Prepared by: Meghan O’Hara

Education & Outreach Coordinator, Grand Theatre

Grandtheatre.com | 1.519.672.9030| 471 richmond street, London on | @thegrandlondon

A Christmas Carol

Study Guide

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Cast

Bob Cratchit Sean Arbuckle Spirit of Christmas Past Jahlen Barnes Tiny Tim Owen Barteet Young Scrooge/Martha Cratchit Anna Bartlam Belinda Cratchit Annie Cornish Peter Cratchit Emma Cuzzocrea Girl Scrooge Riley Deluca Woman Scrooge Ellen Denny Fred Aidan Desalaiz Mrs. Dilber Nikki Duval Fan Isabella Espanol Mrs. Fezziwig Tracey Ferencz Mrs. Cratchit Rachel Jones Dick Wilkins Michael Man Jacob Marley Patrick Monaghan Spirit of Christmas Future David Michael Moote Mr. Fezziwig Steve Ross Scrooge Jan Alexandra Smith Topper Geoffrey Tyler Abigail Amaka Umeh Spirit of Christmas Present Blythe Wilson

Who’s Who?

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Production team

Director Megan Watson Original Director Dennis Garnhum Set designer Allan Stichbury Costume Designer Kelly Wolf Lighting Designer Bonnie Beecher Videographer Jamie Nesbitt Composer Jeremy Spencer Sound designer Jim Neil Music and Vocal Coach Mark Payne Voice and Dialect Coach Jane Gooderham Choreographer Kerry Gage Skating Choreographer Geoffrey Tyler Stage Manager Kelly Luft Assistant Stage Manager Jordan Guetter

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Scrooge is a wealthy business owner. Her business partner, Jacob Marley, has died, and Scrooge has alienated herself from family and refuses to allow any festivity or happiness into her life.

Scrooge’s poisonous outlook infects all those around her—her employee, Bob Cratchit, lives a life of poverty, working in fear of his employer’s sharp temper and ill mood, and attempting to maintain a positive worldview for the sake of his family, and especially his disabled son, Tiny Tim.

On one fateful Christmas Eve, the course of Scrooge’s life is changed immensely when she is visited by the ghost of her former business partner, Jacob Marley. Appearing in chains that represent all of the wrong actions of Marley’s life, he warns Scrooge that her selfish behaviour and lack of empathy for other people during life will lead to an afterlife of punishment and atonement. Marley foretells the coming of three additional ghosts, Past, Present, and Future, who visit over the course of the night.

One by one, the ghosts show Scrooge her youthful and optimistic past self, the effects of poverty on the Cratchit family’s holiday preparations, and a future in which, rather than mourning Scrooge’s

death, people profit from and celebrate it. Having been shown these visions, Scrooge experiences a change of heart, repentant of her past actions and eager to make reparations, which she does by purchasing a turkey for the Cratchit family’s Christmas dinner, as well as raising Bob Cratchit’s salary, donating money to charity workers whom she had denied and spurned the day before, and finally joining her own family for Christmas celebrations.

A Christmas Carol: An Overview

Scrooge design and artwork by Scott McKowen. Photos by Claus Andersen.

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Born on 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth, England, Charles Dickens did not have an exceptionally happy or good-fortuned childhood. In 1822, Dickens’ education was interrupted when his family moved to London for his father’s job as a pay clerk in the Dockyards. In late 1823, at age 11, Dickens was forced to start work in a blacking factory—which manufactured shoe polish—labelling bottles. In 1824, Dickens’s father was imprisoned for not repaying his debts. Both of these humiliating experiences informed Dickens’s future stories, specifically David Copperfield and Great Expectations. After finishing his education at age 15, Dickens went on to pursue journalism. He became a freelance reporter, and then in 1833, he became a parliamentary journalist for The Morning Chronicle. These new connections in the publishing industry meant that Dickens could begin publishing narrative sketches, which he authored under the pseudonym, Boz. In 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth. In that same month, Dickens published The Pickwick Papers, which became wildly successful due to its portrayal of the antics of Cockney sportsmen. The Pickwick Papers, like many of Dickens’ works, was published in a serial format, meaning that sections of the story were published monthly. These serialized stories were the Victorian version of a television show—readers would wait anxiously for the next installment to be published.

