A CHRISTMAS CAROL, PERFORMED AS A SOLO SHOW, NOVEMBER 28-DECEMBER 14.

November 7, 2014 - Iowa City, Iowa - This holiday season actor Tim Budd will perform Paul Morella's solo adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", November 28 to December 14 at Riverside Theatre.   Ron Clark will direct. Audiences will get to experience the unforgettable characters and vivid imagery of this ghost story through Dickens' own words in the style that was originally intended. The experience will be made complete with live music by fiddler Tara McGovern (of The Beggarmen).

A CHRISTMAS CAROL runs Thursday-Sunday, November 28 - December 14, 2014.  Tickets: Adults, $28-30; Riverdog Pass Holders, $25; Youth, $18; Student Rush, $20.   Details at riversidetheatre.org, or by phone at 319-338-7672.   Riverside Theatre is located at 213 N. Gilbert Street, Iowa City, Iowa.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL is the fourth show of Riverside's 34^th season of professional theatre.

ABOUT THE RIVERSIDE SHOW

Tim Budd, who performed the solo show "The Santaland Diaries" at Riverside Theatre in 2012, takes on the role of Dickens and the voices of his characters from Scrooge to Tiny Tim.

Live music by fiddler Tara McGovern adds an extra richness to the experience. Tara McGovern has been performing across the Midwest with the traditional Irish band The Beggarmen since 2004 and holds a degree in music therapy.

Lighting design for A Christmas Carol is by Jessica Fialko, with period costume design by Osean Perez.  Violet Virnig is the scenic coordinator.

A HISTORY OF THE STORY ON THE PAGE AND ON THE STAGE

Originally Dickens published "A Christmas Carol" as a novella in 1843, during Victorian era Britain in a time that Christmas tradition nostalgia was strong and new customs, such as Christmas trees and holiday greeting cards, were being introduced.

The story centers around a bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge and his change into a warm, generous man after being visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley, and three spirits: the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

The story is so popular that it has never been out of print, and has been adapted to film, stage, opera and other media.  The book was adapted to the stage almost immediately, with 3 productions opening in 1844.  Dickens decided that the best way to reach audiences with the story was through public readings and he prepared an abbreviated version of the tale for that purpose.  His very first public reading of any story was of "A Christmas Carol" in 1853.  The public readings were incredibly successful and he performed the story 127 times, until the year of his death in 1870.  "A Christmas Carol" was also his final performance.

Contemporary actor Paul Morella, in a desire to take "A Christmas Carol" back to its public performance roots, adapted the story to a one-person show using Dickens' own language. Morella himself performs the show at Olney Theatre Center in Maryland.

TIM BUDD BIOGRAPHY

Tim Budd most recently performed the role of Buddy in Kimberly Akimbo.  Last season he played Iago in RTP's Othello and acted in Riverside's Gilbert Street productions of Walking the Wire:  Merge, Good People, and Birth Witches, as well as directing Coming of Age in Chore Boots.  Other recent work includes acting in Hancher's production of Working Group Theatre's new play Out of Bounds. An Iowa native, Tim finished his studies towards an MFA in acting at the University of Iowa and works full-time at Prairie Lights Books.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Fri 11/28, 7:30pm

Sat 11/29, 7:30pm

Sun 11/30, 2:00pm

Thurs 12/4, 7:30pm

Fri 12/5, 7:30pm

Sat 12/6, 7:30pm

Sun 12/7, 2:00pm

Thurs 12/11, 7:30pm

Fri 12/12, 7:30pm

Sat 12/13, 7:30pm

Sun 12/14, 2:00pm

RELATED EVENTS 

Thursday Theatre Talk: November 20, 5:30pm at Riverside Theatre with host Miriam Gilbert and special guest Professor Garrett Stewart.  The theatre talk is free & open to the public. 

Post-performance Talkbacks:  Sunday, November 30 & Friday, December 5.  Stay after the show on these dates to discuss the play with the actors.

Grand Opening Dedication Celebration of their new church building located at 2930 W. Locust Street, Davenport, IA to be held the weekend of November 15 and 16.

DAVENPORT, Iowa, November 3, 2014 -. The community is invited to participate in the MCC QC Sneak Peek Open House on Saturday, November 15 from 2:00 - 6:00pm. Guests will be treated to coffee, punch and desserts as they tour the newly remodeled former Blockbuster building, which is now the home of an inviting social hall and a sanctuary wrapped in the warmth of stained glass windows. As artist Jim Rocker of Glass Illusions in East Moline says, "It's raining color to nourish our souls." All of the windows were purchased by members and friends to honor loved ones.

