Theatre Horizon Presents THE VERY MERRY XMAS CAROL HOLIDAY ADVENTURE SHOW 12/9-31

Theatre Horizon continues its 2010/2011 Season with THE VERY MERRY XMAS CAROL HOLIDAY ADVENTURE SHOW, written by The Berserker Residents (Justin Jain, Dave Johnson, Tim Sawicki and Brad Wrenn). In this comedic romp, directed by Alex Torra expert actors marshal their theatrical superpowers to reveal a nontraditional vision of the holiday -and of ourselves -that is both bizarre, illuminating, and wickedly funny.

This arctic adventure follows three unlikely friends as they battle a mysterious and malevolent force that is unraveling the tradition of Christmas. The trio of snowman, red-nosed reindeer, and man from London-town are the very last hope in stopping the whirling, howling villian known as Xmas from devouring all Christmas tales, and indeed the very spirit of Christmas itself. The three heros find themselves tossed into a dizzying world of mixed-up Christmas stories where each page in the storybook bleeds into the next. But how can such wildly different creatures ever hope to get along when a great dark void threatens to erase every Christmas story ever told?

Called "wonderfully wacky" by The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Berserker Residents, made up of Justin Jain, Dave Johnson, Tim Sawicki and Brad Wrenn, have been compared to Monty Python and Saturday Night Live. The Berserkers collaborate with Theatre Horizon in THE VERY MERRY XMAS CAROL HOLIDAY ADVENTURE SHOW, a family friendly comedy specifically created for Norristown audiences.

Theatre Horizon Artistic Director Erin Reilly says, "We like to present never before seen shows for families to experience together at the holidays." Reilly says the challenge of creating original comedic work is not new to Jain, Johnson, Sawicki and Wrenn. Having created Philly Fringe Festival favorites such as Annihilation Point (2009), The Berserkers have proven themselves as experts in creating something out of nothing.

The actors-turned-writers have spent six months brainstorming plot twists, experimenting with costumes, improvising dialogue, and figuring out how to create dozens of characters with just four live actors. "The content [of the script] is constantly changing, and nothing is sacred - everything is fair game," says head writer Sawicki. "If a new, hilarious bit is discovered later in the process, you might find yourself altering a large a segment of your show." Sawicki says that keeping the material fresh and topical is a challenge specific to comedic collaboration. "Keeping that sense of fun even after you have a finished product is a unique challenge in this type of process."

This holiday season, Theatre Horizon continues its tradition of working with up and coming top Philadelphia artists. The cast of The Very Merry Xmas Carol Holiday Adventure Show features Justin Jain (People's Light's Treasure Island, Shakespeare in Clark Park, and Theatre Horizon's Once on this Island), Dave Johnson (Lantern Theater's Scapin and Theatre Horizon's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Brian McCann (Lantern Theater) and Brad Wrenn (Lantern Theater's Scapin, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Enchantment Theatre's Snow Queen).

Theatre Horizon's THE VERY MERRY XMAS CAROL HOLIDAY ADVENTURE SHOW will begin preview performances December 10th and run through the 31st at the Centre Theater at 208 DeKalb Street, Norristown. This production is recommended for theatergoers 10 to 110.

Tickets for THE VERY MERRY XMAS CAROL HOLIDAY ADVENTURE SHOW may be purchased through the Theatre Horizon box office by calling 610-283-2230 or online at www.TheatreHorizon.org. Box office hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 5pm.

The Greater Norristown Corporation will be hosting a special event night on December 16th. Tickets for this special event are $30 each or $50 per couple and include pre-show food and beverage cocktail hour starting at 5:30pm. Visit www.TheatreHorizon.org for more details about this event.

Theatre Horizon's 2010/2011 season concludes in April 2011 with THE CREDEAUX CANVAS by Keith Bunin. Struggling artists swindle an art collector in this powerful drama set in a paint-splattered East Village apartment. Exploring a complex labyrinth of love, friendship and intimacy, Bunin's deft dialogue drives this beautifully constructed play to its soul-shattering climax.

Theatre Horizon's mission is to nurture a community of audience members, artists through theatre. Theatre Horizon is an active participant in the Norristown Arts Council as well as a founding member of Arts Hill along DeKalb Street in downtown Norristown. The goal of the Arts Task Force is to revitalize the old industrial riverside town by bringing arts and nightlife to the suburban downtown area.

THE VERY MERRY XMAS CAROL HOLIDAY ADVENTURE SHOW Performance Schedule:
Thursday, December 9, 2010: 7:00pm - Pay What You Can
Friday, December 10, 2010: 8:00pm - PREVIEW
Saturday, December 11, 2010: 8:00pm - PREVIEW
Sunday, December 12, 2010: 2:00pm - PREVIEW
Thursday, December 16, 2010: 7:00pm - PREVIEW
Friday, December 17, 2010: 8:00pm - OPENING NIGHT
Saturday, December 18, 2010: 8:00pm
Sunday, December 19, 2010: 2:00pm
Wednesday, December 22, 2010: 7:00pm
Thursday, December 23, 2010: 7:00pm
Friday, December 24, 2010: 2:00pm - Christmas Eve
Sunday, December 26, 2010: 2:00pm & 7:00pm
Monday, December 27, 2010: 7:00pm - Industry Night
Wednesday, December 29, 2010: 7:00pm
Thursday, December 30, 2010: 7:00pm
Friday, December 31, 2010: 6:30pm & 9:30pm - New Years Eve

 

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