The Stage Company hopes for a Christmas miracle with its upcoming performance of “A Christmas Carol.”
Charles Dickens’s famous story is a holiday classic in the modern era. What many do not realize is how it shaped the way Christmas itself is celebrated. When it was first published in 1845, Christmas was on the decline in Victorian society.
“Christmas got back on the calendar because of ‘A Christmas Carol,’” said The Stage Company Director David Carroll. “It was falling away. It was becoming less a part of people’s lives. And I think that (it) has a whole lot to do with shaping the traditions that we have today.”
Though there are many adaptations to choose from, Carroll believes live theater has an immediacy other media cannot match.
“The characters become more real. You’re not just seeing it on a screen, you’re seeing people going through those emotions firsthand. You’re right there with them,” he said.
But the magic of theater is struggling due to financial losses from COVID, rising material prices, and worst of all, decreased patronage at shows.
Carroll explained The Stage Company deals with overhead costs that The Center Stage, the other major local theater group, does not.
“Licensing fees have gone up for our shows considerably, of course,” he said. “We have lumber prices. We have the cost of costuming, materials for making costumes. Everything has gone up in price,” he said.
The troupe moved to The Method Playhouse at First United Methodist Church last year due to rising rent at their longtime home, the Rodgers Theatre. Carroll is immensely grateful to the church and Pastor David Stewart for the new venue but said the change has lost them patrons. Last season’s best-performing show was “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which attracted many non-regulars, and this season’s was “A Grimm Halloween,” which was barely in the black.
Carroll hopes people will remember The Stage Company’s long history of delivering entertaining shows locally and affordably, providing an expressive outlet and leading some to discover lifelong passions for acting.
“It’s just such a wonderful part of my life and the lives of our other actors within the company. But we’re providing a service, I believe, to our patrons that allows them to see some of these very notable shows locally...You don’t have to go to St. Louis or Memphis to see them,” he said.
The community rallied around The Stage Company in the past after they were embezzled to the point of bankruptcy, Carroll said. Hopefully, they will do so again, allowing the group to continue bringing stories to life before Butler County’s eyes.
“Best case scenario is that we actually make some money on this show so we can continue this the rest of this season. There’s a lot riding on this show, not just getting through the rest of this season financially but in having future seasons,” he said. “If we can’t complete this particular season, I don’t see any way that we will be able to come back next season.”
Showtimes for “A Christmas Carol” are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9-10 and 16-17, with 3 p.m. matinees Dec. 11 and 18. Due to rising production costs, tickets are currently $15 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under.
Anyone interested in donating to The Stage Company can contact Carroll at mizzou_rah_98@yahoo.com and 573-718-1783, or address donations to The Stage Company/The Method Playhouse located at 500 N. Main St. within First United Methodist Church.