Play Guide

Theatre Calgary’s Play Guides and Student Education Series are

made possible by the support of our corporate sponsors:

The Play Guide for A Christmas Carol was created by:

Zachary Moull

Assistant Dramaturg

Shari Wattling

Artistic Associate

With additional material by Dom Saliani

Want to get in touch?

Send an email to zmoull@theatrecalgary.com

Connect with us on our Facebook page

Tweet us @theatrecalgary #tcCarol

A Christmas Carol runs from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24, 2014

For tickets, visit theatrecalgary.com or call (403) 294-7447

Front cover photo by Trudie Lee

Table of Contents

THE BASICS

Cast and Creative Team ..................................................... 01

Who’s Who? ...................................................................... 02

Setting and Story .............................................................. 03

EXPLORATIONS

The Gift of a Little Christmas Book ...................................... 05

Twenty-One Years of Scrooge:

An Interview with Actor Stephen Hair ....................... 08

Directing the Book:

An Interview with Adaptor and Director

Dennis Garnhum ..................................................... 11

Dickens and the Theatre .................................................... 13

A World of Ice:

An Interview with Designer Patrick Clark ................... 15

Glossary ........................................................................... 17

CONVERSATIONS

Conversation Starters ........................................................ 19

ASK TC: Carol Spirit ........................................................... 21

Movie Night: A Christmas Carol .......................................... 23

Sources ............................................................................ 24

THE BASICS - 1 -

Cast and Creative Team

Theatre Calgary presents

By Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Dennis Garnhum

Stephen Hair Scrooge

Christian Bennett Young Scrooge

Emma Broughton Hope

Oscar Dewing Peter

Braden Griffiths Fred

Paula Humby Abigail

Aurora Hunt Fan

Greer Hunt Tiny Tim

Haysam Kadri Bob Cratchit

Robert Graham Klein Marley

Jamie Konchak Belle

Fionn Laird Boy Scrooge

Duval Lang Fezziwig

Ryan Luhning Topper

Allison Lynch Spirit of Christmas Past

Natalie Marshall Belinda

Julie Orton Mrs. Dilber

Graham Percy Spirit of Christmas Present

Beth Pollard Martha

Eric Wigston Dick Wilkins

Karl H. Sine Spirit of Christmas Future

Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan Mrs. Fezziwig

Myla Southward Mrs. Cratchit

Dennis Garnhum Director

Simon Mallett Associate Director

Patrick Clark Set & Costume Design

Kevin Lamotte Lighting Design

Jeremy Spencer Composer

Angela Cavar Music & Vocal Director

Chris Jacko Sound Design

Shari Wattling Production Dramaturg

Haysam Kadri Fight Director, Fight Captain

Anita Miotti Choreographer

Andrea St. Cyr, Monique St. Cyr Skating Choreographers

Jane MacFarlane Voice Coach

THE BASICS - 2 -

Who’s Who?

Scrooge and his Household

Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly man

Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge’s maid

The Laundress

Fred’s Family and Friends

Fred, Scrooge’s nephew

Abigail, Fred’s wife

Topper, Fred’s friend, who owes money to Scrooge

Other unnamed friends of Fred and Abigail

People from Scrooge’s Past

Fan, Scrooge’s sister

The Schoolmaster

Young Marley, Jacob Marley as a young man

Belle, Scrooge’s sweetheart

Mr. Fezziwig, a kind-hearted spirits merchant who employs Scrooge

Mrs. Fezziwig, his wife

Dick Wilkins, Scrooge’s fellow clerk at Fezziwig’s

The Cratchits

Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s clerk

Mrs. Cratchit, his wife

Their children: Peter, Martha, Belinda, and Tiny Tim

Townspeople

Carollers, solicitors, street vendors, businessmen, etc

Ghosts and Spirits

Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s late business partner

Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future

Ignorance and Want

THE BASICS - 3 -

Setting and Story

A Christmas Carol takes place in London, England, on Christmas Eve, 1843.

The play begins with a

memory – the funeral of Jacob

Marley, where his partner

Ebenezer Scrooge is the only

mourner.

Seven years later, on

Christmas Eve, Scrooge is

working in his office with his

clerk Bob Cratchit. Two

solicitors arrive asking for a

donation to help the poor and

needy. Scrooge flatly refuses.

He also declines an invitation to celebrate the season with his nephew

Fred. He does reluctantly agree to let Cratchit spend Christmas Day with

his family, as long as he comes early the next day.

