A Christmas Carol - Guthrie Theater
Wurtele Thrust Stage / Nov 14 – Dec 30, 2017A ChristmasCarolby CHARLES DICKENSadapted by CRISPIN WHITTELLdirected by LAUREN KEATINGPLAY GUIDE
InsideTHE PLAYSynopsis 3Characters 4THE STORYThis Ghostly Little Book 5PLAY FEATURECharles Dickens’ Plea for the Poor 6,7THE PLAYWRIGHTDickens and the Christmas Tradition 8,9BUILDING THE PRODUCTIONFrom the Director: Lauren Keating 10,11From the Composer: Keith Thomas 12From the Costume Designer: Matthew J. LeFebvre 12,13From the Playwright/Adaptor: Crispin Whittell 14From the Props Master: Patricia Olive 15,16ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONDiscussion Questions and Classroom Activities 17 - 19For Further Information 20 - 21Play guides are made possible byGuthrie Theater Play GuideCopyright 2017DRAMATURG Jo HolcombGRAPHIC DESIGNER Akemi GravesRESEARCH Jo Holcomb and Carla SteenGuthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415ADMINISTRATION 612.225.6000BOX OFFICE 612.377.2224 or 1.877.44.STAGE TOLL-FREEguthrietheater.org Joseph Haj, artistic directorThe Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance,production, education and professional training. By presenting both classical literature andnew work from diverse cultures, the Guthrie illuminates the common humanity connectingMinnesota to the peoples of the world.2 \ GUTHRIE THEATERAll rights reserved. With the exception of classroom use byteachers and individual personal use, no part of this Play Guidemay be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronicor mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by aninformation storage and retrieval system, without permission inwriting from the publishers. Some materials published hereinare written especially for our Guide. Others are reprinted bypermission of their publishers.The Guthrie Theater receives support from the NationalEndowment for the Arts. This activity is made possible in partby the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriationby the Minnesota State Legislature. The Minnesota State ArtsBoard received additional funds to support this activity fromthe National Endowment for the Arts.
THE PLAYSynopsistoast nonetheless, grateful forwhat he has.The cast of A Christmas Carol in rehearsalPHOTO: DAN NORMANScrooge, a miserly and miserableold man, torments everyonehe sees on most days, but isespecially cranky on Christmas. Heshouts at carolers, refuses to givemoney to charity and threatensa small beggar boy. His ebullientnephew Fred comes to visit himat his frigid office to invite himto Christmas dinner. Scrooge,predictably, declines. Fred leaves,and Scrooge grudgingly agreesto give his clerk, Bob Cratchit,Christmas off with pay, thoughScrooge feels ill used by this.Cratchit leaves. When approachedby his faithful housekeeper, Mrs.Dilber, for the same benefit, herefuses and demands that shebe at work the next day. Scroogecloses shop and changes into hisdressing gown.and the Ghost of Christmas Pastappears. Together they journeyback to Scrooge’s sad school days,his delight at seeing his sisterFanny, and to a grand Christmasparty thrown by his earlyemployer, Old Fezziwig. Scroogebegins to realize that Fezziwig’sjoy was infectious, that it spreadto all his employees, and that thisjoy is worth more than whateverthe party cost him. We also seeScrooge woo, and then lose, thebeautiful Belle. The ghost tellsScrooge, “I show you only what isgood, and fine, and beautiful. Sothat should you glimpse it again –as you glimpsed it once – you willgrasp it as if your life depends onit.” As quickly as she arrived, theghost is gone, leaving Scroogealone again in his bed.Settling in for the night, Scroogeis disturbed – and alarmed – bythe ghost of his old partner, JacobMarley. Marley warns him to mendhis ways or he too will be forcedto roam the earth in the chains heforged for himself with his cruelways. Scrooge will be visited bythree spirits, Marley tells him.He would do best to listen towhat they have to say. No soonerhas Marley left than the clocksin Scrooge’s house go berserkScrooge is soon visited again bythe Ghost of Christmas Present.The ghost takes Scrooge tosee how the Cratchits celebrateChristmas. Though they are poorand have little to eat, they arehappy with what they have andto be in each others’ company.Scrooge also learns that Tiny Tim,Bob’s wise young son, is very illand will likely die without propercare. Despite how poorly Scroogetreats him, Cratchit offers him aThe scene shifts to his nephewFred’s, and we see simultaneouslyhow the other (richer) half live andthat Fred, too, knows how to keepChristmas with friends and family.Generously, Fred proposes a toastto his uncle as well, hoping thatScrooge will