Dickens classic puts MC in the Christmas spirit

by rebekah mccombs
Courier Staff

If you are looking for a nice break before finals, then going to see Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” would be a good way to relax.

It will be performed Dec. 8 though 10 at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee on Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. There will be no Sunday performance due to the start of finals. Students can purchase tickets through the Buchanan Center by calling (309) 734-3033 or e-mail bca@frontiernet.net. Another way to purchase tickets is by sending Bill Wallace, department of communication and theater arts and director of the play, an e-mail at billw@monm.edu. Students and faculty can buy tickets at the door for $4.

According to Wallace, Monmouth College performs “A Christmas Carol” every two to three years. Wallace said, “[This year has] been a joy because there are two dozen small children in the play and I’ve enjoyed one another’s company.”

Wallace mentioned this because since there was such a large amount of participants, there needed to be two sets of casts. This year’s cast consists of 70 people combined from the community and college.

Freshman Samantha Briones and Sophomores Holly Sanders and Lauren Swanson are the three student directors helping Wallace to make this play a success.

MC has been doing “A Christmas Carol” on and off for about 15 years. The Buchanan Center, co-sponsor of the play, decided to work with MC because the children and community expressed much interest in participating.

The Buchanan Center usually has a children’s play in the fall, but could not have one this semester; they thought it would be a good idea to do “A Christmas Carol” so the children could participate in the play this year.

Cast members consist of people and children from the community of Monmouth, as well as students and faculty. The cast of “A Christmas Carol” has been rehearsing for the past four weeks.

According to Wallace, the most important aspect of an actor is how they present themselves on stage and whether they can emotionally connect with the character.

“In auditions, I like to see if people will take chances of interpretations of characters. This shows multiple ideas on how to have a successful character.”

Wallace said, “The best part about directing is watching it all come together. Everyone has been working hard and it’s been a lot of fun.”