At home that evening, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley. The

ghost informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits who will help

him to avoid the terrible fate that Marley is suffering – wandering the

earth bound by the “chains he forged in life.”

The first spirit to appear, the Spirit of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge on a

journey to see the places and people of his youth. Scrooge is reminded of

the deep affection he felt for his sister Fan, the late mother of Fred. He

visits his old employer Mr. Fezziwig and remembers the joy and

happiness that the Fezziwigs spread at Christmas time. He also sees his

former sweetheart, Belle, who broke up with him because of his single-

minded pursuit of wealth.

Frontispiece and title page of the first

edition of A Christmas Carol, 1843

THE BASICS - 4 -

Next, the Spirit of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to see the celebrations

happening all around him. They first visit the Cratchit home, where

Scrooge learns that his clerk has a very sick son, Tiny Tim. Then Scrooge

sees Fred, his wife Abigail, and their friends skating on a frozen river. As

they play a guessing game, Scrooge learns what they really think of him.

The Spirit of Christmas Future completes Scrooge’s education, showing

him three businessmen callously discussing the recent death of an

unnamed associate. Then, Scrooge sees his servants selling the belongings

of someone who has recently died. Finally, Scrooge is transported to a

graveyard, where he watches the Cratchit family mourning the death of

Tiny Tim. The Spirit points to another tombstone. Scrooge approaches and

discovers the grave bears his own name. Scrooge begs for the Spirit’s pity,

and promises to keep the spirit of Christmas in his heart all the year.

Scrooge wakes up in his

bedroom on Christmas Day.

Full of joy, he has a turkey

delivered to the Cratchits for

their dinner, and when he sees

the family in the town square,

he gives Cratchit a raise and

tells him to take the next day

off as well. Then he meets the

two solicitors who had

appeared in his office the

previous day and apologizes

for his behaviour by making a

sizable donation to their cause.

And lastly, finds his Fred

skating on the river and

happily accepts his nephew’s earlier invitation to Christmas dinner.

"The Last of the Spirits" by John Leech,

from the first edition of A Christmas Carol

EXPLORATIONS - 5 -

The Gift of a Little Christmas Book

Charles Dickens was one of the first literary stars to stake out a role as a

public intellectual, seeking to shape Britain’s national conversation on

social issues through his writings and speeches. “I have a great faith in the

poor,” he once wrote. “I

always endeavour to present

them in a favourable light to

the rich.”

Born in 1812, Dickens grew up

in poverty himself. As a child,

he worked long hours in a

London boot-blacking factory

starting at the age of twelve,

when his father was sent to

debtor’s prison. He rose to

prominence as an author in the

late 1830s, with some of his

early novels looking at

Britain’s treatment of its

struggling underclass. Oliver

Twist (1838), for example,

condemns the brutality of the Poor Law and its workhouses, where the

destitute were forced into prison-like conditions, and paints a sympathetic

picture of the poor and their children.

The autumn of 1843 was not a time of great cheer for Dickens. Already

demoralized by a visit to one of London’s poorest schools, he travelled to

Manchester in October to speak at a fundraiser for the Athenaeum, an

institution that provided education and recreation for the city’s enormous

working class. The Athenaeum was in financial trouble after the economic

recession of 1840–42, which had hit Manchester, a sprawling young city

driven by the new factories of the Industrial Revolution, particularly hard.

Charles Dickens

EXPLORATIONS - 6 -

In the early 1840s, more than half of the children born in Manchester died

before the age of five, and thousands of unemployed workers relied on the

charity of soup kitchens every day. There was little room for Christmas in

the industrial city, where factories ran round-the-clock on Christmas Day.

But while walking the streets after his rousing speech, buoyed perhaps by

the “bright eyes and beaming faces” of the working poor who had

applauded his words, Dickens hit upon the idea for A Christmas Carol.

On his return to London, Dickens threw himself headlong into the new

project. He was so eager to finish the book in time for Christmas that he

postponed meetings for several weeks, sending his regrets to his lawyer,

for example, by explaining that

he was “in the middle of a

roaring Christmas scene.”

Working from morning to

evening, Dickens kept up his

habit of walking the streets at

night for inspiration. In a letter

to a friend in Boston, he wrote

that while he “walked about

the black streets of London,

fifteen and twenty miles many

a night when all the sober

folks had gone to bed,” he had

“wept and laughed and wept

again, and excited himself in a

most extraordinary manner in

the composition” of what he

affectionately called “my little

Christmas book.”

