In December of 2014 the Highland Arts Theatre had been open fewer than 6 months and produced a handful of plays. Early on Artistic Director Wesley J. Colford knew they wanted to put on an epic version of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. What they didn’t realize was that they’d go on to do it annually for the following 9 years.

The grande show holds a cast of over 40 actors and musicians, complete with a “ghost choir”. Many HAT regulars take leading roles in the show year after year like Mark Delaney (Billy Bishop Goes To War), Katherine Woodford (The Happy Prince), Anju Virick (Tell Your Story), and this year includes the return of George MacKenzie as Scrooge. Audiences may remember MacKenzie from The Wakowski Brothers, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Drawer Boy, and many more including the first production of A Christmas Carol as the theatre’s very first Scrooge.

MacKenzie has a bit of a history with the character beyond the downtown theatre, “It wasn’t until grade 5 that I had a chance to audition for the school play and have a real live audience to entertain. That play was A Christmas Carol. I was Ebeneezer Scrooge and a lifelong love of the stage was born.”

Directed by Colford, music directed by Barb Stetter and choreographed by Cynthia Vokey, taught by production dance captain Kiersten Penny, the show is filled with theatre spectacle, music, dancing, and Christmas spirit.

“When we started this project we had no idea it would become the tradition it is today for so many Cape Breton families,” said Colford. “Every year we have families send notes telling us how much they love coming with their children each year or treating their parents to a night of festive cheer. It’s a very heartwarming thing to witness.”

The show has always served as a fundraiser for the downtown theatre and as such the show is outside of the popular Radical Access program.

A Christmas Carol, opens December 7th and continues through December 11th at 7:30PM with an additional show at 2:00PM on the 11th.

Tickets are on sale now for $42 plus HST with a special $27 plus HST deal for ages 23 and under. Tickets can all be booked online at www.highlandartstheatre.com, by phone at (902) 565-3637, or in person at the HAT's box office at 40 Bentinck Street in Downtown Sydney between noon and 6:00PM, Monday to Friday.