol. I am delighted to welcome the new faces that are inhabiting these characters while welcoming back those who have been here since the beginning. I would like to leave you with a favorite quote of mine from Dickens, “Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” Thank you for joining us and I hope your holidays are filled with joy, love, and tremendous opportunity.
WINSTON-SALEM
Director’s Note
NOV. 27DEC. 24, 2015
The Other Father Christmas
Christmas as we currently know it began in London during the Victorian Era. The holiday was not a big celebration before the nineteenth century, but was widely celebrated with many enduring traditions by the end of the century. Dickens’ encapsulation of new Christmas traditions in A Christmas Carol played a huge role in reviving the holiday. He helped reframe Christmas as a time of tradition and celebration. “Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” — A Christmas Dinner, Charles Dickens Christmas Gifts
The Christmas Tree
The marriage of German-born Prince Albert to Queen Victoria introduced many traditional German Christmas practices to England. One of these traditions included having a Christmas tree to place presents under — a practice made popular in England after a picture of the royal family around their own tree ran in the Illustrated London News in 1848. The illustration caught on in America, too. Godey’s Lady Book, a popular periodical in America during that time, ran a copy of the illustration with a simple caption: “The Christmas Tree.” The picture was spread by other publications and the Christmas tree became a fixture in American tradition. President Franklin Pierce soon erected the first Christmas tree in the White House, and Christmas became a federal holiday in 1870.
Christmas Cracker
Top: First Christmas Card; Bottom: Wassail
Season’s Greetings
In 1843, Henry Cole commissioned the creation of one of the first Christmas cards, a convention that soon replaced the more intensive tradition of writing letters to friends and family with season’s greetings. The cards cost one shilling each, which was prohibitive for most people, and raised eyebrows for featuring a child drinking from a wineglass. But the distribution of Christmas cards caught on and became widespread in the 1860s after the invention of a cheaper color printing method.
Holiday Gifts
The giving of holiday gifts traditionally happened on New Year’s, but the Victorians moved this tradition to the increasingly important Christmas. They gave small gifts at first, such as sweets or homemade trinkets that could hang on the tree. Presents moved under the tree as they became larger and more central to the holiday. Tom Smith’s creation of the Christmas cracker in 1848 introduced another enduring tradition. The small packages snapped when pulled by their ends to reveal sweets and small presents.
Wassail
Christmas Gifts
“The Christmas Tree”
The Christmas tradition of wassailing involves the drinking of warm spiced cider or ale, a tradition that began in the villages of Southern England as a ritual to promote good apple tree harvests.
The Other Father Christmas
Christmas as we currently know it began in London during the Victorian Era. The holiday was not a big celebration before the nineteenth century, but was widely celebrated with many enduring traditions by the end of the century. Dickens’ encapsulation of new Christmas traditions in A Christmas Carol played a huge role in reviving the holiday. He helped reframe Christmas as a time of tradition and celebration. “Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” — A Christmas Dinner, Charles Dickens Christmas Gifts
The Christmas Tree
The marriage of German-born Prince Albert to Queen Victoria introduced many traditional German Christmas practices to England. One of these traditions included having a Christmas tree to place presents under — a practice made popular in England after a picture of the royal family around their own tree ran in the Illustrated London News in 1848. The illustration caught on in America, too. Godey’s Lady Book, a popular periodical in America during that time, ran a copy of the illustration with a simple caption: “The Christmas Tree.” The picture was spread by other publications and the Christmas tree became a fixture in American tradition. President Franklin Pierce soon erected the first Christmas tree in the White House, and Christmas became a federal holiday in 1870.
Christmas Cracker
Top: First Christmas Card; Bottom: Wassail
Season’s Greetings
In 1843, Henry Cole commissioned the creation of one of the first Christmas cards, a convention that soon replaced the more intensive tradition of writing letters to friends and family with season’s greetings. The cards cost one shilling each, which was prohibitive for most people, and raised eyebrows for featuring a child drinking from a wineglass. But the distribution of Christmas cards caught on and became widespread in the 1860s after the invention of a cheaper color printing method.