When his publisher expressed

doubts about the book, Dickens put his own finances on the line by

proceeding with A Christmas Carol on a commission basis. Fortunately,

The festive red and gold cover of the 1843

first edition of A Christmas Carol

EXPLORATIONS - 7 -

this allowed him to control the book’s design. He commissioned the artist

John Leech to make illustrations and woodcuts, chose a festive red and

gold cover, and set the price at a relatively affordable five shillings (a

novel would sell for around 30 shillings at the time).

Dickens’ hard work meant that A Christmas Carol was ready just in time

for Christmas. Six thousand copies were published on December 19, 1843

– and every single one had been sold by Christmas Day. Newspaper

reviews praised the book’s Yuletide message of generosity and goodwill,

as well as the power and economy of the tale. “Who can listen to

objections regarding such a book as this?” wrote William Makepeace

Thackeray, a fellow novelist and one of Dickens’ foremost rivals. “It seems

to me a national benefit, and to every man and woman who reads it, a

personal kindness.”

Indeed, the nation’s response to the book was almost universally warm,

with Dickens receiving scores of letters from readers who wanted to thank

him for brightening their holiday season. One letter, from a prominent

Scottish judge, told Dickens that he had “fostered more kindly feelings

and prompted more positive acts of beneficence” with his one small book

than had all the sermons and publications of the previous year’s

Christmas, combined. As for Dickens himself, he was so cheered that, at a

Christmas party soon after Carol’s publication, he spent a full hour

performing magic tricks for children – he reportedly made plum pudding

appear from a top hat – and then danced late into the night.

“If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs,

its social and charitable observances, were ever in

danger of decay, this is the book that would give them

a new lease.”

– Thomas Hood

EXPLORATIONS - 8 -

Twenty-One Years of Scrooge An Interview with Actor Stephen Hair

How did you first get involved in A Christmas Carol?

Theatre Calgary started doing

A Christmas Carol before the

EPCOR Centre for the

Performing Arts was built.

Back then, in the very first

version, I played Charles

Dickens, who was the narrator

in that version. I’ve only

missed two over 28 years. This

year will be my 26th time in the

production, and my 21st as

Ebenezer Scrooge.

How do you feel about

playing the same role for so

many years? Is there anything

specific that you do to keep

the role fresh for yourself and your audiences?

I don’t think of it as the same role. I know that the name is the same, but

things happen that are different. Not only are there different actors, there

are also different versions of the play and different sets. I was 44 or 43

when I started playing Scrooge and now I’m over 60. A lot has happened

to me over those years and so Scrooge changes as I change. As I learn

more about life and a little more about me, I try to put that kind of

emotion or feeling into Scrooge. And that’s what keeps it fresh. I don’t

want to do the same thing. I don’t want to do what I did last year or the

year before. You start from there in rehearsal. It’s like putting on a pair of

cozy slippers – that’s where you start, but there has to be something more.

You’ll never find the true core of a human being.

Stephen Hair as Ebenezer Scrooge in 2011

(photo by Trudie Lee)

EXPLORATIONS - 9 -

Can you expand upon how you see the character of Scrooge and what

you want the audiences to understand from him as a character?

Over the years, I find more and more that I want him to be a real human

being, not the stereotyped, miserly Scrooge that we are all so familiar

with. He is a human being who has gone through, as everybody does, a

lot of disappointments, a lot of changes. He’s come to a lot of forks in the

road and he has made some very wrong choices. He doesn’t see himself as

a bad person. He may be stingy with his money, a bit mean and a bit

cranky, but that comes from the life that he has led. So, what I want

people to see is that he is a real person who made bad life choices and

those lead him to where he is at the beginning of the play. But he can

change. That is the nature of the story and I think that’s why people keep

coming and seeing it – because it’s for all of us. It tells us that we can all

make bad choices, but you can actually change and go to the light.

What important messages do you think audiences get from the play?

I think a lot of it has to do with the time of year. There’s something about

Christmas that brings families together from wherever they are all over

the country. Everyone gets together and there’s just something about it,

some kind of a memory that we all have. It’s a time for reconciliation; it’s a

time for sharing with each other and having good times. They see that on

stage with Scrooge’s family. I think that everyone is actually pulling for

Scrooge. We know that he’s going to turn into a good guy in the end but

it’s all about watching the journey.

