WORDS Jennifer Kornegay, PHOTOS Contributed ASF
No matter how many times you’ve read it, watched it on TV or seen it acted on stage, some of the final lines delivered by Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ timeless tale “A Christmas Carol” leave you feeling just as this newly reformed character does. “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man.” When watching this scene at The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the effect is particularly strong. You join Scrooge in his elation. You too are “as giddy as a drunken man.”
In the play’s last moments, and often long before, the “third wall” dissolves and there is no boundary between fantasy and reality, the fictional story and real life, as you and your fellow audience members are completely immersed in the world of the story, despite being firmly planted in your theatre seat.
ASF’s roster of over 30 actors for “A Christmas Carol” is impressive, and the holiday favorite is anchored again this year by Rodney Clark as Scrooge, always delightfully curmudgeonly in the play’s pivotal role. Yet as good as every cast member is, from local children portraying the hopelessly optimistic Tiny Tim, to the specters (including the Ghost of Christmas Future who utters not a word but speaks volumes of terrifying truth) who lead Scrooge on his journey, their talents alone can’t create the magical experience that is found at ASF. Behind the scenes is an army of equally talented folks working long, hard hours to find, invent, design, cut, build, paint, compose and otherwise make every element that you see on stage; they ensure all the pieces needed for the whole package come together, allowing you to lose yourself in another time, another place, if for only a few hours. So, like Scrooge, let us take a journey and discover what it takes to fashion the art and craft of “A Christmas Carol.”
Once Upon A Time – The Script
So much more than learning lines and practicing lines and skillfully delivering those lines goes into every ASF production. First, the lines must be written, so we’ll start at the beginning, with the words. “A Christmas Carol” was written in the mid-1800s by Charles Dickens, but while the production you’ll see at ASF is based on this classic story, it has been adapted by the theatre’s producing artistic director, Geoffrey Sherman.(He also directs the play, but more on that later.)
Sherman is a proper Englishman, and as such, you might think he grew up surrounded by Dickens work. You’d be wrong. “At least up to the point that I left England 30 years ago, there had never been a theatrical production of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ It was simply not a part of our theatre history,” Sherman said. Instead, the Christmas plays that were most often a part of English holiday celebrations were pantomime plays. “They consisted of lots of good music, some gags, and lots of interaction with audience,” he said.
So Sherman took the holiday productions of his youth, and wove their most pleasing aspects into his version of “A Christmas Carol.” “That’s why, in my version, Dickens is actually a character and has a presence on stage,” Sherman said. Dickens aids in the storytelling, interacting with the audience. Plus, there’s music and live magic. “These things really set this version apart from any other ‘Carol’ production. There’s humor, and it is entertaining in a way I don’t believe it has been before,” Sherman said.
Dress the Part – The Costumes
From the shoes on their feet to buttons on their coat, every detail of a character’s clothing is given attention at ASF, and the costumes used don’t come from some theatre super store. Most every item of clothing worn is designed and made in house, in ASF’s costume shop. Porcupine-like pin cushions; stacked spools of thread; headless, limbless dress forms; and more than a few pair of scissors fight for space in a room filled with bolts of fabric, racks of costumes from previous shows and the multiple pairs of hands busy drawing, cutting and stitching. Over the hum of sewing machines, Jeffrey Todhunter, director of costume production, explained how most pieces come to be.
“Each costume to be made starts in our costume designer’s mind, and then it is put on paper. Then our drapers create a pattern from the design drawings and the actor’s measurements. Next, the first hands cut the fabric as designated by the pattern, and then the stitchers begin to assemble it,” he said.
Once it is complete, each costume is tried out a dress rehearsal, and they often get sent back to the shop for a few final tweaks. “Sometimes a skirt just doesn’t move right or a pair of pants isn’t functional for a certain scene,” Todhunter said. “Other times the fabric doesn’t look right under the stage lights; the color or texture looks off.”
Finishing touches like jewelry and shoes come from a variety of sources and, if not made from scratch, are often embellished or stripped down to arrive at “just right.” When we visited, plain straw hats were being fashioned into bonnets for some of “Carol’s” children, having their brims reshaped and ribbon added by Amy Johnson, one of ASF’s resident milliners. Wigs are also made in house in what can be a very time-consuming and delicate process.
