OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Omaha Community Playhouse didn't want to break a 45-year tradition. Instead of letting COVID interrupt their beloved production of A Christmas Carol, they reimagined it to make it safe.
"There were a lot of us who associate the community with the theater, with the Christmas tradition of having A Christmas Carol," said Kimberly Faith Hickman, Artistic Director of the Omaha Community Playhouse. "We couldn’t imagine not having it in some way."
Hickman, along with Geoffrey Jones, worked to adapt the play to a smaller cast. Usually the play is performed with 40 actors, this year it was only eight.
They wanted to make sure they kept the heart and soul of the play. They first thought of doing a one man show, but an eight member cast allowed for the full experience and social distancing.
"We just went through the script and we talked about what the audience expects every year. What did we feel like was important in the story to be able to keep consistent from year to year and what could we change," Hickman said.
The actors wore masks while practicing and only performed it once to film it. A small audience comprised of family members of actors and crew were in attendance.
Hickman said it took about five months to finalize the script. While it took a lot of hard work, they wanted to do it for the community.
"We thought the best thing to do to take care of the community was to stream it to the comfort and safety of everybody’s home," Hickman said. "I hope that everyone will still be able to honor their family tradition of coming to see the show but on their couch with their blankets and s'mores and hot chocolate."
A link to the performance can be purchased at www.omahaplayhouse.com
