Tom Simonetti, founder of The Valley Shakespeare Festival.
MONROE — A Christmas Carol is coming to Monroe this December. The show will take place one day only (Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 2 PM and 7PM) at St. Peter’s Grace Episcopal Church.
Charles Dickens’ production focuses on the life of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable old man who neglects the Christmas spirit. After the death of his business partner, Jacob Marley, he is visited by the three ghosts of Christmas: past, present and future. Dickens highlights how being kind can transform a life and that greed will drive someone to their end.
This one-man show is adapted and performed by Tom Simonetti, founder of The Valley Shakespeare Festival. Simonetti will be portraying 25 different characters, including, but not limited to, Scrooge, Marley, Tiny Tim, and the ghosts.
“It is difficult playing all these characters because you are always looking at your physicality and being sure you are telling a clear story. Luckily, I’ve been doing this for multiple years,” said Simonetti. “Rehearsals become like riding a bike, that muscle memory comes back, but I always discover something new in the story.”
Kristen Kingsley, Valley Shakespeare’s stage manager, is coming back for another season to guide the technological side of the show.
“We’re so happy to be welcomed back at the beautiful church in Monroe. There’s something special about A Christmas Carol being presented there, a place of peace, forgiveness, redemption, and love,” said Kingsley. “We get a different perspective on this beloved story anytime we go somewhere new. And I love that.”
This year, the show is being performed in a church, rather than the library where it has been in years past. The theater will be presented as a proscenium stage rather than the typical thrust stage layout; the audience has previously watched the show from three sides of the stage. But, carols will still be sung, and joy shall be had by all.
Tickets will be sold by sliding scale ticket prices. The true price of the tickets are $20, which covers the pay of actors, stage management, musicians, costumes and space rental. The “pay it forward” price is $30, which will help cover the cost for anyone who does not buy a ticket at the true price. The “arts for all” tickets are sold at $10, which is the asked donation price of typical program sales. This new model was introduced because Valley Shakespeare Theater wants everyone to partake by paying what they would like, this was especially helped by the generosity of Valley Community Foundation and Newtown Savings Bank.
A Christmas Carol will be presented December 16, 2023 at St. Peter’s Grace Episcopal Church,175 Old Tannery Rd, Monroe, CT. Buy a ticket at the sliding prices by going to www.eventbrite.com and searching for the event or calling 203 – 513-9446.
