The Homewood High School theater department ushered in the holiday with its production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” last weekend. 

Students performed their final dress rehearsal for teachers on Dec. 8 before shows to a public audience on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Staging a December holiday show is new for the students, however, and is something theater director Jason Kennah hopes will stick around and become a tradition.

“I chose ‘A Christmas Carol’ because it is a story that most everyone knows,” Kennah said.

Back in September, Kennah selected the classic and went to work designing a somewhat original adaptation of the Dickens’ book for the stage, while also trying to stay true to the original story.

However, as the department continued to prepare, Kennah had to make additional changes to the adapted script.

“Sometimes what looks good on paper does not translate well to the stage,” Kennah said. “It has been a constant work in progress.” 

Audiences who are familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his ghostly encounters will recognize characters and plotlines from the original novel. 

Isaiah Pierce, a senior who plays the Ghost of Christmas Present, prepared for his role by getting into the mindset of a regal king.

“My character is very boisterous and bombastic in nature, so I really enjoyed getting to delve into that aspect of myself,” Pierce said. 

Junior Alexander Mohnen brought to life the lead role of Scrooge and said his favorite part of his role was working with other people.

“I had so much fun with my other castmates who helped me along the way,” Mohnen said. He said the make up was tedious, but was definitely worth it.

Kennah said the role of Scrooge is a difficult character to play, but praised Mohnen for his dedication and said he “successfully [rose] to the challenge.” 

Kennah is proud of the work of all of his theater students and hopes the success of “A Christmas Carol” will lead to the staging of a December production every year.