find some happinessin life. Games abound, food isplentiful and a good time is had byall. Scrooge begins to wonder if heis truly missing something special.Before the spirit leaves him, hereveals two small, sick children– Ignorance and Want – andScrooge, moved, inquires if theyhave no place to stay. The spiritthrows Scrooge’s words back inhis face: “Are there no prisons? Arethere no workhouses?” ChristmasPresent, too, fades away.The next visit, from ChristmasFuture, shows Scrooge his fateif he does not mend his ways.Poor Tiny Tim has died; as hasScrooge. At Tim’s funeral aremany grief-stricken people;Scrooge has not a single mourner.Mrs. Dilber begins to sell off hispossessions, and Scrooge realizesthat he must mend his ways orhe will simply die forgotten andunloved. The transformation ofScrooge is profound: he awakensto Christmas bells, gives moneyto charity, sends a huge turkeyto the Cratchits, sings along withthe carolers, and gives Bob a bigraise. He even reconciles withhis nephew. Scrooge’s story ofredemption, beloved by audiencesfor years, remains as powerfuland uplifting as it ever was. Fromthat point forward, we’re told, noone kept Christmas as faithfully orfruitfully as old Ebenezer Scrooge.GUTHRIE THEATER \ 3
THE PLAYCharactersPHOTO: DAN NORMANThe cast of A Christmas Carol in rehearsalSETTINGLondon, December 24–25, 1843CHARACTERSEbenezer Scrooge, a miserlybusinessmanGhost of Christmas FutureBob Cratchit, his clerkYoungest Scrooge, EbenezerScrooge as a schoolboyBelle, Scrooge’s former fiancéeFanny, Scrooge’s older sisterMr. Wimple, Scrooge’s tenantFred, Scrooge’s nephewMr. Fezziwig, Scrooge’s formeremployerMrs. Dilber, Scrooge’shousekeeperKitty, Fred’s wifeMrs. Fezziwig, his wifeOld Joe, a junk salesmanMrs. Polkinghorne, Kitty’s motherDaisy, Dora and DeirdreFezziwig, their daughtersScrooge’s PriestMrs. Cratchit, his wifeMartha, Peter, Belinda and TinyTim, their childrenJane, Sally and Mabel,Kitty’s sistersTopper, a suitor to SallyJacob Marley, the ghost ofScrooge’s oldbusiness partnerGhost of Christmas PastGhost of Christmas Present4 \ GUTHRIE THEATERIgnorance and WantDaniel, David and Donald,suitors to the Fezziwig daughtersYoung Scrooge, EbenezerScrooge as a young manYoung Marley, Jacob Marley as ayoung manDick Wilkins, a fellow clerk atFezziwig’sBelle’s HusbandBunty and Bumble, taking acollection for the poorVarious carolers, revelers,children, Fezziwig guests,citizens of London
THE STORY“This Ghostly Little Book”comments on A Christmas Carolbe kindness, benevolence, charity,mercy, and forbearance, or itsplum pudding would turn to stoneand its roast beef be indigestible.John ForsterThe Life of Charles Dickens, 1874I have endeavored inthis Ghostly little book,to raise the Ghost of anIdea, which shall notput my readers out ofhumour with themselves,with each other, withthe season, or with me.May it haunt their housespleasantly, and no onewish to lay it!Their faithful friend and servant, C.D.Charles DickensA Christmas Carol, December 1843[A Christmas Carol] is a nationalbenefit, and to every man andwoman who reads it a personalkindness.William Makepeace ThackeryThe narrow space within which itwas necessary to confine theseChristmas Stories, when they wereoriginally published, rendered theirconstruction a matter of somedifficulty, and almost necessitatedwhat is peculiar in their machinery.I never attempted great elaborationof detail in the working out ofcharacter within such limits,believing that it could not succeed.My purpose was, in a whimsicalkind of masque which the goodhumour of the season justified, toawaken some loving and forbearingthoughts, never out of season in aChristian land.Charles DickensPreface to a collection of his ChristmasStories published in 1852Fraser’s Magazine, February 1844There was indeed nobody that hadnot some interest in the messageof the Christmas Carol. It toldthe selfish man to rid himself ofselfishness; the just man to makehimself generous; and the goodnatured man to enlarge the sphereof his good nature. Its cheery voiceof faith and hope, ringing fromone end of the island to the other,carried pleasant warning alike toall, that if the duties of Christmaswere wanting, no good couldcome of its outward observances;that it must shine upon the hearthand warm it, and into the sorrowfulheart and comfort it; that it must(Top) Image of A Christmas Carol,first edition, 1843(Above) A boy dressed as a ghost upsets agathering of friends. Print by John MasseyWright, 1814, part of the British CartoonPrints CollectionGUTHRIE THEATER \ 5
