Students to Receive Stagecraft Demonstrations
Glorious Christmas Nights, a Richmond Christmas tradition for all ages, is adding a new feature in its 30th year. For the first time, student groups from area schools are invited to attend special performances of the Broadway-style show at a discounted ticket price and then stay afterwards for expert demonstrations of the stagecraft involved in bringing this year’s production, “A Storybook Christmas,” to life. Students will learn about the flying special effects and the life-sized “pop-up” book that is part of the set for the second act.
“A Storybook Christmas” features two families who come together to celebrate a couple’s engagement (think Downton Abbey meets Duck Dynasty) and a little girl, Becca, whose dream brings the families together in a Mother Goose–inspired singing and dancing extravaganza. Later, Becca imagines what it really must have been like for another couple, Mary and Joseph, as they celebrated their marriage and the birth of a baby in Bethlehem.
Flying by Foy has been a leading company in special effects flying for over 50 years. The company, famous for flying Peter Pan, has flown a variety of stars including Julie Andrews, Katy Perry, Sean Connery, Will Smith, Gene Kelly, and U2. Flying by Foy designed and installed the rigging for the characters who fly in Glorious Christmas Nights, and the harnesses used are unique to the company. Members of the flying team will explain and demonstrate the flying rig and the harnesses to the students.
The inspiration for the Bethlehem set design for this year’s show comes from Tomie dePaola’s pop-up classic, The First Christmas. The giant pages come to life right before the eyes of the audience with the characters stepping in and out of the beautiful scenes of the book. Stage crew members will demonstrate the hydraulic system that operates the pop-up pages and explain the engineering behind the set construction while students get an up-close look at each page and its inspiration.
Student nights are Wednesday, December 4, and Thursday, December 5. Tickets are available to student groups at the special rate of $10 each (usual price is $18). Show time is 7:30 pm with the stagecraft demonstrations immediately following the show’s conclusion. Glorious Christmas Nights is performed at West End Assembly of God, 401 N. Parham Road.
For more information, contact Vanessa Fletcher at 804-317-8935 or email, vhfletcher@gmail.com. Ticket information can be found on the website.
