A Christmas Carol, a retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story (published in 1843) , is in its last week of rehearsals for Theatre Centreville’s 2021 fall musical, A Christmas Carol. The show will be held at Centreville High School on November 19th and 20th at 7 p.m. and November 21st at 2 p.m. Tickets are sold on https://www.theatrecentreville.com/. Theatre Centreville will also be live streaming the play on Saturday, November 20th at 7 p.m.

Since the shut down of school in March 2020, theatre students have been anxiously anticipating the opportunity to perform once again. One of our main characters Christian Chong, who plays Bob Cratchit, says, “When we started the quarantine, I thought that it would be great. No social interaction, so social anxiety, no social obligations, etc. But, as the 2 week long break became a month, and the month became a year, I realized that I missed the social interactions. I missed talking with my friends. I missed being in theatre, literally. I did nearly nothing in regards to the theatre arts in that year, but now being back in theatre arts and physically in the theater is really energizing.” They are ecstatic to be back in front of an audience. This production has brought students from Theatre Centreville together and helped them form connections. Coming back to school after a long break has been a big transition for these students, but with their collaboration and efforts to create a welcoming environment for each other, they have come together to put on this show. The show itself couldn’t have been made without the help of our creative director Ms. Blewett, our performers, our stage manager, Gabriel Amiryar, and lastly our tech crew. Our stage manager and head of sound crew, Gabriel Amiryar, expresses his opinion on the process of making this production, he says, “Coming back to school has definitely been hard, seeing as we’ve all been home for a very long time. But, being a part of the show has really shown me that community still exists. I’ve made so many new relationships and friends with people, and we’re very close to putting a cap on the show. So come see it!”

As a tech student, I enjoyed seeing everyone come together and develop a family bond. Seeing students from all throughout the school, including first-year techs and non-tech students, coming to help us with this show has been one of the highlights of this year. The age of the performers was a big part of the story’s realism, and this year, we were able to bring in elementary and middle school children to perform. It was a wonderful concept that really brought the production to life. These students will be playing the Cratchit children and they will be making an appearance for multiple scenes throughout the show.

Shannon Sidwell, a sophomore in Theatre II, shares her experience as cast member of this year’s show, “When I auditioned for a Christmas Carol, I knew only one or two people. Now, I’ve made incredible friendships with everyone in the cast and crew. Putting on a show is more than the performance, it’s the incredible friendships and community too. It’s incredible to see a show go from actors reading from a script with messy movements to a memorized and polished group putting on a cohesive performance. I can’t wait for our performances, seeing all of our work pay off will be super rewarding. My character, Belle, has really changed throughout rehearsals as I’ve shaped my choices and words to fit my character. When we first rehearsed, she was a totally different person than she is now. I’ve taken the time to explore how I can best portray her, and I think it’s really paid off. I’m excited to perform, and show how hard I’ve worked.”

William Jenkins, one of our narrators in this production, says, “This play is not only an exciting experience, but an emotional one. I’ve gained more friendships through theatre than through any other forum, and wouldn’t change it for the world. The lights are spectacular, the show is terrific, and the friends are to die for. Merry Christmas!”

Alongside William, our second narrator, Jaeden Kunkel, shares, “Honestly, not to be a cliche musical protagonist or anything, but really this production has been a blast for me- by far my favorite project I’ve ever acted in. I feel like everyone in the cast and crew have a connection that not everyone in every production has- and the friends that I’ve made while working on this production are really what make me love doing it so much. Even despite the stress and rough patches, I looked forward to every rehearsal, and on the days I didn’t have rehearsal, I felt bored and empty. I don’t know what I’ll do with myself when the show ends! So, thank you to all my friends who made this production so special to me, and thank you to our wonderful director, Ms. B, too- You can tell she sees something amazing inside of all of us, and it’s really inspiring to me! Sooo.. yeah!! It’s gonna be a great show, I just know it!”

On behalf of the cast and crew we would like to express our gratitude to all of the parents who have volunteered to take cast and crew pictures, assist elementary and middle school students with lines, help with costumes, help create and build our set, and provide food before the performances. Their assistance has been extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And a special thank you goes to all tech crews, including: lighting, hair and makeup, costumes, props, scenic, set, and sound. This show would not have been possible without each and every one of them–they are the glue to this show. Everyone has put in so much work into this production, so we hope you enjoy our performance and that it brings you a little holiday cheer!