And I’ve had people come to me in tears saying that their lives have been

just like Scrooge’s and they see what can happen if they change their lives.

The most important message people get is: “I can change my life if I’ve

been a bad person. If I‘ve made bad choices, I can change it.” I think that’s

important. That’s what they tell me they get out of it.

Can you describe a typical Christmas Day in your home?

If you come to my house at Christmas, you won’t see any decorations and

you won’t see any Christmas-ey stuff. We start rehearsing A Christmas

EXPLORATIONS - 10 -

Carol a month before the audience sees it, and by the time we get to

Christmas Day, to be honest, I’m just plain “Christmased out.” There’s a

lot of emotion that goes into this show and so on Christmas Day, I am

usually at home, usually by myself. If it’s nice out, I’ll sit out on my deck,

put my heater on, and maybe have a couple of drinks, but usually that’s

about all I do. And usually we’ve just come off seven shows in a row, so

I’m pretty exhausted. So to me, it’s a day off to just sit and relax. After

Christmas, I go down east to Ontario and visit my mom for a few days

and I have Christmas with her, but it’s the week after. She has a little tree

and all that stuff, but in my house there’s no Christmas for me and it helps

me to stay more Scroogey.

What is your Christmas wish for Theatre Calgary audiences?

Well, I wish them all the very, very best of the season. I wish them all the

love and all the joy that the season can possibly bring. I hope that the time

they spend with their families this Christmas, and that the joy that they

feel can be carried past the holiday and kept for as long as possible

throughout the year. Next year, if the Christmas feeling is a bit flagging,

come back and see A Christmas Carol and we’ll get the emotions roaring

for you again. I wish a happy time for all.

“We have come to take Scrooge so much for granted

that he seems practically a piece of Christmas folklore.”

– Edmund Wilson

EXPLORATIONS - 11 -

Directing the Book An Interview with Adaptor and Director Dennis Garnhum

Why did you decide to write your own adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

I thought long and hard about this production of A Christmas Carol – who

should adapt it and who

should direct it. It dawned on

me, after a bit of soul-

searching, that given my

history with it, I have a lot of

knowledge that I could bring

forward.

The way I think about

adapting – because I’m a

director – is that I am directing

the book. That’s how I phrase

it. So I go back to the source –

which is not me, it’s Charles

Dickens – and I ask myself,

“how would I direct that

scene?” I always find that

there is great joy in adapting.

You can find a nugget of an

idea that’s in there and you think, “OK, we’re going to run with that.”

This production is my imagination running with ideas that Charles

Dickens inspired.

How is this version of A Christmas Carol different from previous

Theatre Calgary productions?

This Carol is different in many, many ways. It’s larger, if that’s possible!

Physically, it’s a big, BIG production. The adaptation is more truthful to

Dickens’ original story than before. There’s also singing – we sing around

twenty Christmas carols – and I’ve set the entire production in what I call

Dennis Garnhum

EXPLORATIONS - 12 -

a “winter wonderland.” The whole set projects the idea that Scrooge is in

a frozen world – his bed has icicles falling off it and everything is covered

in snow. So it’s much more like a fantasy, similar to a ballet, or a

children’s story. Compared to previous productions, it is visually much

more colourful. The previous production, which was very important to

me, was more about poverty and bleakness. This one is much more about

children and joy. Given that I am a father now, I see things through those

eyes.

Now that you are a father, do you look forward to Christmas more than

you did before?

Absolutely! Every Christmas with a child is extraordinary. I mean, a child

gives you that gift for Christmas. I can’t wait. I really can’t wait.

Dennis Garnhum and the cast rehearsing on stage (photo by Shari Wattling)

EXPLORATIONS - 13 -

Dickens and the Theatre

As a boy, Dickens’ first love was the theatre. Like many children, he

enjoyed play acting and together with his friends formed a small dramatic

company. The story is told that sometime in the 1830s he was to audition

at Covent Garden Theatre, but that he was prevented from doing so

because of an illness. Had he

attended that audition, who

knows what might have

happened with his life and

career?

Dickens wrote about acting in

his novels; in Nicholas Nickleby,

for example, he lovingly tells

the tale of the Crummles’

travelling theatre troupe. And

while travelling across North

America in 1842, Dickens directed and performed in an amateur theatre

production while staying in Montreal.

A Christmas Carol was adapted for the stage almost immediately after

publication. Three productions opened in February, 1844, with one by

Edward Stirling sanctioned by Dickens. By the end of the month, eight

rival theatrical productions of A Christmas Carol were playing in London.

