Pollard Theatre: A Territorial Christmas Carol

Thirty years after its debut performance, A TERRITORIAL CHRISTMAS CAROL continues to delight audiences and bring the world’s most produced Christmas tale to life with its unique Guthrie flair. After nearly 20 years, celebrated Oklahoma performer and Pollard favorite, James Ong, will bid farewell to the role of miserly curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge, when the run concludes on December 23.

Set in Oklahoma shortly after the Land Run, A TERRITORIAL CHRISTMAS CAROL opens in the home of Ben and Elizabeth Moody who, along with their young son, William, are now experiencing a Christmas devoid of friends and family. William is particularly forlorn as he misses his siblings and is the lone child in the Moody’s new territorial home. When a mysterious stranger, known only as Charlie, arrives and offers to share a Christmas story in exchange for shelter from the elements, the family is transported into Dickens’ classic tale of brotherly love and redemption.

Pollard Artistic Director W. Jerome Stevenson returns to helm this year’s production. The entire supporting cast of adults has returned to provide James Ong with a swan song befitting his long and successful history in the role. The cast includes Pollard regulars James A. Hughes and Timothy Stewart returning in the roles of Bob Cratchit and Charlie, respectively. A Territorial Christmas Carol also boasts the return of Jared Blount as The Spirit of Christmas Present, Dakota Muckelrath returns as the agonizing Jacob Marley, Emily Brown as Scrooge’s lost love, Belle, Ellie Valdez in the role of the Widow Brown, Trinity Goodwin as The Spirit of Christmas Past, Joshua McGowen as Nephew/Young Scrooge and Megan Montgomery as Mrs. Cratchit. The cast is completed by an exciting group of area school children, some making their debut in a professional theatre production.

“This show has been a part of the Pollard tradition for thirty years with audiences reaching well over 150,000,” says Artistic Director W. Jerome Stevenson. “Dozens of local school children have made their professional theatrical debut appearing in the show, while countless students experienced their first live production as members of the audience. This show is steeped in tradition, so for us having the cast returning means we are granted actors who brings with them a deep understanding and respect for what the show represents to this community, this company and this actor [Ong] who has given so much of himself to telling this story and enriching lives of the audiences who have seen the show. It’s a tall order and we’re excited to share this triumphant and, yes, emotional year with Pollard audiences.”

Tickets for A Territorial Christmas Carol are $30, with discounts for seniors, military, students and educators. Performances are November 24 through December 23, 2017; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, with 2:00 pm Saturday and Sunday matinees, beginning December 2nd. Five 11 am matinees are available for school groups only. Tickets are available online at tickets.thepollard.org, by phone at (405) 282-2800, or at the Pollard Theater Box Office at 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, OK.

Additional support for A Territorial Christmas Carol is provided by the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kirkpatrick Foundation, Shubert Foundation and the Inasmuch Foundation.