PLAY FEATURECharles Dickens’Plea for the Poorby Jo HolcombProduction DramaturgOver the years, Charles Dickens has often been creditedas the “man who invented Christmas” (F.G. Kitton, 1903).But while Dickens’ Christmas stories, certainly the mostbeloved of which remains A Christmas Carol, helped tochange the celebration of Christmas, it was not the author’soriginal intent. Charles Dickens was first and foremost apolitical writer and a reformer. The experiences of his ownlife led him to recognize the serious need for reforms thatwould provide more comprehensive care for the poor andparticularly the children of poverty.As a child, Dickens had experiencedthe fear and uncertainty of hisfamily’s diminishing resources.When his father was sent to theworkhouse for not being able tomeet his debts, the rest of thefamily joined him there, with theexception of 12-year-old Charles,who was left on his own to makehis keep in a blacking factory. Itwas grueling work and his losseswere great. To Dickens, the mostsevere loss was his inability tocontinue serious education.As an adult, having pulled himselfout of the mire of poverty, henever forgot the experience andin many ways continued to bedamaged by it. His writing would6 \ GUTHRIE THEATERreflect that memory, whetherthrough the hard road of OliverTwist or the autobiographicalDavid Copperfield. By the year ofthe writing of Carol, 1843, childlabor in Great Britain had reacheda critical point. Children whodid not attend school worked.They worked in factories, mines,shipyards, construction or anynumber of menial jobs. Manychildren worked from the age of3 years and in some of the mostdangerous places. Life expectancyfor these young laborers was noolder than mid-20s.In the mid-19th century, well over100,000 children in London hadnever attended a school of anykind. Of those who did receiveeducation, some attended schoolsrun by private owners for thepurpose of making a profit; thesewere called “ragged” schools.Ragged schools were “charity”institutions created to providea rudimentary education fordestitute children.Leading up to the writing ofA Christmas Carol, Dickens wasparticularly struck by two factorsdirectly related to the treatmentof poor children. Earlier in 1843, hehad read a government report onchild labor whose statistics weresupported by interviews with childworkers themselves. The reportrevealed that girls were sewing
DICKENS’ DREAM, ROBERT WILLIAM BUSS, 1875for a new market of the middleclass, working on average 16hours a day and, like the characterMartha Cratchit, they were housedabove the factory floor. Therewas news of 8-year-old childrenwho dragged coal carts throughunderground tunnels for 11 hoursa day. These stories represented anorm, not an exception.In the spring of 1843, in response,Dickens began work on a pamphletcalled “An Appeal to the Peopleof England on behalf of the PoorMan’s Child.”A visit to the Field Lane raggedschool further incited Dickensto take action with his pen. Hemade the visit on behalf ofa potential donor and wassickened by what he called the“atmosphere of taint and dirtand pestilence.” At this point,Dickens decided to turn hispolitical pamphlet into a story.In October 1843, he beganwork on A Christmas Caroland finished it in six weeks.He wrote about the living andeducational situations of poorchildren as well as the generalconditions of the destitute,all of which he contrastedwith the grasping Scroogeand the need not only forScrooge’s reclamation, but alsofor a change of heart for thewhole population.SCROOGESpirit, is there a particular flavor yousprinkle upon them?CHRISTMAS PRESENTThere is.SCROOGEWould it apply to any kind of dinneron this day?CHRISTMAS PRESENTTo any kindly given. But to a poorone most.SCROOGEWhy to a poor one most?CHRISTMAS PRESENTBecause it needs it most.Crispin Whittell, A Christmas CarolGUTHRIE THEATER \ 7
THE PLAYWRIGHTDickens and theChristmas TraditionDickens’ ChristmasCarol has becomesuch an essential partof Christmas that wecan hardly imaginethe holiday seasonwithout it.Theodore and Caroline Hewitson,A Chronicle of Dickens’ ChristmasCarol, 1951Theater, like the Holiday season,is laden with traditions. Everyoneknows never to utter the word“Macbeth” in a theater; never towish an actor “good luck” butrather to “break a leg;” and toalways keep the ghost light on.Similarly, the Holiday season bringswith it many well-establishedtraditions: trips to visit Santa atan insanely crowded mall; thedecoration of Christmas trees andthe hanging of mistletoe; hugedinners of turkey or ham; MidnightMass; or Chinese dinner and amovie.Since 1975, the Guthrie’s annualproduction of A Christmas Carolhas been a Minnesota traditionboth for audiences and artists alike.This tradition, like the theater itself,is living and organic.8 \ GUTHRIE THEATERThis section is designed to exploreHoliday traditions and invite you tocome and take part, once again, inthe living