A Christmas Carol
Hale Center Theater OremView digital playbillNov 26, 2022 – Dec 23, 2022
It is a thrill to return to “A Christmas Carol” this Christmas season. As we worked on the production this year, we focused on the carol “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” as the guide to the journey of Scrooge’s story. In looking at this carol as the director, I have focused on two particular phrases. The first is the expression “when we have gone astray.” We, as humans, go astray from what is important in life in many ways. The world around us provides distractions, temptations, opportunities, and events that can cause us to lose sight of what really matters - the people surrounding us. Scrooge absolutely has gone astray in his desire for wealth and gain. In pursuing gain, he has lost all connections with humankind. He shuts himself off from others around him and serves only himself. Thankfully, through the messages and scenes shared by the Ghosts that visit him, he is shown “tidings of comfort and joy.” There is so much in the Christmas season, and all year round, that can bring us both comfort and joy. For Scrooge, it is reminders from the spirits of the people who have shown him love, acceptance, joy, and kindness. His wealth dwells in the connections he can turn to with people like Fred and Bob who are always willing to let him in. May you recognize, cultivate, and cherish the relationships and human connections that “let nothing you dismay” in your life so you can be a light to others and bring tidings of comfort and joy to those around you.