Feature Photo By: Stephanie Pickens – Students from other schools stand outside after exiting the performance. The crowd cheered and people stood as the performers took a bow.
Select sophomores took a trip downtown to watch the play: “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) on Thursday, December 6th.
Joined with other students from different schools, the auditorium was filled with kids of all ages.
“We wanted to get students exposed to the cultural things involved in plays and performing arts since that’s part of what they’re reading in class,” said English teacher Mr. Wells. “I thought it was outstanding; it was my first time seeing it [downtown]. I think they did a nice job for effects and the pacing of the play.”
The play followed the classic plot with the pessimistic and cynical Ebenezer Scrooge and his journey with the three spirits to rediscover his Christmas spirit buried under the events that occured in his life. He takes a journey into his past, reliving moments–but from the side–as he views himself at a younger age. Each spirit that visits him reminds him of the values and different aspects of what Christmas can mean to people.
“I liked it; it was nice because it was about Christmas and it had a good story,” says sophomore Brianna Sanchez. “It was nice seeing little kids act.” Sanchez said she wanted to go because she’s only seen a couple of plays and she enjoys seeing stories live; her favorite part was when Scrooge revisited his childhood-self since you could see time pass.
The story included many Christmas songs, bringing the holiday to life, and out to the audience. A light-hearted message mixed with the darker truths of people’s realities made the ending cheerful as ever; applause arose and so did the people.
Although many showed a liking for the play, some did not.
“I didn’t like the play because I was tired,” sophomore Jessica Vo says. “My favorite part was the snow- it was a surprise and it was fun.”
The performance also used a variety of lights and fog machines. Decorations and sets were moved around fast and used many colors. Eerie music matched the ghostly scenes as the fog seeped through the vents.
“The snow felt magical,” says sophomore Blessed Asare. “My favorite part was Tiny Tim saying, ‘Have a Merry Christmas’- he was cheerful and cute. I wanted to go because it sounded cool to be a part of a different culture: the culture of plays and performing arts.”
The show was approximately 2 hours long with an intermission. In the end, time was reserved for a crowd-interactive Q&A with some of the cast members.
