Coming Soon!

My two-person adaptation of A Christmas Carol was first performed in Saratoga Springs, but now the Passage Theatre Company will be doing the piece as a one-night-only fundraiser in Trenton on December 11th.

Tickets are available now. I plan to take the train down to see the production myself. C. Ryanne Domingues is directing, and the theatre has put out a casting call. The remarkable actors George Deihl and Hugh Sinclair originated the two roles in the show in 2007.

I also have another show coming up in January on the West Coast. Actors' Theatre in Santa Cruz will be putting on the world premiere of my short play Kew Gardens as part of its 8 Tens @ 8 Festival. The festival runs from January 14th through February 6th (the night before the birthday of Charles Dickens, as it so happens.)

Kew Gardens doesn't have any Dickensian connections, though, nor is it typical holiday fare. This dark, one-woman play is being directed by Bill Peters and stars Sienna Thorgusen. The festival has "A" and "B" nights, so if you want to see Kew Gardens, make sure you go on one of the "A" nights, 1/14, 1/16 (actually a matinee), 1/22, 1/28, 1/23 (another matinee), or 2/5.

After a long theatre shutdown, I'm happy I can now actually announce some new productions!

A Christmas Carol

It's Christmas Eve, and my mind goes back to the adaptation I wrote of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The play was originally commissioned by the Epiphany Theater Company and performed in Saratoga Springs, New York in 2007.

Jose Zayas directed that production, which had just two actors, Hugh Sinclair as Ebenezer Scrooge and George Deihl, Jr., who played Charles Dickens and all of the other characters. Of course, they were aided by puppets by Gretchen Van Lente, costumes by Carla Bellisio, lights by Evan Purcell, a set by Mark Erbaugh, and a sound design by Amy Altadonna.

Here now is A Christmas Carol in pictures:

Dickens begins the narration: "Marley was dead, to begin with..."

Old Scrooge sat busy in his counting house.

He kept an eye on his clerk, Bob Cratchit.

But that night, Scrooge saw in the knocker--not a knocker, but Marley's face.

For that night, Scrooge would receive a visit from...

MARLEY'S GHOST!

Scrooge would be haunted by three spirits...

The first was the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Scrooge saw his sister Fan visit him at school...

...and he saw Belle! The woman he once loved.

Finding himself in bed, Scrooge was ready for anything between a baby and a rhinoceros. But he was not ready for...

...the Ghost of Christmas Present!

Scrooge saw his nephew Fred's lovely wife...

...and Tiny Tim.

"Ghost of the Future! I fear you more than any specter I have seen."

"Who's the worse for the loss of a few things like these? Not a dead man I suppose?"

Scrooge asks to see any person in the town who feels emotion caused by this man's death. The Spirit shows him a debtor who rejoices.

"Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!"

Scrooge buys a turkey for the Cratchits...

...and becomes a changed man.

Merry Christmas, everyone! And as Tiny Tim observed, "God Bless Us, Every One!