CAPA, Short North Stage To Bring A CHRISTMAS CAROL Back To Ohio Theatre

The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts in collaboration with Short North Stage, will bring to life a brand-new, original production of the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, on the Ohio Theatre stage for Thanksgiving weekend 2023.

Directed by Edward Carignan, Artistic Director of Short North Stage, this all-new production features a creative team with Broadway and national theater experience committed to offering a fresh, new take on a familiar story while maintaining the traditional elements that have made the Dickens tale a holiday favorite for generations.

CAPA had presented the Nebraska Theatre Caravan tour of A Christmas Carol for more than 40 years, until the COVID-19 pandemic. The company did not resume touring, to the disappointment of audience members who had made the show an annual family tradition. CAPA determined to bring that tradition back.

“For four decades, CAPA kicked off the holiday season in central Ohio with A Christmas Carol at the Ohio Theatre on Thanksgiving weekend, and I'm thrilled to say we will again,” CAPA President & CEO Chad Whittington said.

“CAPA couldn't be more excited about working with Short North Stage to make this all-new production from the ground up. We're thrilled to be creating something both traditional and brand new, something that we believe audiences will come to treasure as a special part of their holiday season for years to come,” Whittington said.

“It will be the city's own A Christmas Carol, made here in Columbus for Columbus,” Carignan said. "A Christmas Carol holds a very special place in my heart, and I am thrilled to helm a production Columbus can be proud of.”

“This will be a very actor-driven piece. We also hope to employ the use of modern projection mapping, theater magic and special lighting effects to create an overall dreamlike effect for the show,” Carignan said. “While the style and tone of the show remains Dickensian, the storytelling will feel modern and new.”

In addition to Carignan, the creative team includes writer Thom Christopher Warren, a cast member of Disney's The Lion King on Broadway; scenic designer Antonio DiBernardo, an associate of Broadway scenic designer Derek McClane (Moulin Rouge, MJ the Musical; costume designer Molly Walz; and composer Thom Albert.

Casting will take place in late summer in Columbus and New York City; Carignan said he expects scenic and costume design will be completed around that same time.

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