‘We’re pushing boundaries’: Spokane Civic Theatre does fresh take on ‘A Christmas Carol,’ a production they’ve done in some form or another at least 15 times over their 77 years

Just like seeing “A Christmas Carol” is a holiday tradition for many, producing the Charles Dickens novella in some form has become a holiday tradition for Spokane Civic Theatre.

A look at the theater’s online archive reveals 15 productions of “A Christmas Carol,” be it the stage play, musical, radio play or spins on the story like last season’s “A Sherlock Carol,” in the theater’s 77 seasons.

Jonah Taylor and Jake Schaefer, co-directors of this season’s production, which was adapted by Barbara Fields, said the story may be familiar but the presentation is brand new.

“It’s usually told in black and white,” Taylor said. “There’s not much different stuff done with it. This one, we made it more ensemble-oriented.

“We did some unconventional casting in some characters, and then casted a bunch of new faces to Civic to make it feel fresh.”

As the story goes, Ebenezer Scrooge (Sam Shick) puts the Grinch to shame with his dislike of Christmas. Scrooge turns down a dinner invite from his nephew Fred, turns away two men seeking a donation to help the poor and, very reluctantly, allows his overworked clerk Bob Cratchit to take Christmas Day off from work.

The night of Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley. Scrooge is surprised to see Marley adorned with heavy chains and money boxes as a show of his selfishness and greed while alive. Marley tells Scrooge he will be visited by three ghosts that he must listen to. Otherwise, he will be cursed to the same chain-carrying fate.

The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to scenes of Christmas from his childhood. There are moments from Scrooge’s lonely childhood at boarding school and moments spent with his beloved sister Fan. Scrooge also looks back on a party hosted by his then-boss Mr. Fezziwig.

Audiences learn Scrooge was in a relationship with Fezziwig’s daughter Belle, and that she left him after realizing he would always love money more than her. Seeing Belle, now happy with her family, is too much for Scrooge, and he asks to be taken from her home.

It’s then the Ghost of Christmas Present’s turn to show Scrooge scenes of people preparing for Christmas dinner. Scrooge looks in on Fred’s Christmas party and the home of the Cratchit family. It’s here that Scrooge learns of Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim, who the Ghost of Christmas Present says will die unless the course of events changes. With one last lesson about ignorance, the ghost disappears.

Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Scrooge a Christmas Day featuring scenes from the funeral of a man disliked by the community. He also sees scenes of the Cratchit family mourning Tiny Tim.

Seeing a tombstone inscribed with his name finally makes Scrooge snap out of it and vow to change his ways, if it isn’t too late.

Civic’s production also stars Devon Boyd, Leland Brownlee, Jesse Casey, Nathanael Cho, Taylor Colton, Mike Donahoe, Oliver Donahoe, Penelope Donahoe, Kiantha Duncan, Noah Griffin, Mark Hodgson, Presley Hodgson, Harley Ibarra-Rivera, Marty Kittelson, William Marlowe, Olivia Meroshnik, Corliss Newman, Pearl Saad, Clayton Sanchez, Laureen Savage, Autumn Shipman, Darby Shuster, Micah Sybouts, Nora Vancil, Isabelle Williams and Madelyn Zimbalist.

“A Christmas Carol” is stage managed by Lily Savage and features incidental music from Henry McNulty. The show opens Friday and runs through Dec. 22.

For their production, Taylor and Schaefer cast a young boy as the Ghost of Christmas Past, making those moments feel like Scrooge is interacting with his subconscious. The pair pictured the Ghost of Christmas Present like Scrooge’s aunt, a sturdy, loving voice of reason.

Schaefer called the pair’s choices for the Ghost of Christmas Future, without giving away any secrets, theatrical art in its most technical form.

The set too is likely not what many people expect to see during “A Christmas Carol.” Taylor imagined an evolving set, with multiple pieces used to create various shapes, rather than a set that was stationary.

“It’s super cool, and it’s been fun to realize this vision I had months ago,” he said.

Schaefer said Taylor has been part of every production he’s worked on since joining Civic, so the choice to co-direct was a no-brainer. Sitting in the director’s chair for the first time has been challenging, Taylor said, but he’s enjoying learning a different side to theater.

“I think everyone in theater should do every role at least once – backstage crew, lights, sound,” he said. “It’s a collaborative art form, and I believe the more people do every single piece, the more fulfillment they’ll find in the piece they like.”

The many actors making their Civic debut, 16 actors of the 28-person cast, with “A Christmas Carol” are also learning a lot, all the while bringing a lot of enthusiasm to the theater. It’s a mix of old and new, Schaefer said, just like Civic’s history.

“It’s fully not lost on me that we’re doing ‘A Christmas Carol,’ which Civic has presented in that space, in many forms, and yet we’re pushing the boundaries …” he said. “It’s truly indicative of Civic’s legacy. It’s been like this for 77 years. The talent pool grows and changes.”

It’s likely there will be many more productions of “A Christmas Carol” in Civic’s future given it’s what Taylor and Schaefer see as a timeless tale about redemption.

“ ‘A Christmas Carol’ has this arc that every time you see it, you can feel changed from his story,” Taylor said. “It’s a story of redemption and I think people like the magic of it.”