No humbugs to be had with Viking Theatre's upcoming Christmas Carol
There is no Christmas spirit to be had with Scrooge. Photos by Brandy Muz
Ariana O'Riley puts her acting skills on during rehearsal.
During a party scene, Abigail Burdych exclaims.
Brianna Gabrey as Christmas Past and Lilyan Medina as Scrooge.
Christmas Past gestures to memories of Scrooge being cruel.
Lilyan Medina embodies Scrooge.
Smack dab in a final celebration, Evelyn Medina is Tiny Tim.
There is no Christmas spirit to be had with Scrooge. Photos by Brandy Muz
Ariana O'Riley puts her acting skills on during rehearsal.
During a party scene, Abigail Burdych exclaims.
Brianna Gabrey as Christmas Past and Lilyan Medina as Scrooge.
Christmas Past gestures to memories of Scrooge being cruel.
Lilyan Medina embodies Scrooge.
Smack dab in a final celebration, Evelyn Medina is Tiny Tim.
The past, present and future can be found all in one place as the holidays draw closer.
The Wareham Viking Theatre Company will present "A Christmas Carol" Friday and Saturday Dec. 6 with doors opening at 6 p.m in the high school auditorium, 7 Viking Drive. The final show will be held Sunday, Dec. 7 with doors opening at 1 p.m.
Director of the theater program, Joey Ferro, said he was excited to bring the classic play to Wareham. With 39 students on stage in this production, "A Christmas Carol" offered a unique opportunity to make sure everybody was included.
"I want to say 12 to 15 of them are new kids that came in from middle school," Ferro said. "So most of them have never done any stage acting in general.
Ferro describes the play as "great exposure" for the students just dipping their toes into theater.
"Everybody knows A Christmas Carol, it's a literary classic," he said. "It doesn't have dark undertones of something like Frankenstein that we did last year. It's something you can take your grandchildren to."
As the cast runs scenes ahead of opening night, Student Director, Sabrina Bell, is behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly. An avid fan of the play, she said stepping into a leadership role has been scary.
"There's so many moving parts," Bell said. "I'm like, 'What's next? What are doing now?'"
Getting people where they need to be has been one of the biggest challenges Bell said she has faced. But, being around so many people who share the same interests has been rewarding.
Although she likes being surrounded by theater-minded people, she said she's ready for a break from the long practices.
"I feel like I have ginormous boots that my feet aren't big enough to fill yet," she said. "But I'm getting there."
Shouting, "Bah! Humbug," from the stage is junior Lilyan Medina as Scrooge. In her 12th show at Wareham High School, she has taken a unique approach to capture the sour personality of the main character.
"I have to make myself annoyed constantly. I read books that I knew I hated the ending to," Medina said.
Medina said that she is excited to be comfy on stage, getting to wear a nightgown for most of the production. Identifying herself as sweet in real life, getting to be mean has been a treat.
"I'm looking forward to the yelling," she said. "I really like being able to just go crazy. I don;t have to stay calm or collected."
With the new crop of eighth grade students at her side, Medina said she likes having people come to her for guidance.
"Not just because I'm able to help them, but because I get to make friends afterwards," she said.
Those who are prepared to enter the world of Charles Dickens can purchase tickets at the door. General admission is $10, students are $8 and children and seniors are $5.
