By Katherine Rose Watson | Contributor
North Texas Performing Arts presents its 14th Annual production of “Scrooge – The Musical” December 11 – 22 featuring its largest cast ever with over 100 adult and youth actors in this holiday favorite that has captivated some 20,000 audience members across North Texas. The show runs for two weekends with evening performances at 7:15pm and matinees at 2:15 pm. In addition, a special ASL performance will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2:15 pm.
Scrooge will be directed for the 7th time by NTPA Vice President and ten-time Scrooge Veteran Mike Mazur, who received his BFA from Bowling Green and MFA from the prestigious New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. Mike has directed hundreds of shows on both coasts and Texas, and has performed off-Broadway, in Hollywood, London, Warsaw, and Paris.
“Most rewarding to me is when audience members tell us that they come back to see Scrooge year-after-year to get them into the Christmas Spirit” says Mazur. “Each year we keep the show new, fresh and bigger and better than the year before, this year enhanced with scenes created from actual visits to Dickens’ neighborhood.”
The cast includes professional actress Gennifer Stratton (Annie Get Your Gun national tour), Plano City Councilmember Shelby Williams, 2022 BroadwayWorld Supporting Actor of the Year Tom Walsh, and noted speaker and Deaf actor Meryl Evans.
Local actor Darrell Rodenbaugh reprises his role as North Texas’s “Scrooge” in his 14th year and 124thperformances, one of the longest-performing actors in this role in the country.
“It is such an honor to come back to this role with this amazing cast. I am energized by Scrooge’s very special message of rebirth and redemption and the powerful message it shares,” explains Rodenbaugh.
Scrooge teaches us that we have the opportunity to start our lives all over again and change for the better, and gives us our second greatest Christmas story.
Darrell Rodenbaugh (AKA Scrooge)
A true “family” production, half of this year’s cast takes the stage alongside a family member, with one family of five active in this year’s cast. The cast includes four diverse Tiny Tims, four representatives from NTPA’s Starcatchers troupe for actors with disabilities, and NTPA Deaf Theatre star Meryl Evans. Over two-thirds of this year’s cast have been in past successful NTPA Scrooge productions.
NTPA will again provide two “Gift to the Community” performances, providing free tickets as a “Christmas Gift” to veterans and underprivileged families. Audience members will participate in pre-show carols, a special visit from Santa Claus, free snacks during intermission, and a post-show gift bag. Those interested in sponsoring this invitation-only event or applying for participation should reach out to scrooge@ntpa.org.
The runtime is 2.5 hours and the show is rated G for all ages. Tickets range from $12-25. The show runs for two weekends with evening performances at 7:15pm and matinees at 2:15 pm. The two Wednesday shows will be Gift to the Community performances. In addition, a special ASL performance will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2:15 pm.
Scrooge the Musical by NTPA Repertory Theatre
December 11-22, 2024
2:15 pm and 7:15 pm
Location: Courtyard Theater and Rodenbaugh Theatre, Willow Bend Center of the Arts
Tickets: $12 for advance tickets, $14 at the door, $25 for front row
Ticket link: https://ntpa.org/event/scrooge/
In this timeless musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of a Christmas Eve night, after being visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Based on the Oscar-nomionated film, SCROOGE reminds us all that tomorrow can be a better day. In the words of Tiny Tim: “God Bless Us, Everyone!
Scrooge the Musical is made possible by the generous support of the City of Plano and its Cultural Arts Commission and the generous sponsorship of Winston & Strawn, LLP and Local Profile. Other supporting patrons include David and Chris Downs, the Baxley Foundation, and Steve and Janet Sherlip.
Most roles are played by multiple actors. Patrons should consult the performance’s cast list online if they are interested in seeing particular actors. More information and showtimes at ntpa.org/event/scrooge/.
About North Texas Performing Arts
North Texas Performing Arts (NTPA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to developing the character of youth through quality performing arts education and family entertainment. NTPA evolved from Plano Children’s Theatre founded three decades ago and is now the largest youth theatre organization in the country. NTPA is headquartered at Willow Bend Center of the Arts in Plano and has additional performance and educational spaces in Fairview, Frisco, and Dallas. Each year NTPA provides opportunities to more than 11,000 students ages three to 18 through its “Ten Characters” leadership development program. NTPA’s professional artistic staff uses theatre, dance, music, voice, film and TV to ignite a lifelong passion for the performing arts and guide young people on a path to becoming better citizens in our community and our world.