Celebrate the season with UMF production of Dickens “A Christmas Carol,” Nov 20-23

FARMINGTON, ME (October 27, 2025)—Rediscover Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story this fall at the University of Maine at Farmington’s festive production of “A Christmas Carol,” adapted for the stage from Charles Dickens’ original manuscript. A perennial favorite, the show brings together an exceptional cast of more than 30 UMF students and community members as young as seven, including 12-year-old fiddler Wiley Billings and a chorus of carolers.

Adapted and directed by Jayne Decker, award-winning director and playwright and UMF theatre faculty member, and assisted by Gavin Pickering, the play’s music and choral director, the production is filled with music and a folk dance choreographed by UMF student, Ginny Stokes.

Performances take place at the Emery Community Arts Center Performance Space on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-22 at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for UMF students with I.D. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling Shari Witham with the Division of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at 207-778-7425.

Deeply affected by the poverty in London and rampant child labor, Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol to promote social reform and advocate for the poor and underserved. First published in 1843, Dickens’ novella tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly and selfish man who has no use for Christmas and the kindness of others. All that changes when he is visited by the ghost of his former partner and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-To-Come.

Timothy Wheeler, last seen on the UMF stage as the Irish father, James, in Decker’s “All the Good They Gave Us,” is returning to play Ebenezer Scrooge.

“As a director, I’m often asked why I choose particular plays to stage. I turn to Dickens’ own words to answer this time. When Scrooge asks, ‘Are there no prisons?’ and if ‘the Union Workhouses are still in operation … The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigor, then,’ the play resonates with our current world,” said Decker. 

“Dickens creates a ghost story to tell another one, a play about people in an environment that struggles to feed its people. Scrooge finds more goodness at the end, and hopefully, some joy that becomes ours when we remember to take care of each other, regardless of the season. To honor this spirit, we will have a box at each performance to collect nonperishable food items for area food pantries,” added Decker.

Decker has directed numerous productions at UMF Alumni Theater. Her production “Coyote on a Fence” was awarded a Moss Hart Memorial Award by the New England Theatre Conference, New England’s oldest and largest regional theater association. She is an award-winning playwright and won the Maine Literary Award for “All the Good They Gave Us” in 2023. Decker has also presented workshop productions of her original plays “Good Medicine;” for Women’s Empowerment Network and Nicaragua’s Casa Materna; “Stars Falling,” winner of the 2002 Maine Playwriting Award; “Motherfish” and “Songbird,” a touring play about the Iraq War.

“Cracked Shells,” an original play by Decker that chronicles stories of domestic violence, was commissioned by Franklin County Network’s Peace in Our Families and was featured again at the 2009 Maine Women’s Studies Conference. Her play “Ruby Red, a Moment in the Life of” was a finalist in drama for the Maine Literary Awards in 2021 with a recent performance in Brunswick, ME, and “Migratory Birds” followed as a finalist in 2022. Her plays, “Duet” and “Uninvited” were performed at the Maine Playwright’s Festival in Portland in 2024 and 2025.

Cast and Crew:

Five singers –Sarah Carnahan, Gracie Libby, Marissa McLaughlin, Sebastian Petrak, Ethan Wright
Fiddler – Wiley Billings
Ebenezer Scrooge – Tim Wheeler
Bob Crachit – Tim Berry
Fred – Ethan Wright
Charitable Gentleman – Steve Mudie
Marley – Trey Meader
Ghosts – Zoey McLaughlin, Watts Watson, Ivan Shores
Spirit of Christmas Past – Reilly McCabe
Boy Scrooge – Levon Billings
Fan – Evelyn Clark
Fezziwig – Stephen Hobbs
Young Scrooge – Cam Veach
Dick Wilkins – Sebastian Petrak
Mrs. Fezziwig – Lilly Johnson Roy
Belle – Jessica Garneau 
Belle’s husband – Sorrel Steele
Belle’s child – Cleo Casey
Spirit of Christmas Present – Dante Capone
Mrs. Crachit – Gracie Libby
Martha Crachit -Haley McFeyden
Peter Crachit – Tristan Samuelson
Belinda Crachit – Abigail Spellman
Tiny Tim Crachit – Charlie Potts
Louise – Sarah Carnahan
Topper – Streeter Little-Farmer
Want – Haley McFeyden
Ignorance – Levon Billings
Spirit of Christmas Yet-To-Come – Streeter Little-Farmer
Gentleman – Steve Mudie
Gentlewoman – Marissa Mclaughlin
Joe – Zander Larriviere
Charwoman – Mia Chestnutt
Laundress – Abby Waceken
Boy with sled and street soloist – Grysin Parker

Children’s chorus – Grysin Parker, Evelyn Clark, Levon Billings, Abigail Spellman, Sophia Spellman, Charlie Potts, Cleo Casey 

Scene and Lighting Design – Stan Spilecki
Sound Design – Adin Merritt
Costume Design – Dante Capone
Stage Manages – Ginny Stokes and Jazmin Esparza

The Emery Community Arts Center is located on Academy St. (between Main St. and High St.) in downtown Farmington.  For more information and reservations, contact Shari Witham, 207-778-7425, switham@maine.edu.

More on University of Maine at Farmington

A nationally recognized regional public university, the University of Maine at Farmington is known for its commitment to teacher preparation, the creative arts, health and science, environmental studies, business and public service. Located in the heart of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreational region, UMF provides a challenging but welcoming academic community—here in Farmington and online—that prepares students for enriching professional careers, engaged citizenship and an enduring love of learning.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

Image: https://farmington.edu/app/uploads/2025/10/RP256-011AA.webp
Photo Caption: (Left to right) In an early rehearsal, Tiny Tim (Charlie Potts) and Bob Crachit (Tim Berry) share a moment as they work on a scene.
Photo Credit: UMF Image

Image: https://farmington.edu/app/uploads/2025/10/RP256-011B.webp
Photo Caption: Tim Wheeler returns to UMF stage as Ebenezer Scrooge
Photo Credit: UMF Image