Ep. 70 A Christmas Carol For The Ears with Amy Wegener 11-25-20

If there is anything consistent about 2020, it is how inconsistent it is. We’re not doing the things the way we always have, whether it is doing curbside pickup, outside-only masked visits with friends, or book clubs via Zoom. The same can be said of the performing arts--to stay relevant, they are doing things differently, including shows that they’ve done more or less the same for over 40 years. Actors Theatre of Louisville’s run of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has become a beloved holiday tradition to so many families in the region over the years, including mine. This year, theater lovers will experience the journey of Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts in an imaginative radio play.

While the in-person Christmas Carol performance has long been a feast for the eyes, the radio program will be a feast for the ears. Our guest this week, Amy Wegener, will give us the scoop on how we can interact with The Christmas Carol in a whole new exciting way. She is the literary director and a dramaturg at Actor’s Theater.

Amy tells us why rereading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol helped her find the humor in Dickens’ writing that she had forgotten, why she finds constraints to be a spark for her creativity, and why theater is a unique art form based on its ability to transform depending on who interacts with it.

To Access The Play:
To buy a ticket for The Christmas Carol, simply go to their website at actorstheater.org. After your purchase, you’ll be sent an email with a link to listen to the project. Click the link to get to the streaming site. Once there, simply press play and you are ready to go! The play begins November 24 and you will have until December 31 to finish listening. This play is also a pay what you can event. The website offers you different levels from $15 - $100, based on how many people may stream this play with you.

According to the Actor’s Theater website, The Christmas Carol is a completely audio-based experience—like a podcast or radio show on your drive to work. Gather your loved ones to share the story or just pop your headphones into your ears and press play.

Books and Plays mentioned in this Episode:

1- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
2- Dracula by Bram Stoker
3- Patron Saints of Nothings by Randy Ribay
4- How to Be an AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi
5- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
6- Girl Waits With Gun (Kopp Sister #1) by Amy Stewart
7- Humana Festival anthologies
8- Detroit 67 by Dominique Morisseau (play)
9- Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau (play)
10- Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau (play)
11- Beast on the Moon by Richard Kalinoski (play)