Imagination Station – The Sets & Props, Lighting & Sound
In contrast to the low drone of sewing machines, the high-pitched whir of table saws fills the air in the scene shop, where carpenters and other workers cut and build the backdrops and other scenery required to transform the empty stage into a bustling London street, Scrooge’s bed chambers or a cozy Christmas party. Props like furniture, lamps, even tiny things like a pen or coins tossed to purchase a prize goose are period appropriate and procured or made by skilled theatre arts professionals.
Lighting and sound are the intangible parts of the scenery. Lighting in a play is about far more than ensuring the audience can see the action on the stage. It draws attention to a certain character or movement at the crucial moment. It can change the mood from joyful to somber in a matter of seconds and does so masterfully in “Carol.” The fact that you don’t always notice the import of illumination is a testament to the true skill of the lighting designer and lighting crew. And while hearing the actors clearly is critical, sound engineering for a production is about more too. If there’s music involved, like in “Carol,” it adds an extra layer of drama to the story being acted out, and is perfectly timed for effect.
“Give Me More…” – The Direction
Sherman is directing “A Christmas Carol” this year, and during a short rehearsal he wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts with his actors after a scene. “Too loud!” he said. “But good,” he added, a bit softer. “Now again.” But this part of the process is the culmination of months of directing work that have gone on with no actors involved.
Before he ever critiques or commends an actor’s work, he must first understand the play from every angle. “I immerse myself in the writing of whatever it is before I go into rehearsal. I try to enter that world that the writer creates,” he said. “Being good director is like being good detective, you are looking for clues along the path. The playwright is telling his story in a very specific way, and you as director must find the heart of their story so you can tell it in the way it was meant to be told. Good directors are those who can see it off the page.”
And Sherman has to go even farther. As producing artistic director for ASF, he is in charge of the business side of things in addition to the artistic, and this requires a delicate balancing act when he’s directing a show. “To direct well, I have to mute the left side of my brain; I have to focus on the art and tune out the money side,” he said. “If I don’t, I will automatically short change the size of the show, the entertainment value.”
Illusion Complete – The Curtain Rises
When the house lights go down, and curtain goes up to signal the start of “A Christmas Carol,” you’re almost instantly transported to mid-19th century London and meet your tour guide, Charles Dickens himself (played by Wynn Harmon). Can you smell hazelnuts roasting? Do you feel a chill in the air as the snowflakes flutter down? When The Ghost of Christmas Present sweeps on stage in his vibrant green robe, it and he seem to fill the theatre with a spirit of generosity that warms your heart. When Scrooge visits his own grave, the lighting, sound and other effects that accompany the scene are bound to bring on shivers. Every aspect of what you see and hear is as important as the other in making you feel something. That’s the magic of theatre, and thanks to the efforts of Sherman, the actors and the huge behind-the-scenes crew you’ve just learned a little about, you easily and happily buy into the illusion they present you.
So as the actors take their last bow, when you’re standing and clapping and smiling, take a moment to think about the many, many people who are not on stage, but who poured their creative energy into the unforgettable evening you just had, folks like Paul Wonsek (set design), Phil Monat (lighting design), Beth Novak (costume design), Richelle Thompson (sound design) and Ruth Kramer (stage manager). Remember them and add an extra thunderous round of applause.
Get Your Tickets
ASF’s production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” runs now through cember 24. Ticket prices start at $30. Get them by calling 800.841.4273, visiting online at www.asf.net or drop by the ASF box office located at 1 Festival Drive in the heart of Montgomery’s beautiful Blount Cultural Park.
To Bid or Not to Bid?
I don’t have to be the Ghost of Christmas Future to confidently predict that once you’ve seen “A Christmas Carol,” you’ll be in awe of the time and talent it takes to put on such a marvelous show, and you’ll be inspired to find a way to support our state theatre and all its artistic and educational endeavors. You’re in luck. The 11th annual ASF Armchair Auction is coming up on January 25, and is the major fundraiser for the theatre. Check out all the fabulous items that will be up for bid at www.asf.net and make sure you tune into the radio broadcast (on Mix 103.3 and other Cumulous stations) and the televised hour (on WSFA) on the big day and then bid, bid, bid!! You’re likely to get some great deals on things you both want (a stay at The Grand in Point Clear) and need (pet grooming and boarding), plus, since every penny raised goes straight to the theatre and its programs, you get the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you’ve helped keep the art alive at ASF.