A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ beloved classic tale of greed, generosity, joy and sorrow and the meaning of Christmas, will be presented by ETSU’s division of theatre.
Performances are Friday and Saturday and Dec. 7-9 at 7:30 p.m.,and Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. at Memorial Theatre on the grounds of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mountain Home.
Admission is $8 for general public and $4 for students with valid ID.
The story about a stingy, rich old man who dislikes Christmas but is visited by four ghosts who show him the true meaning of the holiday is filled with such memorable characters as Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Marley, Bob Crachit and others.
Several activities are planned to accompany the performance. A special Christmas tree will be decorated in the lobby of Memorial Theatre.
Santa Claus will be on hand, dressed in his traditional, 19th century-style robe and accompanied by elves, and children may have their photos made with them in the balcony area.
Christmas carolers will circulate through the theatre, entertaining the audience both before and after the performance of the play.
Entertainment in the lobby includes performances by Team Penny, a ban comprised of Tres Penny, a 9-year-old actor portraying Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol who will accompany his two brothers on lead guitar and vocals.
A food drive is also planned, and those attending are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to place in the food drive box in he Memorial Theatre lobby. The food accumulated during the production will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
A Christmas Carol is directed by professional actor Patrick Cronin, who served ETSU as chairholder of the Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric and Science during the spring 1999 semester.
Members of the large cast of A Christmas Carol include Rick McVey, an actor, director and playwright who serves as president of Theatre Bristol board of directors and who is portraying Ebenezer Scrooge for the fourth time in his career.
Three theatre unit leaders from area schools: Michael Legg of Dobyns-Bennett High School as Bob Cratchit and Liz Lee of King College and Rebecca Greasby of University School as businesswomen.
Also in the performance are three actors who will soon compete in the Southeast Theatre Conference finals in Jackson, Fla. They are: Thomas Townsend as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Michael Johnson as Old Joe and Chad Martin as Scrooge’s nephew, Fred.
Retired ETSU faculty member Dr. Ben Buckner portrays Marley.
This production of A Christmas Carol incudes original music by Anne Cook, some of whose songs are currently under consideration for recording by Reba McEntire.
It also features the second father-son directing-acting team in the history of ETSU’s division of theatre as Cronin’s son James Cronin, a freshman University Honors Scholar at ETSU, will play the young Ebenezer Scrooge.
The first such father-son duo was ETSU theatre program founder Bud Frank and one of his sons during the early years of the program.
Reservations are encouraged. For ticket reservations or more information, or seating for persons with disabilities, call 439-7576.

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