Following the success of The Pickwick Papers, Dickens published other great serial works: in 1838came Oliver Twist; in 1839, Nicholas Nickleby; and in 1841 The Old Curiosity Shop. Following these three works, Dickens wrote several novels which were not immediately popular, such as Barnaby Rudge in 1841, and Martin Chuzzlewit in 1842. However, the publication of his short story, A Christmas Carol, in 1843 revived his popularity among British readers. In addition to writing several other short stories, some of which were also intended as Christmas stories, in the later 1840s, Dickens began to write serial novels again. In 1846, he published Dombey and Son, and in 1849, David Copperfield. These works represented a shift

towards more complex and serious storylines. In 1850, he became the joint owner and editor of Household Worlds. Throughout the 1850s, Dickens wrote several of his most famous works, including Bleak House, Hard Times, Little Dorrit, and A Tale of Two Cities. His final three novels were penned in the 1860s: Great Expectations, Our Mutual Friend, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which remained unfinished due to Dickens’ death in 1870. He is buried at London’s Westminster Abbey, the church which has famously hosted coronations and royal weddings in England since 1066.

Sources: https://www.bl.uk/people/charles-dickens http://www.dickensfellowship.org/life-charles-dickens http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml

Who Was Charles Dickens?

Curriculum Corner Language: the biogr- aphical information given here offers necessary context that will help students orient themselves to A Christmas Carol, and will offer them a deeper understanding of the Dickens’ perspective in writing this narrative.

Photo of Charles Dickens by Jeremiah Gurney, source: Heritage Auction Gallery

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The “Victorian age” is the name given to the period of time during which Queen Victoria ruled in Britain, from 1837 to 1901. This was, in many ways, a golden age for modern Britain. By the end of Victoria’s reign, the British Empire covered approximately one-fifth of the Earth’s surface area, and one quarter of the world’s population could be counted as British

subjects. The Victorian period is well-known for advancing British society in technology, science, medicine, and manufacturing. The period also produced some of the greatest works of British literature. Along with Dickens, Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Lewis Carroll, Christina and Dante Gabriel Rosetti, and George Eliot were all Victorians. The Victorian period is typically understood to be a

time of strict self-discipline: people were hardworking, religious, and family oriented. For the first time, childhood was recognized as a treasured and important period of time, and the child became established as a distinct and important role in the family unit. It was a time of immense change in Britain, with technological advances in transportation, manufacturing, and science transforming all aspects of daily life. During this period, London grew from 2 million inhabitants when Queen Victoria came to power to 6.5 million by the time of her death. However, these

drastic changes and developments also led to economic uncertainty and poverty for many of England’s city dwellers.

Victorian London: A History

Curriculum Corner History - this section fosters students’ know- ledge about a specific past society (Victorian England), and helps them develop knowledge about those who lived during this historical time. For secondary level students, this section on the Victorian Period can enrich a discussion of European history

Photo by Alexander Bassano, 1886.

Map with British Empire highlighted in red. 1897. Source: https://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom

'Dickens's Victorian London' by Alex Werner and Tony Williams

7 Much of the Victorian period is marked by contrasts: the period is known for great discoveries, an optimism towards humanity’s potential, and immense prosperity. On the other hand, beneath this positive perspective on the Victorian period is a much darker reality: many of those who worked to make this era’s great advances possible were also suffering the most from poverty and other social problems. For example, while the 1832 Reform Bill of Parliament extended voting rights to men of the lower middle classes and represented a step towards equal rights, this positive change was tempered by the negative effects of the country’s Industrial Revolution: as manufacturing industries expanded, more workers were needed in order to operate the factories. This rising labour force meant that population in cities expanded rapidly, more quickly than housing and other services could keep up with. The result was poverty, poor living situations, dangerous working conditions, and other social problems.