Stirling's production also played New York City's Park Theater during the

Christmas season of 1844 and was revived in London the same year. Since

then, A Christmas Carol has been seen in hundreds of stage productions

around the world – including seven different adaptations appearing at

Theatre Calgary over 28 years.

"Dickens' Dream" by painter Robert

William Buss (1875)

EXPLORATIONS - 14 -

A World of Ice An Interview with Designer Patrick Clark

Award-winning set and costume designer Patrick Clark hails from New

Brunswick. He has been involved with theatre and teaching his craft in

schools for the past thirty

years. His designs have graced

the stages of the Stratford

Festival, the Shaw Festival,

and countless other venues

across Canada. At Theatre

Calgary, he has most recently

designed the set and costumes

for Pride and Prejudice and

Anne of Green Gables. We talked

with Patrick just days after he

arrived in Calgary in 2011 to complete his work with the sets and

costumes for A Christmas Carol.

Can you tell us a bit about your designs for this production and what

we can expect?

The thing about this story is that there are many locations to represent, but

it all starts with what I call a basic set, or world that we created. When

Dennis Garnhum and I first talked about the play, he shared that he had

an image of this one scene where the actors are able to skate and I said

that is not just about snow – that’s ice. So out of that idea, and after much

discussion about ice and cold and Scrooge’s heart being thawed, we came

up with the basic imagery for the production. We created an ice world. It

is very abstract in that kind of sense. And within Scrooge’s world,

everything has been touched by the cold like the beds, the tables, the

chairs. The ice on the floor grows upwards into things.

From there, another idea or image I had is when the Spirit of Christmas

Past takes Scrooge on his first journey. I said, “Let’s really fly them.” So

Patrick Clark

EXPLORATIONS - 15 -

we designed a little window and the window flies. As the window flies

up, the little village that Scrooge remembers from his childhood will move

across the stage, all lit up as it goes by. His school and the other buildings

are not life-size but rather smaller replicas of real buildings. So it will be

like seeing this tiny town from high up above. There’s also the Spirit of

Christmas Present who arrives in what I call a “steampunk jalopy.”

As for costumes, we are up to about 80 so far. Since this is a new

production and a completely new look, we pretty much had to start from

scratch. This is because of the colour spectrum – the stage is quite bright

and blue and icy and the costumes have to match that kind of striking

color. The effect will be almost like going to see the ballet – it’s that kind of

brightness.

What aspect of this project did you find the most fun to work on?

One of the best aspects of this production is working with Dennis because

he is very open to anything and he will push it further. He’s been great. It

can be a challenge with A Christmas Carol as everyone already knows what

the story is. However, because of Dennis’ new take and ideas, he has

allowed me to look at it with a fresh eye and yet respect the story. The set

is very modern in a way, and yet, within it, the old story is still there and

the people are dressed in a period way. It’s still Victorian and it still has

traditional elements that you will recognize. But it is the twenty-first

century, and we kind of changed it a little bit to give it a fresh life.

Where did you get the inspiration for your designs? Did you go back to

the source – Dickens?

Oh yes, you have to read the story again. As always, whenever you re-

read a story, you find something new and you suddenly hear a line and

you say “I never thought of that.”

And I also went back to the original John Leech engravings – the

illustrations in the original book. It’s fascinating to see that even in the

first engravings – for example in his drawings of Fezziwig – they are not

EXPLORATIONS - 16 -

really “period” in any kind of way. Everything has a general “ye old good

old days” look because he wasn’t slavishly trying to be exact to the

clothing of the day. It’s nice because you can look at that and say, “If he

can do that, I can do that.” I can have a silhouette that’s fun but give it

some colour, give it some punch. I also wanted a kind of a modern take on

the overall look and we’ve tried to make this production quite kid-

friendly. There’s lots of pyro. There are bright colours. It would be safe to

say that with this production, we’ve gone from a darker version of the

story to a brighter version. They’re both equally valid. They’re just

different interpretations.

How do you hope the sets and costumes will effect the audience?

Well first of all, I hope that they’re entertained. No matter what, that’s

always the prime consideration. We want them to feel the kind of

sentimentality and the humour that’s in Dickens. Also there is the

darkness that’s always in Dickens as well. He wrote dark stories.

However, they do have a happy ending 90 percent of the time, which is

why we love his work.

