FERRUM, VA, December 5, 2023 – The Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre and Ferrum College Theatre Arts will host the opening performance of Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas this week with a matinee show on Tuesday, December 5 at 2pm. The dinner theatre will run matinees and evening performances through December 17. The theatre in residence at Ferrum College is the only theatre granted a license to perform this show to date outside of Timothy Allen McDonald and Music Theater International (MTI).
In an interview earlier this year, McDonald said he knows Emmet and all of the characters are in good hands with the Ferrum College theatre staff.
“The show at Ferrum will be authentic. You are where the show would take place, so it is exciting to have it on stage there.” McDonald had no connection to Ferrum College prior to the inquiry from Rebecca Crocker, assistant professor of Theatre Arts and Musical Theatre, and Emily Blankenship-Tucker, director of Appalachian Music, requesting the opportunity to stage the show.
“I did my own research about [Ferrum’s] program – what it stands for and the passion. The music of the show is world renowned, and you have the experts in that field who are passionate about it. We haven’t released the show to anyone for licensing before now, but saying ‘yes’ to Ferrum had all the right reasons. I’m from a small town in Northern California, so I’m usually rooting for smaller venues,” said McDonald.
“I have never been part of a show with a set and costuming that were this involved – not in graduate school or any production I’ve been part of since,” said Crocker. A team of over 70 volunteers, students, faculty and staff have been hard at work since before the public announcement on October 25 to build a set with mechanized features for humans and puppets.
This season, the show will run in Chicago and Ferrum. While one cast of critters is on stage in Chicago and brought to life thanks to puppeteers who sing, act, and dance, the Ferrum show will feature puppets made at the College by the Theatre students, staff and volunteers and human cast and crew who are also a combination of community members, volunteers, faculty and staff from departments throughout the College including Admissions and Journalism.
“The students are doing amazing work. It has been incredible to see their talent and passion come alive in building the set and the puppets,” said Blankenship-Tucker. “We have had community members and family members of the cast stop by to help with set construction and costume and puppet sewing. We are so very grateful. It has been incredible, and we look forward to sharing it with the audiences over the next two weeks.”
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas was adapted for theater by Timothy McDonald, Christoper Gattelli and Paul Willams. The show was first staged with Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut in 2008 and 2009 where it sold out and people came from all over the globe before it hit some legal snags that kept it off stage for a decade. Once the rights were cleared in 2019, the show was further delayed from returning to the stage due to COVID until 2021 where it opened at The New Victory Theater in New York City among the first eight Broadway shows to try to come back from the pandemic closures. “There are so many people who just didn’t get to see it” McDonald reflected. “But, we were able to put it up, and it was really beautiful. We got rave reviews from the New York Times.”
The story is a timeless retelling of The Gift of the Magi, and McDonald also says he loves the story because it is one where the characters think they want one thing, they cannot achieve it, but in the end they get something better. “That’s my favorite type of storytelling because it’s way closer to life, right? It is something during the holiday season 6-year-olds, 96-year-olds, and everything in between can go to and enjoy.”
College president, Dr. Mirta Martin credits the talent and passion of the faculty, students and community of the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre as the reason McDonald and MTI granted the College this special license. “Mr. McDonald was able to entrust the show to our amazing people because of their renowned passion, dedication and excellence in what they do. Even before a performance is staged, when you walk into the Theatre and you see the students engaged in learning the craft of costuming, set building, acting and performing the music for this and many other shows, it is truly moving. It is transformative for the students and for every member of the audience.” Dr. Martin echoed McDonald’s vision for the show being enjoyed by guests of all ages. “We look forward to welcoming you and your family to campus to be part of this experience. We know it will be a time to share in the magic of theatre and the special magic of Christmas together.”
For more information about the prep of the show and photos, view the Iron Blade article here.
The performance will be staged Scholfield Hall at Ferrum College with luncheon and dinner options served in Franklin Hall. Call (540) 365-4336 or visit www.ferrum.edu/play-tickets for auditions, tickets and information.
