Playhouse to Hold Auditions for “A Christmas Carol”
The Playhouse at McConnellstown will hold auditions for its upcoming holiday production, “A Christmas Carol” at its building located at 11680 Raystown Road in McConnellstown, Pennsylvania. Auditions for children ages 8 to 17 and adults ages 18+ will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at 2 pm.
The show performance dates are November 20, 21, 27, and 28 at 7:30 PM and November 21, 22, 28, and 29 at 2:00 PM. Please bring your calendar and all conflicts that you may have between September 13 and November 29.
All actors cast in the production will be required to attend all scheduled rehearsals during the final week before the show opens. Evening and weekend rehearsals as well as children’s workshops are anticipated for this production. Dates and times will be at the creative team’s discretion. Guardians are expected to attend all rehearsals and workshops, and chaperone signups are required during the production run.
Parents and adult cast members (ages 16 and up) are strongly encouraged to attend set build sessions to be held throughout the production run. Assistance is required to construct the set, perform building maintenance, and decorate for the holiday season. These dates will be included as part of the production calendar.
It’s Christmas Eve in England, 1843. Alone in his attic studio, Charles Dickens is visited by the spirit of his younger self. The Child demands a story. Struck by inspiration, Dickens summons his family and friends up to the attic to share the tale which is weaving itself through his brain. He insists that if he is to work on Christmas Eve, they must all participate in the telling. And so the story unfolds, with the cast enacting the classic story in a new and entertaining way.
Actors of any ethnicity and any gender are encouraged to audition. This production calls for 5 male-presenting actors, 2 female-presenting actors, and several children. All casting decisions are at the discretion of the show’s creative team. Cast requirements for the production are as follows:
CHARLES DICKENS (30s+): A dynamo of energy. A mesmerizing presence and voice. He is already near the height of his storytelling powers.
CATHERINE DICKENS (20s+): Wife of Dickens. She is the one who has the resources to put up with occasions such as this, when her husband’s flights of imagination take precedence over everything else, with humor and grace.
MARK LEMON (30s+): The genial, quick-witted editor of the well-known weekly humor magazine Punch. He is advancing toward middle age and corpulence.
FREDERICK DICKENS (early 20s): Younger brother of Charles. Something of a ne-er-do-well, but charming. He is a Dickens, after all.
CLARKSON STANFIELD (20s+): A painter, famous for both his theatrical scene painting and naval genre pictures. Personable and handsome, with a quality that is at once mischievous yet gentle, equally at home in theaters and the Royal Academy.
JOHN FORSTER (40s+): Editor and writer; Dickens’ closest friend and advisor. He’s the only person to whom Dickens confided the painful story of his time in the blacking warehouse. He is in many ways Dickens’ opposite: though given to occasional fits of joviality, he is by nature gruff and taciturn. It takes an evening such as this one to reveal that other side.
REBECCA STANFIELD (30s+): Wife of Stanfield. An actress before her marriage, she has no trouble slipping into the evening’s festivities.
In addition to the adult roles, there are several children’s roles available for youth ages 8 to 17. We are also looking for production volunteers. We are seeking stage crew, concessions, front of house staff and parking assistance. Anyone who would like to volunteer should email Dan Weston, Artistic Director at danwest@littletheater.com. For more information, please contact The Playhouse at 814-627-0311. You may also find us on Facebook.
While experience is helpful, The Playhouse at McConnellstown does not require previous theatrical experience. We do, however, require that you have the desire, commitment, and the drive to help us produce the high-quality shows that our audiences have come to expect. Please come join us for a wonderful theatrical experience. We look forward to seeing you at auditions!