"VERY VICTORIAN" CHRISTMAS CAROL "DONE LIKE DICKENS!"

Media Contacts: Al LePage, Actor/Producer, Great Stories Alive! / 00+1-503-335-3876 / Al.LePage@SpireTech.com
Philip Fisher, administrator, Birmingham & Midland Institute / 01212 363591 / Philip@BMI.org.uk

Photo Credit: David Krapes

"Englishman Thomas Hutchinson, Traveling Thespian" (American actor, Al LePage)

shares Dickens' Christmas Carol in Birmingham as the famed author himself did in 1853

“Englishman Thomas Hutchinson” portrayed by American actor Al LePage will present “A Very Victorian Christmas Carol, Done like Dickens!” performed as Charles Dickens did using only his voice, facial expressions and gestures to create all 26 characters. The full 2-hour dramatic reading performance will take place as a matinee on 22 Dec. at 2PM in the same city where Dickens both gave his first public reading of the Carol and for the very same first charity he read them for, the Birmingham & Midland Institute, and happens in the Lyttelton Lecture Theatre. Another very special event, “Food, Fiddling & Fun: A Fezziwig's Christmas Party” immediately follows the show at 4PM in the Dickens Conference Room, with live fiddle music performed by musician Morgan Shaw, leader of the London-based Shaw Quartet. Both events are located at the historic Birmingham & Midland Institute (BMI) building, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham. Sponsored and hosted by BMI, 100% of ticket sales will go to benefit BMI. Dickens performances were meant for adult audiences, but mature children age 10 and older should also be able to appreciate the show and will be admitted. The admission charge is £10 per head, £7.50 for members of the BMI and £6 for students. Doors open at 1:30PM, seating is general admission, and tickets may be purchased at the door if still available. Reservations are strongly recommended and tickets can be obtained from the Birmingham & Midland Institute reception, by calling 0121 236 3591, or can be reserved online by a simple email request at www.BMI.org.uk using their "Contact Us" page form or by sending your request direct to admin@bmi.org.uk.

“Start the Time Machine,” begins American actor Al LePage, “we're going for a ride! Where? Right where you are, of course, in Great Britian, but the year, well it's 1887, the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, of course! You see, we're heading back to the 'Victorian age.' Why? To set the stage, so to speak, with just a sprinkle of history to begin everything. And who? Why an 'Englishman,' of course, who else would be telling the story of Dickens' Christmas Carol? The really interesting question, though, is . . . how? The answer, just like Dickens did! I not only use his acting style, but also using his very own historic script. Yes, we're heading back in time to experience the same historic event, in the same historic city, and just five days before the very same historic calendar date in 1853 that the famed author himself gave his very first dramatic reading for the public in Birmingham. I'll be doing this special performance of A Christmas Carol just like Dickens did to benefit the very same first charity that he did it for, too, the Birmingham & Midland Institute!"

Photo Credit: David Krapes
"Thomas Hutchinson" wants to share the Carol with you!

"Thomas Hutchinson" wants to share the Carol with you!

From Scrooge to Tiny Tim, from Marley's Ghost to Mrs. Cratchit, there's howls and growls, bangs and bongs, a dance with a song, lively laughter and heartfelt tears. LePage has been entertaining appreciative audiences for 5 years in the United States with his one-man "solo" of Dickens' Christmas Carol and “this year” premiers his show in England. His full performance uses Dickens exact public reading version, and creates all 26 characters -- accents and all -- plus sound effects, too! His love of improvisation combined with a highly interactive style means that he may not only engage you in conversation, but also encourage you to join him on stage at some point! In fact, watch out! Since he's playful, likes to experiment and believes in seizing the moment, even he doesn't always know what's going to happen next. This not only makes each performance unique, but also keeps them fresh and exciting, spontaneous and full of surprises, too!And, before each reading, he's definitely got what could aptly be called “his stories” to tell both in “the year” and the place he's performing to connect, interpret, and share history with the audience. In this event he takes you back to “Birmingham 1887” – the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee – as Victorian-era "Englishman Thomas Hutchinson, Traveling Thespian."

