Issued: October 12, 2013
PRESS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Judith Cullen, Artist-Storyteller-Author
Judith Cullen, Artist-Storyteller-Author
thedede (at) comcast dot net
Dickens’ Classic Tale Comes to Tacoma in a New Wa
Tacoma, WA – The classic holiday story of transformation and redemption, A
Christmas Carol, will be presented in downtown Tacoma in a performance that will be both
single and singular. On Sunday, Dec. 1
beginning at 1 p.m. the Knights of Pythias Hall at 926 ½ Broadway will host a
free presentation of Charles Dickens’ ghostly holiday tale with a new twist:
three experienced voice performers will read an adaptation of the story
annotated by the author himself with some additional text restored from the
full version, and only one of the cast of three will actually be in the Tacoma performance
hall. The other two will be on Second Life to provide a clash between old world
story telling and new world technology.
Tacoma theater artist, author, and
storyteller Judith Cullen will be performing A Christmas Carol along
with Minnesota voice actor Kevin Lee, and Nevada storyteller
Shandon Loring. Loring and Lee will be
joining Cullen in the virtual world of Second Life (c) to present the tale
simultaneously in downtown Tacoma,
and in the virtual world for an international audience. Lasting approximately three hours, with a
brief intermission, the three performers will guide guests through the journey
of Ebenezer Scrooge, with Loring voicing the humbugging moneylender, while Lee
and Cullen trade off narration and all additional characters.
The audience in Tacoma will see the
virtual world on a large screen in the historical Pythian’s Hall, and view both
the performers and the virtual audience as they explore a three dimensional
environment called The Dickens Project.
The Dickens Project is a brainchild of Cullen, a hometown theater designer and author who
is passionate about exploring new ways to bring stories and literature to
life. “The Dickens Project was
envisioned as a way to create an experience where an audience could walk in the
steps of Ebenezer Scrooge while listening to words of the author. In its beta-test last year, the environment
served as an interactive framework for the live, spoken performances. The response was incredible.”
In 2012, Cullen built a
small test environment, utilizing her 25 years of experience as a scenic
designer for theater and opera, and recruited an international cast of voice
talent to present A Christmas Carol and other selections from the Dickens canon
over a 13 day period abutting Christmas. “We actually crashed the simulation one day,
we were so full. There were several
times when the simulation was at capacity and people who wanted to get in could
not access it. It’s was annoying, but also a mark of success for a virtual
event.”
“As opposed to a television
or DVD presentation, a virtual performance engages you actively. You can just sit back and listen, but you can
also walk around using an avatar, exploring, and accessing interactive objects
and information while still listening to a live performance.” Cullen does not see this approach as
replacing theater, reading, or other media forms of storytelling. “This is just a different way, a new way. It has the immediacy of a live performance.
It is a great educational tool. Instead
of “going to pbs.org’ after the show is over, you can access links and
information on related topics from the virtual world, while the performance is
in progress. It is intimate and communal at the same time.” Cullen speaks from five years and more than
500 hours of reading literature in Second Life as a volunteer and raising money
for non-profit charities around the world. “This medium of story presentation
does not replace books and reading, it inspires them.”
The Tacoma performance will be no different than
what Cullen and her colleagues have been doing regularly for more than five
years as part of the Seanchai
Library in Second Life. The performance is free to Tacoma
audiences, and free-will donations will be accepted with the proceeds
benefiting My Sister’s Pantry :
serving hot meals and distributing groceries and clothing to poor families
suffering from homelessness in Tacoma
since 1999. Likewise the virtual
audience will be invited to join the creators of The Dickens Project in support of War
Child North America: the Canadian branch of an international network of
agencies that go into war zones and places of armed conflict to provide
education, advocacy, and support to non-combatants - children and families many
of whom are often forced to become combatants simply to survive. War Child’s vision is of a world where
someday no child will know war.
“It is ironic.” says Cullen,
“For years, I chuckled at the annual ‘cash cow’ productions of A
Christmas Carol that so many theaters across the country present. Then I read the story. It is a great story,
to be sure. Only a portion of the
novella’s great beauty is in the dialogue.
There is so much more to be found that never makes it to a theatrical
adaptation. It is worth reading the
entire thing.” Cullen has read the
entire text for online audiences for the last four years, just before
Christmas. “That these great charities should benefit is a perfect fit. I think Mr. Dickens would have approved whole
heartedly.”
A Christmas Carol was first published in
December of 1843. The Dicken’s family
was hit hard by poor sales of Martin Chuzzlewitt which the author,
in a feud with his publishers, had printed at his own expense and agreed to
accept a percentage of the profits.
Economic pressures, and another child on the way, forced the author to
take action in September of 1843. A
Christmas Carol was written in six weeks. It was an instant success.
Additional Informational
Links:
The Dickens Project Tacoma …
The Dickens Project Comes to Tacoma! on facebook . . .
The Knights of Pythias, Commencement Lodge #7 . . .
The Dickens Project 2012
What is Second Life ? . . .
Judith Cullen – Stories
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