THE MOUNT AIRY Players bring back a Christmas tradition with their presentation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
The theater troupe has performed the holiday classic on the life of Ebenezer Scrooge five times, but the last performance was in 1999. It will be presented over two weekends this month.
Performances will begin at 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 at Calvary United Methodist Church, 403 S. Main St., Mount Airy. A matinee is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 15.
"This is one production that people would come to see year after year because of its message that somebody can be transformed in a positive way during the holiday season and also because it's one of the most well-known of all Christmas stories," said Charles Beck, director.
"It's always a challenge to keep it fresh, to think of different ways to interpret the scenes," Beck said. "But even though we do have the same actor playing Scrooge [as in 1999], we try to look at different character concepts."
Mount Airy resident and veteran actor Duncan Wright brings the character of Ebenezer Scrooge to life. Wright says he has been in more than 100 plays in his career, including summer stock, dinner theater, and he has been an extra in TV's Law and Order and in soap operas. Wright feels he approaches playing Scrooge with a new perspective, although this is the third time he has played the character.
"I think each time it gets a little easier for me," Wright said. "But it is fresh because an actor puts himself into the character, and of course, there is the interaction with all the new people in the production."
Beck has witnessed the evolution of the small community theater group, which he joined as a teen-ager in 1986.
"The group has changed, but the audience has also changed since I first joined," said Beck, who is directing his 10th production with Mount Airy Players. "When I first began, there was a staple mixture of comedy and light mysteries that were performed in a dinner theater setting."
Beck is president of the theater group, which recently has staged productions of Alice in Wonderland and A Musical Review.
"If you think of how many new people have come into our community since 1986, you see that the audience has changed," Beck says. "Like the community itself, any group has to change with the times."
One of those changes has been the emphasis on staging productions that offer roles for children. A dozen children are in the cast of 30 for A Christmas Carroll.
"We are trying to open opportunities for kids because we see this as a need in the community," Beck said.
Beck said turnout has been enormous at auditions for children's roles. After parents asked about acting classes for children, the Mount Airy Players plans acting workshops geared toward children, possibly in the spring, Beck said.
"Since there is so much interest from kids, we'd like to be able to offer them more theater experience in acting, character development and voice projection," Beck said. "That would also make it a lot easier when it comes time to direct them."
Tickets are $5 with group discounts available.
Information: 301-829-1527, mtairyplayers@hotmail.com or www.geocities.com/mtairyplayers.
Fire company craft fair
Shop for everything from rocking horses to jewelry, designer baskets to Christmas and holiday items at Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company's Craft Fair.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday at the Firemen's Activity Building on Twin Arch Road and Route 27.
Craft Fair chairwoman Judy Gue says this is the first time the company has held a holiday event since 1996.
Children age 10 and younger can buy small gifts for $3 or less at the Kids' Corner. But Gue cautions that the Kids' Corner might prove popular and will only remain open while gift supplies last.
Lunches will be sold. Proceeds will benefit Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company.
Information: Judy Gue, 301-829-0100, Ext. 17.
Pint-size shopping
Mount Airy Elementary School PTA is sponsoring a holiday shop for schoolchildren to complete their gift giving by making simple, inexpensive presents.
The Winter Holiday Shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow at the school, 405 N. Main St. Several stations will be set up to make simple crafts such as ornaments, picture frames or trinket boxes with a holiday or winter theme. Each craft will cost $1 to make.
Local businesses, including Whistlestop Bookstore and My Garden Secrets, and PTA members who have home-based businesses, will sell their products.
"This is definitely not a fund-raiser," said Dana Buswell, event chairwoman. "We charge only enough to cover expenses. This is a way to give back to the community because they help us in so many different ways."
Lesa Jansen's Southwest neighborhood column appears each Friday in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.