Bringing the World to Our Stage - The Success of A Christmas Carol

Bringing the World to Our Stage - The Success of A Christmas Carol

Bringing the World to Our Stage - The Success of A Christmas Carol

For us, A Christmas Carol has always been about bringing families, friends, and a city together. Over the past 34 years, our production of Charles Dickens’ classic has made its way onto our stage, and into the hearts and imaginations of our audiences. For many young patrons, the show is often their first theatrical experience, and for many families, it is a staple in their holiday traditions.

Unable to perform the show for live audiences this year was very hard for us, but by bringing this show to life online, we were reminded of how much this show has become a part of our city’s annual celebrations. From the moment we announced the show would go on, the response was overwhelmingly positive that a little bit of ‘normal’ was still going to happen in a difficult time.

But would those kind sentiments mean that our audiences would support a filmed production of the classic? The answer was a resounding ‘yes’, as from December 11th to 31st, more than an estimated 20,000 people viewed A Christmas Carol on their computers, televisions or handheld devices. This was a number that exceeded our hopes, and we are so very thankful.

CAROL WENT GLOBAL

Going online also provided a rare opportunity for our production to be seen outside Calgary for the first time. Not only did we have viewers in every Canadian province, people also watched in the USA with viewers in 28 states (from Hawaii to Florida!). We also had people enjoy the show in over 20 other countries around the globe, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Qatar, Japan, Kenya, and more.

Critically, the show received accolades from audiences across social media, and earned praise in the media from Lori Montgomery of the YYSCENE, and Louis B. Hobson of the Calgary Herald. Appearing as Ebenezer Scrooge for the 27th time, actor Stephen Hair was also recognized nationally for his work in the Globe & Mail, and on CBC’s The Current.

TOONIES FOR TURKEYS RAISES MORE THAN $77,700

One of the other beloved traditions of A Christmas Carol is our Toonies for Turkeys program, in which audience members donate to the Calgary Food Bank. Once again this year, our audiences showed their extreme generosity, and donated more than $77,700, with all money going to feed Calgary’s hungry. Since 1997, this program has now raised more than $2.25 million dollars! On behalf of the cast of A Christmas Carol, we thank our audiences for making a difference in the lives of Calgarians.

While we would have loved to welcome all our patrons into our theatre this past December, it humbles us to know that our work reached further than it ever has before, and that the artistry of our company of actors, designers, and technicians has been appreciated worldwide.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone to supported the show. We cannot wait to share more stories with you again in the near future.