Circles

This past month, I had the wonderful opportunity to play the Ghost of Christmas Present in Hale Centre Theatre’s 24th annual production of A Christmas Carol.  HTC has produced a few different versions of this classic over the past 24 years, but certain aspects have remained in each version.  For instance, towards the end of the play a young boy brings the poulterer back to Scrooge with the prize turkey.  Scrooge tells the poulterer to take the turkey to the Cratchits and, in Hale’s version, the poulterer gives a laugh reminiscent of the Ghost of Christmas Present hinting at the fact that poulterer really is Present.

Many years ago when I was very young, my parents took me to see A Christmas Carol at Hale Centre Theatre.  I don’t remember much about that night.  But I very much remember the above mentioned moment.  This year, I got to play that moment out night after night.  I couldn’t help but smile every time I thought about how cool it was to experience this moment of theatre from both an actor’s and audience member’s point of view.  It felt like coming full circle in some small way.

I hope I will have the opportunity to play Present again next year.  And maybe the year after that.  And after that.  After all, the other cast’s Present, Tom, has played Present for the past 24 years.  I would love to be part of a tradition in that way.  And who knows, maybe the person who will play Present in another 20 years was in the audience and will remember me the way I remember Tom from all those years ago.  Insert Lion King’s Circle of Life song here.