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A community-led reading of A Christmas Carol is set to take the stage in Simcoe this Friday (November 28) at 7:30 p.m., offering audiences a warm and spirited return to Charles Dickens’ timeless holiday story.
The festive event will be held at St. James United Church on Colborne Street, where organizers say rehearsals have gone smoothly and the cast is ready to perform. Musicians Diane Stewart and Cara Blackwood will accompany the evening on flute and piano, and the audience will be invited to join in a couple of traditional carols to keep spirits high.
Reader Catherine Wiebe says the event marks a change in roles for her.
Wiebe, who also owns Firefly and Fox in Simcoe, says reading aloud has always been central to her life as a teacher, mother, and bookstore owner. She calls the opportunity to present Dickens’ work both “thrilling” and surprisingly relevant.
The performance is a strict reading rather than a dramatic play, and Wiebe describes Dickens’ 1843 writing style as “formal but accessible.”
This year’s readers include J.P. Antonacci (Stave 1), Janet Henderson (Stave 2), Catherine Wiebe (Stave 3), Kate Schroder and Brian Reichheld (Stave 4), and MPP Bobbi Ann Brady delivering the finale with Stave 5.
Proceeds support the Simcoe Friends of the Library, helping fund a new sensory room featuring a reading nook and tactile wall.
Tickets are available at Firefly and Fox, Sayza Yoga Studio, or by contacting the Friends of the Library by email: foltreasurersimcoe@gmail.com
Written by Jeremy Hall