An Appalachian Christmas Carol

An Appalachian Christmas Carol

You think you know the classic Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But what if the story was set in SE Ohio and old Eb Scrooge owned the local mine? What if Bob Cratchit organized the mine workers, and Fezziwig’s holiday party took place at historic Stuart’s Opera House with local favorites Rattletrap Stringband playing live onstage?

Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble (BMTE), Southeast Ohio’s professional theater company, is proud to announce the world premiere of An Appalachian Christmas Carol and the inauguration of a local Holiday Tradition. The production of this new – and newly relevant to our region – adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic will run Thursday through Sunday, December 13 - 16, 2012 at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio.

This production is the culmination of two years of development and research that has included extensive input from community storytellers, historians, and musicians. Spinning the traditional ghost story and tale of redemption, An Appalachian Christmas Carol honors Southeast Ohio’s rich coal mining and labor union heritage, while simultaneously celebrating the spirit of the season.  This is a joyful story of redemption, rooted in rural storytelling and intertwined with regional traditional music.

BMTE is proud to be supported by the Ohio Arts Council, the Athens Foundation, the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the O’Bleness Foundation, the Bernard and Judy Cornwell Foundation, and Kleinpenny Rentals.

David Haugen as Eb Scrooge

Brian Evans as Jake Marley

Janice Paxson Evans as Mrs. Cratchit

lorraine wochan as Mrs. Fezziwig

Tom Quinn as Mr. Fezziwig

Tom Fiocchi as Bob Cratchit

Casiha Felt as Belinda Cratchit

Kat Bramley as Ida Mae

Jared Davis as Young Scrooge

Walker Evans as Tiny Tim

Nora Sullivan as Betty

Miki Brooks as Relief Worker 1

Bob Garbo as Relief Worker 2

Matthew McElroy and Tim Peacock, musicians

Why Your Donation Matters

The Monkeys want to see the Nelsonville Public Square filled with visitors every Christmas. They’ll be coming to see the production of An Appalachian Christmas Carol, eating a Cratchit family Christmas dinner, buying gifts on the Square, staying in local hotels, ice skating at the North Pole Rink, riding the North Pole Express, connecting with groups like Little Cities of Black Diamonds, and telling their friends to visit Nelsonville for a family holiday event they can’t find anywhere else. But we need your help to make this vision a reality.

Brick Monkey History

Our mission is to challenge, engage and inspire the residents of our community with explosive and thought-provoking theater. As Southeast Ohio’s Professional Theater Company, we develop and produce new theater works, as well as contemporary and classic plays. With a commitment to collaboration and a desire to integrate our art into the fabric of our region, we strive to explore, confront and affirm what it means to be alive.