By Keighla Schmidt, Staff Writer

Bah humbug – it’s that time of year, and to celebrate, the Burnsville High School winter play, “Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’” opens Thursday, Dec. 4.

The classic Christmas play also includes a new goal for the high school’s theater department: to perform a holiday-themed play every other year.

Junior Zack Deaven of Savage said the play is one everyone, even people who don’t celebrate Christmas, can enjoy. “It’s not so much about Christmas as it is the spirit of the holiday – good will and peace,” he said. “It’s a great message, moral wise.”

Deaven will play the crotchety role of Scrooge, a man who vehemently despises the winter holiday. The actor said he studied how others have played Scrooge and “watched old people” to develop his version of the well-known character.

He also had to become a method actor. A Christmas Carol: BHS theater will have a holiday-
themed show every other year; "Charles Dickens' 'A
Christmas Carol'" is the debut performance. The show
opens Dec. 4.

“I got it in my head to be the world’s most unpleasant being ever,” he said of preparing for the infamous role. “He doesn’t view people as people.”

The role isn’t one Deaven said he can relate to through most of the play. “I’m trying to leave everything about myself out of my performance and not take any of that onto the stage,” he said. “I like to think I’m a pretty good person … I can relate to him in the end when he’s kind and giving to people.”

The evolution is one junior Alissa Hernandez of Savage said is an exciting part of the play.

“You can see throughout the play that little by little Scrooge becomes kind,” she said. “That not only takes skill on Zack’s part – but its key to the play.”

The play is one Deaven said he thinks people can relate to.

“Everything is down in the dumps, many people may be able to relate to that with the current recession,” he said. “And besides that, everyone faces a time in their lives where they have downfalls.”

Theater-goers hoping to see some of their favorite parts of the traditional play will have their wish fulfilled.

“There will be the three ghosts and flashbacks,” Hernandez said.

Sophomore Derek Wagner, from Savage, takes on the role of the sick, but loveable, Tiny Tim. “The line everybody loves is there – ‘God bless us, everyone,’” he said.

Some of the special effects for the play will be modified for the BHS performance.

A revolving floor will be used on the set which will rotate to have interior and exterior scenes. But actors will be in full costumes, with their petticoats, vests, bonnets and shawls, to depict London in the 1840s.

Deaven said he is particularly excited about the scenes introducing each ghost. A scene with Burnsville sophomore Josh Bergeron, playing the Ghost of Jacob Marley, is especially exciting, Deaven said.

“His whole objective is to scare children into tears or into leaving the theater,” he joked.

“Our motto here is we don’t do high school plays,” Hernandez said. “We do better.”

Keighla Schmidt can be reached at kschmidt@swpub.com.