“A Christmas Carol”: a preview
Emma Ogren, Staff Writer
Photo by Emma Ogren
Originally published in 1843, “A Christmas Carol,” written by Charles Dickens, follows the pessimistic Ebeneezer Scrooge. He despises Christmas and is visited by three ghosts: the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. After these visits, Scrooge is a changed man who sees the joy and generosity in Christmas.
For the 2025 Christmas season, the North Greenville University theatre department is putting on an adaptation of this show.
“A Christmas Carol” will run from Nov. 13-16 and Nov. 20-22 at the Billingsley Theatre.
The adaptation that NGU will be putting on is slightly different from the original story. The script they are using is meant for five actors, but it will be put on with seven. With these seven actors, however, 25 different named characters will be played.
Actors may even be different characters in the same scene. They will also portray inanimate objects. This will be achieved by using carefully placed costumes and props.
The only actor who will not change characters is Scrooge, who will be played by senior Alyse Barret.
When casting for the show, Director John Michael Cox explained a few key traits that they were looking for with their actors: Flexibility, versatility, and comedic timing. With actors playing many roles, they had to be able to change personalities fast.
Cox said, “It’s an adaptation that really allows the audience to come in and you genuinely don’t know what’s about to happen. We’re not gonna go by the way it happens in the book.”
The show will also be performed on an arena style stage. This means that the stage is a raised round platform in the middle of the theater and audience members will be allowed to sit on all sides of the performance.
Cox also described how the show holds a certain silliness in the modern age.
“It employs certain aspects of the way Dickens writes, while also acknowledging the absurdity of some of that. Sometimes it has jokes in there about how ridiculous the language is,” he said. “It’s very aware of itself.”
He explained how while watching the show, the audience will be very aware that they are watching a play. The actors will continuously be running around the room for their costumes and props, using the whole space.
In their final days before the performances, everyone involved will be focused on getting the details right.
Cox used the metaphor of a puzzle when describing the final days of rehearsals,
“All the puzzle pieces are coming together. It’s one of those shows that you didn’t really find the edge pieces of the puzzle, and then work through a picture. It’s just like we had all the pieces and we’re like, okay, this one eventually ends there, and that one eventually ends there,” he said.
If Cox had to choose three words to summarize the show, he would pick, “play, imagination, and treasure.”
Students will be able to pick up a free ticket to any showing at the box office located in the theater building with their student ID.