MCC QC was without its own church home for about a year after selling its former property at 3019 N. Harrison. The congregation was blessed to be able to meet for a time at the TriCity Jewish Center in Rock Island, and then at Tanglewood Chapel in Bettendorf. "The remodeling has been quite a challenge, both time-consuming and financially, but it is the result of the efforts of many, many loving hands and we are excited about the possibilities for new ministries and outreach at the new location," says MCC QC's pastor of ten years, Rev. Rich Hendricks.

The old Blockbuster Video sign at the location has been repurposed, with the same ticket shape that now has "MCC QC" and the MCC denominational logo on it. "It suits us," says Hendricks, "because after all, we're all a little bent, we're all a little torn, but with God and Jesus' love we've got just the ticket!" The Grand Opening and Dedication Service will take place at 11:00am on Sunday, November 16, and will be presided over by the Rev. Rachelle Brown, Emerging Church Specialist for Metropolitan Community Churches worldwide. Rev. Brown has served as a Pastor at two Chicago-area MCCs and is also the North Central MCC Network Leader. She holds a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO, a Master of Communications from Missouri State University, and is a current PhD Candidate at Chicago Theological Seminary.

Immediately following the Dedication Celebration, MCC QC will host a spaghetti dinner in their new social hall. Those interested in attending the dinner should RSVP by November 13. For additional information, or to RSVP, please contact Rev. Rich Hendricks at 563-324-8281 or by email at richdhendricks@msn.com.

While most Americans will worry about eating too much this holiday season, 16 million of our country's children live in households that struggle to afford food, according to a 2012 report from the United States Department of Agriculture.

"We hear about 'food insecurity' quite a bit, especially after the 2008-09 economic crash, but I think most people don't have a clear picture of what that means," says Lois Brandt, a former Peace Corps volunteer and author of "Maddi's Fridge," (www.MaddisFridge.com), a children's picture book that asks the question: what do you do if your best friend's family doesn't have enough food?

"Food insecurity means an empty refrigerator. Food insecurity means soda instead of milk. Food insecurity means a child coming to school hungry and unable to focus. Poverty may not look exactly the same in our country as it does in a war-torn region or a developing country, but it is affecting our children and their futures. Sometimes, working parents have to choose between rent and food, medicine and food, or gas and food.

Brandt suggests four things you can do to help prevent childhood hunger.

•  Support non-profit organizations like Feeding America (www.FeedingAmerica.org). Previously known as Second Harvest, Feeding America is a national network of food banks that feeds more that 37 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. It's the nation's leading organization for countering hunger and educating the public about this crisis.

"Public awareness is important," Brandt says. "Many people simply do not know that we're surrounded every day by hungry children."

•  Talk to your children about childhood hunger and how they can help. "When I was a child I opened my best friend's refrigerator to get a snack and was shocked to see it held almost nothing," she says. "I didn't know what to do."

As an adult, Brandt says she's amazed by the number of people who share with her their own stories of childhood food insecurity.

"Rather than sheltering your children from this sad fact of American life, talking to them about it can help nurture their compassion and empathy," she says. "And there's plenty they can do to help, from making posters to raise awareness, to organizing a food drive at school."

Taking action teaches children that they do have the power and ability to change the world for the better.

•  Don't make childhood hunger a political issue. Of course, childhood hunger doesn't exist in a vacuum; issues like welfare, minimum wage, income inequality and access to health care - all of which are heavily politicized - surround the problem. Whatever your take on these topics, realize that no matter the decisions a parent has made in his or her lifetime, children are innocent and have no control of their family's circumstances.

•  Volunteer with your family at a shelter or food pantry during the busy holiday season. While serving or cooking food for a holiday-themed meal at a shelter during Thanksgiving or Christmas does not solve the larger problem, it will affect every person whose life you touch that day. Your efforts and kind words can become a fond, lifelong memory for a child, or remind adults that others care and they're not alone.

Volunteering also has personal benefits, not the least of which is knowing that, despite whatever problems you're facing, you were able to help someone else.

About Lois Brandt

Lois Brandt is a children's fiction writer whose work has appeared in Highlights and other fine children's magazines. Her new book "Maddi's Fridge," (www.MaddisFridge.com), illustrated by Vin Vogel, is the first picture book to address child hunger in the United States. It was inspired by Brandt's childhood memory of opening her friend's refrigerator and finding only condiments and a lunch milk carton her friend had saved from school for her little brother. Ten percent of proceeds from sales of "Maddi's Fridge" go to hunger solutions. Brandt, who holds an MFA from Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa.