Covid-19 Adapted Blocking, Streaming and Social Distanced Viewing
Plano, TX — North Texas Performing Arts announces that it is expanding its tenth annual Christmas Celebration of Scrooge, the Musical, presented by Transamerica, by offering livestream viewing to patrons at home and around the world! NTPA is also offering free virtual tickets for first responders, veterans, and those who have lost jobs or been severely impacted by COVID-19. This show will not only celebrate the 10th anniversary for the production, but will also kick off the 30th Anniversary of North Texas Performing Arts.
The production team has taken on new staging challenges, especially as interest from local actors was higher than ever this year with over 100 participants. To limit the number of people on stage, the cast has been double, triple, and even quadruple cast for specific roles, allowing for a variety of actors to take on these exhilarating roles for different performances.
Since reopening in June, North Texas Performing Arts has adopted a strict protocol of mask requirements, safe social distance guidelines, and health checks. Actors must wear protective masks at all times (including onstage), and no more than 30 performers at a time are permitted on a safe socially distant stage. For the safety of actors and patrons and in compliance with the Governor’s guidelines, all tickets to NTPA shows are socially distanced with theatres seating at approximately 30% capacity. Masks are required for all persons entering NTPA facilities. Theatre seating is limited to enable distancing between groups, and streaming is available to those preferring to view these performances online.
A Powerful & Timely Message For All
“Scrooge offers a very special message of rebirth and redemption, and it teaches us that we have the opportunity to start our lives all over again,” explains NTPA CEO Darrell Rodenbaugh. “We believe that now, more than ever, we need to share this powerful message.”
In its exciting tenth anniversary production of Scrooge, the Musical, this North Texas Christmas tradition has been critically acclaimed and historically plays to sell-out crowds. The show regularly tops regional “must-see” event lists for the Christmas Season. Scrooge closely follows the plot of Charles Dickens’ acclaimed book, A Christmas Carol. The movie adaptation received four Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations. Scrooge was written by award-winning songwriter Leslie Bricusse, creator of the musical versions of Jekyll & Hyde and Willy Wonka.
This will be the third Scrooge directed by NTPA – Plano Managing Director Mike Mazur who boasts a BFA from Bowling Green State University and Master’s from the prestigious New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. Mazur has directed over 100 shows on both coasts and Texas, and has performed off-Broadway, in Hollywood, London, Warsaw, and Paris.
In her second year as the shows Music and Children’s Director is the award-winning music educator and NTPA Resident Director Kaitlyn Barnard-Wright. Kaitlyn earned her bachelor’s at TWU where she performed in both opera and theater productions, and has dozens of successful show credits. She also performed in past year’s Scrooge as “Ghost of Christmas Past.” Choreographer for this year’s production will be the award-winning NTPA – Frisco Program Director Hannah Makepeace, also an NTPA Resident Director.
Darrell Rodenbaugh will return in his 10th year in the title role of “Scrooge”, and at the end of this year’s run will have taken the stage in almost 80 performances. Returning for this special anniversary performance as “Young Scrooge” is son Christopher Rodenbaugh who performed in this role for the first five years of this tradition.
Scrooge, the Musical is sponsored in part by the City of Plano and Transamerica.
NTPA’s Scrooge will offer 14 performances between December 9-20, with two “Gift to the Community” performances December 9 and 16 in the Rodenbaugh Theatre at Willow Bend Center of the Arts in The Shops at Willow Bend Mall at 6121 W. Park Blvd., Plano, TX 75093.
Individuals or organizations interested in participating in this year’s “Gift to the Community” Christmas Celebration or interested in sponsoring or supporting should reach out to NTPA at scrooge@ntpa.org.
For more information and showtimes go to NTPA.org/event/scrooge/.
About North Texas Performing Arts:
North Texas Performing Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to developing the character of youth through quality performing arts education and family entertainment evolving from the Plano Children’s Theatre created three decades ago by Sara Akers. NTPA is Headquartered at Willow Bend Center of the Arts in Plano and has theatres in Fairview, Frisco, and Dallas. Each year NTPA provides opportunities to more than 11,000 youth ages three to 18 years old to experience the impact of the performing arts through its “learning lab” training process.
