Published on: 11 October 2013


Year 6 boys, with the help of MLC girls, brought an updated version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol, to life over four days in the Drama Centre last month. Director Angela Perry led the young cast in the playful retelling set in an Australian city.

On one lonely night, Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy businessman obsessed with money and greed, encounters three mischievous ghosts – a lost love, a pavlova and a Coles catalogue – in order to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

Ms Perry said she chose a play that was appealing and relevant for the young cast. “Dickens’ story addresses greed, bitterness and loneliness as well as the virtues of compassion, care and generosity from others,” she said. “In this story, we see the ghosts as invisible inhabitants of a city. Their role shows Scrooge new ways of seeing the familiar around him.”

Ms Perry congratulated the boys and girls on their energy and creativity and thanked her Dramatic Arts Monitors for their help and encouragement. “I know the cast will continue to demonstrate the virtues of love, care and compassion as they make their journey from Preparatory School to Senior School.”

Three years ago, the Prep School began holding intensive drama workshops with Black Swan Theatre Company for Year 5 boys. It is the second year the Prep School and Midnite Youth Theatre Company have joined forces on the Year 6 play, which was funded by a Parents’ Association grant.