Victorian Living

For the upper and middle classes, this era was one of material consumption. The Industrial Revolution made consumer products more available and affordable for the middle classes, and the British Empire’s vast reach meant that exotic products from other parts of the world became available for British consumers. In short, what was once only available to the very wealthy was now present in every middle class Victorian home. The Victorian period also saw the middle classes acquiring domestic employees like maids, nurses, and cooks. At the other end of the spectrum, the lower classes suffered greatly to make possible the advances enjoyed by the upper and middle classes. Mills, mines, docks, and factories—the places responsible for creating or acquiring the goods the upper classes desired—proved to be not only unpleasant, but also dangerous working environments. Employees worked very long hours, and were not well-compensated.

Source: Victoria & Albert Museum.

8 Homes were cramped, often without amenities like indoor plumbing. In the 1830s, reforms started to be passed in Parliament that placed limits on the number of hours that women and children could work in a day. However, reforms that would establish safe and reasonable working conditions for all employees would not come until much later.

Sources: https://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/victorian/review/summary.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/speed_01.shtml#two https://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Victorians/article.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/overview_victorians_01.shtml#three http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/victorian/daily-life/

Literature and the Victorian Age

Along with other advancements, literacy increased dramatically during the Victorian Period. The Industrial Revolution led to advances in the design of the printing press, making it easier—and therefore, cheaper—to operate. This meant that publishers could print more works of writing, more efficiently than ever before. During this time, the periodical—novels or works of non-fiction published in parts in serial form (often once a month) became very popular. Indeed, this is how many of Dickens’ most famous works were originally published. Victorians would not have read the thick, bound copies of Dickens novels that we read today. Instead, they would have purchased magazines, and read a chapter at a time, stretching the story across an extended period of time like the modern television series. Source: https://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/victorian/review/summary.htm

Charles Dickens First Edition, First Printing of David Copperfield” in Serialized Form. Source: natesanders.com

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Victorian Christmas Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is often credited with inventing modern

Christmas traditions. However, the truth is a bit more complex. Christmas was celebrated in the 1800s, though in different ways than we celebrate it now. For example, businesses did not typically close on Christmas Day, and gift giving often happened on New Year’s instead. It was Dickens who revived Christmas as a popular holiday, and his innovation was to emphasize charity and good deeds during the season. Historically, the Victorian age placed great focus on the family as an important social unit, and Dickens’ story encourages this orientation towards the familial.

This focus on the family unit during the holiday season is also often

attributed to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1848, the engraving to the left was featured in the Illustrated London News, showing the family gathered around a Christmas tree, adorned with ornaments. This tradition was soon mimicked in many English homes, which now featured trees decorated with candles, ornaments, fruits, and gifts. Other Christmas traditions popular during the Victorian period represented Britain’s increasingly international character. The decorated Christmas tree is a tradition that Prince Albert would have brought back with him from his childhood in Germany. The Christmas Cracker was invented by Tom Smith, who was inspired after a trip to Paris. The Victorian period also popularized the practice of making and sending Christmas cards, and elaborate seasonal home decorations. As we see in A Christmas Carol, the roast turkey dinner that accompanies many of our Christmas dinners was also popular in the Victorian period. While goose and beef roasts dominated prior to the 19th century, train technology advanced, and turkeys became more available and therefore more popular among the middle classes. The bird’s relatively large size proved a perfect amount of food for a large Victorian family.

Sources: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/victorian-christmas-traditions http://www.historytoday.com/geoffrey-rowell/dickens-and-construction-christmas https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/21/dickens-christmas-carol-didnt-invent-holiday-help-revived-it-lauren-laverne http://www.bbc.co.uk/victorianchristmas/history.shtml https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/victorian-christmas http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9286000/9286971.stm

Source: https://countryandvictoriantimes.com

Source: https://www.historic-uk.com

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Research Exercise

Pt. 1: Have students research ONE form of technology either invented or substantially developed in the Victorian period. Examples may include: trains and railways; the telegraph; reinforced concrete; bicycle; typewriter.

Pt. 2: How did the development of your chosen form of technology influence the lives of those living in the 19th century? How did day-to-day life change? What features of the Victorian period discussed above

were made possible by developments in this form of technology?

Victorian England – Technology and Culture

SNEAK PEEK: In this video, watch Props Master Natalie Kearns discuss how she and her team created the Victorian-era London streets on the Grand Stage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6fLiXlKzW4

Curriculum Corner Cross-curricular This exercise allows students to practice relating academic subjects to real world contexts. Here, students will make connections between Victorian science and technology and Victorian culture.

