HOLIDAY DOUBLE CHEER is Now Playing at Hendersonville Theatre

Hendersonville Theatre will celebrate the holidays in a new and unique way. In Holiday Double Cheer: Five Carols for Christmas and JingleJacks, two unique musical one-acts will make their North Carolina premiere at Hendersonville Theatre from December 2 to 18. Tickets are $21-30 and are available online at HVLtheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (828) 692-1082. Groups of 10 or more receive a 10 percent discount.

Double Holiday Cheer is sponsored by Harvey's Al Fresco at The Henderson and is also supported by the Community Foundation of Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

"We were looking for a unique holiday offering that would appeal to all ages, and these two shows seemed ideal," said Victoria Lamberth, HT Artistic Director. "Although they are both composed and written by Jim Christian and Kenneth Plain, they are very different shows with one common theme: the holidays are best spent with friends you love.

"And of course, everyone loves getting a deal at Christmas time," added Lamberth. "What could be better than seeing a double feature for the price of one show?"

Double Holiday Cheer opens with Five Carols for Christmas. Set in 1954 suburbia and inspired by classic holiday Christmas specials, Five Carols is the story of five best friends (all named Carol) who set out to present a memorable Christmas program at the local high school. Unfortunately, egos, miscommunication, and a power outage turn their quest for perfection into a madcap misadventure that somehow manages to salvage their camaraderie and the spirit of the holidays.

The second half of Double Holiday Cheer presents JingleJacks, a new, modern, Christmas musical. Four Canadian lumberjacks, isolated in a cabin somewhere in the wilderness, are living out their dreams of becoming internet sensations with their Christmas webcast. Using webcams and laptops, they serenade their "cyber" audience with a broad spectrum of musical genres: barbershop, classical, hip-hop, smooth jazz, rap, glee club, rock, and many more. And just like every pop star wannabe, they hold contests, sell merchandise, and send shout outs to their loyal fans, "The Jackals." Through it all, their warmth, charm, and quirkiness provide a big ol' holiday bear hug loaded with traditional song favorites and fresh new melodies.

The ensemble cast of Five Carols for Christmas features Kailey Blasius of Hendersonville; Sahara Calderhead of Asheville; Shanna Greenlee of Arden; Leisa Foronda of Columbus; Maddison McMahan of Fletcher; and Tate Albert of Hendersonville. The JingleJacks are played by Tate Albert of Hendersonville; Rowan Duncan of Greenville, SC; Casey Edwards of Arden; and Steve Stay of Fletcher.

Double Holiday Cheer's artistic team includes director Beth Norris, assistant director Jeanne O'Connor, with music direction by Dave Bates and choreography by Matilyn Hull. The creative team is completed by stage manager Sabrina Rockwell, lighting designer Eavor Cazazza, set dresser Jonathan Forrester, costume designer Rowan Duncan and property artisan Rita O'Hara.

Beth Norris has been involved with Hendersonville Theatre since 2011, during which time she has served in several roles. She is currently the Associate Artistic Director for the theatre. Last seen on stage as Marcy Parks in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, she has directed several productions in Hendersonville and Brevard.

Music director Dave Bates is a pianist, songwriter and playwright. His produced works include the political satire Confetti and the Johnny Appleseed-inspired Apples, both produced at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre in Mars Hill; the biographical drama Scott and Zelda, the fable Kanzan And Jittoko, Birds Of A Feather and Stonewall. Most recently Bates presented the musical revue Seven Singers Singing at the Magnetic Theatre in Asheville.

Matilyn Hull has been involved in the Western North Carolina Theatre scene for 8 years now as an actor, dancer and choreographer. Earlier this season, she choreographed Hendersonville Theatre's Sister Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree. She has appeared on the Hendersonville Theatre stage in Always A Bridesmaid, August: Osage County, Steel Magnolias, and Clybourne Park.

Playing Carroll Ling aka "Ling-Ling," Kailey Blasius returns to the HT stage after recently appearing as Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She lives in Hendersonville and has returned to the theater scene after an extended break.

Queryl Pomerantz or "Miss Q" is played by Sahara Calderhead. Sahara recently returned to the stage after a 10 year hiatus to appear as William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Her favorite previous roles include Cinderella in Into the Woods and Sandy in Grease.

Shanna Greenlee is excited to be making her Hendersonville Theatre debut as Car'l Noyes aka "Noyesy." She has previously appeared in Hairspray, A Christmas Story The Musical, The Little Mermaid, A Christmas Carol and Matilda The Musical.

Playing Carol Ann Farrell, Leisa Foronda is thrilled to be back on stage. She recently made her debut with Hendersonville Theater in Sister Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree. She is relatively new to Western North Carolina, having recently moved from St. Petersburg, Florida, where she was a kindergarten teacher.

Maddison McMahan, who plays Karil Kitteridge or"Kitty," has been itching to return to the stage for some time. She last appeared onstage in 2011 as Adelaide in Asheville Community Theatre's production of Guys and Dolls. Prior to that, she was a regular in many shows at NC State University Theater, including Into the Woods, Urinetown and Godspell.

Appearing in both Five Carols for Christmas as Cousin Ray and in JingleJacks as Hank, Tate Albert is a seasoned actor with roles in Noises Off!, Footloose the Musical, and Oleanna. He also often works behind the scenes at HT with lighting and sound design. Tate was last seen on stage at HT playing percussion for Sister Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree.

Rowan Duncan, who plays Jean-Phillipe, is an actor and storyteller who last appeared at HT as Chip Tolentino in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Rowan studied theatre at North Greenville University and loves to act, direct, and costume design. Some of Rowan's favorite roles have been in Neil Simon's The Good Doctor, Joyful Noise, Songs for a New World, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown and Hamlet.

Playing Garrett the Ferret, Casey Edwards is an Asheville-based vocalist, scholar, and educator with master's degrees in both music and library science. As a musician, he focuses on the tenor art song repertoire, and as a librarian, he focuses on archival music manuscripts. Recently, he was selected as a 2022 BMC Radio Artist for his work using archival items from the collections at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. He currently works as a reference librarian at AB Tech and as a chorister at the First Presbyterian Church of Asheville.

The cast is completed by Steve Stay playing Thor. Stay got his start in musical theater as a teenager, later playing Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing in college. He is returning to theater after a 16-year hiatus, during which he got married, earned a masters degree in counseling, had four kids, lived in Doha, Qatar for eight years, and traveled the world. His latest adventures include working as a registrar and executive assistant at Christ School in Arden; volunteering with refugees in Asheville; and volunteering to help lead the men's group in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arden.

The show is appropriate for a general audience, although there are some moments of mild adult humor. Showtimes are 7:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 PM on Sundays. Running time is approximately 2 hours 10 minutes with one 15 minute intermission. Hendersonville Theater has made masks optional for patrons, and no proof of vaccination is required to attend a performance.

Since 1966, Hendersonville Theatre has provided an inviting and nurturing environment for live theatre, as well as high-quality, affordable entertainment for the residents of Hendersonville and surrounding areas. Hendersonville Theatre is wheelchair accessible, with free parking behind and in front of the theater.

Hendersonville Theatre is located at 229 South Washington Street. For tickets or more information contact us at 828-692-1082 or online at HVLTheatre.org.

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