Theatre Calgary’s Play Guides and Interactive Learning Programs

are made possible by the support of our sponsors:

The Play Guide for A Christmas Carol was created by:

Jenna Turk

Artistic Associate

With additional material by:

Shari Wattling, Zachary Moull, and Dom Saliani

Want to get in touch?

Send an email to jturk@theatrecalgary.com

Connect with us on our Facebook page

Tweet us @theatrecalgary #tcCarol

Follow our Instagram @theatrecalgary

A Christmas Carol runs November 23rd to December 24th, 2017

For tickets, visit theatrecalgary.com or call 403-294-7447

Front cover art direction and graphic design by Punch & Judy Inc.

Composite photo of Allison Lynch by David Cooper and Trudie Lee.

Table of Contents

THE BASICS

Cast and Creative Team 1

Who’s Who? 3

Setting and Story 4

EXPLORATIONS

The Gift of “A Little Christmas Book” 5

Meet the Artist: Actor Stephen Hair 8

Terms to Know 11

Mindfulness 13

The Making of A Christmas Carol 15

Dickens and the Theatre 17

Meet the Artist: Designer Patrick Clark 18

The Spirit of Giving 21

CONVERSATIONS

Conversation Starters 23

A Christmas Carol by the Numbers 24

Movie Night: A Christmas Carol ‘Tis the Season 25

Recommended Reads from Calgary Public Library 26

Sources 27

THE BASICS - 1 -

Cast and Creative Team

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

by CHARLES DICKENS adapted by DENNIS GARNHUM

Director DENNIS GARNHUM Associate Director SIMON MALLETT

Set & Costume Design PATRICK CLARK Lighting Design KEVIN LAMOTTE

Composer JEREMY SPENCER Music & Vocal Director ALLISON LYNCH

Sound Design CHRIS JACKO Production Dramaturg SHARI WATTLING

Fight Director, Fight Captain KARL H. SINE Choreographer ANITA MIOTTI

Skating Choreographers ANDREA ST. CYR, MONIQUE WASMANN Dance Captain JAMIE KONCHAK

Assistant Fight Director ZAKK MACDONALD Voice & Dialect Coach JANE MACFARLANE

THE CAST Solicitor, Dick Wilkins, Businessman PRANEET AKILLA

Boy Ebenezer TYLER BIDYK Belinda Cratchit ELEANOR BRAITENBACH

Fred BRADEN GRIFFITHS Ebenezer Scrooge STEPHEN HAIR

Belle, Abigail JOSIE JONES Jacob Marley, Businessman ROBERT KLEIN

Mrs. Cratchit JAMIE KONCHAK Young Ebenezer FIONN LAIRD

Spirit of Christmas Past ALLISON LYNCH Ebenezer, Spirit of Christmas Future GRAHAM MOTHERSILL

Voice of Charles Dickens CHRISTOPHER NEWTON Mr. Fezziwig, Businessman DECLAN O’REILLY

Mrs. Dilber JULIE ORTON Solicitor HEATHER PATTENGALE

Spirit of Christmas Present GRAHAM PERCY Joy, Ignorance MITRA POORANALINGAM

Bob Cratchit KARL H. SINE Fan JULIANNE SMITH

Laundress, Mrs. Fezziwig ELIZABETH STEPKOWSKI-TARHAN Peter Cratchit EVAN ANDERSEN STERNS

Topper MIKE TAN Martha Cratchit HAYLEE THOMPSON

Tiny Tim TIA ROSE WOODRUFF Hope, Want SIENA YEE

THE BASICS - 2 -

Stage Manager PATTI NEICE Assistant Stage Manager RUBY DAWN EUSTAQUIO Assistant Stage Manager ASHLEY REES

Head of Lighting CATHARINE CRUMB

Head of Sound BRONWYN BOWLBY RF Technician CHRIS JACKO

Head Stage Carpenter SCOTT MORRIS Head Dresser RACHEL MICHELLE SHERIDAN Head of Wigs BRENDA BOUTET

Dresser MOLLIE ELIZA ROBERTSON Stage Hands MIKE BOOTH, TESS COWIE, ANDREW KERR

Young Company Chaperone RYAN WESLEY GRAY

Ebenezer Scrooge Understudy – HAYSAM KADRI

FLYING EFFECTS PROVIDED BY ZFX INC.