When the audience sees the sets, they’ll see that they’re not what one

would expect, but still within the realm of the story. For instance, they’ll

see these little villages and they’re perfect little reproductions of the

nineteenth century and yet they are within this blue void that’s almost like

the stars at times. I think the lighting is also very different in this show –

more theatrical, less literal. I hope audiences will come out of the theatre

saying, “Wow! That wasn’t like any A Christmas Carol I have ever seen.”

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in

the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.”

– Washington Irving

EXPLORATIONS - 17 -

Glossary

The following information provides background, definitions or explanations of

specific period references in the order in which they are mentioned in the play.

Christmas Carols

Carols are traditionally associated with Christmas. By definition, however,

a carol is a song of joy and praise, often with a religious theme or lesson.

The Christmas tradition of caroling, or going door to door and singing for

the occupants, was established during the Middle Ages. Many of the

carols that are popular today were written in the 1800s.

Wassail

The first carol sung by the play’s carollers includes the line: “Here we

come a-wassailing.” Wassail is a drink consisting of ale or wine sweetened

with sugar and spices. The word derives from the Norse ves heill, which

means “be of good health.” Wassailing comes from the old English

tradition of visiting houses with a wassail bowl and singing songs that

wished good fortune upon the household.

Money words

“Bob” is slang for a shilling. In the British currency system at the time,

there are 12 pence to a shilling, and 20 shillings to a pound. A pound can

also be called a “quid.” Bob Cratchit earns 15 shillings a week. This is

considerably less than the average salary for a clerk at the time, which was

around 25 shillings a week.

Bedlam

At the beginning of the play, Scrooge states that Bob Cratchit should be

sent to “Bedlam.” In London at the time, there was an insane asylum at

the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem. “Bedlam” was a commonly used

contraction for Bethlehem and this hospital. As a result, the word

“bedlam” has entered our vocabulary and refers to a state of utter

confusion and chaos.

EXPLORATIONS - 18 -

Workhouses and the Poor Law

Scrooge suggests to the Solicitors that a solution for the misery of poor

people is to send them to prison or the workhouses. During Dickens’ time,

the British Poor Law forced poor people to enter a workhouse, where they

would be provided with food and shelter as payment for menial work. To

discourage people from taking advantage of the workhouses, the

authorities ensured conditions were terribly unpleasant.

Robinson Crusoe

When Scrooge is shown his past as a young boy, he recalls reading about

Robinson Crusoe. Robinson Crusoe was the title character of a 1719 novel

by Daniel Defoe, chronicling the adventures of a castaway marooned on

an island for 28 years. In one section of the book, Crusoe and his

companion Friday fight with cannibals.

Ignorance and Want

Just before the Spirit of Christmas Present departs, he shows Scrooge two

miserable children and calls

them Ignorance and Want. This

scene emphasizes Dickens’

deep concern for the plight of

the hundreds of thousands of

English children living in

poverty. Dickens believed that

the only way to break the cycle

of poverty was education. The

Spirit warns Scrooge that "This

boy is Ignorance. This girl is

Want. Beware them both, and

all of their degree, but most of

all beware this boy, for on his

brow I see that written which is

Doom, unless the writing be erased." Very little schooling was available

for poor children in Dickens’ day, and there was no public education

system in England until 1870 – almost thirty years after A Christmas Carol.

"Ignorance and Want" by John Leech,

from the first edition of A Christmas Carol

CONVERSATIONS - 19 -

Conversation Starters

Big Questions

Can bad people change for the better?

What is happiness and how do we measure success?

What causes people to isolate themselves from family and friends?

What is the Christmas spirit?

Theme

What does the word “carol” mean? Why do you think Charles Dickens

called his work A Christmas Carol?

Dickens was very concerned about social justice, and he wrote A Christmas

Carol in part to protest his society’s treatment of the poor. Based on A

Christmas Carol, what do you think were Dickens’ main concerns? Do we

face similar problems in our own society today? What solutions does the

play suggest?

Story

At its core, A Christmas Carol is a story about a bad man who sees the error

of his ways and becomes a good man. What are some other stories that

follow this basic plot? Why is this storyline so common?

The first two scenes of A Christmas Carol contain a great deal of exposition

– background information provided through flashbacks and dialogue.

What important pieces of information are revealed in these early scenes?

How do they help us to better understand what happens later in the play?

The ending of A Christmas Carol makes a serious statement. To what extent

is the ending realistic? In other words, do people in real life change as

dramatically as Scrooge does in the play? If so, what are some examples?

