Allen Theatre Performs “A Christmas Carol”

Lindsey Temaat

The cast of “A Christmas Carol” warm up with tongue-twisters led by Director Tony Piazza. L to R: Paige Durand, Brogan Falls, Aubrie Arevalo, Chloe Bedell, Ian Malcolm, Austin Wickwire, Judd Wiltse, and Cole Moyer.

“It’s a classic,” said Director Tony Piazza when asked why he selected this play. “We haven’t done it at Allen yet, and I really like the movement of this adaptation.”

Judd Wiltse, who fills the starring role of Scrooge, agreed.

“My favorite thing about this show is how snappy it is. I think it shows off the cast’s acting skills,” said Wiltse. “We tell the story in a unique way, and everyone gets to be in the spotlight at some point.”

Wiltse has performed in over 16 productions, and this will be his sixth at Allen. However, this will be his first lead role in a college play.

“Something that’s different than the other plays I’ve done is the lack of props,” said Wiltse. “We pantomime a lot of the scenes.”

New technology has given the cast and crew an opportunity to use different methods of telling this story. While traditional theater backdrops are cloth, the one used in “A Christmas Carol” is a digitally projected backdrop, said Cliff Harris, who runs this tech for the show.

“We have the ability to add video or movement to the backdrop, and other digital enhancements to make it more interactive,” said Harris. Harris along with Freshman Aubrie Arevalo hand drew and watercolor painted the slides that will be projected on the backdrop to create the various scenes of the play.

“This is a show that can be done very minimalist or elaborately,” said Harris. “This method allows us to have more scenery without moving in specific props like trees or light posts etc.”

Another fun twist to this ‘minimalist’ production is that several characters are played by each actor. Sophomore Ian Malcolm, who plays 4 roles, says he has a clear favorite.

“I like to play Fred because he is the light. He’s the only one who never gives up on Scrooge,” said Malcolm. “Allen  may be small but we have a certain magic. We can make a play grand no matter how many actors or props we have.”

Although asking a director to choose his favorite part of a show is like asking a parent to choose their favorite child according to Piazza, he did share that he really likes the style of this production.

“It asks the audience to use their imagination which is something in theater that you can’t do in film,” said Piazza.