NEW ULM - The New Ulm Actors Community Theater presents "The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of A Christmas Carol."
The play, written by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin, Jr., is described as "A truly inaccurate, rib-tickling play within a play which assaults Dickens' best known classic, "A Christmas Carol."
The play is described as a difficult, yet funny play by the Director Judy Sellner.
Article Photos
Cast member pictured is LaRonda Bourn.
"It takes an exceptional cast to portray the many characters from this great Dickens classic as they create this play within a play," she added.
The play itself is fitting because of the holiday season. It's based loosely on the Dicken's classic, but there are plenty of twists involved to keep the audience entertained.
Sellner said that she first discovered the play a couple of years ago and now was finally the time to use it.
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If you go...
What: The New Ulm Actors community Theater's presentation of "The Farndale Avenue housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's production of..
..A Christmas Carol"
When: Friday and Sat 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. and Dec. 11 and 12 at 7:30pm.
Where: The New Ulm Community Center at 600 North German
The cast:
Mrs. Reece- LaRonda Bourn
Tiny Tim
Fred's Wife
Gentlemen
Mrs. Dilber
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Felicity - Maggie Dale
Ghost of Christmas Present
Fred
Little Fan
Old Joe
Gordon - Kent Menzel
Mrs. Cratchlet
Jacob Marley
Ghost of Christmas Present
Ghost of Christmas Past
Mr. Fezziwig
Thelma - Brenda Nielsen
Ebenezer Scrooge
Mercedes - Kim Stern
Bob Cratchlit
Belle
Boy
Production Manager/Director: Judy Sellner
House: Isla Hoffman
Lights: Justin Liepert
Sound: Marlyn Sellner
Costumes: Val Besser
Publicity: Judy Sellner
Stage manager/set: Vickie Kuehn
Props: Shanda Sellner
Make up: Peg Beitlich
Programs: Mary Glawe
Sound effects: Mike Lemmer
Voiceovers: Mike Lemmer, Kent Menzel, Vickie Kuehn, Judy Sellner
An Upcoming nuACT production:
"Minnesota'N'ice (It could Be Worse)" June 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2010 - an original musical/comedy written by Gerry Larson, Carol Larson, and Judy Sellner. The synopsis of the play is that four college students need to complete one more credit to acquire their degrees. In the process of taking the 'slough off' ice fishing class from Professor Mackerally, they meet Wanda, the bait lady; Honest Oris, the not-so-honest owner of a sports shop; three avid fishermen; and a host of other characters including a fish who wants to be a singer.
Some of the song titles are: "Minnesota Nice," "The Fisherman's Rap," "Northern Lights," "I'd Rather Be a Singer Than Up There on Your Stringer," "It Aint So Neat When Your Stuck To The Seat," and "When The World Works Together." Auditions are Saturday, December 5 and 12 at 1 p.m. at the Community Center.
"I was reading through the catalog and saw the title," she said of the the play. "I read a synopsis and I ordered it. It's been sitting there on the shelves, and it was just time to do it."
The group started practicing in September and Sellner knows that everyone will be ready come presentation time next week.
Perhaps the most challenging part of the play involves learning multiple roles for all the actors.
"The actors play so many different parts and mid-sentence, they have to change characters and float back to the original character that they're playing," Sellner said. "They may be playing a second character and get mad at another actor for what they are doing, and then go back to their original character."
The show will run Friday, Dec. 4, Saturday and Sunday and the following weekend (Dec. 11-12), at 7:30 p.m. both nights. All performances are at the Community Center in New Ulm at 7:30 p.m. other than the Dec. 6 matinee at 2 p.m.
LaRonda Bourn plays Mrs. Reece. Her last play was Arsenic and Old Lace in 1983, so this is her first play since high school.
Maggie Dale, who plays Felicity, appeared in the musical "Annie" at the age of nine and has been a part of nuACT's Protean Players, Syttende Mai and many New Ulm High School productions.
Kent Menzel, who plays Gordon, last appeared in "The Musical Adventures of Oliver Twist" with CAST (Community and Seniors Together).
Brenda Nielsen (Thelma in the play): has played a wide variety of roles and Kim Stern (Mercedes) has appeared in Nuncrackers. Sellner has directed "Nunsense" plays for nuACT and has been in many productions not only in New Ulm but also in Mankato with The Merely Players.
Tickets are available at CashWise, HyVee and the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce Office. Tickets will be sold at the door only if seating is available. Cost is $9 for adults and $7 for students in 12th grade and under. Seniors 65 and over is also $7. Members of the play also wanted to thank Citizen's Bank Minnesota, New Ulm High School Theatre Department, Gerry and Carol Larson and Dave Sellner.