Christmastime is a season chock-full of traditions, nostalgia and, for many families, a hearty helping of laughter.
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts is bringing a traditional holiday production to the stage in a presentation of “A Christmas Story” opening Friday, Dec. 5.
All Ralph Parker wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder B.B. gun. But when he tells his teacher, parents and Santa of his wish, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” is the only response he receives.
The play is based upon author and radio raconteur Jean Shepherd’s book, “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash,” a collection of semi-fictional anecdotes and memoirs of growing up in the 1940s midwest United States. The play, which was adapted for stage by Phillip Grecian, was later adapted for film and directed by Bob Clark; it became an instant holiday classic upon its release in 1983.
Deana Duncan, whose sons Nicholas and Zachary Schneider were cast as Randy and Flick in a WICA production of the play 10 years ago, will be directing.
The show, she said, has become a part of their family’s holiday tradition with plenty of memories — including the moment her son Nicholas, as Randy, “decided to go crazy” and spoon-throw oatmeal at his fellow cast members on stage. Nicholas and Zachary will be returning home to view the production with their mother.
Duncan noted that the story is a classic with an annual 24-hour Christmas Eve run on TV, commanding over 40 million viewers simply because it “speaks to our American humor.”
“Jean Shepard wrote ‘My work says, if you think it’s bad now, you should have seen it then,’ ” said Duncan. “This is what ‘A Christmas Story’ is for most people, a reminder of humanity through comedy.”
Phil Jordan, who has a plentiful cache of Midwest holiday memories from his own childhood, will be playing the adult Ralph Parker, the narrator.
Before rehearsals began, Jordan presented Duncan with a slideshow of his childhood Christmas memories — his dad was an amateur photographer — which Duncan said informed a great deal of her directorial decisions for the show.
For example, Duncan said, all of Jordan’s family photos included images of kids sitting on the floor, which she incorporated. His mother also had a ribbon upon which she attached Christmas cards. Annie Deacon, lighting designer, said her mother did the same. This, too, was incorporated into the show.
“The idea was to post all the Christmas cards that came from friends and relatives all over the country,” explained Jordan. “The cards were attached to the ribbon that went around a door frame. As Christmas drew closer, more and more cards would be hung there until the entire door frame was nothing but Christmas cards.”
Much like Ralph Parker, Jordan said he appreciates the value of reminiscence. While his own family has experienced its fair share of somberness, viewing slides of his “long-ago family” evokes memories of the love and pleasant moments they shared.
“I have begun to understand that reminiscing is often set in motion by current feelings of sadness and loss,” Jordan wrote in an email to The Record. “The impulse to look back and re-experience the times we were happy is a soothing activity and I think that is why human beings do it — to remind themselves that all is not lost, that sadness is as fleeting as joy.”
Traditions like those of the Parker family in “A Christmas Story,” he said, become a sort of “semi-formal way … of reliving past joy and connecting it to our present and our future.”
For many families, Jordan said, viewing specific holiday movies or plays can become a tradition of its own. Duncan concurred, saying that the biggest parts of the holidays are quite often the associated rituals.
“The story itself becomes another tradition with the annual viewing of the movie or through generational leaps of different community and family members re-creating the play,” wrote Jordan. “I find all of that to be pretty cool.”
The cast of “A Christmas Story” includes Soren Bratrude, Tess Patty Caldwell, Kristin Carlson, Jim Castaneda, Hillel Coates, Joe Davies, Patricia Duff, Ada Rose Faith-Feyma, Waylan Parsell, Phoenix Lester, Meghan Parker, Rob Prosch, Jordan Schierbeek, Leo Smith and Bonnie Stinson. Valerie Johnson is the costume designer and Bonnie Stinson designed the sets. Duncan is working on props with a volunteer, Bob Atkinson.
Duncan noted that the show is largely a collaborative effort between members of cast and crew. While Stinson presented the guiding vision, others have had their input as well. One thematic image that will remain consistent throughout the show is that of a snowflake, which Duncan intends to portray through various mediums including lights and artistic flakes suspended from the ceiling. During the initial stages of preparation, Duncan said she reviewed still photographs from past productions of “A Christmas Story” in theaters nationwide. In every shot, she said, she noticed snowflakes. Duncan’s vision, she said, is to “play around with the idea that we are in a snow globe.”
Deacon noted that her work as lighting designer is decidedly behind-the-scenes more than most, but explained that proper lighting informs the audience of the mood of the story, enhancing and complementing the work of other crew and cast members. In this production, she’ll be incorporating the use of mirrors to create the subtle look of snowflakes on stage using lighting.
Duncan is also seeking donations of an additional 1,000 cut paper snow flakes, in hopes of dropping a total of 2,000 flakes into the theater during the show.
The production will include live audience participation and, before and after each show, the lobby will be filled with a “holiday extravaganza” complete with Ralphie’s Shooting Gallery, trivia, games and the Triple Dog Dare Hangman bar with libations for all ages.
“A Christmas Story” plays at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays from Friday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 20.
Tickets cost $22 for adults, $18 for seniors and $15 for matinees, and are available for purchase through the box office in person or by phone, or online at wicaon
line.com.
