Presenting A Storytelling Twist On A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Seeing A Christmas Carol billed around town during the holiday season is no shocker. But Childsplay Theatre's show stands out among the Scrooges, as one of The Valley's most celebrated actresses performs a one-woman adaptation of the classic Dickens story.

Katie McFadzen in A Christmas Carol will be on stage at Tempe Center for the Arts Friday evenings December 1 through December 22, with special holiday performances on December 23 and 24. Using Dickens' own immortal words, this one-woman tour-de-force will bring the heartwarming story like never seen before.

"The show is 80 minutes of non-stop speaking," said McFadzen. "So I know that once I start, there's no stopping until I say those final words: 'God bless us everyone.' It's kind of like getting buckled into a roller coaster seat knowing you're in for a wild ride and you can't turn back!"

McFadzen and Matthew Wiener, a local director who has worked with Phoenix Theatre, Actors Theatre of Phoenix, Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona State University and more, devised the script that was originally produced by Arizona Theatre Company.

"Mathew and I met a few months before we started rehearsals and started with the book by Dickens. Matthew was already very familiar with the story because he directed a large scale production of A Christmas Carol for 19 years at Actors Theatre [of Phoenix]," said McFadzen. "During the rehearsal process, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to best communicate the different characters and how to effectively give the illusion of 2 or more characters having conversations with one another."

Tickets start at $12 and are on sale now at www.childsplayaz.org or at the Tempe Center for the Arts Box Office (480) 350-2822 (ext. 2). The play is recommended for ages 9 and up. Tempe Center for the Arts is located at 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, Ariz. 85281.

The 7 p.m. performance on Friday, December 1 is a special $12 Storybook Preview performance, sponsored by The Steele Foundation. Each family that attends this General Admission preview performance will receive a free book. The American Sign Language (ASL) performance is Friday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

A Christmas Carol is recommended for Ages 9 and up.

Director: Matthew Wiener
Costume Design: Kish Finnegan
Lighting Design: Cody Soper
Sound Design: Brian Jerome Peterson
Stage Manager: Sarah G. Chanis
Original Scenic and Lighting Design by Paul A. Black

About Childsplay:
Childsplay, Inc. is a nonprofit theatre company of professional, adult artists who perform for and teach young audiences and their families. The mission of Childsplay is "to create theatre so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium, thus preserving imagination and wonder, the hallmarks of childhood which are keys to the future." For more information, visit www.childsplayaz.org.

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