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This year, the Grand’s production of A Christmas Carol casts the role of Ebenezer Scrooge as a woman, played by Jan Alexandra Smith. We sat down to chat with director Megan Watson about this decision.

Meghan O’Hara: In recent memory, there have been a number of notable instances of theatre companies casting women in traditionally male roles: at this year’s Stratford Festival, Martha Henry played Prospero in The Tempest, and Lucy Peacock played Satan in Paradise Lost; as well, Seana McKenna played the title role in the Groundling Theatre Company’s production of Lear, to name just a few examples. We can also look to productions like Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, which recasts America’s founding fathers as people of color, and Marianne Elliot’s new staging of Sondheim’s Company, which puts Rosalie Craig in the typically male role of Bobby, as examples of innovative storytelling and casting. Why do you think we are seeing more of this today?

Megan Watson: These are old stories, told and re-told so many times. We relish returning to them to experience again and again the great joys and great tragedies that they narrate. We often see Shakespeare as writing classic tales, but he was reimagining old stories, like Italian poetry or plays, popular fictions of his time, and histories. Shakespeare was writing his very own versions of tales that he and his peers already enjoyed. These stories have stayed with us precisely because they contain multitudes of possible interpretations and meaning, resonating in different ways for different people, and in different moments.

MO: A Christmas Carol, for example, is a story that has always stayed with me—my dad used to read it to my brother and I every year at Christmas time. Do you feel that there’s a connection between storytelling and tradition?

MW: I think a great tradition is one that can change, grow, and transform—just like our family’s holiday traditions evolve to accommodate new members and new ideas, our theatrical tradition is similarly reshaped by new voices, perspectives, and interpretations coming forward. Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, like Shakespeare’s works, has been reimagined in numerous adaptations that re-cast the story, for example, with Muppets (The Muppet Christmas Carol), or bringing us into the struggles of a high-strung TV producer (Scrooged), and drawing us into new fantasy worlds through animation.

MO: Do you see this type of work continuing into the future?

MW: Far from being a mere trend, these choices recognize the necessity of representation and diversity on our stages, and open narratives up to encompass a wider set of lives and experiences. An alternate casting choice can shape and inform a narrative in new and exciting ways: for example, what new meaning might we

Perspectives – Q&A with Megan Watson

Jan Alexandra Smith.

12 find in Lear’s journey, when the play’s key relationships shift from father and daughter to mother and daughter? Similarly, how is Scrooge’s journey experienced differently when it is a woman making the transformation from curmudgeonly miser to benevolent and charitable citizen and family member?

MO: What makes the theatre an interesting place to rethink these classic narratives?

MW: While the specific circumstances may change, what makes these stories classic—a strong and universal message, perhaps, or a complex but relatable main character—remains. As with any of our most deeply held traditions, the details may shift and evolve, but the spirit and value of the practice holds true. Part of theatre’s power is that it tells stories through and with people, allowing us to imagine ourselves in new worlds and experiences. As we reinterpret classic narratives in new ways, we give ourselves and our audiences the opportunity to dream even bigger every time we return to that favourite story.

SNEAK PEEK:

Backstage at A Christmas Carol – in this video, take a look at

all the action that takes place behind the scenes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALt2hyEdQhE

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Our understanding of the Victorian period in England tends not to focus on women in the workplace or the business world. Partially responsible for this misrepresentation of how life was lived in the 1800s is what is called the Separate Spheres Ideology. The private sphere was understood to be the space of the woman, and included the home, domestic work, child care, leisure, and emotion. The public sphere was understood as a masculine space, and included business, economics, work, and achievement.

However, new research is disproving this theory, and demonstrating that women did play an important role as entrepreneurs, inventors, and business-owners in the 19th century in England.

So, what led to this misconception?

