A new adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" returns to NMSU on Saturday. Scott Brocato spoke with its director, Nichole Hamilton, and its musical director, Lisa Hermanson, about this latest production.
Scott Brocato:
Nicole, let's start with you. How many productions of “A Christmas Carol” have been performed at NMSU?
Nichole Hamilton:
I've been here since 2017, and this would be the third one. So every three years, NMSU Theater Arts and ASTC (American Southwest Theatre Company) do A Christmas Carol.
Scott Brocato:
And you've been involved with it before, correct? You're the director of this production...
Nichole Hamilton:
I've been involved in ten productions, including outside of (NMSU). The very first “Christmas Carol” I ever did was actually a parody of “A Christmas Carol”. So that's when I had to read the story and understand it more. And what I found interesting then was how many times I've seen “A Christmas Carol” in pop culture, right? So it was after that, I want to say in 2010, I played Mrs. Cratchit. And then I've done ten productions in some veins; so either acting, assistant stage managing, stage managing. But this is the first time I've directed.
Scott Brocato:
Talk about this production. What is unique about it?
Nichole Hamilton:
I feel like everybody has a different take on the story. For me, this particular version, it really leans into honoring the story itself. A lot of the actors play multiple roles, but they all start off as narrators. So they gather every Christmas to tell ghost stories, because in Victorian tradition, that's what you did at Christmas, was tell ghost stories. And so this year, they get the pleasure of doing “A Christmas Carol.” And so it starts off with narration, but quickly they decide who's playing what role, without that being in the text, but it is suggested in the direction. And we have six young actors under the age of 18 that aid in that feeling.
Scott Brocato:
And talk about some of those cast members, like the actor playing Scrooge.
Nichole Hamilton:
Sure. So we have seven actors who go from narrating to playing different characters. Then we have three that are playing the ghosts or spirits of the different parts of Christmas. And then we have six young actors. The actor playing Scrooge is Alex Smith, and they are a student, a sophomore, at NMSU Theater Arts. And they're great.
Scott Brocato:
Do you do makeup to make him look older?
Nichole Hamilton:
No.
Scott Brocato:
I think of Scrooge as being old and crotchety...
Nichole Hamilton:
Right, and I think that was a different direction I went for this production was they're all students, all students are playing all the roles. And so some of the male-presenting characters have added facial hair. And we have an amazing makeup and wig designer, Natty Orris, who's interning with a costume shop, another student. So some characters get a lot of extra makeup, but we, because this is really about the storytelling and switching characters and that any actor can play any role, we didn't go really heavy on trying to age Scrooge up. There is some facial hair, you know, that alludes to someone older, but Alex is taking us on a very emotional journey. They really wanted to find what that felt like from the beginning to the end. And so I think that's where their strength lies, is the emotional journey that Scrooge goes on during the night.
Scott Brocato:
Lisa Hermanson, you are the music director...
Lisa Hermanson:
Yes, I am.
Scott Brocato:
But this isn't a traditional musical per se, is that correct?
Lisa Hermanson:
That's correct. So we consider this a play with music. In the theater world, there's a difference between a play with music and a “musical,” necessarily. Even though they both have songs that the characters are singing on stage, a play with music is one where you could essentially remove all of the songs and the essence of the show would remain the same.
So the Christmas songs and the holiday songs that they sing in this version of A Christmas Carol are there to give the traditional flavor, the ambiance, the atmosphere that most folks, I think, expect when they're coming to see something joyful and overall uplifting. So that's one of the reasons why we consider it a play with music as opposed to a musical, where if you cut out all the songs, you wouldn't have much of a show.
Scott Brocato:
Unlike the production that you and I were involved with back in 2019 (at NMSU). That was your debut with NMSU, wasn't it?
Lisa Hermanson:
That was my first main show with NMSU back in 2019, that “Christmas Carol.” I'd done a few...let's see, that year I helped with some coaching on some smaller shows. I wrote the music for the children's show “Tomas and the Library Lady” that year, but “A Christmas Carol" was the first really big one that I music directed here.
Scott Brocato:
How would you compare the two experiences?
Lisa Hermanson:
The part of the joy of live theater is, there's always something different. And part of the joy of working with "A Christmas Carol” in particular is that the script can vary, but the spirit of the show is the same. So the show that you and I worked on six years ago, Scott, still had the same ghosts, still had the same lines from Dickens, still had children, still had the same spirit that this version we're doing in 2025 does. Because that one was a musical, the scale of it was grander and the songs needed to be there.
There was a whole song, if I'm remembering correctly, called “Here Comes Mr. Scrooge” and “Christmas Time is Here”--not the Charlie Brown version, but one written for the show-- that added a different flavor to it. This production that we're doing in 2025 now has more of that ensemble feeling that Nicole was describing that adds its own level of challenges, but makes an equally beautiful, if different, experience.
Scott Brocato:
And this one, there's no intermission.
Nichole Hamilton:
No intermission. 70, 75 minutes, no intermission. Perfect for kids, family. And I'll also say that all of our songs are Christmas carols. So there's no original music.
Scott Brocato:
Traditional carols?
Nichole Hamilton:
Correct.
Scott Brocato:
What have been some special challenges for you, Nicole Hamilton, as a director doing this production?
Nichole Hamilton:
I mean, there'sa total of 17 people. And I really wanted to be able to give everyone time, because we talk about work-life balance in the theater. So I was very detailed on a schedule breakdown. But that makes it really challenging when you don't have all the people there all the time. So it wasn't, it was about maybe two through 2 1/2 weeks ago, we started putting all of these little puzzle pieces together to get the full picture. So sometimes it's hard to see the big picture and the overall effect when you're doing all the little things detailed. But it also has its advantages because you—I--get to really do some detailed work as opposed to, I don't know, herding cats. (Laughs)
Scott Brocato:
You had a soft opening last week with two children's matinees. How did that go?
Nichole Hamilton:
Amazing. So much fun. Yeah, Wednesday there were over 400-something students and Thursday 300-something from the Las Cruces area. And It was exciting because I'm not sure any of the actors have done children's theater before, so the kids really kept them on their toes because they are some of the most honest audiences, right? They laugh or they talk. No filter.
And I think one of the things I enjoyed most was on Wednesday, when some of the young actors came out to have their scenes like young Scrooge and Fan, they all got so quiet. And it was really exciting because I think those school-age students got to see someone like them on stage doing that thing. And it might encourage them to want to try it someday or, you know, maybe some other kind of confidence booster, that they see themselves on stage doing that.
Scott Brocato:
It opens this weekend, Saturday night. Where can people get tickets and how long will it run?
Nichole Hamilton:
So we open to the public on Saturday and then Sunday. So Saturday is at 7 and we have an amazing after-show reception for the public to come enjoy, and then Sunday the 30th at 2, and then we come back December 4th and 5th at 7, and we actually have a two-show day on December 6th at 2 and 7.
You can get tickets at nmsutheatre.com, and you just click on one of those little menu tabs for tickets, box office, and it will give you all the information.
