Stoneham Theatre Presents Hoiday Shows in Repertory, 11/26-12/23

Stoneham Theatre presents Holiday Shows in Repertory with: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever from Nov. 26-Dec. 23 and Sister's Christmas Catechism from Dec. 1-19.  Tickets for each show: $38-$44 regular admission; senior & Stoneham resident discounts apply; all student tickets $20.  Student/senior discount matinees available.  [Special pay what you can performances to be announced.]  Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, MA 02180.  Wheelchair accessible.  For advance tickets and information, visit or call the Box Office at 781-279-2200 (hours Tues.-Sat., 1-6pm) or log onto www.stonehamtheatre.org

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, written by Barbara Robinson and directed by Chris Carcione, is a comic holiday romp for the whole family.  A small-town Christmas Pageant gets hijacked by the roughest, loudest, rowdiest kids in town.  And just when the Pageant seems beyond all repair, the true spirit of Christmas is discovered in the most unexpected of ways.  Pageant features adults Stacy Fisher, Kathy St. George, Dee Nelson, Neil McGarry, and Sarah Jones, and kids played by Stoneham Theatre's young company performers Stowe Brown, Phillip Dragone, Julia Talbot, Casey Moriarty, Molly Geaney, Jenny Lerman, Michael Sticca, and Michael Saracco.  The artistic support team is made up of Christopher Ostrom (lighting design), Ryan McGettigan (set design), Susan Paino (costume design), and David Wilson (sound design).  An additional bonus: before each show, a local choir will be featured, entertaining theatre-goers with holiday songs and good cheer.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever performances are to be held on:
Fri. 11/26 at 7pm, Sat. 11/27 at 3pm & 7pm, Sun. 11/28 at  2pm, Fri. 12/3 at 7pm, Sat. 12/4 at 3pm, Sun. 12/5 at 2pm, Fri. 12/10 at 7pm, Sat. 12/11 at 3pm, Sun. 12/12 at 2pm, Fri. 12/17 at 7pm, Sat. 12/18 at 3pm, Sun. 12/19 at 2pm, Tues. 12/21 at 7pm, Wed. 12/22 at 7pm, and Thurs. 12/23 at 7pm.

Sister's Christmas Catechism, conceived by Maripat Donovan with Jane Morris and Marc Silvia, is the latest installment in the Late Nite Catechism series, a hilarious unconventional tutorial in Catholic holiday traditions.  Sister's Christmas Catechism is an opportunity to dive in and solve the real mysteries of the season.  Perfect for those who need to know where the Magi's gold is actually hidden.  "Sister" Denise Fennell, Boston native now residing in Los Angeles, will conduct the proceedings and a local choir will not only be featured before the performance, but will then also be lured into her classroom for the nail biting start of the show.  ["... in Denise Fennell a well-nigh perfect embodiment of Donovan's Everynun has been found" (Frank Wilson, entertainmentevents.com)]

Sister's Christmas Catechism performances are to be held on:
Wednesdays at 2pm (with also a 12/15 show at 7pm), Thursdays at 7pm, Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 5pm

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Stoneham Theatre will be an official drop-off location for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. The mission of the program is to collect new, unwrapped toys which will be distributed as Christmas gifts to the less fortunate children in the Stoneham area. For general information about the Toys for Tots program, visit www.toysfortots.org.  Toys can be dropped off at Stoneham Theatre during regular Box Office hours (Tues.-Sat., 1-6pm) or during scheduled show times.

Coming up next during the Holiday Season at Stoneham Theatre:

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
December 31, 2010, 7 pm and 10 pm; tickets: $44-$48, including a champagne toast.
Stoneham Theatre's all time favorite Kathy St. George will bring us into the New Year singing all our favorite show tunes and Great American Songbook hits.  And a little bubbly will help make the evening's celebrations extra bright.

Background Information:

Stoneham Theatre, a professionally producing regional theatre, is the only company founded within the past ten years ranked by the Boston Business Journal among the area's ten most popular performing arts organization.  It is consistently praised by critics and audiences for its superior caliber of production, its connection to the communities it serves and its comfortable atmosphere.  Weylin Symes serves as the theatre's Producing Artistic Director.  Visit www.stonehamtheatre.org

Stoneham Theatre is also home to the Atelier Gallery, a satellite gallery of the Griffin Museum of Photography, showcasing fine art photography.  For more information on the exhibition schedule, log onto www.griffinmuseum.org/exhibitions_atelier.htm.  The Atelier Gallery at Stoneham Theatre is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1-6 p.m., and one hour before each theater performance. The gallery can be accessed through the theatre's lobby; free and open to all.