Great Lakes Theater's Production of A Christmas Carol Celebrates 30th Anniversary at Playhouse square

CLEVELAND, OH - The stage of the Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square will glow with good spirits and time-honored tradition when Great Lakes Theater (GLT) presents its 30th anniversary production of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, running November 30 – December 23, 2018. The production has delighted more than 750,000 people in its history, making it one of northeast Ohio’s most-loved and best-attended holiday events.

Great Lakes Theater’s 30th anniversary production of A Christmas Carol is generously supported by the Cleveland Foundation, The John P. Murphy Foundation – one of the production’s inaugural sponsors – and The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation. The production media sponsor for the season’s anniversary production is R43 Limited. Great Lakes Theater is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Additionally, the Great Lakes Theater 2018-19 Season is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Media sponsors for GLT’s 57th season are The FORM Group and ideastream (WCLV 104.9 FM, WCPN 90.3 FM & WVIZ)

Freedman's adaptation of A Christmas Carol is presented as a story within a story. The fictitious Cleaveland family gathers in its Victorian-era parlor on Christmas Eve to read Mr. Dickens' book. As Mrs. Cleaveland reads the story to her family, her youngest child, Master William, re-imagines familiar faces as characters in the story: the Cleaveland’s crotchety manservant becomes Scrooge; Father becomes Bob Cratchit; Mother becomes Belle, and the Cleaveland children become the Cratchits, with Master William becoming the beloved Tiny Tim. In all, more than 60 Dickens characters are brought to life on stage.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of this northeast Ohio holiday tradition, an A Christmas Carol Family Reunion will convene during the Opening Night of this year’s production on Friday, November 30 – celebrating any cast or crew members who may have been part of the production since its inception in 1989.

Great Lakes Theater’s production incorporates theatrical special effects to retain a strong sense of the supernatural, emphasizing the novel's origins in folk tales and myth. Designers for the GLT production blend exceptional stagecraft with dramatic effects that evoke the magical and mysterious aspects of a classic ghost story.

Great Lakes Theater’s 30th anniversary production of A Christmas Carol commences on Saturday, November 30th at 7:30 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square. Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. An audio-described and sign interpreted performance is scheduled for Sunday, December 2nd at 3:00 p.m.

Single tickets for Great Lakes Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol range in price from $28-$75 (student tickets $26 – any performance / any seat) and are available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at www.greatlakestheater.org or by visiting the Playhouse Square Ticket Office. Groups of ten or more receive discounts and should call (216) 241-5490 x322 to make reservations.

Great Lakes Theater will also present a special Sensory-Friendly performance of A Christmas Carol for children/adults on the autism spectrum and their families on Wednesday, November 28 at 11:00 a.m. For this special performance, accommodations will be made, including a supportive audience environment, designated quiet areas, adjustments to light and sound, and online resource materials. General admission tickets for this special performance are $13 and are available for children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families only.

Great Lakes Theater, the first resident company of Playhouse Square, has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. GLT programming reaches 100,000 adults and students annually.

Posted on: October 15, 2018

Category: Press Releases