FROM THE LOFT
by
Maryann Miller
November was again a very busy month for me. We continued to prepare for the opening of Scrooge this past weekend and it was wonderful. John Milligan finds more facets of this crotchety old man every year and it is fun to see how he is going to play him in these performances. Doug Grantham is as scary as ever as Marley, recently up from the grave, and I always enjoy working with him.
We have a new Bob Cratchit. Clint Lewis, (below R) a fine actor from Mt. Pleasant 
has stepped into that role and is doing a wonderful job. Mrs. Cratchit is played by Cassia Rose, another talented young actress. And we have a new Martha as well -- Tabitha Carr, sister of Tiffany Carr, who played Mrs. Cratchit two years ago. Melody Carr, who is a cousin, is back for her fourth portrayal of Belle and is doing an outstanding job. That Carr family sure is talented.
Melody is pictured below with Alex Orelchikov, who is playing Young Scrooge. Alex's daughter, Nadya, has also joined the cast as one of the carolers. Also pictured here is Maddy Nittmo, who plays the Ghost of Christmas Past. 
We have some new younger children in the show, too. James Monk is playing Oliver and one of the Cratchit children, and Quin Davis (R) is Tiny Tim. Both boys have a lot of talent and I look forward to working with them on other shows. 
Pictured below, James is the boy in the front looking at the table. Also pictured is Ashten Cantu sitting at the table. (Standing) Cassia Rose as Mrs. Cratchit and Jordan Stanford as Belinda. Seated on the floor (L-R) is Annika Nittmo, Kennedie Williams and Ryann Williams.
By the way, James was also in the "True Blue Christmas" concert on Sunday night, singing "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth". He is quite the performer, but that is no surprise since he is the son of Mike and Shannon Monk.
Another new addition to the show is Bruce Zasowski, who is playing the Ghost of Christmas Present. He is a talented, enthusiasitc player, and I think we will be seeing more of him in future productions.
Rounding out the cast of new players is Judi Entwistle, who is the Narrator this year. She is also a production assistant and has done a lot of the behind-the-scenes work on the show, along with our "Stage Moms" Jennifer 
Williams, Mary Lois Nittmo, and Melissa Davis.
"Scrooge" runs again this coming weekend. Friday and Saturday performances at 7:00pm and Sunday Matinee at 2pm. I hope everyone can find time to come out and see the show. The actors have worked so hard, and it would be great to have crowds to show their support.
(THANKS to Tina Carr for the pictures )
--------------
If you have comments or want to submit story ideas for Winnsborotoday.com, don't hesitate to contact me. And if you want to take pictures of an event and do a little write up, I am open to submissions. It is hard for me to try to cover everything of interest in the area, so I welcome input from readers.
And keep us in mind for advertising needs. We are the best deal around for reaching the most people.
Until next time......
*************
If you are interested, I do write regularly on my blog so you can always hop over there to catch up with me if I haven't updated this column in a while. I try my best, but gosh there is so much to do.