Holiday Gifts
The giving of holiday gifts traditionally happened on New Year’s, but the Victorians moved this tradition to the increasingly important Christmas. They gave small gifts at first, such as sweets or homemade trinkets that could hang on the tree. Presents moved under the tree as they became larger and more central to the holiday. Tom Smith’s creation of the Christmas cracker in 1848 introduced another enduring tradition. The small packages snapped when pulled by their ends to reveal sweets and small presents.
Wassail
Christmas Gifts
“The Christmas Tree”
The Christmas tradition of wassailing involves the drinking of warm spiced cider or ale, a tradition that began in the villages of Southern England as a ritual to promote good apple tree harvests.
The holiday season has always been special to me. It’s a time that is filled with shopping for presents, decorating trees, and baking cookies. But in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the season events, it can be easy to forget what matters most — the generosity of one’s spirit and heart. Now is the time when we should reflect on the year behind us and look forward to the possibilities of the year ahead in which we can be better than we were before. This is why I love the story of A Christmas Carol. In Scrooge’s wild and crazy night, we see moments of reflection, revelation and ultimately redemption unlike any other in classic literature.
Charles Dickens: A Literary Giant
Charles Dickens’ rags-to-riches life encapsulated the best and worst Victorian London had to offer. He was born in 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens in Portsmouth, England, but they later moved to London. The family of ten was of humble means, and this was made worse by John Dickens’ poor management of the family’s money. In fact, when Dickens was just twelve years old his father was imprisoned for bad debts. Young Dickens was then sent to work in a shoe factory instead of attending school, an experience that informed his social criticisms in books such as Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens worked in Warren’s Blacking Factory alongside other children pasting labels on bottles of shoe dye. He became intimately aware of the long hours and horrible working conditions of child labor. Dickens later recounted feeling neglect, shame, and hopelessness during that time of his life. His works often deal with children trapped or lost in the urban world of industrialized London. Reading was a necessary escape during that time in his childhood, and Dickens tore through the pages of books such as Robinson Crusoe and The Arabian Nights. These books kept his imagination alive and laid the foundation for his own literary genius. Natural literary talent eventually allowed Dickens to rise out of the workhouses and become a writer, but not before working in a number of other fields. He first worked as a journalist at The Morning Chronicle and The Mirror of Parliament, creating connections that helped him break into publishing. He also pursued jobs as a court stenographer and a sketch artist, publishing the successful Sketches by Boz (1836). His second publication of sketches, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1836-1837), launched Dickens to fame and led to the start of a busy literary career. He often wrote multiple novels at once and worked right up to his deadlines. Dickens’ personal relationships were not as successful as his literary career. His 1836 wedding to Catherine Hogarth marked the beginning of a long and unhappy marriage, complicated by his close relationships to Mary and Georgina Hogarth, two of Catherine’s sisters. But Dickens’ illustrious writing career allowed him to live abroad in Italy and Switzerland for periods of time. He even embarked on an 1842 reading tour of America that was met with hoards of fans. In 1856, Dickens finally bought a long-desired country home in Gadshill, where he lived until his death in 1870.
I must admit that I have not always had an appreciation for Dickens’ tale. I saw it merely as a play that was programmed in regional theaters out of tradition and obligation. As I sat in a crowded airport six years ago reading Dickens’ novella, I was moved beyond words through the poignancy and relevancy of its themes. The words leaped off the page and stayed with me long after I arrived home. Unlike most other adaptations, Preston Lane has kept with the spirit of the ghost story Dickens wrote to haunt us on a winter night. It is through the eyes of beggar children that we see the world that Dickens hoped to change. There can be no denying we are still dealing with many of the same problems of 1843 and we live in a world that can be very unforgiving and cold. However, it is the hope of change for the better that keeps us moving forward. I have been fortunate enough to work on this adaptation for six seasons, first as an assistant director, then as the director for the remounted production in Greensboro, and finally as the director of the new production for Winston-Salem. It is with a heart full of happiness and gratitude that I return to this season’s production of A Christmas Carol. I am delighted to welcome the new faces that are inhabiting these characters while welcoming back those who have been here since the beginning. I would like to leave you with a favorite quote of mine from Dickens, “Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” Thank you for joining us and I hope your holidays are filled with joy, love, and tremendous opportunity.
WINSTON-SALEM
Director’s Note
NOV. 27DEC. 24, 2015