The Citrus Theatre Arts Department will bring the “Christmas spirit” to the Little Theatre in its production of Kristina Leach’s “The Christmas Box” on Dec. 3 at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Directed by Citrus alumna Summer Stratton, “The Christmas Box,” is designed for younger audiences, but contains a moral to the story that grown-ups will still appreciate.
When their parents, Brunhilde and Bertolde, along with all the other grown-ups in Mistletoe Corners forget about Christmas, the Baker triplets must go on an adventure to save the holiday.
The Bakers enlist the help of two snowmen and two elves on their adventure to alert Santa Claus and discover what plans the Evil Fred and his assistant Pickle have in store for their town.
“The Christmas Box” is Evelyn Urias’ first production at Citrus. Urias plays Sarah Snowflake, a “bubbly, loveable snowman” that worries about melting with the prospect of not having Christmas. But her love, Sigmund Snowflake, played by Ryan Lyle, is there to help ease her worries.
“This play has brought out our inner child and it’s really fun to work with,” Urias said.
The play provides plenty of laughs and light-hearted moments as well as audience participation in a couple scenes. The audience is put directly in the scene by being integrated into the stage layout.
After the theatre department’s last production of “Play It Again, Sam” ended Nov. 12, there had to be a quick turnaround in the Little Theatre to prepare for the Christmas show.
Stratton said she gives credit to her cast, her stage manager Nico Parducho and her assistant director Anthony Garcia for the transition between shows.
“We only have two designers, so we’ve really had to band together to make this a great show,” Stratton said. “The actors help with costumes, my stage manager and assistant director have been super hands on with me, decorating the set and making props. We are small but mighty.”
Not only is Garcia the assistant director for the show, but he also plays Santa Claus. He joked about what he brought to the character that appears in most Christmas shows.
“We went from military Santa with militant elves to a superhero biker Santa who gets stuff done,” Garcia said. “You don’t want to mess with Santa.”
Tickets for “The Christmas Box” are $10 per person. The tickets can be purchased at the box office or online at www.haughpac.com.
“It’s a nice little play to have a good laugh and also bring back Christmas spirit to those who thought it was fading away,” Urias said. “It’s a perfect little play for family and friends.”
