Abbotsford Children’s Theatre (ACT) presents its version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas on Dec. 13 and 14.
The script for The Grinch Project 3.0 was written and developed by the actors of ACT.
It has been 25 years and plenty has changed since the Grinch tried to steal Christmas.
Cindy Lou now works for the Yoo-Hoo News.
The children of Abbyville are behaving selfishly and have fallen victim to the commercialization of Christmas, more interested in expensive gadgets than in spending quality time with their family and friends and the traditions of Christmas.
Not helping matters is the fact the town council can’t come to a consensus on what is important and a local businessman who is developing land for his own use.
As for the Grinch, his life has done a 180-degree turn as the reformed good citizen sets out to remind the Hoos that the season is about the simple things – decorating a tree, having a few gifts under the tree and sharing a hot mug of cocoa with family.
The show features the Hoos, a troupe of singing candy canes, a colourful town council and, of course, everyone’s favourite green villain turned hero.
ACT is made up of actors from the ages of nine to 16, with auditions held back in June and the actors diligently rehearsing every Saturday since September.
Altogether, 39 actors are involved in this year’s production.
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Freddy Latham is serving as artistic director while Miranda Martin is the director and Lucy Mulder the assistant director.
Hallie Moorthy and Dalton Nelson are the stage managers.
“The Grinch Project 3.0 will open up your heart and mind to the true meaning of Christmas,” Mulder said.
“If you are lucky enough to be an audience member for this production, you will experience a whirlwind of emotions as you get caught between the community tension in Abbyville.”
It is the third time ACT has performed The Grinch Project, altering the script and production along the way.
“This is one of my favourite shows that is put on by ACT. It’s so fun and creative and colourful and it’s very fitting for the holiday season,” Moorthy said.
“It’s the perfect show for all ages: there are wacky costumes and hairdos, there’s singing and dancing, there’s humour, as well as some very touching moments. Most importantly, there’s an amazing group of actors who have worked for months to make this show the best it can be.”
The show is being performed at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium (32315 South Fraser Way) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13 and 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.
Additionally, there are six daytime performances for Abbotsford schools, with all those shows already sold out.
Tickets are $14 at the door or $12 in advance. They can be purchased at The Reach Gallery Museum and Jazz-Ma-Tazz or online through the link at abbotsfordchildrenstheatre.org.
