The longest-running production in the history of UT’s Clarence Brown Theatre returns on November 28 as A Christmas Carol premieres on the theater’s mainstage with newly designed sets and costumes, and Professor of Theatre Terry Weber returning as Ebenezer Scrooge.
This year’s A Christmas Carol production is directed by Kathleen F. Conlin, who directed the two most recent renditions at the Clarence Brown Theatre. The play, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, tells the story of miserly boss Ebenezer Scrooge, who is forced to face the true cost of his behavior in a series of supernatural visits from ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future.
“Dickens’s world—so similar to our own—contained the hollows of despair for a remarkable number of his countrymen,” Conlin said. “Poverty, homelessness, and hunger disenfranchised children and adults as they scrambled for a few crumbs of human warmth and decency. Not content to simply contrast this cultural underbelly to Victorian middle-class comfort, Dickens ingeniously chose to tell of the transformation of one man whose own heart mirrors that disenfranchisement from generosity and mercy.”
Weber, who volunteers as artistic director of WordPlayers, is one of four actors who have played Scrooge since 2007. He previously played the role in 2010.
A Pay What You Wish preview performance, where patrons can name their own price, will be held Wednesday, November 28.
Other special performances:
- Deaf Night @ the Theatre, where the performance and all patron interactions are interpreted in American Sign Language, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4
- A talk back session with the actors following the matinee on Sunday, December 9
- An open-captioned performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 16
At each performance, patrons can purchase holiday treats at the concession stand and take pictures with Scrooge and Tiny Tim in a specially designed photo experience in the main lobby. There will be $10 children’s tickets available, which can be purchased only by stopping by the box office or calling 865-974-5161. Groups of 8 and more can see the 7:30 pm show for $15 a ticket on December 2, 4, 9, and 11.
UT faculty and staff receive 20 percent off ticket prices. Students see the previews for free and the rest of the performances for $5, excluding opening night.
Free parking is available in the McClung Tower Garage on Volunteer Boulevard. For more information or tickets, call the box office or visit the theater online. Stay connected to the Clarence Brown Theatre on Facebook,Twitter, and YouTube. The production will run through December 22.