Holiday celebrations this time around

By Eleanor Crowder

How did Christmas in the pandemic unfold at your house? It’s likely to become a storied time: the Christmas that almost wasn’t and then was saved. But how? With us, it was by a shared outdoor meal in the rain. A neighbour’s screened porch, candles, a tourtière and four of us wrapped in blankets over our winter coats. It felt Nordic and brave and put a huge grin on our faces, which countered only being able to see by Zoom. Close-up smiles made it truly Christmas!

And there somehow is the essence of Christmas. What makes it special for you?

This year, here’s what’s special for us! We can be in a theatre again. Our audiences are masked, vaccinated, careful but revelling in the joy of theatre in company. This year, as members of Bear & Co. working alongside Pierre Brault Productions, we get to welcome you back to the Gladstone Theatre. Consider this your invitation!

Bear & Co. will produce Dylan Thomas’ classic tale, A Childs Christmas in Wales. Actors Nicholas Amott and Rachel Eugster invite you to remember Christmases gone by and to cherish the Christmas Eve hush with the golden glow of candles. We cannot invite you to ring out carols to the rafters, but we can invite you to share the tunes and to hum along! Not a carol sing, but a carol hum!

And Pierre brings you his solo rendition of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. His showmanship and wicked twists of humour rival Dickens’ own! Our own Ottawa star brings us a true star turn in this hour-long show.

You can see both shows in one night, or enjoy them separately. Each show runs under an hour. They play alternately at 7 and 8.30 p.m. from November 30 to December 18. Tickets and information on livestreams at www.thegladstone.ca. We wish you the merriest of holidays and hope to share this restored pleasure with you.

Eleanor Crowder is an actor, director, producer and playwright. She will direct for Bear & Co., and also teaches theatre classes at GNAG. She has very much missed theatre as celebration!