I’m in California, where it’s hard to get into the holiday spirit when temperatures are still in the 70s—even as holiday music plays and decorations are up all around. Last night, I watched the Santa Barbara Parade of Lights, where a flotilla of boats decked out in holiday lights and candy cane decor sailed into Stearns Wharf, with costumed passengers singing and dancing. This 39-year tradition for the community was new to me!
Last week, in a five-degree wind chill in Milwaukee, five buses of students arrived at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater for the 50th anniversary production of A Christmas Carol. Each year, 4,000 students delight in matinee performances—a beloved tradition that nearly seemed impossible this year after a 1,000-year flood struck the city in August and destroyed the set.
“The ability to keep this tradition year after year, to be such a big part of everyone’s holiday tradition is just such a big honor,” says associate director María Amenábar Farias. “Rebuilding the set was such a big endeavor, but we saw so many people from the community jumping ready to help.”
The show’s expansive scenic design makes it like a “pop-up book come to life,” says Farias, helping to bring a sense of magic to the production, especially for the children in the audience. “Student matinees are just crazy in the best way—the energy in the room is so alive,” says Farias. “They react to absolutely everything that happens,” including fake snow falling over the audience, Young Scrooge kissing Belle, and a call-and-response section with the ghosts. “The volume of those responses is astronomical.”
Farias was instrumental in casting the production’s 19 young performers, including the coveted role of Tiny Tim, which went to Harold Wagner this year. “It’s been just really wonderful to see a lot of these young performers grow with our production and find themselves not only as performers, but also human beings throughout the years. So that has been beautiful. These young performers add so much joy and life to the show.”
As the theatre celebrates the anniversary production—a testament to the power of enduring tradition—we’re also reflecting on a different kind of legacy. After 24 years, James Bundy is departing the Geffen School of Drama at Yale and Yale Repertory Theatre. Check out this interview about his tenure and final production.
Whether your holiday traditions take place in freezing weather or warmer temperatures, may you enjoy every moment!
✏️ Around the Web ✏️
- Check out Lisa D’Amour’s heartfelt post to Brown University and the theatre community in the wake of this weekend’s tragedy.
- In case you missed it, here’s the latest episode of the Offscript podcast, featuring The Night Shift Before Christmas, a new holiday show by Isaac Gómez at Houston’s Alley Theatre, inspired by A Christmas Carol.
- Check out this roundup of awards and prizes, including 25 emerging producers selected by Theatre Producers of Color.
- New York’s PlayCo will send nine American playwrights to residencies with international theatre companies.
- Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York has announced the 2025-26 members of Youngblood, a collective of emerging playwrights.
- The latest Role Call roundup features Bryn Boice, the associate artistic director and director of education and training at Boston’s Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.
- YoungArts in Miami has announced its 2026 award winners.
- A coalition called Arts Access Miami aims to bring free arts education to 90,000 students in Miami-Dade County.
- A recent symposium at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn explored why arts education matters in an era of climate crisis and rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.
- Take a look at this profile of Alex Breaux, Stranger Things star on stage and screen, and his training at Harvard and Juilliard.
- The American Theatre Wing’s “Master Class” series received recognition at the 5th annual Anthem Awards, as selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
- Calling all Tiny Tims! The McCarter Theatre is inviting performers who portrayed the pint-sized character over the past four decades to reunite.
- Medical students at Case Western Reserve University are rehearsing for Doc Opera, a 41-year tradition that sends future doctors to the stage to raise funds.
💫 On Social Media 💫
Teachers: As the curtain closes on 2025, what classroom or stage moments meant the most to you this year?
AT Readers Respond:
Jonathan Andujar
I just opened a middle school performance of Peter and the Starcatcher. We lost two days of tech to snow days, and had only teched about a quarter of it before the snow days. I ended up having the theatre students all day on opening night for a full day intensive to open the show. It went amazingly and was one of the highlights of my career, let alone my year.
Brittany Jo
We just closed our competition one-act, After the War, based off of the book by Tom Palmer. The play tells the story of what happened to the child survivors of the Holocaust and takes place in 1945, but flashes back in time through certain triggers. In this scene, Yossi (the main character) is caught in a pillow fight with his friends. When one of the pillows bursts and feathers fly, he flashes back to the crematorium in Auschwitz and the feeling of ashes falling on his face. Life-changing show.
Add your response here.
📰 From the Archives 📰
This 2017 article highlights James Bundy’s path to leading the Geffen School of Drama at Yale and Yale Repertory Theatre.
