Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
A collaboration among Fort Dodge Fine Arts members
Sun Dec 3, 2023 – 3pm
Fort Dodge Middle School
Joshua Barlage, conducting
Jeff Bluml, actor
Jason Laird, actor
Corban McHone, actor
Nathan Schelle, actor
Jerry Schnurr, actor
Alyssa Sparks, actor
HOLST In the Bleak Midwinter
John LUNN Downton Abbey Suite
Arr. REED Greensleeves
and additional music by Elgar, Bizet, Borodin and more
We spend the holidays in Jolly Old London with a setting of Dickens’ classic tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge and his transformation from bah humbug to holiday joy. Actors representing Comedia Musica Players, Hawkeye Community Theatre and Stage Door Productions join us for a semi-staged production where the dialogue is paired with music by Bizet, Borodin, Grainger, Butterworth and more.
Jeff Bluml is thrilled to be performing in another production of A Christmas Carol this holiday season. This is Jeff’s first opportunity to work with the Fort Dodge Area Symphony and couldn’t be more pleased to bring forth Ebenezer Scrooge’s tale of woe to redemption during this magical time of the year. Jeff hopes you enjoy this show and wants to thank you for supporting the arts!
Jason Laird is a native of Fort Dodge. He was active in FDSH musicals and the UNI glee club. He enjoys playing his guitar and singing at home, as well as singing in his church choir. After a long hiatus he was brought back to the stage for the past 3 winter Stage Door productions. (Midlife Crisis, Title of Show, and Forever Plaid).
Corban McHone is from Fort Dodge and is 14 years old. He has enjoyed singing and performing since he was a young child. Some of his favorite roles were Winthrop in Comedia’s The Music Man, Chip in Stage Door’s Beauty and the Beast, and Michael in Comedia’s Elf. He also really enjoyed the opportunity to perform in FDSH’s Big Fish, and one of his most enjoyable experiences was playing Gavroche in FDSH’s Les Miserables. He is so thankful for the many opportunities to explore the Fine Arts in Fort Dodge, and finds it a privilege to be a part of the Fort Dodge Area Symphony Performance.
Nathan Schelle is very excited to be working with the Fort Dodge Area Symphony on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. He considers being able to portray such a classic character in this beloved tale an honor. Nathan was most recently in Comedia Musica Players’ production of Seussical as Mr. Mayor and was also the show’s prop master. Nathan also serves on Comedia’s board of directors as the group’s vice president. Nathan would like to thank his loving wife, Katie, and two wonderful daughters, Lauren and Claire, who’s continuing support and encouragement are the real reason he is on the stage.
Jerry Schnurr grew up in Fort Dodge. Jerry is a lawyer and appear from time to time in the courtrooms in the area. He has appeared in the Fort Dodge Senior High musicals Damn Yankees, as Smokey and as Maude in Bye Bye Birdie. In college, Jerry appeared as Othello in a student run production of Othello for an English Literature class. He also appeared in Comedia Musica’s production of Where’s Love as Drunk Santa and The Judge. Jerry has had the pleasure of being the MC/Narrator for a number of Harmony Brigade productions and is thrilled to be a part of this production of A Christmas Carol put on by the Fort Dodge Area Symphony and the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association. The dedicated artists of these organizations enrich the lives of all of us.
roles to date have been those characters that are completely far from her own personality, such as Alice in The Addams Family, or The Lady in the Lake from Spamalot. She can’t seem to stay away from the theater scene for more than a month a time, as she has been directing almost consistently for the last couple of years. So far this year, she has directed four shows: Saint Edmond Catholic School’s Willy Wonka in the spring, Stage Door Productions’ Madagascar Jr and Hawkeye Community Theatre’s Girls’ Weekend over the summer, and Comedia Musica’s Seussical the Musical in November. She is currently working as Director for Hawkeye Community Theatre’s holiday show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Alyssa loves to work with creative people and has enjoyed preparing for this special show with the orchestra. Of course, if it weren’t for her family supporting her creative endeavors, she wouldn’t be able to continue to be so heavily involved in this community. She is eternally grateful for her parents’ continued support since she was a very young Alice in The Trials of Alice in Wonderland, and that of her husband and son, who allow her to break into song in the middle of a sentence and think nothing of it because her love of musical theater taught them that is completely normal!
Single tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the concert.
$15.00 Adults
Students free of charge