Presented in the style of a radio-play for your enjoyment.
“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”
Ebenezer Scrooge
BAckground
In the mid 1980’s, the Mills College Dramatic Arts and Communication Department in Oakland, CA, under the direction of my father, Jim Wright, began an annual production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. With a sizable cast and crew made up of students (both dramatic arts majors and non), college staff, and community members, the productions ran for multiple weekends and attracted audiences from throughout the East Bay and beyond. Friday matinee performances were open to Oakland’s elementary school students.
These annual productions went on for nearly a decade and a half until, following my father’s retirement, the department and the college changed priorities. The memories, however, live on as do the friendships forged over years of rehearsals and performances.
So beloved was the holiday tradition that one young man who appeared in the show for twelve years beginning as a very young child, rescued the sets and costumes literally from the garbage, recruited his own cast, and continued mounting the production for several years afterward.
about this recording
For years, I’ve talked about wanting to do an in-person reading of A Christmas Carol. The idea has taken on many forms but has never materialized. In discussions over the winter of 2023, I came to realize that many of the people I wanted involved – the people from the Mills productions – would never be able to come together in one place at one time for a holiday production.
And so was born the idea of a recording in the style of a radio-play, or a family read-along. Emails were sent to several former cast and crew members. As in the days of the productions at Mills, family, friends, friends of friends, and children of friends were recruited and again, no one said no (though during the months-long process, some were unable to stay with the project). If someone wanted to participate, they were welcomed, regardless of experience. The many individual recordings you will hear took place quite literally in all four corners of the United States, in parts in between, and on multiple continents.
A very special thank you to Cherlene and Bethannee for their support and encouragement from day one!
- Alex Wright
Cast and Credits
* denotes those who participated in the original Mills College productions.
Faithfully adapted from the original text by
Alex Wright*
Director
Cherlene Wright*
Producer
Alex Wright*
Executive Producers
Cherlene Wright*
Bethannee Witczak*
Assistant Sound Editor
Devin Wright
Narrator
Cherlene Wright*
Narrator
Bethannnee Witczak*
Fred
Gavin Wright
Ebenezer Scrooge
Alex Wright*
Bob Cratchit
Pablito Richardson
Solicitor
Danny Buell*
Solicitor
Tony Texeira*
Child at Door
Owen Coffman
Jacob Marley
Edward Wright
Ghost of Christmas Past
Jay Witczak
Fan
Keira Everett
Fezziwig
Ray Wilcox
Belle
Wendy Wright*
Young Scrooge
Devin Wright
Belle's Husband
Gavin Wright
Ghost of Christmas Present
Hannah Treworgy*
Mrs. Cratchit
Chelle Wright*
Martha Cratchit
Mariah Texeira*
Young Cratchit Son
Erik Coffman
Young Cratchit Daughter
Sydney Wilson
Tiny Tim Cratchit
Bethannee Witczak*
Peter Cratchit
Patrick Wilson
Fred's Wife
Ashlynn Wright
Businessman
Ray Witczak
Businessman
Ian Witczak
Businesswoman
Angela Noble*
Old Joe
Doug Simpkinson*
Charwoman
Meighan Katz*
Mrs. Dilber
Jenna Rezentez
Caroline
Ginger Texeira*
Caroline's Husband
Jess Texeira*
Young Boy
Patrick Wilson
Maid
Janann Eldredge*
Stage Manager
Sandra Wright*