tradition of the Guthrie’spresentation of A Christmas Carol. mixture of North Americancommercialism. But it was notalways this way, and Dickens islargely responsible for the festive,family oriented celebration weknow today.It is often said that Dickens“invented” modern Christmas.While this may be a slightexaggeration, it is no exaggerationto suggest that he radically shaped– and continues to shape – the waywe celebrate Christmas today.There is no date given in theChristian Bible for the birth ofJesus, but beginning in lateantiquity and continuing throughthe Middle Ages, the Feast of theNativity was usually celebrated onDecember 25. In the early MiddleAges Advent was a time of generalmerriment: harvest festivals,feasting and revelry began on theFeast of St. Martin de Tours onNovember 11 and lasted for fortydays. When Charlemagne wascrowned Holy Roman Emperor onChristmas Day 800 A.D., the actualcelebration on December 25 gainedOur historical Christmas origintale is generally well-known:Christian belief mixed in with theRoman traditions of Saturnalia,the Scandinavian Yule traditionsof feasting and merriment anda mixture of northern Europeancuisines – combined with a heady
THE PLAYWRIGHTgreater prominence so that by the later Middle Ages, Christmaswas the dominant feast of winter.Christmas in the Middle Ages was a very public affair:communities celebrated together and it was a time to solidifyrelationships through gift-giving. Employers and servantswould exchange small gifts, as would landlords and tenants.On occasion, a manorial lord might give his manor the gift ofa feast or some ale. All people of means would give alms tothe poor. In England, where A Christmas Carol takes place,Christmas became a widely celebrated party with lots of food,wine, dancing, and card-playing.Following the Protestant Reformation, the Puritans in Englandsought to eliminate the celebration of Christmas; since it hadno Biblical basis they viewed it as a Catholic invention anddecried the lax morality of drinking and dancing to celebratethe Nativity. Following the English Civil War (1642–1651)the Puritans effectively banned Christmas in 1647; the banremained in effect throughout the Commonwealth andProtectorate of Oliver Cromwell. Christmas became legal againwith the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, but celebrationremained sparse, and even church services for Christmas wererelatively poorly attended until the early nineteenth century.Thus by the time Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, Christmaswas a fairly subdued affair. It was neither the communityfestival of the Middle Ages nor the important religiouscelebration of late antiquity nor the ribald celebration of theseventeenth century. But the tide was turning. The Royal Familybegan decorating and displaying Christmas trees – borrowedfrom their German heritage – and Christmas dinners becamemore elaborate, and common. So when Dickens proclaimsthat Christmas is a “good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable,pleasant time,” he is hearkening back to a well-establishedtradition of merriment, charity and reverence, combiningaspects of Christmases past. Dickens focuses his holidaynot in the commons but at the family hearth – it becomesa personal celebration and a time for reflection as well ascelebration. Dickens both reflects his society’s views aboutthe importance of hearth and home as well as projects hisown social conscience into Christmas. Dickens’ Christmas isnot solely inward looking, portraying an idealized scene ofVictorian domesticity; it also requires that each person admitthat Mankind is his business – it is an opportunity to makethe world a better place. For Scrooge, perhaps Dickens’ mostfamous invention, Christmas is an opportunity for rebirth. Nodoubt Dickens hoped Scrooge would be an example to all: tokeep Christmas in one’s heart, always, and not to shut out thewisdom the season offers us.Matt McGeachywritten for the 2010 play guide for A Christmas Carol.CHRISTMAS TRADITIONSAROUND THE WORLDDid you know that in Sweden, Christmas Eve is often called“Dipping Day” from a tradition in whichfamilies gather in the kitchen to soak thejuices of their Christmas meat with ryebread? in Iran, Christians call Christmas the “LittleFeast” and celebrate Easter as the largestreligious celebration of the year? the ceremonial main course of amedieval Christmas feast was a boar’shead, and that this tradition persiststoday at Queen’s College, Oxford? in Oaxaca, Mexico, December 23 iscelebrated as the “Night of the Radishes,”and that as part of the festivities, largeradishes are carved into the characters ofthe Nativity story? on Christmas Eve, the President of Estoniadeclares an annual Christmas Peace? in Finland, Children receive gifts fromJoulupukki, the Christmas goat? in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany,and others, Saint Nicholas visits goodlittle children on December 6 each year toleave goodies in their shoes? in China, Christians celebrate Christmasby decorating trees and having a largefamily meal, but gifts are exchangedat the Chinese New Year celebration inJanuary or February, accompanied bymassive displays of fireworks?This piece was adapted from the 2006 program for AChristmas Carol at the Guthrie.GUTHRIE THEATER \ 9
