When President, Executive Director and Chairwoman at the Sedona Arts Academy & Community Center, Camilla Ross, was selecting her Christmas show for 2020, the play “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” was an easy choice. When she read the script, she couldn’t stop laughing. “The show just lends itself to so much laughter and so much fun, and we really need that. We really do,” says Camilla, the producer of the show. “There’s music and there’s some ad-libbing, and it’s just a really hilariously funny show.”
As you might have guessed from the show’s title, you can look forward to a mix of different popular Christmas tales. Expect to hear parodies of classic holiday stories and mentions of characters including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “A Christmas Carol,” Charlie Brown, “Frosty the Snowman” and the Grinch. Anticipate a part that’s all about fruitcake (seriously). The set will be festive and holiday themed. Actors will change costumes many times and use plenty of props. At the end of the show, actors will sing original music. Three actors – William Gabriel Grier, Joshua Rivedal and Jimmy Shoffman – will perform the show. The high-energy, 80- to 95-minutes show is scripted but allows for some room for creativity so the actors can adapt the show to the Sedona and Northern Arizona region. “They’re going to be hilarious,” says Camilla, of a recent reading. “The chemistry between them was extraordinary, and they just feed off of each other. It’s going to make a great play.”
Audience members will be invited up on stage to participate in the show – meaning the audience will watch a different show during every performance. Camilla tells us the actors will get to decide specifically what the audience does. If you have family in town, Camilla says that the show is appropriate for kids Above all, expect to smile during the entire production. “It’s so funny. And we need the laughter, and we need the joy,” says Camilla. “Because now’s the time for people to truly laugh. Laughter is the best medicine that we could ever have, and we need that right now.” − Teresa K. Traverse
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