CAMERAS AND AUDIO/VISUAL RECORDING DEVICES ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE THEATRE. VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL has one 20-minute intermission.

“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 - 3 -

Who’s Who?

Scrooge and his Household

Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly man

Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge’s maid

The Laundress

Fred’s Family and Friends

Fred, Scrooge’s nephew

Abigail, Fred’s wife

Topper, Fred’s friend, who owes money to Scrooge

Other unnamed friends of Fred and Abigail

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 who employs Scrooge

Mrs. Fezziwig, his wife

Dick Wilkins, Scrooge’s fellow clerk at Fezziwig’s

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

THE BASICS - 4 -

Setting and Story

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

The play begins with a memory – the funeral of Jacob Marley, where his

partner Ebenezer Scrooge

is the only mourner.

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.

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.”

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 single-

minded pursuit of wealth.

Frontispiece and title page of the first edition of

A Christmas Carol, 1843

THE BASICS - 5 -

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.

"The Last of the Spirits" by John Leech, from the

1843 first edition of A Christmas Carol

EXPLORATIONS - 6 -

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 prison-like 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

Charles Dickens

EXPLORATIONS - 7 -

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.

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, 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).

EXPLORATIONS - 8 -

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.

The festive red and gold cover of the 1843 first

edition of A Christmas Carol

EXPLORATIONS - 9 -

Meet the Actor: Stephen Hair

Undeniably loved and known as Calgary’s Scrooge, actor Stephen

Hair has been playing Ebenezer for the last 24 years at Theatre

Calgary. This past year, 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?

Stephen Hair: 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 dark-dark-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.

Stephen Hair as Ebenezer Scrooge

in 2015 (photo by Trudie Lee)

EXPLORATIONS - 10 -

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

EXPLORATIONS - 11 -

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.

The cast of A Christmas Carol 2015 (photo by Trudie Lee)

“One kind word can warm three winter months.”

-A Japanese Proverb

EXPLORATIONS - 12 -

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

EXPLORATIONS - 13 -

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.

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred,

and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child

again at Christmas-time.”

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

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

EXPLORATIONS - 14 -

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-law-

pleasing 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.

Ebenezer hugs Tiny Tim in Theatre Calgary’s

A Christmas Carol

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the

year. I will live in the Past, Present, and the Future."

–Ebenezer Scrooge

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!

EXPLORATIONS - 15 -

A LOVING-KINDNESS EXERCISE 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 - 16 -

The Making of A Christmas Carol:

Adapter and Director Dennis Garnhum

Why did you decide to write your own adaptation of A Christmas

Carol?

Dennis Garnhum: I thought long and hard about this production of A

Christmas Carol – who should adapt it and who should direct it. It dawned

on me, after a bit of soul-

searching, that given my

history with it, I have a

lot of knowledge that I

could bring forward.

The way I think about

adapting – because I’m a

director – is that I am

directing the book. That’s

how I phrase it. So I go

back to the source –

which is not me, it’s

Charles Dickens – and I

ask myself, “how would I

direct that scene?” I

always find that there is

great joy in adapting. You

can find a nugget of an

idea that’s in there and

you think, “OK, we’re

going to run with that.” This production is my imagination running with

ideas that Charles Dickens inspired.

Dennis Garnhum

EXPLORATIONS - 17 -

How is this version of A Christmas Carol different from previous

Theatre Calgary productions?