BUILDING THE PRODUCTION10 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
FROM THE DIRECTOR:Lauren KeatingI truly can’t think of a better way to have spent the past month thanin the world and spirit of A Christmas Carol. It’s an honor to helmthis production, to be trusted with this tradition, and to work withthe all-star Guthrie team and this all-Twin Cities acting company.I’m a self-confessed A ChristmasCarol nerd, and I grew up with a lot ofChristmas traditions. My family wouldgo to Carol every year at the McCarterTheatre in New Jersey. And that wouldalways be around the same time wewould go cut down our Christmastree. I grew up in a very rural part ofNew Jersey, and we would get oursaw, we would get our sled, and wewould trudge down the hill to this treefarm every year. The man who ownedthe farm was always very jolly andvery welcoming, and my dad referredto him as Mr. Fezziwig. I thought itwas so cool that Mr. Fezziwig from AChristmas Carol was selling us a tree.It was maybe around age 12 whenI was extremely disappointed anddevastated to learn that this was not infact the Mr. Fezziwig. I was talking tomy mom about it recently, reminiscing,and I asked her what our “Mr. Fezziwigof the Tree Farm’s” real name was.Nobody knows!So when Joe Haj asked me if I’d beinterested in directing A ChristmasCarol, I was deeply honored andjumped at the opportunity. And then,like with anything I direct, I startedthinking, “Why now? What is theartistic imperative with this show?”And it didn’t take long for me toanswer those questions. If you listen tothe news or scroll through Facebook,you can plainly see the reason. Ourcommunity and our world need thisstory. It’s the story of healing, ofredemption, of transformation. Weneed it more than ever. We need toremember our common humanity andcelebrate it.PHOTO: DAN NORMANI share all that to say: There literallyisn’t a single production that I coulddirect for which my family would bemore proud or excited than this one.The magic of Carol is something I’vealways appreciated. I feel like it bondsfamilies, creates memories and makescommunity. We as theater makers havethe power to create this safe space,to hold this space in the middle whereyou can bring your family – any of yourfamily members no matter their pointsof view – and you can have this sharedexperience. That is truly the mostpowerful and meaningful work thatwe do.GUTHRIE THEATER \ 11
BUILDING THE PRODUCTIONoriginal music for a production,a director gets to work with thatcomposer to specifically enhancewhat’s going on in the play, insteadof having to finding pre-existingsongs to meet the same end.KeithThomasComposer forA Christmas CarolQ: Not every production hasmusic or a composer. How do youfeel the music and the choice toinclude a composer in the artisticprocess adds to A Christmas Carol?Keith Thomas: Well, when youhave artists dedicated to creatingMatthew J.LeFebvreCostume Designerfor A Christmas Carol12 \ GUTHRIE THEATERQ: What was your artistic processin terms of composing the musicfor Carol?KT: Everything comes from thescript. I’ll read through the newadaption of the script and markplaces where I think there couldbe some music, and I also markwhere the mood or tone changes,places where I think I could supporta moment with some music. I gothrough the entire script makingall my notes, and then I meet withthe director, Joe Chvala. At thismeeting we compare our notes,and hopefully we agree on wherethere is music and how that musicshould sound and feel. I always tryto get myself into the mindset ofthe director in order to support hisor her vision.Q: What artistic choices did youmake to support the concept of AChristmas Carol?Mathew J. LeFebvre: When firstapproaching the design, thedirector and I were really looking ata number of different worlds. Thereis the London of present Scrooge,the world of his past memoriesand finally there’s the world ofhis future. With the costumeswe also wanted to represent thedifferent class and economicstructures within the London ofScrooge, especially the differencebetween the upper class and thoseindividuals who are poor anddestitute.Q: What made you