SBCC’s Holiday Show Turns ‘Christmas Carol’ on Its Head | Arts & Entertainment | Noozhawk

The Santa Barbara City College Theatre Arts Department presents a student showcase production of “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge” by Christopher Durang, directed by Katie Laris, Nov. 13-23 in SBCC’s Jurkowitz Theatre.

In the comedy, Tony Award winning playwright Durang puts a hilarious holiday spin on “A Christmas Carol.”

It’s a world in which Ebenezer Scrooge’s ghostly visitor has lost all navigational skill; where Tiny Tim is insufferable; and Mrs. Bob Cratchit is at the end of her rope. 

Durang was a Tony Award-winning American playwright, known for his absurd and outrageous parodies. He was born and raised in New Jersey, and attended Catholic schools through his adolescence; his Catholic upbringing and views on the Roman Catholic Church are often prevalent in his plays.

He earned his B.A. in English from Harvard University and his MFA in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama.

Durang quickly became one of the most successful playwrights of the 1980s. His work often verges on parody, dealing critically with issues of child abuse, Roman Catholicism, homosexuality, mental health, and culture.

His body of work includes such plays as “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You” (Obie Award winner); “Beyond Therapy;” “Baby With the Bathwater;” “A History of the American Film” (Tony Award nominee for Best Book of a Musical); and “The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Obie Award).”

“Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge” will feature student actors Adrian Arias, Ciara Barnes, AJ DeAugustine, Benjamin Fetter, Tristan Fleming, James Hanasz, Charlotte Hecker, Alex Keever, JT Kelleher, Sebastian Lopez, Jenna Perry, Yildiz Soyal, Piper Steen, Mali Szerwo, and Grace Wilson.

Performances will be 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 17 and Saturday Nov. 23.  The Nov. 17 2 p.m. performance will be live-captioned for those who need hearing assistance.

Ticket prices are $20 general/$17 seniors (62-plus) and SBCC staff/$10 students. Buy tickets online at www.theatregroupsbcc.com, or by calling the Box Office, 805-965-5935. 

Due to the intimate nature of the Jurkowitz Theatre, no late seating is permitted.