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DECEMBER 9, 2017 | <strong>DISCOVER</strong>!<br />
6 | Playbill<br />
KATE HARLOW | STAFF WRITER<br />
One man,<br />
many<br />
characters<br />
Harold Hynick offers up<br />
“A Christmas Carol” at SCT<br />
At a Glance :<br />
WHAT: One-man performance of “A<br />
Christmas Carol”<br />
WHERE: Spencer Community Theatre,<br />
518 1st Ave. E. Spencer<br />
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 15<br />
COST: $15 for adults and $9 for<br />
students<br />
CONTACT: 712-262-7336<br />
ONLINE: www.sctplayhouse.org<br />
Scrooge. Bob Cratchit. Tiny Tim.<br />
These are iconic and beloved<br />
characters. They often leap off<br />
the pages of Charles Dickens’s “A<br />
Christmas Carol” onto the big screen<br />
and onto the stage this time of year.<br />
On Friday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m.,<br />
Spencer Community Theatre will be<br />
playing host to a very unique offering<br />
of this classic Christmas tale.<br />
A one-man show.<br />
This one hour, one-man version of<br />
“A Christmas Carol” was adapted and<br />
will be performed by Harold Hynick.<br />
He will portray more than 20 characters<br />
including Scrooge, Marley’s<br />
Ghost, Fezziwig, Mrs. Cratchit and<br />
Tiny Tim.<br />
“Harold Hynick is originally from<br />
Iowa and is a theatre professor at<br />
Missouri Valley College. He has developed<br />
his own production of ‘A<br />
Christmas Carol’ where he plays all<br />
the major character by himself. It’s<br />
really spectacular,” said Rusty Ruth,<br />
the executive artistic director at the<br />
Spencer Community Theatre.<br />
The way that Hynick portrays all<br />
these various characters is a sight to<br />
see, according to Ruth.<br />
“He changes his physicality, his<br />
voice, his characteristics. It’s fascinating<br />
to watch him and it’s another<br />
great way to usher in the holiday season,”<br />
Ruth said.<br />
In addition to his performance on<br />
Friday night, Dec. 15, Hynick will be<br />
hosting a free improv class for ages<br />
middle school and up from 10 a.m.-3<br />
p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16.<br />
“You have to be a master of improv<br />
to do a show like this and we are lucky<br />
enough to have received a Renaissance<br />
grant from the city of Spencer to help<br />
bring Hynick in for this performance<br />
and this master class,” Ruth said. “If<br />
anyone is interested in the class, space<br />
is limited. It’s free of charge but call<br />
the theatre to reserve<br />
a spot if you are interested.”<br />
Hynick has been<br />
performing this oneman<br />
version of “A<br />
Christmas Carol” as<br />
a way to fundraise to<br />
help send his students<br />
to the Kennedy Center<br />
American College Theater<br />
Festival regional<br />
meeting, according to<br />
Ruth.<br />
Whether you love<br />
Dickens, Christmas,<br />
theatre, or all three<br />
Ruth says that this show<br />
is one to put at the top<br />
of your to-do list.<br />
“I’m excited for audiences<br />
just to be able<br />
to see this same story<br />
in a new way. He’s not<br />
reinventing it. By doing it all by himself<br />
he’s breathing a breath of fresh air<br />
for people who love that show,” Ruth<br />
said. “It’s such a great story. It’s about<br />
redemption and understanding what<br />
the holidays are really all about. It’s a<br />
perfect vehicle for people to get more<br />
into the spirit of the season.” F<br />
Spencer | Iowa