NewBridge Theatre to Present A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 11/29-12/22

Christmas time is on its way, and with that means making gingerbread houses, baking cooking, singing carols, and spending time with friends & family. NewBridge Theatre Company's intimate performance of Christmas Carol embraces all of these wonderful holiday traditions, while providing the perfect opportunity to celebrate the season with the ones you love.

"Like most renditions of Christmas Carol, NewBridge's version of this production celebrates the importance of love and family over money and material items, and does so by juxtaposing Scrooge's attitudes against the attitudes of the other characters he encounters. However, our show is particularly unique in that every character in the show, no matter how minor, has their own story that is interconnected to every other character's story, thereby creating a constant momentum that drives the life and energy of the action and reinforces the overall theme," says Elizabeth Tanner, Artistic Director and Owner of NewBridge Theatre Company.

Tanner said that the beauty of NewBridge's space is that it is small, so the audience is right up next to the performing space. Thus, it is crucial for the actors to understand their characters and relationships, so that the audience understands and are, therefore, pulled into the world of the show.

Jeff Nordin, who plays Ebenezer Scrooge, does a fantastic job of transforming himself from the kind and selfless person he is into the deeper, darker, and more selfish individual that Scrooge is, insists Tanner. Nordin says he is able to make this metamorphosis possible by delving into the history of Scrooge and understanding who this character is at his core and what makes him the way he is.

"The script does a great job of flashing back into Scrooge's history and showing the audience moments in this character's past," says Nordin. "However, understanding Scrooge has taken more than just looking at the script. I have had to invent a past for Scrooge, starting from his birth, that has allowed me to truly get into the character's mindset so that I could understand him on a deeper level and be with him mind, body, and spirit on his emotional journey."

Tanner states that, like Nordin, every actor, from Ghost of Christmas Past to Caroler #2, has created a life force for their characters in this show, so that they are all coming together to make it as real as it can be for themselves, and make the story come to life for the audience. Take this emotional story-telling and tie in some singing, some dancing, and a whole lot of holiday spirit, and you've got yourself a fun and heart-warming performance that will create everlasting memories for the entire family.

NewBridge Theatre Company received an Arts Activities Grant from the Minnesota Regional Arts Council to put on this production of Christmas Carol; therefore allowing this production to run 12 shows longer than the any other past productions and will have an added pay-what-you-can-performance. This show will run from November 29th through December 22nd, with 8 PM performances on Thursday-Saturdays, matinee performances at 2 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, ad a final performance on Sunday, December 22nd at 8 PM. The pay-what-you-can performance will be held on Sunday, December 15th.

Tickets are $22 if purchased at the door, otherwise they are $20 for adults and $15 for students and senior citizens if purchased online. Additionally, NewBridge will offer discount tickets to those who bring non-perishable food items or toy donations to the theatre for Hastings Family Service. NewBridge Theatre Company is located at 105 2nd Street East in Hastings, MN. Visit the website www.newbridgetc.com to find out more about the company, view performance dates and times, and purchase tickets.

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