CATCO revisits 'A Christmas Carol' with fresh perspective

“A Columbus Christmas Carol” transforms miserly Ebenezer Scrooge into career-obsessed Ebony Scrooge, a modern African American woman.

CATCO’s new holiday show, which will stream Wednesday through Dec. 27 as the first major production of its pandemic-delayed 2020-21 season, embodies a more inclusive vision of the professional theater’s future by its first all-female leadership team.

“Our hope is that showing Scrooge as a different gender and race than we usually see makes this character more universal. ... It’s our role to tell these modern stories, do new plays and make sure they’re contemporary,” said Leda Hoffmann, who moved from Chicago to Columbus in August to become CATCO’s artistic director.

“Our first full-length show under my leadership tells a story of redemption ... in an American city with housing needs, disinvested neighborhoods and predatory lending,” Hoffmann said.

Executive Director Christy Farnbauch shares Hoffmann’s love of Dickens’ fable and her mission to enhance diversity, relevance and representation.

“People need to see themselves represented onstage,” said Farnbauch, who in April became executive director at CATCO (Contemporary American Theatre Company) under a new shared-leadership model.

“We’re also leaning into the ‘contemporary’ part of our name ... with a contemporary retelling of a timeless story,” Farnbauch said.

CATCO worked closely with Detroit playwright Julianna Gonzalez to adapt the play to Columbus for its second production after its 2019 premiere as “Blessed: A Christmas Carol Adaptation” at Detroit’s Black and Brown Theatre.

“Especially today, it’s important that all stories reflect one’s experience, so we can see ourselves,” said Gonzalez, whose mother immigrated from Colombia and her father from Puerto Rico.

“Dickens’ story at its core is about transformation, so having Black and brown characters, a Black woman as Scrooge, and people speaking Spanish makes it more accessible,” she said.

Although she said her 55-minute one-act respects the “canonical” foundations of Dickens’ 1843 novella, Gonzalez modernized dialogue, updated the story to pre-pandemic 2019 and localized it (initially to Detroit; now Columbus).

“Everything else was up for grabs,” Gonzalez said.

For example, she makes Scrooge’s kind sister, Fanny, the narrator, while Scrooge’s ghosts become gentler guides.

“We have a bit more fun, using the ghosts for comedy,” Gonzalez said.

Patricia Wallace-Winbush plays Ebony.

“It’s no longer about an old white man in a nightgown, but an uplifting story applicable to anyone,” she said.

Ebony grew up in Columbus’ Linden neighborhood and runs a payday-loan company.

“She’s a strong woman who’s focused her whole life on making this business work and, in her opinion, helping people to better themselves," Wallace-Winbush said. "But Ebony is really hurting people through exorbitant interest rates, fees and deadlines.”

The veteran Columbus performer also worked with CATCO leaders Geoffrey Nelson, who co-founded and led the troupe from 1985 to 2010, and Steven C. Anderson, who retired in July after leading CATCO for 10 years as producing artistic director.

While respecting Nelson and Anderson for their commitment to quality and diversity, Wallace-Winbush applauds Hoffmann for bringing “a whole new perspective, good to keep theater fresh.”

“CATCO is changing because the world’s changing. People are becoming more open, and Leda embraces that. I think women should be in charge anyway! We can be just as tough, but still understanding of other people’s views,” Wallace-Winbush said.

Under its new leadership, CATCO will become more inclusive and collaborative, board president Krista Hazen predicts. “You’ll see stories we haven’t told before, more diverse characters and more diverse people working behind the scenes,” she said.

The holiday show, “with a fresh spin appropriate for adults and families,” also fulfills Hoffmann’s goal to forge closer connections between CATCO and CATCO Is Kids, its youth-theater program, Hazen said. (Hoffmann previously led Strawdog Theatre Company, a 32-year-old Chicago storefront theater producing main-stage seasons and annual youth productions.)

As CATCO’s first major streaming production (part of an all-streaming 2020-21 season, including a winter new-works festival, winter play, spring musical and spring youth show to be announced), the holiday play is an experiment.

“Going forward, CATCO is going to function like a start-up ... doing experiments, making tweaks and trying the next thing," Farnbauch said. "Even when we go back to live performances, a new hybrid business model may allow opportunities for digital programming.”

Hoffman, for one, is excited about the possibilities.

“I love CATCO’s variety, with some brand-new plays, shows you have a great time at and plays that make you think,” she said.

“We do serious plays, and plays full of emotion — like our ‘Christmas Carol,’ CATCO’s way to put joy and kindness in the world during a difficult holiday season.”

At a glance

CATCO will stream “A Columbus Christmas Carol” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and through Dec. 27. Tickets cost $20 for the opening night or a 24-hour virtual pass; or a $55 pass for CATCO’s 2020-21 season, including “Carol.” Call 614-469-0939 or visit www.catco.org.