by Maria Amador
GREENSBORO — In September, 45 strangers gathered at the Highland Center for the Arts (HCA) to audition for a part in the Civic Standard’s production of Charles Dickens’ famed story of a transformative Christmas Eve. Some auditioned with a brief monologue or a tap dance; others, adults and children alike, read Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” to the rhythm of their own gibberish. Just days later, everyone who auditioned was assigned a role in the show, many of which were invented solely for this event. On December 11, every actor in the cast of 45 will appear on stage at the HCA for the opening night of A Christmas Carol — a production made to look like a Victorian past to reflect a tangible rural present.
The Civic Standard’s take on this Dickensian classic is the Hardwick nonprofit’s third theater production since it opened its doors in 2022. It is the first to be adapted from an existing screenplay and to appear in a conventional theater.
None of that happened by accident. After mounting an original murder mystery dinner theater production in Hardwick’s American Legion Post #7, and a live game show in the Hardwick Town House, the organization felt it had proven itself to the community enough to pursue something more traditional and widely beloved. ..
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