DG: This Carol is different in many, many ways. It’s larger, if that’s

possible! Physically, it’s a big, BIG production. The adaptation is more

truthful to Dickens’ original story than before. There’s also singing – we

sing eleven Christmas carols – and I’ve set the entire production in what I

call a “winter wonderland.” The whole set projects the idea that Scrooge is

in a frozen world. So it’s much more like a fantasy, similar to a ballet, or a

children’s story. Compared to previous productions, it is visually much

more colourful. The previous production, which was very important to

me, was more about poverty and bleakness. This one is much more about

children and joy. Given that I am a father now, I see things through those

eyes.

Now that you are a father, do you look forward to Christmas

more than you did before?

DG: Absolutely! Every Christmas with a child is extraordinary. I mean, a

child gives you that gift for Christmas. I can’t wait. I really can’t wait.

Dennis Garnhum and the cast rehearsing on stage (photo by Shari Wattling)

EXPLORATIONS - 18 -

Dickens and the Theatre

As a boy, Dickens’ first love was the theatre. Like many children, he

enjoyed play acting and together with his friends formed a small dramatic

company. The story is told that sometime in the 1830s he was to audition

at Covent Garden Theatre, but that he was prevented from doing so

because of an illness.

Had he attended that

audition, who knows

what might have

happened with his life

and career?

Dickens wrote about

acting in his novels; in

Nicholas Nickleby, for

example, he lovingly

tells the tale of the

Crummles’ travelling

theatre troupe. And

while travelling across North America in 1842, Dickens directed and

performed in an amateur theatre production while staying in Montreal.

A Christmas Carol was adapted for the stage almost immediately after

publication. Three productions opened in February, 1844, with one by

Edward Stirling sanctioned by Dickens. By the end of the month, eight

rival theatrical productions of A Christmas Carol were playing in London.

Stirling's production also played New York City's Park Theater during the

Christmas season of 1844 and was revived in London the same year. Since

then, A Christmas Carol has been seen in hundreds of stage productions

around the world – including seven different adaptations appearing at

Theatre Calgary over 30 years.

"Dickens' Dream" by painter Robert William Buss

(1875)

EXPLORATIONS - 19 -

A World of Ice An Interview with Designer Patrick Clark

Award-winning set and costume designer Patrick Clark hails from

New Brunswick. He has been involved with theatre and teaching

his craft in schools for

the past thirty years.

His designs have

graced the stages of

the Stratford Festival,

Shaw Festival, Guthrie

Theatre, Neptune

Theatre and countless

other venues in almost

every Canadian

province. At Theatre

Calgary, he has most

recently designed the

set and costumes for The Audience, Pride and Prejudice, and

Anne of Green Gables.

Can you tell us a bit about your designs for this production and

what we can expect?

Patrick Clark: The thing about this story is that there are many locations

to represent, but it all starts with what I call a basic set, or world that we

created. When Dennis Garnhum and I first talked about the play, he

shared that he had an image of this one scene where the actors are able to

skate and I said that is not just about snow – that’s ice. So out of that idea,

and after much discussion about ice and cold and Scrooge’s heart being

thawed, we came up with the basic imagery for the production. We

created an ice world. It is very abstract in that kind of sense. And within

Scrooge’s world, everything has been touched by the cold like the beds,

the tables, the chairs. The ice on the floor grows upwards into things.

Patrick Clark

EXPLORATIONS - 20 -

From there, another idea or image I had is when the Spirit of Christmas

Past takes Scrooge on his first journey. I said, “Let’s really fly them.” So

we designed a little window and the window flies. As the window flies

up, the little village that Scrooge remembers from his childhood will move

across the stage, all lit up as it goes by. His school and the other buildings

are not life-size but rather smaller replicas of real buildings. So it will be

like seeing this tiny town from high up above. There’s also the Spirit of

Christmas Present who arrives in what I call a “steampunk jalopy.”

As for costumes, we are up to about 80. This is because of the colour

spectrum – the stage is quite bright and blue and icy and the costumes

have to match that kind of striking color. The effect will be almost like

going to see the ballet – it’s that kind of brightness.

