HartBeat Ensemble Presents Ebeneeza – A Hartford Holiday Carol

This December, HartBeat Ensemble's annual production of Ebeneeza - A Hartford Holiday Carol reflects the grit, the grime, and of course the humor that 2010 brought to the city and the nation. The play, originally written in 2006 and updated every year to address timely issues, will be performed for the public at Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts, The West Indian Social Club, The Mark Twain House & Museum, and West Hartford's Playhouse on Park. Each weekend in December, residents of the Hartford area will be able to see a Scrooge story for today in their own neighborhoods. The Hartford performances will be free, and HartBeat will charge a family-friendly ticket price for The Playhouse on Park closing week.

Ebeneeza is a multi-cultural retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, using
Greater Hartford history, Christmas feasts, Chanukah rituals and Kwanzaa celebrations.
Set in modern-day Hartford, the title character is an elderly woman who has made her fortune in local real estate and mortgage brokering. The miser is, of course, visited by three ghosts, including Hartford's favorite "Ghost of Holidays Past," Mark Twain. In keeping with HartBeat tradition, the words and concepts of Ebeneeza come from interviews with citizens of the Greater Hartford community. The production takes us from Ebeneeza's childhood home on Front Street during the Depression, through the civil upheavals of the 60's in the North End of Hartford, into the Greater Hartford suburbs of the 80's, and finally into one frightening possible future.

"It's a wild ride through our common history and current reality," says Co-Artistic Director Gregory R. Tate of the play. "HartBeat really enjoys highlighting the humor, and deep emotional bonds, that make this play a perennial holiday favorite."
Ebeneeza will start at Kinsella Magnet School of the Performing Arts on Friday evening, December 3rd and Saturday evening, December 4th. The West Indian Social Club will host the next stop on Thursday evening December 9th and Friday evening December 10th. Ebeneeza will run at The Mark Twain House & Museum on Friday evening, December 17th, Saturday evening, December 18th and Sunday afternoon, December 19th. Ebeneeza's final destination will be Playhouse on Park, on Sunday afternoon, December 26th and Monday evening through Wednesday evening December 27th through 29th. Evening shows begin at 7:30PM and matinees begin at 2PM. All Hartford performances will be free to the public and tickets at Playhouse on Park will be moderately priced to encourage family attendance.

Ebeneeza is written by the HartBeat Ensemble and directed by Nora Mathews from original staging by Brian Jennings. This production is made possible by The City of Hartford, The Office of Cultural Affairs, The Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign and the United Way Community Campaign, The Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation and the The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Media sponsor is the Hartford Advocate.

The mission of HartBeat Ensemble is to create original, professional theater based on stories from our community. Through Mainstage plays, Open-Air performances, and Education programs, HartBeat Ensemble makes theater accessible beyond the barriers of class, race, and gender.

For more information please visit www.hartbeatensemble.org or call (860) 548-9144.

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