DTC Executive Director Kevin Moriarty on A Christmas Carol

In 1843 – when Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol as a “ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an idea” – Victorian London was a profoundly unjust society, built on the backs of workers toiling in appalling conditions of poverty and abuse.

Children – both boys and girls – began work in shipyards, nail factories, and iron and coal mines at age five and generally died before they were twenty-five. Many factory workers worked twelve-hour days, six days a week...often including Christmas day.

Dickens was horrified at these conditions.

In October of 1843 he gave a speech to promote the “understanding that the relations between the employer and his employee involves a mutual duty and responsibility.”

But he was determined to do more to affect change in individuals and society at large.

Thus, as Norrie Epstein writes, “the germinating image of A Christmas Carol was not that of the ghosts, Scrooge, or even Tiny Tim, but the two allegorical children: Ignorance and Want.”

Dickens set out to write a pamphlet about caring for the needy, but instead he was inspired to write a story that he hoped would hit his readers over the head, “like a sledgehammer.”

Our production – set in a Victorian factory – hopes to honor Dickens’ passion and concerns in telling this miraculous story of community, social responsibility, and spiritual redemption.

We hope to provoke, delight and move you as you join us in taking Ebenezer Scrooge on a magical (and at times scary!) journey from a cold, lonely place of darkness and selfishness to a warm world of light and hope. We aspire to honor Dickens’ vision of Christmas as a time of kindness and generosity by inviting you to join us in remembering those in need at this holy time of the year. And we hope that this beloved story of love, community and family will fill you and your loved ones with comfort and joy.

As Tiny Tim would say: “God bless us, everyone!”

I’ll see you in the lobby.

Kevin

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens | Adapted and originally directed by By Kevin Moriarty

CHOREOGRAPHY BY
Joel Ferrell

DIRECTED BY
Alex Organ

UNDERSTUDIES

A Christmas Carol will be performed without an intermission.
Setting: London, December 24 and 25, 1843

This theater operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Dallas Theater Center is a member of the League of Resident Theaters; a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the nonprofit professional theater; and Visit Dallas.

​​+ Member of Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
^Student, SMU Meadows School of the Arts

The Director and Choreographer are members of the STAGE DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union

The scenic, costume, lighting sound and projection designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.

OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF DALLAS THEATER CENTER

Dallas Theater Center Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At Dallas Theater Center, we want to be the best place to work and see theater, and to be a positive and transformational force in Dallas and beyond. We stand-up for equity, diversity, and inclusion across our company and community. As a leading national theater, we recognize that building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment is central to our relevance and sustainability in the community we serve and love. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Dallas Theater Center Land Acknowledgement 

We acknowledge the land beneath our feet as the ancestral home of many Indigenous Peoples including the Caddo, Wichita, Tawakoni, and Kiikaapoi, as well as the tribes that may have lived here and roamed the area – including Comanche, Kiowa and Apache – and those indigenous people whose names we don’t know anymore.

We honor, revere and respect those who were stewards of this land long before we made it our home. We also acknowledge the neighborhood we inhabit as one of the original Freedman’s towns of Dallas built by those who were enslaved by European colonization.

Please help us to maintain a safe and inclusive space while you are with us. DTC has a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment in any form including the use of racist, sexual or ethnic slurs - be it verbal, physical, or virtual. If you need assistance or witness an instance of harassment, please notify the House Manager immediately.