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Character

According to Shakespeare, “Action is eloquence.” This suggests that

actions – what a person does – often speak louder than words. Were there

moments in A Christmas Carol where what a character did on stage

revealed more about them than what he or she said?

Writers often use contrast to reveal more about their characters. Which

characters in A Christmas Carol serve as foils or contrasts for Scrooge?

What do these contrasts reveal about the man himself?

Design and Staging

This play is a challenge for the set designer, since the scenes are set in

several different locations. How did the set design contribute to the flow

of the play from scene to scene?

Which design choices (set, costumes, props, lighting) helped you

understand the specific setting or location of a scene? Which choices

created a particular mood or atmosphere for the scene?

What strategies did the production use to put the ghosts and spirits of A

Christmas Carol on stage? Which of the apparitions do you think was most

effectively presented? Why?

“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.”

– Charles Schultz

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Carol Spirit

After his visits from the Spirits of Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge pledges to

“honour Christmas in his heart and try to keep it all the year.” This is no

small task! We asked the artists of A Christmas Carol and Theatre Calgary

staff members to share how they try to keep Christmas year-round:

Stephen Hair (Ebenezer Scrooge)

I try to remember the remarkable joy of performing before our audiences,

and the happiness felt by so many in the theatre.

Allison Lynch (Spirit of Christmas Past)

I sing everywhere. Walking down the street, in public washrooms, in the

grocery store. Music makes people smile in spite of themselves.

Ron Siegmund (Wardrobe Master and Hair & Wig Stylist)

I smile. When I’m having a bad day, I smile and eventually I can forget

about it. And when you smile at someone, they smile too. It's a drop that

makes ripples out into the world.

Shari Wattling (Artistic Associate)

I sincerely believe that by offering a helping hand, a gesture of courtesy,

or even just a smile on a daily basis, that I can make a difference in

someone’s day. And hopefully, they will make a difference in someone

else’s in turn.

Nancy Cameron (Director of Marketing)

I believe that we have the power to make a difference in the world around

us through simple acts of positive thoughtfulness—it’s a gift that gives

back every day.

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Susan McNair Reid (Company Manager)

I say yes to charity donations when I’m buying something in a store: the

food bank campaign at Sobeys, the book fund for kids at Indigo, the

school supply drive at Staples. None of these things costs me more than a

fancy coffee, but as we learn from Mr. Fezziwig, even a little bit can make

a big difference to someone.

Dennis Garnhum (Artistic Director, A Christmas Carol Director)

I try to avoid being haunted by spirits.

How do you honour the spirit of Christmas and A Christmas

Carol all the year? We’d love to know!

Tweet us @theatrecalgary #tcCarol or write to Zachary Moull,

Assistant Dramaturg, at zmoull@theatrecalgary.com. We’ll be

sure to pass your advice along to Mr. Scrooge!

Detail from "Mr Fezziwig's Ball" by John Leech, an illustration

from the 1843 first edition of A Christmas Carol

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Movie Night: A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has sparked hundreds of adaptations

in every medium imaginable. Here are some notable film versions:

A Christmas Carol

Feature film, 1938. Hollywood’s first talkie version of the story stars

Reginald Owen as Scrooge.

A Christmas Carol

Feature film, 1951. The classic British version (known as Scrooge in the

U.K.) stars Alistair Sims as Scrooge.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Animated short, 1983. Scrooge McDuck plays his namesake, with Mickey

Mouse as Bob Cratchit.

Scrooged

Feature film, 1988. In this loose adaptation, Bill Murray plays a Scrooge-

like TV executive. While he produces a special broadcast of A Christmas

Carol, events from Dickens’ story start to occur in his own life.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol

TV special, 1988. This special episode of the British comedy series

parodies Dickens by reversing the story of A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer

Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson), the nicest man in Victorian London,

becomes vengeful and greedy after a visit from a Christmas Spirit.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Feature film, 1992. This surprisingly faithful adaptation features a mix of

human actors and Muppets. Michael Caine stars as Scrooge opposite

Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit.

.

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Sources

Print Sources

Michael Patrick Hearn, ed, The Annotated Christmas Carol, W. W. Norton,

1976.

Les Standiford, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Crown, 2008.

Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens: A Life, Viking, 2011.

Web Sources

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Project Gutenberg.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm

“The Workhouse.” http://www.workhouses.org.uk/