Portland Playhouse's A CHRISTMAS CAROL Comes to Hampton Opera Center

At first glance, A Christmas Carol - a mainstay of Portland Playhouse's season five years running - seems to stray from their purpose of presenting diverse audiences with artistically forward productions. But be immersed in the hour and a half of music packed Dickensian storytelling and you'll realize what happens in the space between the traditional tale of Ebenezer Scrooge on his transformative journey of redemption and the audiences that fill the theatre is nothing short of magical.

"For us, A Christmas Carol provides an amazing access point," says co-founder and Artistic Director Brian Weaver. "Maybe this is the one play a family sees together every year. Maybe it is someone's first experience with theatre, like it was mine. My grandmother took me to see A Christmas Carol when I was five, and it was my first introduction to the wonder of live theatre. Why not make this the most engaging and magical experience possible?"

It is indeed, many a Portlander's first experience in the theatre...and many come back year after year. There are changes from season to season to be sure, but what remains the same is the intimate, heart swelling experience, the live music and song performed by a strong, diverse cast of professional actors, members of the Portland Playhouse Apprentice company and shining new stars in the roles of the Cratchit children.

New for the production this year will be the staging of A Christmas Carol in the round. Due to major renovations happening at Portland Playhouse's theatrical home in the former Mt. Sinai Baptist Church building in the King neighborhood, the show will be taking up residence in the Hampton Opera Center's performance space. Patrons can expect the fun, festive, family-friendly favorite they love, all easily accessible by car, streetcar, max, bus, and bike on the east bank of the Willamette River at the base of the Tilikum Crossing.

PORTLAND PLAYHOUSE, now in its tenth season of making theatre for diverse audiences in Portland, is a space for people of all backgrounds to come together to celebrate the complexity of our shared human condition. Portland Playhouse is dedicated to producing quality, intimate, performances in which the interaction between artists and audience is paramount. We envision a world awakened by the wonder of theatre.

Box Office: (503) 488-5822 | www.portlandplayhouse.org

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