A Christmas Carol
By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter
Adelle Ellis Photo
With a timelessness and themes that everyone in the audience will be able to relate to, choosing to perform A Christmas Carol was an easy choice for the supportive and tight-knit SHS class.
“The main story is kind of a big one that most people can relate to. It’s just hardship within a family but the family sticking together to come through,” said George Crawford, a Grade 12 student who will be playing Scrooge.
The play will feature a minimalist set design, and the young actors are excited to showcase their acting skills and to work more directly off of the other actors without relying on a flashy set to carry them through the show.
“It’s coming together really well. With it being a dimmed-down performance, there’s still a lot of expression in these actors and there is a lot of passion towards the performing arts, and it shows through the action,” said Grade 11 actor Luke Schramm who also plays Scrooge.
The importance of character interaction, both physical and verbal, is also a major factor in this play.
“The words are super important and a lot of the story is also told through actions, just making the most of the stage and making sure we are properly interacting in an entertaining useful way,” said Schramm.
As with most SHS productions, roles are double- and sometimes triple-cast to allow students the best opportunity to work on their acting skills, to play a variety of roles and to ensure everyone is as involved as possible. Many actors play multiple parts and there are also opportunities for students to work as stage manager and in technical jobs such as sound and lights. There are 22 students working on this performance along with the volunteers and extras.
In SHS’s production of A Christmas Carol, each actor adds their own unique element to the play. They were all given the chance to block the scenes themselves before their director, Deanne Bertsch, put her touch on the scenes.
“There are our own little touches on it. There are little things that are different than the traditional story but they make it better and they don’t take away from it,” said Mackenzie Duggan, a Grade 11 student playing Christmas Past.
Some little changes that differ from traditional productions of A Christmas Carol is that the SHS production will include music and some carols between scenes. There will also be some scenes with singing and dancing to add something else special to their performance.
Several actors attribute the show and their class’s success to their teacher and director, Bertsch, who works through a script before adding elements she feels goes with the production and what will look best for the specific cast of people.
Students also describe her directing method as focusing on each character, instead of the whole scene, to ensure each character is doing everything they can do to be the best they can be in their position.
Another thing that makes this production of A Christmas Carol so special is the close bonds and relationships the actors and tech students have been able to build, adding to their on-stage performances and helping them out in classes outside of drama, along with the fact that it is a mixed grade production.
Many of the young actors say having access to the auditorium and being able to attend drama classes at SHS has given them an outlet to open up and grow their confidence levels both on and off stage – something they say you can see throughout the production.
“Having a drama theatre and drama class in the school impacts everyone … you get to show your pride, your passion and all your joy. Mrs. Bertsch just knows how to bring out all the goodness inside of you,” said Dalton Poonstoppel, a Grade 12 student playing Christmas Present.
A Christmas Carol will be presented in the SHS Auditorium on Dec. 16 at 4 p.m., and from Dec. 15 to19 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 each and are available at the door.