Abby Wingard has spent her time with the Franklin Regional Thespians club in the wings of the theater, as a longtime member of the stage crew.
But for her senior year, Wingard, 18, wanted to step onstage for a change. The problem?
“I am not an actor, at all,” she said.
That’s why her role as The Ghost of Christmas Future in the club’s upcoming production of the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol” turned out to be the exact right casting.
“It’s a perfect role for someone who’s been on stage crew. I thought it was kind of funny,” Wingard said. “I try to focus as much as I can, because my character is the angel of death, and there is a lot of intensity to the scenes.”
Another challenge for the 17 students in the cast is the widespread familiarity with “A Christmas Carol,” a story that has been committed to stage and screen in countless variations over the decade, from live-action cinema to the Disney version where Scrooge McDuck portrays the infamous Ebenezer.
“Tiny Tim can’t say, ‘God bless us, most of us,’” director Richard Sunny said with a laugh. “And there are a lot of iconic lines like that. I’m trying to be true to the story for the audience. We want to make sure the kids are telling the story the way it should be told.”
Senior Luke Sunny will play Scrooge.
“Obviously, Scrooge is played the same way all the time, but it’s going to be a different actor every time, and that will mean little differences in the character. We’re all reading the same script, but it comes down to your personality.”
Jules Landberg, 17, will play The Ghost of Christmas Present, and has been enjoying her character’s high-energy persona since rehearsals began in September.
“My favorite part is the last scene I’m in,” she said. “Christmas Present is with the embodiments of ‘Ignorance’ and ‘Greed’ and it’s just a lot of screaming. It’s been so much fun because it’s this big moment where I get to be center stage.”
Sunny said he’s enjoying seeing that students are taking “a character they may or may not know and making it into what it’s supposed to be.”
This year, for the first time, the Thespians will also be bringing both middle school student and local senior citizens to the theater for a free Nov. 30 performance of the show before its official run in early December.
“That’s going to be a lot of fun,” Sunny said.
“A Christmas Carol” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1-2, with a 2 p.m. matinee Dec. 3, at the Franklin Regional Senior High School auditorium, 3200 School Road in Murrysville.
Tickets are $5 at the door. For more, call 724-327-5456.
