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ALTON - The year might be winding down, but Alton Little Theater is still busy with preparations for several upcoming productions, including “A Christmas Carol,” “Sing in the New Year” and “The Exes.”
Lee Cox, executive director, noted that the shows will be a lot of fun for performers and audience members alike. She is especially looking forward to “A Christmas Carol,” which premieres in mid-December at ALT. She plans to decorate the theater like a Victorian Christmas, and she can’t wait to share the holidays with the community.
“I’m going to really knock myself out,” Cox said. “I want the foyer to be beautiful because I want a lot of first-time people to come and see that we’re a little different from community theaters that they may already have gone to. We’re just one little stop under professional, because we can’t pay the big bucks, but we have some true quality people.”
Evening performances of “A Christmas Carol” will take place on Dec. 13, 14, 19 and 20, 2024, with matinees on Dec. 15, 21 and 22, 2024. Three performances are already sold out, so Cox encourages you to get your tickets today.
Directed by Kevin Frakes, this is Frakes’s last show with ALT before he retires. He is in the process of building a 44-foot set with the entire backdrop of London, and Cox joked that while it will be expensive, it will also be “beautiful.”
“I can hardly wait — or not — to see the lumber bill. I think the people at Lowe’s are probably smiling,” she laughed. “It’s going to be glorious.”
While the theater is busy preparing for “A Christmas Carol,” other performers are focused on “Sing in the New Year,” a concert scheduled for 2 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2024. This show will feature Thomas M. Taylor IV, who Cox described as “one of the most charming, talented men” she has ever met.
“He’s just the nicest guy, and now he’s performing full-time,” she added. “This is what he’s going to do for the rest of his life.”
She hopes this show and “Best of the Best Broadway,” which is sold out already, will help introduce audiences to Taylor and Eric Sykes. Sykes will replace Cox as the executive director of ALT when she retires next year.
In the meantime, Sykes is building the set for “The Exes,” a comedy that will open in January under the direction of ALT’s long-time actor, first-time director Randy Manning. Playwright Lenore Skomal will be in attendance, and Cox looks forward to welcoming her to the Midwest premiere of her play.
“We have the integrity to try to do it letter-perfect, word-perfect, but when you have the playwright sitting in the audience, there is some pressure,” Cox noted. “[Manning] is just pouring himself into this script. I love the cast. I’m so glad. I mean, I truly love these people. It’s cohesive. It’s going to be a great show.”
For more information about Alton Little Theater’s upcoming shows, including how to purchase tickets, visit their official website at AltonLittleTheater.org or call the box office at (618) 462-3205.
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