A Christmas Carol - meet one of the producers, Russell Wyland
How did
you get involved with the show?
I have
been involved in some way with every production of The Christmas Carol done
by LTA…about fifteen years or so, I guess. I co-produced one of the first
productions (with the late Suzanne Diffley), but I have also served as costume
designer, set designer, set builder, and set decorator. In every year, I
have also served as the rigger. In the early years, my specialty was
designing and decorating Scrooge’s bed. I would come to LTA early in the
morning everything Thanksgiving and create an elaborate Victorian bed. It
always put me in the holiday spirit. Several times, the bed was used primarily
by Mike Baker as Scrooge, and I loved working with him to design a bed that
would help him bring Scrooge to life. Over the years, Mike and I talked about
directing and producing together. When he expressed an interest this
year, I was eager to jump in. I consider myself very lucky that Lloyd has
agreed to be my partner. He has the same warm feeling about this show
that I do.
What are
some of the challenges in working on this show?
People
tend to think of The Christmas Carol as an easy show because LTA does it
every year. But in many respects, the show actually become harder each
year, as we try to make new for the audience. Mike and I sat down the
other night and tried to list the number of ways that Marley and the other
spirits have made their entrances over the year. Just when you think you
have exhausted every possible entrance, a new one comes to you. That’s the
excitement for me. Away from the theater, I am a Victorianist. That
is, I study and write about 19th-century England. Doing The
Christmas Carol means I am always thinking about how to make it more
authentic. Allowing the production to compromise authenticity to keep the
story fresh is also a challenge.
What do
you hope the audience takes away from the show?
As they watch, I want audience members to be fully drawn in
to the 19th century for just a second or two. I want them to
have that moment where they suddenly forget that they are sitting in a theater
in Alexandria and, instead, find themselves in the world of Scrooge with all of
its hardship, sincerity, cruelty, and innocent happiness. As they leave the
theater, I want the audience to feel compelled to talk about what they’ve seen.
Hopefully, as Christmas approaches, they will then reflect on the show over and
over again, thinking about how Christmas has changed and how it remains the
same.
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