Expect The Unexpected

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There are families who prepare for the winter holiday season in the summer, finding gifts at great prices and hiding them away, booking travel, and negotiating how to split their time among extended and chosen families. There are those who wait for the best Black Friday deals and may even wait in line as shop doors open. There are those who follow self-imposed deadlines - decorative lights up after Thanksgiving and down on January 1st. Holiday celebrations include acts of kindness, honoring traditions and creating new ones.

The planning culminates in celebrations that begin Dec. 14th for Hanukkah., Dec. 25th for Christmas, and Dec. 26th for Kwanzaa. The season wraps at midnight on Dec. 31st as we all welcome the New Year.

Live arts organizations throughout the region offer a wide variety of performances that have become part of many holiday season traditions, with audiences attending their favorites year after year, gathering as groups, or discovering new experiences. Many arts organizations plan performance schedules to match school calendars, other productions in their season, and when they feel audiences will attend.

Therein lies the challenge. How do performing arts organizations meet the need? Do they offer a show or performance with a “traditional” title and name recognition? Do they go in the direction of “a holiday alternative?" Do they close shows on Dec. 26th?

People’s Light in Malvern - the award-winning company now in its 51st year of producing theatre - strikes a balance. They have experimented with an alternating sequence of producing a traditional Panto-style production (short for pantomime) one year and a traditional title, A Christmas Carol, in the alternating year. Last season, People’s Light produced the highly successful Peter Panto: A Musical Panto with Book by Jennifer Childs; Music, Lyrics, & Arrangements by Alex Bechtel; and Directed by Bill Fennelly. This season they moved to A Christmas Carol, Adapted by Zak Berkman from Charles Dickens; Original Music by Zak Berkman; Arrangements by Mitch Chakour; and Directed by Molly Rosa Houlahan. They start production before Thanksgiving and offer performance dates and times into early January to be on stage for audiences looking for an alternative to the movie theater.

A Christmas Carol follows the Charles Dickens story published on Dec. 19th nearly 200 years ago, but shares it through the eyes of a child, and surrounds the tale with live original music, joyful choreography, and humor. The cast includes members of People’s Light Company of Artists, and 8 teens from People’s Lights’ Teen Performance Lab sharing a role. Although the title is traditional, and recognized world-wide as a holiday classic, the People’s Light production appeals to all audiences as a story of redemption and hope.

The theatre company adds a menu of wrap-around experiences, from mulled cider available to those over the age of 21, a children’s play space with puppet theatre that mirrors production elements in the show, and a Concept Album CD available for sale and download. The 7-acre campus of People’s Light is festooned with lanterns, holiday decor, and an experience that is festive year round.

People’s Light welcomes audiences to its doorstep to create their own enduring traditions. To extend your season of celebration through January 4th, go to peopleslight.org for details, or call the Box Office at 610-644-3500, or email tickets@peopleslight.org. Ask about special post-Dec. 26th ticket offers using code UNWIND.

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