Virginia Stage Company Presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Now thru 12/23

Virginia Stage Company announces the opening of its annual holiday favorite A Christmas Carol. Patrons will delight in this classic tale of redemption featuring Scrooge, the Cratchits and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Traditional carols played on vintage instruments add a rich layer to this favorite tale. The production will run from toight, December 7 through December 23, 2012 at Norfolk's historic Wells Theater.

While the story hasn't changed, there's a new cast beginning with Scrooge, played by theater and film veteran Gregor Paslawsky, VSC's Poetry of Pizza (Season 29) alum. Michael R. Schaeffer from Death of A Salesman (VSC Season 33), Michael Sharon (VSC's Around the World in 80 Days) and Chris Ware from The Fantasticks (Season 33) will return to the Wells stage to join local favorites Ailish Riggs, Morgan Wilson and returning Tiny Tim, Colin Wilson.  

"Sometimes it feels like rehearsing A Christmas Carol is my Christmas," said Patrick Mullins, VSC's Associate Artistic Director and director of A Christmas Carol for the seventh season. "Bringing together a cast of local and national professional actors and spending weeks in rehearsal singing all of those songs… It's like decorating our house for Christmas, only we're creating a living, breathing world of holiday cheer," Mullins said. "This year's cast is especially wonderful, and they bring not just their talents to the stage, but also their hearts. The vintage instruments, the period songs, the great story… It all blends together to tell us what Christmas is all about, then and now."  

Tickets to A Christmas Carol range from $33 to $50 for adults, $20 for children 18 and under. Sunday, December 2 at 7:00 pm is the Dress Rehearsal with a minimum donation of $15 per seat. Opening night is Friday, December 7 at 8:00 pm. The complete show schedule and more information is available at http://www.vastage.com/the-plays/a-christmas-carol   

VSC offers weekday student matinee performances to A Christmas Carol, hosting more than 6,000 area schoolchildren at reduced ticket prices, thanks to VSC sponsors including Norfolk Southern and Capital Group. For student reservations, contact Janelle Burchfield at jburchfield@vastage.com

Now in its 16th year at VSC, A Christmas Carol was originally published in 1843 as a novella and rapidly became a holiday favorite. Today it is arguably the most-adapted non-Biblical Christmas story. Ebenezer Scrooge is the surviving partner of Scrooge & Marley, a business that values profit above all else. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is his usual miserly self, chastising his sole employee, Bob Cratchit, for wanting to take off Christmas Day and insulting his nephew Fred for celebrating a holiday that "has never put a penny in anyone's pocket." But that night, three spirits show him his desolate path and give him the opportunity to gain his redemption. This timeless story continues to touch hearts, no matter how often it is seen.

For more information on VSC's upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit www.vastage.com or contact the box office at 757-627-1234.

Virginia Stage Company is Hampton Roads' only fully professional resident theater company, serving an annual audience close to 70,000. Since its founding, Virginia Stage Company has made significant contributions to the quality of life in Hampton Roads: presenting more than 190 plays through more than 3,700 performances; revitalizing and renovating the historic Wells Theatre; providing educational programs for students of all ages; and preserving the legacy of live theater for future generations.  Seasonal support for VSC's 34th Season is provided by Norfolk Southern Corporation.www.vastage.com

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