What aspect of this project did you find the most fun to work on?

PC: One of the best aspects of this production is working with Dennis

because he is very open to anything and he will push it further. He’s been

great. It can be a challenge with A Christmas Carol as everyone already

knows what the story is. However, because of Dennis’ new take and ideas,

he has allowed me to look at it with a fresh eye and yet respect the story.

The set is very modern in a way, and yet, within it, the old story is still

there and the people are dressed in a period way. It’s still Victorian and it

still has traditional elements that you will recognize. But it is the twenty-

first century, and we kind of changed it a little bit to give it a fresh life.

Where did you get the inspiration for your designs? Did you go

back to the source – Dickens?

PC: Oh yes, you have to read the story again. As always, whenever you

re-read a story, you find something new and you suddenly hear a line and

you say “I never thought of that.”

And I also went back to the original John Leech engravings – the

illustrations in the original book. It’s fascinating to see that even in the

EXPLORATIONS - 21 -

first engravings – for example in his drawings of Fezziwig – they are not

really “period” in any kind of way. Everything has a general “ye old good

old days” look because he wasn’t slavishly trying to be exact to the

clothing of the day. It’s nice because you can look at that and say, “If he

can do that, I can do that.” I can have a silhouette that’s fun but give it

some colour, give it some punch. I also wanted a kind of a modern take on

the overall look and we’ve tried to make this production quite kid-

friendly. There’s lots of pyro. There are bright colours. It would be safe to

say that with this production, we’ve gone from a darker version of the

story to a brighter version. They’re both equally valid. They’re just

different interpretations.

What effect do you hope the sets and costumes will have for the

audience?

PC: Well first of all, I hope that they’re entertained. No matter what, that’s

always the prime consideration. We want them to feel the kind of

sentimentality and the humour that’s in Dickens. Also, there is the

darkness that’s always in Dickens as well. He wrote dark stories.

However, they do have a happy ending 90 percent of the time, which is

why we love his work.

When the audience sees the sets, they’ll see that they’re not what one

would expect, but still within the realm of the story. For instance, they’ll

see these little villages and they’re perfect little reproductions of the

nineteenth century and yet they are within this blue void that’s almost like

the stars at times. I think the lighting is also very different in this show –

more theatrical, less literal. I hope audiences will come out of the theatre

saying, “Wow! That wasn’t like any A Christmas Carol I have ever seen.”

“In seed-time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.”

-William Blake

EXPLORATIONS - 22 -

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

EXPLORATIONS - 23 -

their hearts and their pocketbooks. Some long-time subscribers even come

to the show with cheques in hand! For this, we are incredibly appreciative.

CALGARY FOOD BANK

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 non-perishable

donation bins at most major grocery stores in Calgary. Also, the Calgary

Food Bank welcomes donations both non-perishable and perishable made

directly to their warehouse at 5000 11 Street SE (loading door 3). Check

out their Wishlist for their most needed items!

WISHLIST

Canned Meat

Baby Food

Pasta & Pasta Sauce

Canned Veggies

Fruit Juice

Rice

Canned Fruit

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.”

CONVERSATIONS - 24 -

Conversation Starters

Do you believe people change for the better?

Does Scrooge’s journey still resonate today? How?

What are some other stories that follow this basic plot? Why is this

storyline so common?

What is happiness and how do you measure success?

What do you think causes people to isolate themselves from family and

friends?

What is the Christmas spirit?

Were there moments in A Christmas Carol where what a character did on

stage revealed more about them than what he or she said?

How did the set design contribute to the flow of the play from scene to

scene?

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?

What strategies did the production use to put the ghosts and spirits of A

Christmas Carol on stage? Which of the apparitions do you think was most

effectively presented? Why?