Much of what we know about jobs among Victorian families comes from the census, a process through which the government collects information about its citizens, such as age, income, occupation, number of family members, address, and so on. From 1841-1871, the census was supposed to record the occupations of wives and children, as well as the men who were considered the “head of the household.” However, research has found that census-takers weren’t consistent—some recorded the occupations of women and children, while others did not. In fact, some census-takers would record a wife’s occupation as the same as her husband’s, whether or not she worked. These discrepancies skewed the statistics that were collected, and altered our understanding of how many women worked, and in what jobs.

Source: Jennifer Aston, Female Entrepreneurship in Nineteenth Century England-Engagement in the Urban Economy, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016.

Research Exercise:

Here are two well-known female entrepreneurs and inventors from the 19th century. Do some research online to find out who they were, and what business they were involved in. What did they create? What important contributions did they make to the modern era?

Sarah Guppy Eleanor Coade

Extension: Can you find more Victorian businesswomen? Make a list of as many female entrepreneurs and businesswomen as you can, and write a brief overview of their contributions.

Female Entrepreneurs in Victorian England

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A Christmas Carol has been adapted numerous times. Changing any major element of a story or its characters has effects that echo through all aspects of the narrative. In this exercise, you and your students will test your creative skills by adapting your own stories!

1. Pick a story that you like and know well. 2. Decide on ONE element in the story that you will change drastically. 3. Using your knowledge of the story, brainstorm the impact of your choice. How does the

change you’ve made impact the rest of the story and the characters? What other things in the story will need to be revised to accommodate your big change? What elements of the story stay the same, but are interpreted differently?

4. Map out your adaptation in an outline or flowchart format, indicating all plot points and characters, and specific details about how they will be different in your version of the story.

5. Reflection: look back over your adaptation map—what changes or impacts surprised you? Do you think you made a good choice in your adaptation? Why did you choose to pursue the specific change you decided to make, and how do you think it impacted the meaning of the story?

A few examples of A Christmas Carol’s many adaptations:

Adaptation

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While Charles Dickens was born into a middle class family, in 1824, they were struck by financial trouble when Dickens’ father was committed to a debtors’ prison, resulting in a young Dickens having to sell his belongings, leave school, and start working in a shoe blacking factory. Life in Victorian Britain was precarious: the Industrial Revolution led to frequently dangerous working conditions in a number of industries, and an injury or death on the job could mean financial ruin for a working class family. At an early age, Dickens learned how quickly his fortunes could turn for the worse—it was a lesson he did not forget.

By 1842, Dickens had substantially changed his circumstances, establishing himself as a well-known author in Victorian Britain, but he retained an awareness of how destructive living in poverty can be. These past experiences defined Dickens’ creative and personal pursuits: many of his novels depicted philanthropic characters, both those doing good work and those who were not doing enough. Dickens supported a number of charitable causes, such as Urania Cottage—which housed homeless women—and the Ragged School Union, which provided schooling to underprivileged children. Indeed, Dickens visited the Ragged School Union in 1843, just one year prior to publishing A Christmas Carol—seeing children being provided an education despite their economic conditions surely would’ve moved Dickens, reminding him of his own bleak childhood.

Here in 2018, it’s clear that we have taken great strides in improving working conditions, compensation, safety standards, and financial responsibility. However, many still live in a position of precarity, and it is as necessary for individuals to support one another through charitable work as it was during Dickens’ life. A recent study by Vital Signs discovered that 70,000 people in London, Ontario are living below the poverty line, including 1 in 4 children. In 2018, HungerWatch London noted a 30% increase in food hampers distributed and a 36% increase in meals served over the past 10 years.

Victorian England was a time defined by economic disparities—while the Industrial Revolution meant exponential increases in capital for business owners, the working conditions and poor pay that made such progress possible also made life untenable for many Victorian-era Britons. We encounter similar disparities today, and as Dickens himself emphasized, humanity’s great progress and achievement must be met with equally great compassion and generosity.

A Charitable Spirit – Dickens in 2018

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Pt. 1 – Have students brainstorm the charitable activities at work in A Christmas Carol. (E.g. donating money to the less fortunate, raising the salary of an impoverished employee, ensuring the health of a disabled child, etc.)

Pt. 2 – Using the article above, discuss the ways in which contemporary social conditions are similar to and different from those on display in Dickens’ England. What problems have been resolved, and which ones remain? Are there social obstacles that are particular to London, Ontario?

