PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa
Contact: Kevin Ledgewood
pr@tuscarts.org
205-758-5195, x6
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING ON DECEMBER 4TH WILL BE FOLLOWED BY PERFORMANCE AT GOVERNMENT PLAZA
(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) The annual lighting of the Christmas tree at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse will take place on Dec. 4, 2020 at 6 p.m. Judge Rob Robertson will serve as master of ceremonies with Christmas vocal selections performed by Theatre Tuscaloosa. Patrons are requested to wear a face covering and practice social distancing per City of Tuscaloosa and State of Alabama guidelines. The Tree Lighting, performances, and events associated with First Friday are free and open to the public.
Following the Tree Lighting, Theatre Tuscaloosa will present “Lights Out for Christmas in Cootah County: A Country (COVID) Christmas Carol” at 7:30 p.m. at Government Plaza in downtown Tuscaloosa. The organization has commissioned playwright Stephen Tyler Davis to create and direct a comedic adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” set in the South during the time of COVID.
The show is set in the fictional Cootah County, where the two biggest employers are Chucky’s Discount Cluckhouse and the Cootah County Power Company. The power company is owned by the stingy Emmet Scrudge, who gives his customers no leeway when it comes to paying their bills on time. After Scrudge plans to turn off the power to the Cootah County Orphanage, the townsfolk take matters into their own hands to teach him a lesson about Christmas that he’ll never forget.
The cast will include Drew Baker as “Selma Scoggins,” Kenyatta “YaYa” Browne as “Sonny Jenkins,” Jeff Wilson as “Emmet Scrudge” and Ernie Turley as “Ernie.”
Stephen Tyler Davis is a Huntsville, AL native and has worked as a director, teacher, writer, performer, producer, and designer for colleges, regional theatres, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and the New York International Fringe Festival. Davis is a graduate of The University of Alabama. He directed Theatre Tuscaloosa’s 2019 production of “Grease” and is slated to direct the summer 2021 production of “Mamma Mia!”
Theatre Tuscaloosa is producing the show in association with Eat My Beats, which is providing the stage and audio/visual support. This show is also made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts as well as well as support from signature sponsor Claire Friday, The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa, and the City of Tuscaloosa. For more information about Theatre Tuscaloosa, visit www.theatretusc.org.
Patrons are encouraged to take advantage of Tuscaloosa’s entertainment district during the event. Food trucks will be present at Government Plaza, and the First Friday Art Walk will feature galleries open from 5-8 p.m.
The events on Dec. 4th are made possible through partnerships with The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, Theatre Tuscaloosa, Shelton State Community College, Eat My Beats, the City of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Commission.
For more information about The Arts Council, Bama Theatre, or Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, patrons should LIKE the Facebook page “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” and follow tuscarts on Twitter. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.
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