A TEXAS CHRISTMAS CAROL
A Play in two acts by Barry Smoot
Now Available for Licensing
“Christmas means different things to different folks. We may not agree on how it’s celebrated. Our faith may take us in different directions. What’s important to remember is that it’s a season of hope. And the true Spirit of this Season is found right here. In our hearts. Of course, there’s a little bit of old Eb Scrooge in all of us. Can’t deny that. The wonderful thing is knowing it’s never too late. To start your life over again.” —Act 2, A Texas Christmas Carol
THE SETTING
A simple wooden stage—it looks Depression era. A weathered canvas backdrop is draped upstage, giving the intimate space a theatrical feel. On the backdrop is painted/projected a bible verse:
Luke 6:37—“Judge not, and you will not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
Ropes with bare incandescent bulbs define the acting area and provide strange, nostalgic light. This all has the feeling of a sideshow stage, ready for storytelling and snake oil dealing. The space is filled with seemingly unrelated things—chairs, clothes, bits of furniture, a large trunk, a bleached cow skull, a weathered revival bass drum.
The story will be told using only the resources available on the stage, including an old movie projector and the costumes prepared for the telling. The theatrics are all done in view and with much inventive spirit. The actors are sincere and genuine, and the action feels comfortable and natural. They all have personal history, and that history sometimes informs the tale they are telling.
THE CHARACTERS
A Texas Christmas Carol was written to be performed by 5 actors (4 men, 1 boy) and 4 actresses (3 women, 1 girl) who play multiple roles. In the original production, the actors were also the musicians/singers. The following character breakdown is recommended for the successful integration of this concept. To preserve the original concept, it is not recommended by the author that the cast size be expanded to accommodate a larger cast.
DANIEL— Ebenezer Abraham Scrooge
JONAH— Bob Cratchit, Ghost of Christmas Past, musician
LEVI— Luke McGuire, Young Scrooge
SAUL— Ed Branson, The Ghost of Christmas Future, Mechanical, musician
MARY— Mary Edna Rains, Froncie Wells, Eunice Fezziwig, The Guardian
RACHEL— Ethyl Klepper, Grace Cratchit, musician
ABIGAIL— Isabel, Sara McGuire,
JOSEPH— Scooter Williams, Timothy Judah Cratchit, Boy Scrooge
SARAH— Sully Macon, Fanny, Ghost of Christmas Present
WRITER’S STATEMENT
I was born and raised in Texas, and grew up immersed in the dogma of the Church of Christ. For those not familiar, it is (historically) a highly conservative approach to religious teachings--as a child I heard more than my share of "hellfire and damnation" sermons. It instilled in me the concept that what we do, the choices we make, always have consequences.
I have long since left behind most of the extreme teachings of that childhood. My faith was moderated by my experiences in the "real world," and my interactions with the best and the worst of humanity. I came to a personal revelation that things are not always as black and white and they seem. But it is that initial seed of religious fervor--still firmly planted somewhere in my psyche--that fueled the creation of A TEXAS CHRISTMAS CAROL.
The play also uses film imagery in the theatrics of its telling. Old carbon arc projectors emit a wonderfully peculiar tone of light that is unmatched in the spectrum. The GHOSTS who visit Mr. Scrooge on his Night of Revelation are based in early film iconography. Growing up in a quiet Texas town, the movie theatre was the only escape. It just seemed a natural point of departure for the spirits of the piece. The play also uses regional cultural references, including Native American and Mexican Day of the Dead ritual and imagery.
The story of Ebenezer Scrooge is one I have always related to on a very personal level. It is universal. It is a beautiful statement about renewal. It tells us that no matter what bad choices we make or how dark our path becomes, that it is never too late to be reborn. Some are reborn in faith, some in the arms of a compassionate soul, some in the sobering revelation of their sins. This is the power of the story and the reason it needs to be told for generations to come.
ABOUT THE CONCEPT
Texas. 1933. A Texas Christmas Carol utilizes the concept that the cast is actually a group of traveling performers making their way across Texas during the Great Depression to bring they story of Ebenezer Scrooge—and his ultimate redemption—to the people.
“Sometimes we ask questions we aren’t ready to hear the answers to. Most of the time the question is “Why?” It just comes out. Our heart just kicks it right out of our mouth. Then it hangs in the air. Like dust. And we breathe it back in. Ashes to ashes. Dust. To dust.” — Act 2, A Texas Christmas Carol
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