The Cast and Crew of A Christmas Carol on the Meaning of Backstage Traditions

Here at the Alliance, the holiday season usually begins a bit early. Every October we welcome the cast and crew of A Christmas Carol back into our rehearsal halls to prepare for our favorite holiday tradition. For many of our friends working on this production, being a part of the show is its own special tradition, spending the season with us year after year. 

In the spirit of tradition, we asked the folks of A Christmas Carol to share about some of the backstage traditions that have developed amongst the cast and crew over the years — what they are and what they mean to them. 

“A tradition of sorts is our first read through/meet and greet day. I find it electric. Friends from all departments gather in the rehearsal space, some people you saw earlier in the week, others you haven’t seen since December 24th of the previous year. It’s filled with ‘It’s good to see your face’, ‘How are you actually doing?’, ‘Show me pictures of your dog!’ ‘How are you liking the new place?’ ‘Your kids have gotten so big!’ Even though the world can feel so heavy, for some magical reason on an early evening in October, everything feels just right. I [also] really enjoy the first [full] day back. You have jitters of starting to learn this story again and finding newness within it with everyone. I, along with many others, have heard this Charles Dickens classic since I was a little girl. Although a story told many ways, many different times, there is so much to discover. I get so excited at the thought of what we, as a company of artists, will find out about each other, the world, and ourselves through diving back into this piece.” 

— Allie Hill (understudy) 

“Before I was in the show, I was in the audience. It was my family’s tradition to see A Christmas Carol every year, and it was one of the best parts of the holiday season. The show is still our tradition, but now I am on stage instead of [in] the audience. One of the best traditions [I share with my Alliance Theatre family] is that every year the cast and crew come together to celebrate the season by doing a Secret Santa gift exchange. It’s less about the gifts though and more about coming together. The day is filled with laughter and friendship. All the gifts are very thoughtful and specific to the person receiving the gifts — some of the gifts are even handmade! For many of us, this show has become our Christmas.” 

— Caleb Baumann (Matthew Watkins) 

“The best memories I have from my time with the A Christmas Carol family are ones that happened behind the scenes! My first year, the other A Christmas Carol kids and I decorated our dressing room with lights and holiday decorations, had pajama day, and decorated gingerbread houses during the break of a two-show day. We also created a really fun video and took silly pictures with our young performer supervisor, Kate! But my favorite tradition was being part of Secret Santa and seeing everyone’s expressions during the reveal party and A Christmas Carol potluck!” 

— Adrienne Ocfemia (Melinda Cratchit) 

“Usually on the potluck day, not only do we do food and a secret Santa exchange, but the crew chief will let the child actors ride on the lift and make it snow [on stage]. The last day in the rehearsal hall the kids pull up all the [marking] tape from the floor and I give them leftover Halloween candy in direct proportion to the size of the tape ball they bring me. It’s fun and takes them [only] three minutes to do something that would take the Stage Management team at least 20! Leora bought us a Polaroid camera for the first opening and every year I get a new set of film for everybody to take pictures.” 

— Liz Campbell (Stage Manager) 

“One ritual that, for me, is tied particularly to A Christmas Carol is saying (shouting, really) ‘Upon the ice!’ to fellow cast members as we go to places at the top of the show. As if we are, I don’t know, hockey players perhaps, saying ‘I’ll see you out there on the ice’? I really don’t know when or how it started, but I’ve been saying it since I was first cast in A Christmas Carol as Jacob Marley around 2011 or so. I can hear Chris Kayser (Scrooge) and Bart Hansard (Present/Fezziwig) in my head saying it, and I think those guys are where I learned it. I love rituals in the theater. I feel like they tie me to the past, present, and future of theater in a beautiful way. This ritual ties me to Atlanta actors, friends I’ve worked with, people I love and respect. It’s fun to think that someone in this year’s cast is learning this ritual from me, and they’ll continue to say it down the road like an ancient blessing that travels through generations.” 

— Andrew Benator (Ebenezer Scrooge) 

A Christmas Carol will run on the Coca-Cola Stage November 9 through December 24, 2024 – learn more.