Pt. 3 – Have students work in groups on a particular problem that persists from Victorian to modern times. Ask them to brainstorm potential solutions—of any magnitude—to their assigned problem. An aspect of this step might include researching existing charities, resources, and volunteer groups in London: take note of the type of impact these organizations are making.

Pt. 4 – As a class, discuss practical, tangible actions that students, parents/guardians, and teachers could take to improve the lives of those around us. Using the list of local organizations gathered in the previous step, explore how students might become involved, either by volunteering, donating, or through another type of engagement. Discuss with students the value of participating in their communities, and helping those around them.

Civic Engagement and Participation

Social Sciences; Civics; Cross-curricular This exercise is designed to use A Christmas Carol as a means to encourage students to fulfill the expectations of Citizen Education Frame- work. Work in the classroom focuses on collaborative problem-solving and encourages thoughtfulness, consideration, and empathy towards those in our communities who are less fortunate, or face substantial obstacles in their lives. Once the activity is over, students can then apply the skills built during this exercise in non- academic pursuits, such as volunteering or otherwise participating in their local community.

Curriculum Corner

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Not all cultures celebrate Christmas. However, many cultures do have winter holidays and celebrations. Below, you’ll find a list and brief description of a few different holiday traditions, from around the world.

Hanukkah – Cultural and religious celebration for those of Jewish descent or faith In remembrance of an ancient miracle, where a single day’s worth of oil burned in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem for eight days. To memorialize this event, Jewish people light a candle (called a menorah) for each of the eight days of Hanukkah. The holiday usually falls somewhere in late November or December; in 2018, Hanukkah will occur from December 2nd to 10th. Traditions include singing songs, eating holiday foods like latkes (potato pancakes), and spinning a top called a dreidel in order to win small gifts.

Kwanzaa – spiritual holiday celebrated by African communities in Canada, the U.S., and other areas of African diaspora This spiritual festival is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st, is based on ancient African harvest festivals, and it honours African heritage in African-American communities. The holiday celebrates seven core principles—unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith—symbolized by the seven candles in the traditional candle holder, which is called a kinara.

Eid-al-Adha – religious holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world This holiday, also referred to as the “Feast of the Sacrifice”, commemorates the willingness of the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son for God. The date of this celebration depends on the Muslim Lunar Calendar, and changes year-to-year. To celebrate, Muslims sacrifice an animal, and share the meat with friends, family, and

neighbours—Muslim and non-Muslim alike—as well as sharing the food with impoverished members of the community. This is a holiday feast that aims to ensure that everyone is given a chance to share and participate. Diwali – Hindu festival, and official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar Also referred to as the “Festival of the Lights”, Diwali occurs between mid-October and mid-November. This is a celebration for those of the Hindu faith, and it symbolizes the triumph of light over dark, good over evil, and hope over despair. During the holiday, lamps are lit to represent the victory of light over darkness, fireworks are often lit, and celebrants exchange sweets.

Holidays around the world

Source: https://www.unitedplanet.org/blog/2013/01/03/from-christmas-to-diwali-winter-holidays-around-the-world

Photo by: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

Photo source: The Indian Express

Photo source: Houston Press.

Photo by Gil Dekel.

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Cast holiday Traditions Amaka Umeh, Abigail: “My favourite holiday traditions are: waking up to exchange gifts with my mum and sisters, making a big breakfast feast while listening to carols by Boney M, skipping lunch because we're still stuffed from breakfast, and visiting our nearby Uncle Chuk's family to play games, watch a movie, exchange more gifts and have dinner!”

Blythe Wilson, The Ghost of Christmas Present: “Baking is a tradition in our home. My husband and I enjoy many different cookie recipes passed down from our treasured family members! For years my family walked or roller skated (yes roller skated, not bladed!) around the Vancouver Sea Wall before Christmas dinner. If there is a huge snowfall, we are now snowshoeing through the gorgeous TJ Dolan in Stratford! We will also always begin our Christmas mornings with Mimosa & a few Dark Chocolate Turtles! Enjoy the season of your traditions!”

