MTG Christmas Carol 2009: The Backstage Diaries

Message from Fr. Mike Klarer

2009-12-17T16:13:00.001-08:00

We are now just a few days before opening. Fortunately the snow storm has not caused any problems with rehearsals. We are looking forward to the final dress rehearsal and our premiere on Saturday, December 12 at 7:30.

The costuming by Susan Nanning-Sorenson and Aidan Bobo is stunning as are the sets by Suzanne Miller.

We met Tuesday evening at the Stage Building for a line run and to discuss questions regarding the small details of bring the show to perfection.

We have rehearsed with Instrumentalists from the Monroe High School Bands as well as our carolers who appear throughout the show.

The excitement is building. The snow has fallen in abundance. I think this will be a great show and I hope many will be able to share the joy of the reformation of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Message Fr. Mike Klarer

2009-12-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over we resume our final round of rehearsals at the Stage building. A week from today we should have completed the load in at the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center. All of our actors are off book and with the help of Stephen and Katee Elliason we have truly developed some wonderful street scenes that greatly add to the show.

We are to the point of polishing the delivery of the lines, refining the blocking, finalizing the costumes and making sure everyone knows cues, entrances and exits. As this show takes shape I am so excited about what we will present to our community and all the guests who will see the show.

John Baumann and myself are in the midst of presenting the show to over 15 different groups, senior citizens centers, and our schools. I am often asked what is remarkable about this script and how we will present it. I believe it is that we have tried to remain true as best we can to the original work of Charles Dickens.

This book was published 167 years ago on December 19. That will be the second to the last show for us. In all of those years since 1843 this book has never been out of print. The presentation of Scrooge by Dickens was key in the development of our show. Scrooge is a complicated wonderful character. He is scary maybe because he reminds us of how materialism and the love of wealth can overtake any of us. Scrooge’s reclamation as the Ghost of Christmas Past says, is the principle concern of the whole show. We watch him encounter his past and take stock of the present before contemplating the future.

We will find ourselves two weeks out from our first show on Saturday, December 12. This will be the most trilling time of our preparation. We will try to keep you posted on how the last days go before it is “Showtime”. Buy your tickets and invite all you know to celebrate the Advent/Christmas season by enjoying Dickens great story, A Christmas Carol.

Christmas Carol YouTube Video is Up!

2009-11-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

The promotional video for Carol is on YouTube! Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xDe0YVIw50

or search "Come and See MTG's A CHRISTMAS CAROL!" on YouTube.

Pictures of Stage Building

2009-11-28T09:49:00.001-08:00

photos courtesy of Teresa

November 29 Cast Party Update

2009-11-28T09:47:00.001-08:00

The cast and crew party on November 29 at Pancho and Lefty's is now adult only due to space constraints.

Cast and Crew Party: November 29

2009-11-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Stave One and Behind the Scenes Pictures

2009-11-23T15:08:00.001-08:00

photos courtesy of Teresa

Christmas Carol Trivia

2009-11-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

At the very end of the beloved Charles Dickens holiday classic A Christmas Carol, a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge and his long-suffering employee Bob Cratchit share an oddly named libation:

“A Merry Christmas, Bob!” said Scrooge with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavor to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon over a bowl of Smoking Bishop, Bob!”

The drink is hot, spiced wine similar to wassail -- something like a hot sangria, scented with oranges and infused with port. In his book Drinking with Dickens, Cedric Dickens -- the great-grandson of Charles -- tells us that people back in the 1800s enjoyed a whole range of “clerical drinks.”

“Pope is burgundy, Cardinal is champagne or rye, Archbishop is claret, Bishop is port, and so on,” Dickens says.

Here’s Dickens’ “Smoking Bishop” recipe:

• Take six Seville oranges and bake them in a moderate oven until pale brown. If you cannot procure any bitter Seville oranges, use four regular oranges and one large grapefruit.

• Prick each of the oranges with five whole cloves, put them into a warmed ceramic or glass vessel with one-quarter pound of sugar and a bottle of red wine, cover the vessel, and leave it in a warm place for 24 hours.

