Stockbridge, MA—Berkshire Theatre Festival will present Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, adapted by Eric Hill, December 13 – 30 at the Unicorn Theatre. The production will be co-directed by Eric Hill and E. Gray Simons III.

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth and spent most of his childhood in London and Kent. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers (1836-1837), was published in monthly serial installments and became an instant hit. In 1843, he published A Christmas Carol, one of the most popular Christmas stories of all time. Dickens was a prolific writer, and his later works are regarded as his finest by critics. Some of these include Bleak House (1852-1853), Great Expectations (1860-1861), Oliver Twist (1837-1839), and A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Dickens is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Eric Hill will return to co-direct the production for the second year. He is known for his distinctive directing style of intense physicality and poetic musicality. Past BTF directing credits include Amadeus, The Einstein Project, Siddhartha, and this season’s The Glass Menagerie and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Hill says, “A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite stories. Its powerful message about the redemptive power of kindness and giving is as important today as it ever was.”

Co-director E. Gray Simons III has worked at BTF for more than a decade as an actor, playwright, teacher, and director. He most recently wrangled 86 local school children in the BTF PLAYS! (BTF’s year-round education program) production of Alice in Wonderland. To create the Victorian London setting, the directors will collaborate with scenic designer Carl Sprague, costume designer Jessica Risser-Milne, lighting designer Matthew E. Adelson, and sound designer J Hagenbuckle. Isadora Wolfe will serve as choreographer.

BTF’s second annual production of A Christmas Carol will run December 13 –30, Tuesdays through Sundays at 7pm in the Unicorn Theatre. Saturday, December 15, 7pm tickets include a post-show holiday cast party. There will be 2pm matinee performances on December 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30, and a special 10am matinee performance on December 18. There will be no performance on December 25 and no evening performance on December 30 (note that these dates differ from those previously announced at the beginning of the season).

Tickets to all other performances are $35-$45 for adults, $20-25 for children and students. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Tickets can be purchased via the box office at 413-298-5536 ext. 33 or online at www.berkshiretheatre.org.