Detail from "Mr. Fezziwig's Ball" by John Leech, an illustration

from the 1843 first edition of A Christmas Carol

CONVERSATIONS - 25 -

A Christmas Carol by the Numbers

Charles Dickens wrote the original novella in 1843

The classic story is now 174 years old

2017 marks Theatre Calgary’s 31st production

The 24th for Stephen Hair as Ebenezer Scrooge

Tiny Tim will be played by 8 year old, Tia Woodruff

This is her 1st time performing in A Christmas Carol!

More than 600,000 people have seen the show over the last 30 years

This year 9 performers are new to the cast

Over 275 actors have appeared in 1 or more of our 30 productions

Our Toonies for Turkeys fundraising campaign was started by just 1 of those

actors speaking up

To date, we have raised $1,817,076.33 for the Calgary Food Bank

2017 marks the 21st anniversary of Toonies for Turkeys

Every $2 donated allows the Calgary Food Bank to distribute $10 worth of food

There are 24 actors in the cast

9 of which are the young company

11 members of the creative team (directors,

dramaturg/designers/choreographers)

10 backstage and technical crew

There are over 80 costumes and approximately 30 wigs

And 1 chaperone (Ryan Wesley Gray!).

CONVERSATIONS - 26 -

Movie Night

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has sparked hundreds of adaptations

in every medium imaginable. Here are some notable film versions:

A Christmas Carol

Feature film. 1938. Hollywood’s first talkie version of the story stars

Reginald Owen as Scrooge. It was later colourized and became a

Christmas Eve tradition for many as it was broadcast annually on TV.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Animated short. 1983. Scrooge McDuck plays his namesake, with

Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit. It was nominated for an Academy

Award for Best Animated Short.

Scrooged

Feature film. 1988. 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.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Feature film. 1992. This surprisingly faithful adaptation features a mix

of human actors and Muppets. Michael Caine stars as Scrooge opposite

Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit.

A Christmas Carol

Feature film. 1999. 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!

Click on the movie posters to read more

about each film on imdb.com!

CONVERSATIONS - 27 -

Recommended Reads from Calgary Public Library By Stephen Gibbs

Don't Get Scrooged: How to Thrive in A World Full of

Obnoxious, Incompetent, Arrogant, and Downright Mean-

Spirited People by Richard Carlson

Nonfiction. 2006. The perfect handbook on how to avoid, appease, and

even win over the Scrooges who haunt your holidays. Here are the skills

to deal with all the grumps this holiday season

The Everything Ghost Hunting Book: Tips, Tools, and

Techniques for Exploring the Supernatural World

by Melissa Martin Ellis

Nonfiction. 2014. With expert advice on everything from picking a

haunted location to dealing with unwieldy ghosts, The Everything Ghost

Hunting Book, shows you how today's investigators use the tools of

modern science to study a wide range of paranormal activity.

Dickens at Christmas: a Selection of Seasonal Writings

by Charles Dickens

Fiction. 2012. If you enjoy A Christmas Carol then you’ll be sure to find

something to love in this beautiful collection of Dickens’ lesser-known

Christmas tales.

Inventing Scrooge: the Incredible True Story Behind Dickens’

Legendary A Christmas Carol by Carlo Devito

Nonfiction. 2014. Discover the inspiration behind the “ghostly little

book” which has come to define the Christmas spirit for generations of

readers.

How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman

Nonfiction. 2013. It wasn’t all penny-farthings and mutton chops in

Victorian England. Learn about what life was like for everyone from

commoners to the Queen. An enchanting manual for the insatiably

curious.

Click on the book covers to check availability

at Calgary Public Library!

CONVERSATIONS - 28 -

Sources

Print Sources

Michael Patrick Hearn, ed, The Annotated Christmas Carol, W. W. Norton,

1976.

Les Standiford, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Crown, 2008.

Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens: A Life, Viking, 2011.

Web Sources

“A Loving-Kindness Meditation to Boost Compassion.”

http://www.mindful.org/a-loving-kindness-meditation-to-boost-

compassion/

“Annual Report 2015-2016”

http://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/about/annual-report/

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Project Gutenberg.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm

“The Workhouse.”

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/