want tobecome a composer and, forstudents interested in the arts,what advice do you have ongetting started?KT: I started out as an actor. Iwent to school for acting, and Iacted professionally for 10 years.During that time, I would composemusic on the side, and eventually Idecided to do music full-time. SinceI knew the people in the theatrecommunity, I began composingmusic for plays. It took sometime for my colleagues to wraptheir brains around me being acomposer instead of an actor, buteventually, I stopped acting entirelyand said, “No, I don’t act anymore.I’m a composer. Take me seriouslyas a composer.” Eventually peopledid. If you love creating music, justkeep making it. By following mypassion, I totally changed careersat 40 years old.Representing this distinction ofclass is a big theme in many ofDickens’ stories and novels, and isreally apparent in the costumingof the Cratchit family, who arebarely making ends meet. It isreally important to the telling ofthe story to show their poverty intheir clothes, so every article ofclothing they wear is really wornand has been mended over andover and over again. I hope theaudience empathizes with them,and the clothing helps us to do thatbecause it feels a little bit moreconcrete and real, not cartoony.In contrast, the first big scenetaking place in Scooge’s past is
BUILDING THE PRODUCTIONthe Fezziwig party where we seeScrooge as a young man, beforehe changes into his present miserlyself. We see him fall in love, but wealso see him begin to change andbecome more and more concernedwith money. Since the scene spansseveral decades of Scrooge’s life,we hoped to show the progressionof, not only time, but also ofScrooge’s character. Practicallyspeaking, each of Fezziwig’s partiesinvolves a lot of dancing, and thecostumes are very colorful andbright to reflect the festive mood.It really is a stark contrast to theLondon of the older Scrooge wesee later in the play, with his darkand muted colors.In each of these time periods,texture plays a big role in mydesigns, such as the raggedclothing of the poor Londonersor the richer fabrics of the upperclass characters. Texture helps theaudience feel and understand thelives of these characters withouthaving to know their full history.Q Is there a character you had themost fun designing?ML: This show in particular hasmany characters, and is verydemanding in terms of thenumber of costumes needed. Withthis particular production andadaptation, we started a numberof years ago with the intent ofcreating the costume designs inphases, focusing on different partsof the play, one at a time, and thenover the next several years addingnew costumes in phases. As youmay have guessed, that is a muchdifferent process than designingcostumes for a show that is onlyproduced once and then goesaway.The costumes are really likemy children, so I hesitate tosay which one is my favorite.Each one presents a differentchallenge. For example, the mainEbenezer Scrooge (or presentScrooge) costume needed to betexturally rich. To achieve that,we carefully selected fabrics thathave amazing texture and thenconcentrated on making thoseinto a extremely well-tailored suit.Another example is Mrs. Cratchit’scostume, which is fairly simpleand pragmatic. However, there issuch a sense of wear, as well as afunctional quality about it. Eventhough her costuming reflectsher impoverished circumstances,there’s something really beautiful inits spare simplicity.Q: What excited you most aboutthe designing process and thisproduction in general?ML: Well, it’s such an amazingstory. There’s a reason why somany theater companies producethis story every year. It’s reallyan uplifting story, and it renewsour faith in humanity. It’s also areally great challenge, for no otherreason than the sheer number ofcostumes and the several decadesrepresented in the play. The playhas costumes that are very starkand spare, and also has costumesthat are lush and vibrant. To be ableto do all of those in one productionis great.The Guthrie is one of my favoritetheaters to work with because thecostume technicians – who arecalled drapers and tailors – and thecrafts people, and the wig peopleare of some of the best in the field.They’re some of the most skilledthat I’ve ever worked with, and Iam always excited about how mydesigns will look in their capablehands.design specifically?ML: I took a roundabout path todesigning costumes. Like manyothers, I started out in theatertraining to be an actor. Whilepursuing my theater degree incollege, I was required to take anumber of design courses. I’vealways liked to draw, so when I tooka costume design class, it reallyclicked that I should transitionfrom being on stage to behindthe scenes. And I believe my