In December at Brooklyn Arts, Play Production students will put on a modern adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” which was originally published on December 19, 1843. It was then adapted to a play in 1844, less than a year after the book was published. I was lucky to interview a senior member of the cast, Fiamma Greaney. Our discussion amped my excitement around this upcoming production. Here’s what we talked about:
Why did you want to be a part of this production?
I wanted to be a part of “A Christmas Carol” because last year I watched Midnight Reunion, which was the Spring Production for the Play Production class and I thought it was really well produced and I thought the acting was great. It just made me want to audition [for Play Production] and be a part of it because I could tell the community was really strong.
Are there any major changes from the original “A Christmas Carol”?
There are a lot of adaptations from the original production. We kept the spirits of all the ghosts the same, but we’re doing a timeloop version of the show so Scrooge gets stuck in a timeloop and it’s really interesting. It’s definitely a new take and really different, but the heart of it is still the same.
Why should people come to see the show?
It’s very timely and reflects a lot of what’s going on in the world right now when it comes to greed, money, and power. There’s a lot of really good underlying themes, but there’s also elements of comedy. You’re definitely going to be laughing, you’re going to be scared, and it’s going to have you thinking deeper by the end of it. It’s also just a fun holiday show to come see and get into the spirit of the holidays.
At what point are you putting the production together?
Right now (the end of October) we’re almost finished blocking the entire show and then in November we’re just going to be running it over and over and cleaning it up. I’m very excited for the show and everyone who’s working on it is working really hard. We’re all just so excited for everyone to see it. Everyone should come because it’s important to support the arts at an arts school!
***
Clearly the whole cast is working really hard and it’s going to result in an amazing show being built by students. We at The West Wing encourage you to support the upcoming production of “A Christmas Carol.”The play runs from December 8-12 and you can start buying tickets in early December. We hope to see you there.
