On December 5th, the Naperville North Theater Department began showing their annual Children’s play, with this year’s being the holiday-themed mash-up, “A Wicked Christmas Carol.”
The children’s play at North is unique compared to other shows performed throughout the year, because the play is selected by students who will also direct it. Senior Allison Baugh, one of the two directors in addition to Senior Abby Corbett, described the delicate combination of two classic plays in this year’s show.
“The show is a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Christmas Carol stories. [There are] reimaginings of the classic characters from both stories … [as] the Wicked Witch learns about the meaning of Christmas and chosen family,” Baugh said.
The process of choosing “A Wicked Christmas Carol” began at the end of last school year when pairs of candidates created proposals for shows to put on this winter. They did not originally plan on making a Christmas show, but were asked by the theatre sponsors for a holiday or winter-themed show. Corbett detailed how these restraints brought in a positive change for this year’s show.
“In the past, we’ve stayed on that track of really young shows that can sometimes become repetitive,” Corbett said.
Recent children’s shows include last year’s Tinker Bell, Charlotte’s Web (2023), and Alice in Wonderland (2022). While these were all incredible plays and brought great performances by the cast, “A Wicked Christmas Carol” is certainly a thematic change compared to previous shows, as it combines the plot of two famous (and fairly different) stories. This play also features a unique connection for many members of the cast. Senior Kathryn VanHorn shared her relationship to her character.
“When I was in 8th grade at Jefferson, we performed the Wizard of Oz, and I was Glinda… and so I decided to audition for this play,” VanHorn reflected.
Ultimately, she was cast as Glinda (again), a character with whom she has a personal connection to and can resonate with. Opposing her, though, is Senior Julia Cancela, who plays the Wicked Witch, a character with whom she doesn’t feel as deep a connection.
“I just try to put myself in the shoes of the character,” says Cancela, “she’s really misunderstood.. I make [her] relatable, even if [she exists] in the world of fantasy,”Cancela said.
Actors on stage are not the only ones who faced challenges throughout the rehearsal process, as Corbett and Baugh had to learn how to lead their peers and act as directors rather than friends. Baugh described how this new dynamic positively developed with the cast throughout rehearsals.
“Everybody has been so willing to take the time to make themselves and this show the best it can be… Sometimes you have to put the work first and friendship second, and that’s okay,” Baugh said.
When asked about how they felt for opening night, both Corbett and Baugh responded with excitement.
“We are excited for everyone to see what we’ve been talking about the past few months, and we hope the audience has a wicked time,” Corbett said.
There is one final showing of the play, tomorrow, December 7th at 2pm. Tickets are $11 for all audience members.
