It's no humbug, Scrooge: A beloved Christmas classic is returning to the local stage this December, and rehearsals have already begun.
“I know a lot of folks don’t like Christmassy things starting in October,” Rev. Scott Elliott said, “but every October, I get the biggest rush as we start rehearsals for 'A Christmas Carol.' I get to be blessed with Christmas spirit for weeks on end, and I gladly welcome it.''
Elliott is the artistic director of Community Family Players, a family theater ministry at the First Congregational Church. He added, “This year, we are also blessed with a new partner, the oldest theater company in town, the Mount Vernon Players. They’ve been a godsend.”
Last year’s fundraising production by Community Family Players played to packed houses. The troupe garnered a prestigious “Theater Innovation” award from Theater Roundtable, a Columbus association of professional, educational and amateur theater companies.
Charlotte Watson, the assistant director, said, “We are using the same script this year as we did in our award-winning production, but the cast is very different.”
This year’s “A Christmas Carol” cast features Asa Cormier as Ebenezer Scrooge, Gordon Gantt as Bob Cratchit, Beth Ann Craddick as Mrs. Cratchit, Rev. Rachel Harrison as Jaclyn Marley, Nora Gotschall as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Jerry Bell as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Bryan Bartsch as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and River Posan as Tiny Tim.
Rounding out the cast are Alex Diehl, Auralie Yoder, Tesla Blankenship, Evelynn Brandenburg, Lenna Stiltner, Johnny Manning, Kiley Hord, Ainsley Sweeney, Alyssa Gomez Lawrence, Connie Liberati and Rev. Christopher Liberati. The a capella quintet The Chapeaus will provide Christmas carols throughout the show. In addition to Elliott and Watson’s directing, the crew includes set designer Bryan Bartsch, costumer Mary Harrison, stage help from Nick Gotschall, Joanna Manning and Jack Hammond, with lights and sound again provided by the Mount Vernon Arts Consortium.
“Last year’s production of 'A Christmas Carol' raised an astounding $50,000 for The Winter Sanctuary,” Rev. Rachel Harrison, a priest at St. Paul’s Episcopal and president of The Winter Sanctuary, said. “That generosity by Knox County last year helped to transform lives this year. And I was so impressed with the production last year that when Scott asked me to play Marley’s Ghost this year, I gladly agreed. Rehearsals are going so well. This show is going to be great. Everyone should plan on seeing it.”
The 2022 “A Christmas Carol” fundraiser for The Winter Sanctuary will be performed at the Woodward Opera House on Dec. 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Tickets can be purchased online at https://tinyurl.com/2bw446ed.
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