Mid-Michigan's award winning professional theatre company, Williamston Theatre, located at 122 S. Putnam Street in downtown Williamston, is celebrating the holiday season with the World Premiere of Ebenezer by Award Winning Michigan Playwright, Joseph Zettelmaier. Tickets for this heartwarming holiday tale are now on sale.
Ebenezer begins with five Preview performances starting tonight, November 15. During the first four Previews audience members will have the opportunity to take part in the process of creating a show by participating in a talkback session with the director following each performance. The final Preview will be a three o'clock matinee on Friday, November 23. The Official Opening Night is Friday, November 23 at 8:00pm, with the show scheduled to run through Sunday, December 23. Performances will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at eight o'clock and Sunday matinees at two o'clock with additional three o'clock matinees on Saturdays starting November 24. Please note there will be no performance on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 22.
It's a cold Christmas Eve in London and Ebenezer Scrooge sits in a hospital room. Fifteen years have passed since his miraculous transformation by the Ghosts of Christmas. Now renowned for his generosity and selflessness, his spirit still yearns to bring cheer to the world, but his flesh is weak. Such a little thing isn't likely to stop the old man, though, for he has a plan up his sleeve that he hasn't shared with his two troubled companions -
Miss Poole, the nurse assigned to his care, and Timothy Cratchit, recently returned from war in America. Over the course of the evening, these two lost souls will bear witness to events they do not fully understand as the spirit of Christmas descends on Ebenezer once again.
Michigan playwright Joseph Zettelmaier returns to Williamston with a brand new holiday show. He is the recipient of two Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Awards for Dead Man's Shoes and It Came From Mars, both of which were co-productions between the Williamston Theatre and the Performance Network. He is a three-time nominee for the American Theatre Critics Award for Best New Play (All Childish Things in 2006, Language Lessons in 2007 and It Came From Mars in 2010). His work has also won awards for the Best Locally Created Script and Best New Play (Ann Arbor News), Best New Play (Oakland Press), and has been selected as a part of the National New Play Network's Festival of New Plays. His play, And The Creek Don't Rise, is currently Williamston Theatre's best selling show.
The cast of Ebenezer consists of Arthur J. Beer as Ebenezer Scrooge,
Alysia Kolascz (It Came from Mars) as
Miss Poole and Joseph Seibert as Timothy Cratchit. The Director is Williamston Theatre's Executive Director,
John Lepard (Red, White and Tuna, While We Were Bowling). The production team includes Set Design by Janine Woods Thoma (boom, Red, White and Tuna), Lighting Design by Alex Gay (Red, White and Tuna, The Understudy), Costume Design by Karen Kangas-Preston (Red, White and Tuna, Smell of the Kill) and Prop Design by Stefanie Din (Dead Man's Shoes). The Stage Manager is Rochelle P. Clark.
Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can for tonight, November 15. Remaining Preview tickets are $15.00! Starting Opening Night, tickets prices are $25.00 for Friday and Saturday evenings, $22.00 for Saturday and Sunday matinees and $20.00 for Thursday evenings. Discounted rates are available for senior citizens (65 and older), students (with a valid student ID) and groups of 10 or more (booked at least 1 week in advance). Tickets can be ordered by stopping by the theatre or calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469), Tuesday – Friday from 12 – 6pm or on-line by visiting our website
www.williamstontheatre.org.
The Williamston Theatre is a not-for-profit, professional live theatre company, dedicated to producing plays that excite, engage and entertain our audiences. The theatre opened its doors in 2006 and has received a number of local awards including the 2008 Robert Busby Award for extraordinary overall contribution to theatre in the Greater Lansing Area.
Williamston Theatre patrons will find ample parking on the street and in several municipal lots throughout the city. The theatre is located in downtown Williamston (exit 117 off of I-96) just south of Grand River Avenue. Additional information about the company and the 2012-2013 Season is available online at
www.williamstontheatre.org or by calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469).
