Project Shakespeare will bring its annual holiday production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to communities throughout the Monadnock region again this year.
“This is our 16th performance of this show, but every year there is something new and something different each cast brings,” said Deborah Shakespeare Thurber, founder and executive director of Project Shakespeare.
The show, which features children and teens from around the region, will be performed six times this month: Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m., at Gathering Waters School (Lower School), 98 South Lincoln St., Keene; Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m., at the Dublin Community Center, 1123 Main St.; Friday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m., First Congregational Church, 6 Payson Hill Road, Rindge; Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church 25 Main St. and Sunday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. at The Park Theatre, 19 Main St., Jaffrey.
This year, Thurber’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” features dancer and Project Shakespeare student Leila Burk, who “will weave the Ghosts’ entrances and exits with her lyrical dance choreography.”
“Leila was a featured fairy dancer in last summer’s production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ and she just enchanted our audiences,” Thurber said. “She really brings nature’s magic on stage, and we are just delighted to have her dance in the show.”
Burk also plays the role of “Mrs. Cratchit.”
“We are thinking of Leila’s character as ‘Time,’ sort of like in ‘A Winter’s Tale,” because she moves through time, into the future, back to the past, and into the present again, and ties it all together,” Thurber said.
Pine Hill 8th grader Jem Russell will be playing Ebenezer Scrooge. Russell’s credits with Project Shakespeare include “Bottom” and “Demetrius” in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Banquo” in “Macbeth,” “Don John” in “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “Fred” in “A Christmas Carol. ” Russell has also appeared in “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” and “A Wrinkle In Time.”
Project Shakespeare’s advanced student Benjamin Michaud will be appearing in his 12th production of “Carol.” Michaud has previously played the roles of “Scrooge”,” Old Joe,” “Bob Cratchit”, Charles Dickens, “Tiny Tim,” and “Intelligent Fine Lad”.
This year, Michaud plays “The Ghost of Christmas Present” and “Mr. Fezziwig.”
Rounding out the company are Margaret Bennett, James Blessing, Alexander Brand, Counsel Chronopoulos, Emily Dugger, Tess Geana, Emma Hall, Eliza and Madelyn
Hammer, Lillianna Helsel, Lachlan and Luca Linn-Boggs, Henry McDonald, Elise Nicklin, Ethan Papastefanou, Vincent Papastefanou; Miranda Pipitone, Emmy and Faye Ratcliffe; Henry, Astrid, Olivia Seeger; and Ella Wakeman and Halleigh Wakeman.
One of this year’s newest cast members is James Blessing, age 6. After his parents brought him to see Project Shakespeare’s 2025 summer production of a “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” he informed them: “I want to be in a show.”
His parents then sent Thurber a video of Blessing dressed like Tiny Tim.
“In the video, he was looking up at me, saying, ‘Can I please be in the show?’ I had already cast Faye (Ratcliffe) as Tiny Tim, but James will probably be Tiny Tim next year. This year, he is learning the ropes, and he is having a wonderful time being part of the show,” Thurber said.
Ratliffe is a veteran of many Project Shakespeare shows, including three previous Christmas Carols.
Blessing said he is excited to step into the role next year.
“If I hadn’t sent that video, I wouldn’t have been in the show,” Blessing said.
Project Shakespeare is also raffling off a handmade holiday quilt created by Judy Michaud. Tickets are $5 for one ticket and $10 for three tickets and may be purchased at all performances. For more information: projectshakespeare.org.