'Tis the season of eggnog lattes, squeezing events into an already packed schedule, and the mad search for the perfect gifts.
Ironically, the frenzied consumption often leaves one feeling empty and with a sore puzzler. But what if Christmas, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more, to paraphrase that famous Christmas character, the Grinch.
Deeper connections can be found within a community — sometimes in the form of religion, but many times in a participation in the arts.
"Art, theatre, has an amazing power to cut past the surface distraction and find a deeper meaning," says Russ Rosen, who forms part of the travelling duo, Christmas Tales. "You connect deeper with yourself and with others around you."
The magic of the theatre only grows around the holidays and Richmond is no exception. The city will soon be host to a holiday smorgasbord of performances from Gateway Theatre's The King and I to more intimate retellings of the Christmas story like Rosen's and Justyn Rees' Christmas Tales at Broadmoor Baptist Church.
With Rosen's guitar and Rees' powerful storytelling, the duo recounts and modernizes the story of the first Christmas through songs, characters and many accents. While they can perform in front of thousands, the show is best done in an intimate setting such as a church basement or someone's living room.
Rosen remembers planning the first Christmas Tales at Rees' house with their families and friends. They then got the idea to go door-to-door to invite all the neighbours.
"Everyone was willing to join, both those who were alone and those who had very active lives," says Rosen. "They wanted to be part of something special and create that sense of community with each other. It went so well we thought, okay, we have to spread this to multiple communities."
For those who feel a bit lost in the holiday shuffle, live performances become a place to feel part of something larger and to literally meet your neighbour sitting next to you, according to Jovanni Sy, Gateway's artistic director.
"It's a communal experience, a collective energy that you can't get anywhere else," he says. "The audience feels the actors on stage and the actors feed off their energy. The audience can really influence the outcome of the show." It becomes a space where people let their guard down a little, as they are equally exposed to the actors' emotions and vulnerabilities, according to Lorna Clare who is part of the Richmond Singers choir.
"You get so involved with the people on the stage, it's really a unique connection to be part of," says Clare, who will be part of the choir's annual holiday show, Once Upon a Wintertime this weekend. "You can get caught up in the wrapping and the decorating and the buying of things, but live theatre really puts you in the holiday spirit."
