Dickens' Holiday Classic | Guthrie Theater

THE GUTHRIE THEATER IN COLLABORATION WITH FREESTYLE FILMS PRESENTS

Dickens’ Holiday Classic

adapted and directed by E.G. BAILEY and JOSEPH HAJ
from A Christmas Carol by CHARLES DICKENS

Streaming free for K–12 schools

A virtual telling of A Christmas Carol

One of Charles Dickens’ favorite ways to spread holiday cheer was to perform dramatic readings of his beloved ghost story for audiences near and far. With a trusty, self-edited copy of his novella in hand, Dickens took Scrooge’s tale of transformation on the road for years, standing at podiums and entertaining large crowds of devoted fans from London to Boston and beyond.

Drawing inspiration from this centuries-old tradition, we are proud to share a special virtual event featuring a cast of four beloved A Christmas Carol veterans who reimagine Dickens’ hand-curated chapters.

NOTE: Dickens’ Holiday Classic is a virtual Guthrie production that originally streamed in 2020, and we are offering it exclusively to K–12 schools this season. It is not a recording of the Guthrie’s stage production of A Christmas Carol.

Special thanks to Midwest Radiology Foundation for helping the Guthrie give K–12 schools free access to this virtual production.

Registration

To gain free access, K–12 educators must complete our online registration form. We will email a Vimeo link and password to all registrants on November 29, 2021. Like a student matinee, this virtual program is intended to be experienced as part of the school day and curriculum.

Age recommendation

Although appropriate for all ages, we recommend Dickens’ Holiday Classic for middle schoolers and up.

Run time

Approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes

Play guide

For classroom activities, discussion questions, cultural context and more, download the play guide.

Accessibility

Dickens’ Holiday Classic includes viewing options with ASL interpretation, audio description and captions.

If you have questions, please email Group Sales at groups@guthrietheater.org.

About the story

A miserly and miserable man, Ebenezer Scrooge greets each Christmas with “Bah! Humbug!” until he is visited one Christmas Eve by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. Through a restless night, the spirits show him happy memories from his past, cruel realities from the present and a grim future should he continue his cantankerous ways. Charles Dickens’ timeless tale continues to be a perennial favorite and holiday tradition that invites audiences of all ages to celebrate the merriment of the season with their family and loved ones.