actortraining makes me a strongercostume designer because I dothink about the costumes as beingan extension of the character. Irecommend that anybody who isinterested, specifically in theatricalcostume design, should take someacting classes. I think it’s importantthat a designer understandswhat it’s like to wear a costumeon stage and how that costumesupports the work that the actordoes. It’s also important to seea lot of theater. Seek out a widerange of performance aesthetics.It’s sometimes a difficult careerto make a living in, but being ableto design for a wide variety oftheater and performance styleshelps with that. I learned probablyas much, if not more, about designby watching other productions andseeing how other designers solvechallenges than I did from sitting ina classroom.Q: What led you to becominga costume designer, and whatadvice do you have for studentsinterested in the arts and costumeGUTHRIE THEATER \ 13
Crispin WhittellPlaywright/Adaptorof A Christmas CarolQ: How do you feel the messagegained from A Christmas Carol isstill relevant today?Crispin Whittell: Oh my goodness!It’s one of the great, great, great,stories. It’s so completely relevantthat it’s kind of hard to know whereto begin. It’s relevant becausethere are still people who thinkthat money is the most importantthing in life. Recently moving backto England got me to think aboutwhat A Christmas Carol would looklike in London in 2016. Witnessingthe way Britain and America rightnow are reacting to who Dickens’called the “other.” As long as thereare people who are less fortunatethan the Scrooges of this world,and as long as people chase aftermoney believing it to be the be alland the end all, these issues will
Over the years, Charles Dickens has often been credited as the “man who invented Christmas” (F.G. Kitton, 1903). But while Dickens’ Christmas stories, certainly the most beloved of which remains A Christmas Carol, helped to change the celebration of Christmas, it was not the author’s original intent.
A Sesame Street Christmas Carol (2010; with Kristin Chenoweth and Tim Curry; in Children’s) Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2011; BBC science fiction) The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol (2011; animated; part of The Smurfs Collection, in Children’s) A Christmas Carol (2012; scary Pop T
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, December 1843 [A Christmas Carol] is a national benefit, and to every man and woman who reads it a personal kindness. William Makepeace Thackeray Fraser’s Magazine, February 1844 Nothing is more Dickensian than the Dickens Christmas. I
A Christmas Carol By: Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, Play version adapted by Frederick Gaines This adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was first produced by the Children's Theatre Company of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts in November 1968. The script was edited by Linda Walsh Jenkins with the assistance of Carol K .
A Christmas Carol By: Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, Play version adapted by Frederick Gaines This adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was first produced by the Children's Theatre Company of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts in November 1968. The script was edited by Linda Walsh Jenkins with the assistance of Carol K .
in the coming new year! On behalf of Linguaton Teachers, Aneta Janiszewska Christmas crossword puzzles 2 Christmas pictorial puzzle 3 Christmas I remember best – Olga Zwierzchowska 3 Christmas song and game 4 Christmas jokes and cryptogram 5 Christmas grammar quiz Christmas questions 6 6 Christmas matching
The Old Vic A Christmas Carol teaching resources 2 Cast and Creative team 3 Characters 9 Synopsis 11 Themes 14 Timeline: Dickens, Christmas and the Theatre 15 Interview with Matthew Warchus, Director of A Christmas Carol, 17 and Artistic Director of The Old Vic
on to write four more “Christmas books” and numerous Christmas stories in his magazines. None of these achieved the popularity or lasting acclaim of A Christmas Carol, but nonetheless Charles Dickens was indelibly associated with Christmas by almost everyone in England for the rest of his life.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING : MEANING, NATURE AND ROLE OF ACCOUNTING STRUCTURE 1.0 Objective 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Origin and Growth of Accounting 1.3 Meaning of Accounting 1.4 Distinction between Book-Keeping and Accounting 1.5 Distinction between Accounting and Accountancy 1.6 Nature of Accounting 1.7 Objectives of Accounting 1.8 Users of Accounting Information 1.9 Branches of Accounting 1.10 Role .
