Advent Zoom Theatre Retreat: “A Christmas Carol”

We here at the Jesuit Media Lab have adapted Charles Dickens’ classic novella “A Christmas Carol” into a play format for this Advent season. JML fellow Renée D. Roden brought her keen playwright’s eye to the text and formatted it as a play so we can read it aloud easily. We abridged the text carefully, following Dickens’ own cuts he marked in the personal copy he used when reading the novella aloud throughout his life. (You can find Dickens’ annotated copy, complete with fascinating marginalia and notes to himself for performances, at the New York Public Library digital collections website.)

We’ll gather on Zoom on St. Nicholas Day to celebrate the season with this tale of conversion, redemption and social justice. (Victorian costumes optional!)

All participants must purchase their own $5 copy of JML’s adapted “A Christmas Carol,” available in paperback and Kindle forms: https://a.co/d/fY2aDNu

Another Option: Host Your Own Communal Reading of “A Christmas Carol”!

Beyond this one-time Zoom event, we’re inviting the JML family to host their own communal readings of “A Christmas Carol” in their homes, parishes or online — just invite your guests to pick up their own paperback or Kindle copy for $5 and join in the fun. Our edition also has a simple how-to-use-this guide and accompanying essays by JML fellows Renée D. Roden and Michael O’Connell.

Tell us you’ll host one in your own community, and we’ll send you some tips, an invitation to an optional kickoff Zoom webinar, and a coupon for $25 off a future JML course or event!

Fill out this form to sign up to host “A Christmas Carol” communal reading.