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Norfolk — In the 14 years Patrick Mullins has spent with the Virginia Stage Company, the smallest cast size he can recall performing the holiday staple “A Christmas Carol” is nine.
This year — thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and stringent conditions on gatherings and indoor events — the company will put on the beloved show, both in-person and streaming, with just five actors, including a musician-actor and a puppeteer-actor. The VSC has also added an online, escape-room style game to the proceedings.
“This is a robust story. All of these actors have played multiple characters here and there, but not quite like this,” said Mullins, the company’s Public Works program director.
But as all things go in 2020, it’s a different kind of production for a year like no other.
Producing the play has been an exercise in creativity, he said. Outside of figuring out how to best distinguish different characters played by the same actor (which they accomplish with signature costuming), Mullins said complying with federal and city guidelines to create a safe environment for everyone on and off stage is the real challenge.
“The CDC defines close contact as being within six feet of someone for more than 15 minutes in 25 hours, masked or unmasked. That means throughout the whole rehearsal process, no one has been within six feet of each other. Then the city of Norfolk says that performers on stage aren’t within 10 feet of each other, so it’s hard to get more than three people on stage at one time,” he said.
Taking advantage of the theater’s size, Mullins said the play’s musician-actor never sets foot on the stage. Instead, that performer takes up residence in one of the boxes on the mezzanine level.
“We’ve gotten really creative within the parameters we have to work with, which can be difficult for artists, but it also makes you imagine things you wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said.
Don’t be surprised if you catch a hint of sanitizer in the air inside the Wells Theater. If two actors are to touch the same prop, it has to be cleaned thoroughly between uses.
The theater normally seats more than 600 people, but those who arrive for the in-person experience this year will find a much more intimate experience. Only about 100 tickets will be available for each show, and guests will be spaced out and required to wear masks.
Never in the company’s history has the same actor played Ebenezer Scrooge for each season of the cranky character’s life – past, present and future.
This year, because of the ongoing pandemic and the necessity of keeping the cast size to a minimum, Mullins will have the honor.
“That’s kind of fun and interesting in that Scrooge and the audience get to relive that experience with the same body and point of view,” he said.
The production will be the company’s first since they shut down midday in March. Mullins said they’re excited to perform and bring some holiday excitement to audiences, and the Christmas story’s message is relatable to the range of emotions people have grappled with this year.
“The fairy tale version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is the story of this crotchety old rich guy who is bad to his employees. This is a guy who experienced immense childhood trauma, becomes rich as a way of self-protection, and the religion he has built for himself that has protected him from the things that were scary in his life has also become a prison for him. So, these ghosts come and give him a kind of therapy psilocybin trip of a night and make him process all of that in one fell swoop,” Mullins said.
By the story’s end, Scrooge comes out on the other side with a fresh start and perspective to go with it.
In addition to the stage performance, the company is offering an immersive virtual experience of “A Christmas Carol” for the first time.
“The Great Christmas Carol Escape” operates like an escape room, Mullins said. Following the Dickens tale, participants will interact with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future as they search for clues to solve puzzles that ultimately free Scrooge from his chains.
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“It’s a great opportunity for classrooms, businesses, or family members who can’t gather in-person to participate in immersive theater,” Mullins said. “Everyone can play from the comfort of home.”
Live performances of the stage play will run through Christmas Eve. Streaming will be available through Dec. 31. Tickets for both are free and can be reserved online at vastage.org/acc20.
If you go
What: “A Christmas Carol,” by the Virginia Stage Company
When: In-person: Through Dec. 24. Virtual: Dec. 19-31.
Where: Wells Theater. 108 E. Tazewell St., Norfolk.
Tickets: Free. Must be reserved ahead of time online at vastage.org/acc20.
Amy Poulter, 757-446-2705, amy.poulter@pilotonline.com