Ellen Denny, Woman Scrooge: “I love walking our family dog Charlie through Victoria Park to see the colourful lights! And staying up late on Christmas Eve, listening to all our family's favourite Christmas albums, relaxing in the glow of the tree...”

Owen Barteet, Tiny Tim: “My favourite holiday traditions are decorating our Christmas tree with my brothers, making pizza with my dad for Christmas Eve dinner, eating my mom’s homemade chocolate cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, and taking turns to open presents. Another favourite tradition is going to church on Christmas Eve."

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Further Reading

A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Dylan Thomas. “This gem of lyric prose has enchanted both young and old for over half a century and is now a modern classic. Dylan Thomas (1914–1953), one of the greatest poets and storytellers of the twentieth century, captures a child’s-eye view and an adult’s fond memories of a magical time of presents, aunts and uncles, the frozen sea, and in the best of circumstances, newly fallen snow” – W.W. Norton

The Polar Express. Chris Van Allsburg. “Late one Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring.” – Penguin Books

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. L. Frank Baum. “Baum chronicles Santa’s life from his childhood in an enchanted forest—the same forest that is the source of all magic in the land of Oz—to his destiny of sharing gifts and spreading love …Along the way we witness him making his first toys, learn the origins of the Christmas tree and Christmas stockings, and discover the stories behind many Christmas secrets, like why Santa slides down chimneys, how he picks his reindeer, and how he delivers all his toys in one night.” – Penguin Randomhouse

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A Christmas Story. Jean Shepherd. “Here is young Ralphie Parker’s shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father’s pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphie’s duel in the show with the odious bullies Scut Farkas and Grover Dill; and, most crucially, Ralphie’s unstoppable campaign to get Santa—or anyone else—to give him a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, ‘You’ll shoot your eye out, kid’?” – Penguin Randomhouse

The Nutcracker. E.T.A. Hoffman. “The Nutcracker captures better than any other story a child’s wonder at Christmas. The gift of a handsomely decorated nutcracker from a mysterious uncle sets the stage for a Christmas Eve like no other for the little girl Marie. That night, Marie’s extraordinary present comes to life, defends her from the taunting Mouse King, and whisks her off to the Kingdom of Dolls. The inspiration for the classic ballet, E. T. A. Hoffmann’s irresistible tale of magic and childhood adventure continues to captivate readers of all ages. Today, many of the most enchanting symbols of Christmas, from nutcrackers to sugar plums to mistletoe, are still imbued with the power of this story.” – Penguin Randomhouse

The Night Before Christmas. Clement C. Moore. “On the night before Christmas, a father catches an unexpected glimpse of St. Nicholas himself. Along with his eight reindeer, Santa is here to fill the family’s stockings with toys. His short visit fills the silent house with joy and wonder.” – Penguin Randomhouse

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Work with students to discuss the features of A Christmas Carol that appeal to audiences. Start by discussing what students liked about the story—how did it make them feel? What aspects of the narrative impacted them the most?

Now, try to isolate the aspects of the story that appealed most to the students, and discuss why. What is it about, for example, the Cratchit family or Ebeneezer Scrooge, that is engaging to readers/audience members?

Teachers might also wish to screen selections from different adaptations, allowing students to compare the variety of stylistic choices made. For example, try comparing the representation of the Ghost of Christmas Past across several versions, as compiled in the following YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn_grqhr_vE

What is the same across all adaptations? What differs? What impressions do each of these representations give? What feelings do they evoke in students? How do these depictions compare to the one in the Grand Theatre’s production?

Creative work: Following the above discussion, students could try to create their own adaptation of a key character or moment from A Christmas Carol. What aspects would you choose to focus on? What would you highlight?

Wrap-up discussion: would you choose to create your own version of A Christmas Carol? Why or why not? Why do you think artists, filmmakers, writers, and television creators choose to adapt A Christmas Carol?

What is enjoyable about experiencing different versions of a work? And why does this particular story still appeal to us in 2018?

Discussion Questions

Curriculum Corner Arts This set of discussion questions and exercises takes the knowledge gained in the above section, and asks students to extend and apply their understanding of cultural traditions to explore the process of adaptation across various artistic media, and the phenomenon of A Christmas Carol.