A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS CAROL Will be Performed at Virginia Stage Company This Holiday Season

Virginia Stage Company will bring back its annual Christmas tradition with a bit of new spirit in the form of a riveting adaptation of A Merry Little Christmas Carol. The new retelling of the Dickens Christmas tale, written by The Hound of the Baskervilles' director Mark Shanahan, will bring its holiday cheer to the Historic Wells Theatre (108. E. Tazewell Street) from Saturday, December 4th - Sunday, December 24th. Tickets are currently available at: https://www.vastage.org/a-merry-little-christmas-carol

Directed by Tom Quaintance, Virginia Stage Company's very own Producing Artistic Director, A Merry Little Christmas Carol aims to bring the 20-year old Holiday Tradition back to Downtown Norfolk in full-swing after a year of traditions and celebrations going dark across the world. The author of this new adaptation, Mark Shanahan, had these heart-warming thoughts to share about the upcoming play:

"It has been an era in which we have largely been unable to gather together, to create an audience, to gasp as the curtain rises and cheer when it falls. We have missed enjoying those cherished nights bumping into friends and neighbors in a theatre lobby. We have missed our time at Virginia Stage.

And so, as we continue to return to live theatre, we offer our merry little play, a dramatization of the greatest ghost story of them all- A Christmas Carol! And, of course, this version is tailor made for the Wells, a theatre rich with history and a host of spirits lurking about."

Welcoming this new story to Hampton Roads as Dickens' favorite old miser, Norfolk local Beatty Barnes will be playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, along with several other wonderful local talents who will be joining him on the VSC Stage including: Mesgana Jackson from Matilda, Adalee Alt from our 2019 production of A Christmas Carol and Kai White making her return to the Wells Theatre stage after her last appearance in The Wiz. Joining this cast of VSC alum are several fresh faces, including Dustin Sullivan, Kara Mikula, Matthew Michael Janisse, and Refiye Tappan as our wonderful ensemble and musical accompaniment for this magical show of holiday merriment.

The story of Dickens' Christmas Carol has been a long-time tradition at VSC, spanning well over 20 years. While the style, script, music, and magic onstage changes slightly from year to year...the classic tale has always warmed the Hampton Roads audiences every December. Even in times of uncertainty, VSC kept it's doors open with caution to bring the story to Hampton Roads Audiences, and this year is no different. Virginia Stage Company remains committed to the safety and health of its patrons, and will continue to enforce COVID safety guidelines to keep it's staff, actors, and patrons safe. For a full list of our entry procedures, please visit www.vastage.org/entry.

This time-honored holiday tradition, which sees more than 11,000 patrons a year, is selling fast already! Tickets are now on sale by either visiting www.vastage.org or by calling the Box Office at (757) 627-1234 Monday through Friday from 10am - 5pm. In response to the Novel Coronavirus, Virginia Stage Company is requiring proof of vaccinations or a negative COVID Test administered within 72 hours of entry to it's productions. Images of the front and back of the card will be accepted in lieu of the physical card, and masks will be required of all guests and individuals present in the space. Seating in the orchestra will be arranged as normal, but for those concerned about social distanced seating; arrangements have been made in the mezzanine.

Virginia Stage Company is Southeastern Virginia's leading theatre destination, serving an audience of over 58,000 annually, both at the Wells Theatre and throughout the community. Virginia Stage Company's mission is to "enrich, educate, and entertain the region by creating and producing theatrical art of the highest quality."