Staging the Holidays: What Valley theater groups have planned for this holiday season
As winter begins to roll around, actors and directors across the Chippewa Valley area are busy producing a slew of holiday-themed plays and musicals to help us usher in the Christmas season. These festive performances, including both classic holiday titles and a few fresh winter picks, are not to be missed. Make sure to warm up your singing voice, put on your dancing shoes, and experience first-hand some of the best performing arts Eau Claire has to offer during the holidays. We’ve compiled a holiday theater roundup list to guide you through some of these merry productions.
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS AND ’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Dec. 4-6, 11-13 • Grand Theater, 102 W. Grand Ave., Eau Claire • Tickets: $10-$22 • www.cvtg.org • (715) 832-7529
It’s twice the cheer at the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild this season as they bring to life two holiday productions. The double-header will feature A Charlie Brown Christmas and Ken Ludwig’s ’Twas The Night Before Christmas. In the stage adaptation of this classical television special, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang will come together to find the real meaning of Christmas. The second production is the tale of a spunky little girl who teams up with a mouse and an elf on a quest to find out why Santa missed her house last year. Join the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild for a merry viewing of these productions.
JINGLE ARRGH THE WAY
Dec. 4-6 • The Oxford, 1814 N. Oxford Ave., Eau Claire • Tickets: $8 (youth), $14 (adult/senior) • www.ecct.org • (715) 839-8877
The Eau Claire Children’s Theatre is once again bringing to the stage a fun holiday production, but this time with some unexpected characters: Pirates! The musical Jingle ARRGH the Way!, set to debut at The Oxford, is a Christmas pirate adventure. After a mysterious message is left in their ship, Captain Braid Beard and his mates need young Jeremy Jacob’s help to solve a riddle and find the Christmas treasure. This Santa-meets-pirates musical is a lively story filled with catchy songs and charming characters – a wonderful holiday show the whole family will enjoy.
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
Dec. 4-5, 11-12 • Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, 205 Main St. E., Menomonie • Tickets: $12 (students), $15 (adults) • www.menomonietheaterguild.com • (715) 231-7429
Kris Kringle is coming to town to take part in the Menomonie Theater Guild’s production of the classic Christmas tale, Miracle on 34th Street at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie. The stage adaptation of the 1947 holiday film will feature a kid’s choir, child actors, veteran actors, dancers, elves, and, of course, Santa. Director Bob Butterfield said attending Miracle on 34th Street is the perfect way to ring in the holiday season. “It is warm, funny, and reminds us that life isn’t much unless you believe in something or someone,” he said. “Everyone will leave with a smile on their face and a carol in their heart.”
A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES
Dec. 14 • Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts , 205 Main St. E., Menomonie • FREE • www.menomonietheaterguild.com • (715) 231-7429
Another seasonal staple returns to the stage as actor Jim Miller brings back his solo rendition of Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales to the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, which he has been performing annually since 1990. The beloved holiday short reminisces on Christmas in Wales the 1920s, it’s a show the whole family will enjoy. There is also every possibility that candy may be thrown from the stage. It’s a one time, 30-minute one-man show. Admission is free, but patrons are invited to bring a nonperishable food item to be donated to the Stepping Stones Food Pantry.
