What would Christmas be without A Christmas Carol?
Thankfully, we needn’t wonder. Countless interpretations keep Charles Dickens’ perennial holiday fable as a central part of Christmas traditions worldwide.
Some are more traditional than others. And some are of better quality than others. Among the best on both of these counts is The Three Ships Collective’s immersive retelling, which was adapted by Justin Haigh and is performed in a site-specific production at the historic 19th-century Campbell House Museum. Since it debuted in 2018, this show (produced with the support of Soup Can Theatre) has become such a Toronto holiday staple that it sells out its run a little more quickly each year. (And yes, it is once again sold out).
The 2023 version of this must-see show sees the return of multi-faceted and Toronto-born actor, writer, and producer Justine Christensen. Known for her dynamism on stage and screen, Christensen brings a unique blend of passion and creativity to her roles – which in 2023 include the reprisal of Belle (a role she has performed since joining the production in 2019), and the role of Alice. Christensen finds a resonance in Belle’s journey and modernity, with her “vulnerability and honesty”playing a pivotal role in Ebenezer Scrooge’s eventual journey to kindness and compassion.
Christensen’s involvement in the production began with serendipitous meetings: with the show’s playwright Haigh in the “beer tent” at the Toronto Fringe, and with director Sare Thorpe when they were performing in a Bertolt Brecht Cabaret. “I thought they both had great energy and obvious passions for theatre – so, my kind of people,” she recalls. And they evidently felt the same after her successful audition for them in 2019.
The quest for this kind of connectedness underpinned her journey into the theatre. “I am quite introverted by nature, so I often have a hard time explaining what drew me to acting,” she muses. But after a pause, she locates the precise source of her inspiration in “connections with people, and experiencing positive and profound relationships.” A lover of humanity, Christensen finds acting to be “the closest thing I’ve felt to magic”.
In this light, it is hardly a surprise that Christensen returns, year after year, to work with the “kind and considerate creative team” behind this production: “Sare and Justin are so pure of heart that, even after many years of putting on the production, the show still makes them laugh, and brings tears to their eyes.” Christensen feels the deepest and most heartfelt sense of connection: “I honestly can’t imagine a better group of people (my castmates and the very wonderful production team included) to spend the holiday season with. And I’m grateful that they keep wanting me back!”
When asked about what sets this version of A Christmas Carol apart, Christensen immediately highlights the immersive staging in a historical building – which she believes is especially engrossing for younger audiences and those new to theatre: “To put it simply, you get an exclusive tour of an impressive historical building, as well as the telling of a classic story about building your values and human goodness – all at the same time.” Given how much the audience enjoys this production each year, being a part of the show feels like “a special holiday ritual for all involved”.
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens gave the world the heartless and grasping Ebenezer Scrooge, a character whose iconic association with Christmas is exceeded only by that of Santa Claus himself. As such, Scrooge has come to embody as much an attitude as a person. For Christensen, a “Scrooge move” is something that “lives in the intersection of an action taken, or words spoken, that reflect closed mindedness, exude selfishness, and have a touch of sadism”. And each year, she finds new depth in Scrooge’s transformation. This year, the role is reprised by Thomas Gough, who “has a particularly eloquent way of making those not deserving of criticism feel small – until he is called to his hero’s journey, and he transforms”. In addition to Christensen and Gough, the 2023 cast – who perform scenes in Victorian-furnished locations throughout the Campbell House Museum – includes Chloe Bradt, Will Carr, Nicholas Eddie, Alyzia Inès Fabregui, Deebs Franz, John Fray, Renisha Henry, Jonnie Lombard, Manon Ens-Lapointe, Ava Marquis, Luke Marty, Briony Merritt, and Jesse Nerenberg.
As our conversation bends toward a close, I inquire about the new year following this run of A Christmas Carol. “I’m an actor, so likely you will see me pop up in a commercial or in a TV show soon enough,” she promises. But acting, of course, is just the first of her many talents. Her background includes a diploma in acting from George Brown School of Performing Arts and extensive experience in theatre and film. So it makes sense that she has played significant roles in productions like Hamlet (both Hamlet and Ophelia), As You Like It (Rosalind), and Gruesome Playground Injuries (Kayleen). But Christensen is also bilingual, and skilled in multiple dance styles – and she sings and plays bass guitar, trumpet, and ukulele. And she puts all of these talents to use in her contributions to the theatre community as a performer, playwright, producer, and assistant – with works like The Bird Killer and The Miserable Worm under her belt.
So looking ahead, Christensen will continue tackling acting roles, even as she focuses on LET ME IN, the production company committed to producing socially-conscious theatre, which she co-founded. At the same time, she is deeply involved in multiple writing projects, including the final installation of her trilogy of Chekhov adaptations. LET ME IN, she announces, “plan to host monthly short film screenings in 2024, so that’s a way to connect with me and with fellow peers in the performing arts and filmmaking industries.” Their Instagram is @letmeinprods.
And if you are lucky enough to have (or to find) a ticket, make sure not to miss Christensen and the rest of the talented cast in The Three Ships Collective’s immersive, traditional and truly exceptional production of A Christmas Carol.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2023
