The Rosebud Children’s Theater Conservatory is making its first foray into community theater next month with a production of “A Christmas Carol.”
Holly Rose, the artistic director for Rosebud, said she’s excited to have her production company branch out into community theater.
“Federal Way doesn’t really have community theater,” she said. “There’s nothing for community members who don’t have any experience, but have a passion for theater, to do. We’re trying to open that up.”
The show will run in the Thomas Jefferson High School Little Theater from Dec. 2 to Dec. 11, with Friday and Saturday showings at 8 p.m., and Sunday matinee showings at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10, with a $2 discount given to students, seniors and military personnel. Tickets can be bought online through Rosebud’s site (www.rosebudctc.org), or can be purchased at the door.
Rose said 35 people auditioned for “A Christmas Carol,” and that 28 made the cut to be in the production. One of the best things about this group, Rose said, is the fact that much of the cast is made up of families.
“There’s one family that has three family members involved, another also has three, another has two family members involved, so it’s nice to provide a community theater that’s also family focused,” she said.
Among those families is Scott Shoemaker and his children Robert and Samantha. Bob Gonzalez and his daughter Megan are also among the 28 cast members.
Maria Nelson, president of the board for the non-profit Rosebud, says she hopes this year’s production of “A Christmas Carol” is the start of something good for a while here in Federal Way.
“It’s great that we have what will hopefully become an annual tradition of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and live theater right here in Federal Way,” she said. “It’s great people have the opportunity to come to a production right here, and not have to go to Seattle or Tacoma. It’s great they get to see their families, friends and neighbors act in a play. It’s a great opportunity to see something that not everybody has.”
Nelson was also excited by the fact that “A Christmas Carol” will have so many families all acting together, saying it’s really fun to watch that interaction. Nelson said she feels this production, and Rosebud’s future forays into community theater, will help bring Federal Way together.
“This community theater builds community because it comes from the community, and it also becomes its own community, where everybody works together,” she said.
Rose said that while the cast may be determined already, Rosebud is always looking for volunteers to come help with “front of house” duties, such as ticket and concession sales. A bonus for the volunteers, she said, is that they can see the performances for free.
Outside of volunteering, Rose said anybody who’s interested in trying out for future community theater productions is welcome. While it may be daunting for many people to think of getting on a stage and acting, she said there’s no reason for trepidation.
“Doing theater is really just…living. It’s being a person. If you can walk and talk in your life, come and try it on stage,” she said. “Theater can be very daunting, when you look at the professionals and the heavy dramas and stuff, but we don’t do those. We tend to stay on the light-hearted side of it, the family-oriented side of it.
For the upcoming production, Rose said she hopes the community turns out because she anticipates a good time.
“Just come and see it,” she said with a smile. “’A Christmas Carol’ is such a good story, and it has a good message, especially today.”
The Rosebud CTC can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RosebudCTC.
