A Christmas Carol, as told by The Secret Opera

The Secret Opera will present a fresh take on one of the most beloved Christmas stories of all time, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, in a series of performances in New York City and the greater NY area. This family-friendly holiday favorite comes to life in an all-new interdisciplinary work utilizing classic text, period vocal music, and improvised string ensemble, adding a modern twist that makes each individual performance unique.

Pearl Harris says in the article A Victorian Christmas, “Charles Dickens has been described as ‘the man who invented Christmas.’ And it is surely true that no other writer has left the world with a clearer picture of Christmas in Victorian England than Dickens. Dickens might not have invented Christmas, but he is credited with the great revival of Christmas traditions in the Victorian era, which have continued in one form or another up to the present day, in all English-speaking countries around the globe. Just as A Christmas Carol profoundly influenced Victorian readers, its simple message of love, goodness and charity continues to touch modern readers in the same way. However, A Christmas Carol is not only an uplifting moral tale, but also one of great historical importance due to Dickens’ brilliant, witty and detailed description of a Victorian Christmas.” It is appropriate that A Christmas Carol will be presented in a structurally magnificent wooden auditorium built in 1885, located in Mount Tabor, a camp meeting community that originated in the late Victorian era.

Adapted and created by Marcus Crawford Guy, this timeless tale is narrated and directed by Annie Rutherford Lutz and accompanied by a quartet of some of NYC’s finest young classical singers and a trio of dynamic young instrumentalists. Audience members of all ages will feel the magic and mystery of Dickens’s beloved story in an intimate holiday setting.

December 12, 2015, 7:00pm – The Tabernacle
$20 for adults
$15 for children 12 and under, and Seniors 65+
Note: Online purchases are closed.

ANNIE RUTHERFORD LUTZ is a performer, teaching artist, and director with degrees in Theatre Arts and English from Douglas College at Rutgers University. She has had the pleasure of performing Off-Broadway and on several National Tours, including the National Tour of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Laura), the National Tour of The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy), The Berenstain Bears, Live! Off-Broadway (Gran Bear/Silly Goose), and Our Town at George Street Playhouse. As a Teaching Artist, she works with George Street Playhouse, Dreamcatcher Rep, Playwrights Theatre, McCarter Theatre, and more! Most recently, she has also become the Director of Education for Bullet Theatre Collaborative. AnnieRutherfordLutz.com

MARCUS CRAWFORD GUY hails from small-town Scotland but now calls New York City home. A graduate of The Dance School of Scotland, Musical Theatre Course and The Juilliard School, Drama Division (Group 43), Marcus is passionate about the development of new work. In June 2014 he won Best Actor at the West Village Musical Theatre Festival for his performance in WickedFrozen! A Musical Parody Mashup. Marcus then appeared in the Edinburgh International Festival with the English language World Premiere of Minetti written and directed by Tom Cairns. He has collaborated with The Cutout Theatre, The Greenhouse Ensemble, NYLon Fusion Theatre Co. and most recently, Stages on the Sound in their Spring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In March, Marcus premiered an original piece of work for actor and percussion, Maintenance Inspection which was presented at The Juilliard School’s Beyond the Machine 15.1 Concert. Marcus is thrilled to make his feature film debut next year in Nicholas Giuricich’s Reservations.

A winner of the 2014 Joseph W. Polisi Artist as Citizen Award, Marcus enjoys artistic outreach. He taught Drama with the Arusha Arts Initiative in Tanzania from 2011-2013 and established a positive relationship with the International School of Moshi (Arusha) Campus. He also served as a member of the GLUCK Community Service Fellowship, taking performance to non-traditional venues in care facilities around NYC. Marcus currently works as programming co-ordinator for stART Osceola, a Central Florida college prep program that offers the arts immersion and college prep to over 170 kids each summer at a nominal fee. (startosceola.org)

Follow Marcus on Instagram and Twitter @mcrawfordguy

Download a pdf poster for the event here.

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