West Yorkshire Playhouse have announced that Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is to be part of their festive season of programming for 2018-19.
Originally staged at Hull Truck Theatre, the play will be directed by West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Associate Director Amy Leach and is adapted by award-winning playwright Deborah McAndrew.
It’s Christmas Eve in Victorian Leeds, but the cold-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge hasn’t an ounce of festive cheer. As the cold night draws in, four ghostly spirits take Ebenezer on a magical journey through his past, his present and his future, hoping to show him the error of his ways…
Director Amy Leach said: “A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite festive tales – a cracking story that delivers spine-tingling chills, warms the heart and delivers Christmas joy to all. Debbie’s fresh, spooky and thrilling adaptation roots the story in the North and delivers all the thrills and delights one expects from this classic Christmas tale. I can’t wait to share this production, with its magical design and beautiful music, with audiences young and old at the Playhouse.”
A Christmas Carol will play in the Playhouse’s newly formed Pop Up Theatre on its existing Quarry Hill site. This innovative and unique space seating 350 people will give audiences a rare and inventive new way to enjoy a live show, with story-telling firmly at its heart. The new space is being created in a specially redesigned area of the existing theatre, meaning that as work continues to reinvigorate the building, audiences can still experience Christmas at the Playhouse.
West Yorkshire Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining said: “Christmas at West Yorkshire Playhouse is always a truly magical time and this year will be no different. I saw the play in Hull last year and I loved the inventiveness and creativity Amy and her team brought to a story known and loved by so many. It is brilliant for us to have the opportunity to create the show here in Leeds in association with Hull Truck Theatre, and share it with our audiences in our exciting new Pop Up space. This show will be part of our nine-month Ensemble Season and I’m looking forward to welcoming audiences into the Pop Up Theatre for a unique Christmas experience whilst the main Playhouse building undergoes its major transformation.”
A Christmas Carol will be performed in West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Pop up Theatre from Tuesday 20th November 2018 to Sunday 13th January 2019. Book online at wyp.org.uk or call the Box office on 0113 213 7700.
