July 19, 2007

Summer! The smell of fresh cut grass in the air is unmistakable. The late afternoon sun is warm and inviting. The air is sweet with the scent of backyard flowers.

A group of familiar people stand in small groups in my home - laughing, catching up on the news, visiting, sipping wine. Some sit on lawn chairs scattered around the backyard patio. It's a warm and friendly group - members of the theatre's Board of Directors, members of the Christmas Carol Committee. A comfortable gathering of dear friends on a nice July afternoon - all talking about Christmas.

Christmas? Already? Well, of course. Seven months after the 32nd production run of our holiday show, and already we're beginning to discuss the upcoming production. Thoughts and ideas filter out to eager ears amid the laughter and quiet conversation.

Touring to Charlotte this year? It just might happen. Invited to France in 2009? Can we possibly do it? Did you know that Bob Cratchit had a strange brother named "Slappy?" (That's another blog unto itself!)

There is a contagious sense of joy and excitement. A new season has much to do with that - but there's something else ... a residual bit of a past holiday is very much a part of it all too. Remnants ... memories of another Christmas Past. Special moments onstage and off.

We have more than thirty years of recollections - this group of friends ... this "band of brothers." Much to choose from and to plan for. And still we are bound by the common excitement over another Christmas Yet To Be. Five months away - and it's already eagerly anticipated.

For every year of our lives on this earth, there is another Christmas to add to our collection of communal memory - a shared joy that binds us and fuels the bonds that continue to hold us together as one family on a globe that grows smaller each day.

Sometimes, it may seem like a silly thought ... Scrooge's promise to keep Christmas in his heart every day of the year. Most people tuck it all away and bring out that seasonal joy only when the boxes of decorations are hauled down from the attic.

Not this group of friends. We're the lucky ones. We share a secret: Christmas isn't just a season, it's a state of mind and heart ... a source of joy that's waiting to be tapped at any moment of any given day.

All it takes is a willingness to make the journey. The path is a familiar one ... over the river and through the woods. Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together.

Winter or Summer ... it's still a special Wonderland - even in the heavy heat of July.

So ... Merry Christmas, y'all.

How very lucky we are.

We invite you to join us at Theatre In The Park for the very best in theatre!

Ira David Wood III
Executive Director, Theatre In The Park

 

Don't miss Ira David Wood III as Don Quixote in

North Carolina Theatre's production of "Man of La Mancha"!

October 6-14, 2007 at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium. 

Click here for tickets.

TIP Patrons receive a 20% discount on NCT's Man of La Mancha!  Click here for the ticket order form.