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27th November 2020
Posted by Johnny Jenkins
“Christmas? A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!” exclaims Ebenezer Scrooge in the opening stave of A Christmas Carol.
It’s also an excuse for the Dickens Theatre Company to bring you their joyously authentic staging of this Victorian classic! It is 1866 and two of Dickens’ closest theatrical companions find themselves trapped in the footlights’ glare. With the rest of the cast stuck on a train, actress Frances Ternan and Dickens’ faithful tour manager George Dolby take on the daunting challenge of portraying over 30 characters. But, who will play Scrooge?
This year, Dickens Theatre Company and Towngate Theatre will be presenting this festive classic online and available for all to see – a Christmas gift for all Dickens’ fans and theatre lovers. Whereas usually this production would be held on stage, this adaptation was filmed earlier this year in the Towngate’s Mirren Studio in accordance with social distancing guidelines.
Dickens Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Ryan Philpott said:
“2020 has been tough for everyone and theatres have been hit extremely hard.
“All of us at DTC were determined to get A Christmas Carol to audiences – one way or another – for Christmas 2020. Once we decided to go digital, we could think of nowhere better to capture our performance than the Towngate’s intimate Mirren Studio. Thanks to the Towngate team and our production partners, Deadpan Films, we are delighted to be bringing our show online to the people of Basildon and beyond.
“We are of course already looking forward to the day when we will be back at the Towngate in 2021, playing to live audiences once again. But for now, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we very much hope you enjoy watching the show online”.
Towngate’s Theatre Manager, Simon Scott-Pearce, said:
“Whilst it has been an incredibly challenging year for the Towngate Theatre, we are thrilled that we are ending on such a wonderful note with this free festive screening.
“We have missed our valued and loyal audiences so much in 2020, we hope you all enjoy this Christmas gift from your local theatre. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and patience over this unprecedented year, we cannot wait to safely welcome you back through our auditorium doors in 2021.”
Although completely free to view on the Towngate’s YouTube channel, there will be an opportunity for anyone to donate to two charities via their fundraising pages – the Mayor’s Chosen Charity, The Polly Parrot Appeal and Havens Hospice.
The Polly Parrot Appeal funds a 3-bedroom house located at Basildon Hospital, which enables families with children at in the Hospital to stay close together. The money raised will go towards renovation of the outside play area, new flooring and drainage to make way for a sun sail, new toys and storage facilities.
Havens Hospice are an Essex-based charity who provide palliative nursing and supportive care to adults and children living with complex or incurable conditions. They offer community based support (hospice at home care) to families in Essex and run three hospice services: Fair Havens Hospice, Little Havens Hospice and The J’s Hospice.
Chair of the Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee Councillor David Harrison said:
“With theatres unable to open at present this production of the ‘Christmas Carol’ by the Dickens Theatre Company will bring a welcome bit of Christmas cheer for the community, in particular, the younger generation.”
Mayor of Basildon Councillor David Burton-Sampson said:
“This fantastic production will be free to view for our residents and we will be providing those viewing with the opportunity to make a voluntary contribution to two important local charities, Havens Hospice and the Polly Parrot Appeal at Basildon Hospital. This will be a great opportunity for families to get in the festive spirit at home.”
The screening will be exclusively available to watch on the Towngate Theatre’s YouTube channel, premiering at 5pm on Friday 18 December 2020 and then can be viewed anytime until midnight on Sunday 3 January 2021. Recommended for ages 8+. For teachers interested in accessing a copy for educational purposes, please contact [email protected]
The donation links for the chosen charities, The Polly Parrot Appeal and Havens Hospice can be found here:
https://www.givey.com/thepollyparrotappeal https://www.havenshospices.org.uk/support-us/make-a-donation/