“You are advised not to attend this event if you do not enjoy merriment and laughter,” says Philip Fisher, administrator of the Birmingham Midlands Institute. “In addition to the drama there will also be a party with live fiddle music at which Christmas fare such as mince pies, meat pies, mulled wine, non alcoholic punch, hot chestnuts, toad in the hole and rolls and butter will be provided in substantial quantities.”

LePage has appeared before thousands during the eight years he portrayed “people from the past” at National Park Service events in the US, for Parks Canada and at other venues, too. He's written and produced his own historical dramas as one-man shows, and appeared on the nationally televised American Public Broadcasting Station's “History Detectives” series in roles ranging from a simple bartender to the famed Robert E. Lee. Star of Oregon Public Broadcasting's one-man radio show A Christmas Carol with Al LePage, every one of his Carol performances has been donated to benefit US and Canadian charities since 2006. This year he does so for the first time in England, to weave a little history in each of his shows about the well-known U.K. charity Action for Children, thereby hoping to encourage people to donate to it. While on holiday in England this year, he'll also perform shorter versions of the Carol as a "sermon" for the Christmas day Sunday service of Woodbridge Methodist Church and as a "gift" at the Crown Hotel in Framlingham on Boxing Day, too! LePage was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, named after Framlingham in Suffolk, and now resides in Portland, Oregon.

Morgan Shaw, violinist, leader Shaw Quartet

Morgan Shaw, violinist, leader Shaw Quartet

Morgan Shaw, comfortable playing any genre -- pop, indie, jazz, and classical among them -- has played the violin since she was eight, having won many competitions for performance, and also led Kingston University’s Chamber Orchestra whilst studying music there. She's performed solo, with various bands and both the Cezanne and Chaconne Ensembles quartets, and worked as a session musician in orchestras and recording studios. The Shaw Quartet, which she leads, has collaborated with the band Emmy's Unicorn over the last year, performing in London and appearing on both BBC Wales and Radio 1. The quartet's extensive repertoire includes both classical and lighter works, ranging from Bach to The Beatles, and past productions include Channel 4's Random Acts, Live, being featured in Ankit Love's' music video, Beethoven Burst, and most recently being filmed for the new hit single, Heartstrings by recording artist Jasmin. Shaw also plays piano and guitar, most recently having taken up the cello, and resides in London.

"Make some history," declares LePage, "join 'Englishman Thomas Hutchinson' for Dickens' classic holiday story, and be part of living the spirit of giving this holiday season while enjoying all the fun and banter that comes along with the show. Afterward, meet the actor, socialize with food and drink and listen to the live fiddle music of a first-rate musician at "Fezziwig's Christmas Party" to top it all off. A veritable feast of traditional 19th century holiday foods, fiddling away with Christmas carols and lively dance music, and lots of fun, don't miss it!"

“Englishman Thomas Hutchinson” is a fictitious character originally developed to share Pacific Northwest regional and American western history. He's not only like a Frankenstein of history, being made up of the bits and pieces of people who once really did live, but also a sort of Forrest Gump of history, too, somehow always showing up whenever and wherever history is being made! He now continues to live on as a traveling Victorian-era “Thespian” originally hailing from Framlingham, Suffolk, England and giving dramatic readings of A Christmas Carol to benefit charity. In order to make his character both believable and credible – or as incredible as the stories he tells seem to be – LePage not only meticulously researches the history of the place and “the year” he performs, but also often travels to historic sites to soak up the sights and sounds and whatever else he can, not only to better transport himself, but also audience members, back in time.

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The Birmingham and Midland Institute, founded by Act of Parliament in 1854, is a registered UK charity helping towards the diffusion and advancement of Science, Literature and Art in Birmingham. B.M.I. offers its own cultural and educational activities, including a wide-ranging programme of Arts and Science Lectures, exhibitions and concerts for its members and others, and also includes the Birmingham Library, founded in 1779. Several independent societies are affiliated to the BMI, using its premises for their meetings and activities. To learn more, visit our website, BMI.org.uk.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Embedded images are high resolution and offered for free use by the print and digital media and hosts for stories related to this performance and may be cropped and color-balanced as needed.

CAPTION SUGGESTION for IMAGES: "Englishman Thomas Hutchinson," portrayed by Al LePage is sure to bring lots of laughter, and hopefully some tears, during his upcoming dramatic reading performances of Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.