• Take the oranges out of the mixture, cut in half and squeeze the juice, then pour the juice back into the wine.

• Pour the mixture into a saucepan through a sieve, add a bottle of port, heat (without boiling), and serve in warmed glasses.

• Drink the mixture, and keep Christmas well!

Smoking Bishop - Purple Wine

At the end of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge proposes that he and Bob Cratchit will discuss all that Scrooge will do for Bob’s family later that afternoon “over a bowl of Smoking Bishop."

In his notes for the 1907 edition of A Christmas Carol E. Gordon Browne describes this Christmas punch:

The drink is made by pouring red wine, either hot or cold, upon ripe bitter oranges. The liquor is heated or “mulled” in a vessel with a long funnel, which could be pushed far down into the fire. Sugar and spices (chiefly cloves, star anise, and cinnamon) are added according to taste. It is sometimes called “purple wine” and received the name “Bishop” from its colour.

courtesy of Fr. Mike Klarer

Message Fr. Mike Klarer

2009-11-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

Last night on Monday November 2 we did the first full run through with Scripts. After the warm ups last night Dave Bristow announced that all actors had to be "off script" by November 15. That will be the next full run of the show. The show ran under an hour and 45 minutes which is good meaning we can keep it under two hours. I played roles of those actors who were not able to be present and had a blast.

Dave Bristow also was very pleased. He said at the end of the rehearsal, "Actors we have a show. It has a ways to go but now we begin the work of polishing." Polishing will include some reworking of some of the scenes that have already been blocked and helping the actors to coordinate their movements with the flow of the script.

Ahead is to over the next rehearsals is to focus in on each stave (each act) to ensure that the flow is smooth for the actors. It will also mean helping a few of the actors who have been out of town to catch up with the rest of the cast.

We also heard from Richard Hilger, the retired actor who is an expert on Carol of his praise for the final script. Richards comments were very uplifting. He has been an extraordinary help to me in writing the script.

John Baumann and I have over 17 appearences in the community to showcase the show and provide some instruction on Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol. We are scheduled to appear at most of the senior citizen centers, the schools in the community, and many orgainzations and churches.

If you would like to schedule a show please contact Wendy Weiler Erb.

Interview with Dave Bristow, Play Director

2009-11-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

Q: How do you think the play is going?

A: I think we are right where we should be. The actors are very talented and have much of the play memorized. We aren't even finished we the blocking.

Q: What is most inspiring to you about Dickens's story?

A: What inspires me is that it's a child who heavily influences Scrooge to change. It shows we have the ability to make a change in this world.

Q: Are you excited for the opening of the show?

A: Yes. I'm excited because at that point in time, it is the actors' show instead of mine. It is exciting to watch them take it.

Blocking Stave 4: Pictures

2009-10-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

photos courtesy of Teresa

Interview with Fr. Michael Klarer, Play Adapter

2009-10-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

Q: How do you think the play is going?

A: I am excited about the dedication of the actors. I am hearing the voices I imagined when I wrote the script. Some of the characters even have their lines memorized!

Q: What is most inspiring to you about Dickens's story?

A: He helps Christmas become for us something mysterious and wonderful, and a celebration where people open their hearts to the needs of others.

Q: Are you excited for the opening of the show?

A: Yes, but it is, fortunately, a long way off. We still have a lot of work to do.

Third Readthrough

2009-10-18T09:15:00.001-07:00

At the third read through on Thursday, everything sounded wonderful. At just the third rehearsal, even the accents are coming along. The Narrator and Scrooge are doing well, as well as character development. There's also lots of energy floating around in there. Maybe if they can figure out how to redirect it...

Interviews with cast member start this Sunday, and as far as the play goes, everything is so far so good!

First Rehearsal!

2009-10-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first read-through, or the first time the whole cast (minus a few people) got together. Everyone seemed a little confused at first, but they were all smiling and talking and laughing with one another. The directors gave the rundown, and the cast members introduced themselves.

Hopefully, the show is going to pull together spectacularly!