Alabama Shakespeare Festival Brings ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 to the Stage

Alabama Shakespeare Festival presents All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 by Peter Rothstein, with vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach, on the Octagon Stage December 7 - 29, 2019. Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, this dramatic retelling weaves together firsthand accounts of World War I soldiers with patriotic tunes, trench songs, and Christmas carols.

All Is Calm is a remarkable true story from the Western Front, Christmas, 1914. In a silence amid the combat, a soldier steps into no man's land singing "Silent Night." Thus begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie shared over trench songs and Christmas carols, told in the words of the men who lived it.

"This production is inspired by actual letters from frontline soldiers to their families back home, and the ensemble recreates the evening with a cappella songs and stories," said ASF Artistic Director Rick Dildine. "All Is Calm serves as a great reminder that the ties that bind are greater than those that keep us apart."

"It is an honor to tell this story at this time of year," said Anderson. "I am moved by the humanity of this piece of theatre and drawn to the idea that music can be a universal language. As 10 men lift their voices and engage in a kind of sacred alchemy with each other, I feel myself brimming with hope - hope that we can see each other as humans with so much more in common than not."

The ensemble features Jim Poulos, Andrew O'Shanick, Michael Williams, Eddie Egan, Danny Lindgren, Noah Plomgren, Luke Sidney Johnson, Landon Tate Boyle, James Anthony Hunsaker, and Jordan Ahnquist.

The All Is Calm creative team includes Musical Director Gregg Coffin, Dialect Coach Michael J Barnes, Scenic Designer Sean Fanning, Lighting Designer Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz, Sound Designer Lindsay Jones, Costume Designer Val Winkelman, Wig Master/Supervisor Angie Wright, Stage Manager Victoria Broyles, and Production Assistant Madison J. Rutledge.

All Is Calm is recommended for ages 13 and up. Tickets start at $29. To purchase, call 334.271.5353, visit the ASF Box Office (open Monday - Saturday, 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.), or go online: ASF.net/alliscalm. Evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m.; matinees start at 2:00 p.m.

On December 7 at 12:45 p.m., ASF will host a free community engagement event in the Patrons' Room. "A Fleeting Moment of Humanity: The Christmas Truce of 1914" will offer a thrilling look into the causes and consequences of the 1914 Christmas truce. The lecture is presented by Professor Ben Severance, AUM Chair of the Department of History and World Languages and Culture, and sponsored by Auburn University at Montgomery. For more information, visit ASF.net/community.

ASF also invites active and retired military personnel, veterans, and their families to join us on Thursday, December 12 for Military Appreciation Day. Discounted military tickets for both performances on December 12 can be purchased online or through the Box Office with code MILITARY.

[Pictured: Actors Andrew O'Shanick and Noah Plomgren. Photo courtesy of Alabama Shakespeare Festival.]

Alabama Shakespeare Festival is a not-for-profit organization under the direction of Artistic Director Rick Dildine and Executive Director Todd Schmidt. As a beloved Alabama arts institution, ASF broadens the cultural identity of the South by producing the classics, Shakespeare, contemporary plays, musicals, theatre for young audiences, and exciting new works. A leader in education and outreach, ASF serves more than 40,000 students annually with artistic programming. ASF is supported by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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