“Christmas? A humbug, uncle? You don’t mean that, I’m sure.”
This is one of the lines from the very beginning of A Christmas Carol, the newest ILS production, recently presented in the Bayshore Ballroom from Wednesday, December 10th to Saturday, December 13th. Throughout the course of the show, the main character, the old, greedy, mean and reclusive Ebenezer Scrooge, the uncle in question, learns that Christmas is, actually not humbug.
At the beginning of the show, the audience witnesses Scrooge in this aforementioned way. It is Christmas Eve, and as he works in his office, he is visited by his nephew Fred inviting him to dinner, gentlemen asking for donations to the poor, and a little orphan caroling for money. The response Scrooge gives to all of these nice, charitable people? Humbug. Scrooge is working in his business named SCROOGE AND MARLEY, Marley being Jacob Marley, his business partner who has been dead for seven years. The very night of Christmas Eve, in fact. His clerk is Bob Cratchit, an underpaid husband and father with a sick child. Scrooge does not show kindness to anyone.
When Scrooge goes home that night, he is sitting in his chair, when suddenly he begins to hear the ringing of a bell. This is odd, Scrooge thinks, because there is no bell in his house that works anymore. He looks into it for a moment before deciding to go to bed and forget it. However, the noises persist. He begins to hear someone crying his own name out, “SCROOOOGE!” More nervous than ever, Scrooge gets out of bed to look around and is met with the Ghost of Jacob Marley. He is now terrified, but listens to Jacob who tells him he will be haunted by three ghosts.
The rest of the show follows Scrooge hanging with these ghosts, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. They all show him visions of his life and the world around him, as the audience learns of Scrooge’s childhood, the lives of the people he mistreats, and the tragedy that will befall him if he doesn’t change. Scrooge takes these lessons and uses them to improve himself, finally becoming kinder and more empathetic, apologizing to everyone. His newfound kindness most significantly helps the Cratchit family and their son, Tiny Tim, who is disabled, as Scrooge now feels determined to help the boy.
Putting on these shows is never an easy feat for Mrs. Rodriguez or the Drama Club. A Christmas Carol has come together after around 200 hours of work from everyone involved. What is so special about this performance, and what has made it harder than the usual Drama Club production, is that the show employs a lot of special effects, never before seen in Drama Club productions. Some of these effects included a talking door, snow fall, fog enveloping the characters, curtains flying open in a windy frenzy, and more. On top of that, A Christmas Carol also takes place in the 1840’s, meaning that costumes, hair, and makeup have to be accurate and precise. While all of these elements took effort, they have been done succesfully by the technical department.
The following feature some of the thoughts and experiences from the members of the cast.
“The show has helped me grow more in theatre. It has been a unique experience with my fellow people in theatre. It has been stressful, but well off in the end,” said Ethan Rios, who played Bob Cratchit. Ethan is a junior and also the chaplain on the executive board of the club. He joined theater his sophomore year.
“As a senior i was really excited to be cast in the play, A Christmas Carol, this year as a Christmas present. To be completely honest, I was nervous to start rehearsing because I’ve never done a play where I was one of the bigger characters. Learning my lines and scenes was really hard but teaming up with my castmates and friends, by running lines, made it a lot easier. But not only were my lines a challenge, but once we began incorporating costumes, I learned about how fast my quick changes are and both are under 60 seconds. It was a very stressful adjustment, but with the help of the makeup crew and wardrobe people, I was able to do it and move to my next scene. Overall, this show was a learning experience about patience and understanding others and the difficulties some may experience in stressful situations like mine,” said Lara Torrens, who plays the Ghost of Christmas Present and other ensemble roles. Lara is a senior and the president of the Drama Club. She is a long-time member of the club, being involved since her freshman year.
“My experience working on this show was incredible. I grew closer to my castmates. Even when times were stressful, I could count on the cast to support me and help out. Truly everyone did a fantastic job and made this show amazing- I’m so proud of every one individually,” said Kaylen Borges, a senior who plays Miranda Cratchit. Niece’s Sister, and other ensemble roles. She is a member of the executive board and has been involved in the club since her freshman year.
“There was a lot of work, dedication, and time put into this production. From the tech, props, makeup, hair, and cast, I could tell this was going to be a work of art. I was also flabbergasted when my buddy Clara was put on a ladder to be Marley. I was both scared and in awe,” said senior Veronica Mederos, who plays Belinda Cratchit and charwoman. Veronica is the Opinion Editor for the Royal Courier, and has performed in shows in the past.
For club members, A Christmas Carol is one of the best and most complex shows the drama club has done yet. As Christmas time approaches, audience members who came to see it were able to kick off their own ILS Christmas spirit.
