Transforming a Tradition
Time to read: under 3 minutes
For Theatre Calgary, A Christmas Carol is a one of the most anticipated and cherished family events in our city every year. For 33 years, Charles Dickens’ ghost story of the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge has made it’s way from the old QR Centre (formerly known as the Allied Arts Centre), to the Arts Commons Max Bell Theatre. This year however, it has made another move…into the homes of audiences near and far with a filmed digital production.
“I knew we had to do something this year,” says Arima. “Even if our theatre doors remained closed, that didn’t mean we couldn’t invite our audiences in another way.” According to Arima, “The success of our tcTakeout and Shakespeare by the Bow programs online allowed us to look at A Christmas Carol in a new way. We knew the importance of the show and its message, and that drove us to keep the tradition alive.”
Arima immediately reached out to Calgary playwright Geoffrey Simon Brown, whose new adaptation of Carol premiered on the Max Bell Theatre stage one year ago.
“I talked to Geoffrey, and he got very excited about doing an all-new adaptation of his adaptation,” laughs Arima. “We knew though, that we couldn’t just take last years show and film it, so we came in at the ground level and brought something new to what we have done in the past. We knew that it all starts with the text, and maintaining all the Dickens’ warmth, magic, and mystery of the story.”
TOP IMAGE - Jamie Tognazzini, Stephen Hair, Marshall Vielle in A Christmas Carol. Photo by Trudie Lee.
ABOVE - Stephen Hair, Jamie Tognazzini, Marshall Vielle in rehearsals for A Christmas Carol. (no photo credit needed)
With all of the new and necessary health and safety restrictions in place, it was always known that a cast of more than 20 actors was not possible this year. So the decision was made to keep all the characters, but to attempt it with a cast of three.
“Deciding to scale back to a cast of three was an exciting challenge for us, but also a necessary one. From the very outset we have asked ourselves, how do we create safe art? From the rehearsal hall on down to the stage where we shot, we knew we needed an environment that can feel and be safe for everyone. Doing a show with only three actors made this possible,” says Arima.
So how do you get more than 25 characters into a play with only three actors? For one, you ask Stephen Hair to not only play Scrooge (a role he has owned for the past 26 years), but also a myriad of other roles. You then add in two other highly skilled actors (Jamie Tognazzini and Marshall Vielle, both from the 2019 Carol), and you ask them to get very creative.
”For three actors to play so many roles, it really tests their skill as artists. They needed to carefully craft a change of the voice, a change of the physical posture, and different physicalities,” says Arima. “You have to be able to go from playing a Christmas Spirit, to Tiny Tim, to another Cratchit character seamlessly and effectively.”
What was it like to film this show? “Getting back into the theatre for the first time…we all had a moment where we realized we were back home, where we belong, and doing what we were born to do. It was quite emotional and uplifting,” recalls Arima. “Our jobs have always been to tell stories, and we cannot wait to share this work with the audiences. This show is made with love and it will be new, different, and so very exciting.”
A Christmas Carol is available to view from December 11-31, 2020. Digital access can be purchased for $25 at theatrecalgary.com
