An avowed holiday skeptic, Aunt Trudy has been recruited to channel her late husband Joe’s famous Christmas cheer. From the isolation of her Chicago home, she reconstructs his annual Christmas Carol puppet show – over a Zoom call while the family celebrates Christmas Eve under lockdown. But as Trudy becomes more absorbed in her own version of the story, the puppets take on a life of their own, and the family’s call transforms into a stunning cinematic adaptation of Dickens’s classic ghost story.
The premiere of Manual Cinema’s virtual Christmas Carol took place on December 3, 2020 and was streamed live from our Chicago studio to folks across the globe.
Manual Cinema's live Christmas Carol premiered at Writers Theatre Nov. 29, 2022.
CREDITS
A Manual Cinema Production
Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens
Devised by Manual Cinema
Additional Writing by Nate Marshall
CAST
LaKecia Harris (Aunt Trudy)
Lizi Breit (Puppeteer)
Julia Miller (Puppeteer)
Jeffrey Paschal (Puppeteer)
Ben Kauffman (Lead Vocals, Keys, Piano, Voice Over)
Emily Meyer (Violin, Vocals)
Kyle Vegter (Cello, Keys, Bass, Vocals, Voice Over)
PRODUCTION
Storyboards and Puppet Design Drew Dir
Original Score and Sound Design Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter
Lighting Design Trey Brazeal
Associate Lighting Design Hannah Wien
Additional Puppet Design and Fabrication by the Chicago Puppet Studio artists, Caitlin McLeod, Jackie Kelsey, Sion Silvio and Tom Lee
Costume Design Julia Miller
Properties Design Rae Watson
Puppet Build Assistants Lizi Breit and Julia Miller
Sound Engineer Mike Usrey
Stage Manager Natalie Cohen
Costume Supervisor Darcy Hofer
Wardrobe Assistant Olivia Sullam
Audio/Video Supervisor Amanda Hosking
Lighting Supervisor Raphael Grimes
Lighting Programmer Andrei Borges
Light Board Operator Molly Garrison
A2/Mic Runner Mathew Boon