Additional cast of “It’s a Wonderful Life” include Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers and Beulah Bondi. The movie is produced by Paramount Pictures, 1946, rated PG. Run time is 2 hours, 10 minutes.

Show time is 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 19 at the Sprague Community Theater.

Tickets

Admission is $5 at the door, cash only. Concessions are available for purchase.

The concert is Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Sprague Community Theater. Admission is $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 

Advance tickets can be purchased at The Honey House Cafe, 1825 Oregon St., in Port Orford; and at Second Street Gallery, 210 2nd Street SE, in Old Town Bandon. Or, purchase online at HannekeCassel.com.

A dynamic learning environment brings students back to MarLo Dance Studio year after year.

Dance is a richly expressive art form. A subtle toe tap can say as much as a grand jeté. For MarLo students, the joy is in the journey from first position to a gravity-defying leap.

“I’m interested in how dance develops character and teamwork within the discipline,” said MarLo Director Maria Merriam.

Merriam co-founded the dance studio in Bandon with fellow dancer and educator Lois Henry. Together, the women hoped to share their enthusiasm for dance. The school opened in 1999 with 45 beginning ballet and tap dance students. As attendance grew, Merriam and Henry recruited more staff and added a second studio.

In 2019, MarLo enrolled 135 youth and adults in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip-hop classes, plus sessions in fitness and ballroom.

Merriam began her own dance studies as a youngster. Throughout her childhood and teen years in Bandon, she explored performance opportunities in school, church and community theater.

At Southwestern Oregon Community College, Merriam enrolled in music, education and business courses. Then she headed east. She worked as a nanny and sampled dance classes in New York, where she also met her husband Robert Merriam. The couple moved back to Bandon to start a family, and Merriam set up shop as a seamstress.

When she and Henry agreed to launch the dance studio, Merriam’s experience– in dance, music, theater, costuming and working with youth– all melded into a new business plan.

“It’s funny how those pieces all came together,” said Merriam. “I never had professional (dance) ambitions. I knew right away I wasn’t that competitive.”

She finds motivation in the breadth of learning and creativity that emerge as staff and students work together.

“I teach with humanity. It’s the child that’s important,” she said.

Each year, MarLo students earn hearty applause at the Sprague Community Theater. Annual spring shows are multi-genre dance productions based on literary classics such as “Pinocchio,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Peter Pan.” Semi-annual “Nutcracker” performances usher in the holiday season with a time-honored ballet.

“I just have a lot of fun putting on the shows,” said Merriam. “I enjoy, more and more, taking input from the more serious dancers. I love to collaborate with the staff. There’s a richness that comes from many minds coming together.”

Before they step on stage, Merriam tells young dancers, “We’re going to do the best we can, because this is our way of giving back to our families and community.”

It’s a gift the community appreciates. Shows routinely sell out. And, since production proceeds fund the studio’s scholarship program, it’s also a gift that keeps giving.

Creativity at Work

The studio’s 2019–20 season ended early when MarLo joined the ranks of businesses closed amid pandemic restrictions. Online Zoom classes were a good way to provide student enrichment but not a replacement for in-person rehearsal. The spring “Cinderella” production was postponed, then cancelled. The “Nutcracker” performance is tentatively rescheduled for 2021.

The studio opened for fall classes in September with reduced class sizes to meet coronavirus social distancing requirements. But public gathering limits mean full-scale dance productions are on hold. So, Merriam put her creative energy to work, exploring ways to connect with audiences and fundraise for dancer scholarships.

MarLo presented a movie and dance event at the Sprague Community Theater in October, and Merriam gave the experience two thumbs up.

Socially-distanced audiences enjoyed the animated film “Leap!” After the movie, a small ensemble of MarLo dancers shared a ballet sequence with choreography by dance instructor Faith Slater for the fairy scene in “Cinderella.”

“It was awesome,” said Slater. “It was the first time I’ve seen a piece I’ve choreographed performed on stage.”

2021 MarLo Dance Calendar

Just in time for the holidays, MarLo Dance Studio has published a 2021 wall calendar. Instead of a show ticket, patrons can purchase a calendar featuring colorful dance portraits staged in studio and scenic locations throughout Coos County. Calendar art was contributed by photographers Annetta Adams and Eric Wyatt.

Calendars are $20 each, and additional scholarship donations are welcome. To learn more or request a calendar, visit the studio online at MarLoDance.com, or call Maria Merriam, 541-252-1394.

Full Circle

Many MarLo students continue dance training outside Bandon in summer intensives and college programs. Like an elegant pirouette, some dancers circle back to Bandon as guest performers or instructors.

Faith Slater is an alumna now teaching ballet and tap at the studio. After attending a summer session with Ballet Fantasique in Eugene, she was invited to join the company. Between 2017 and 2019, she spent a year in the conservatory program, then a year as an apprentice dancer.

Her professional performances with Ballet Fantastique included a production of “An American Christmas Carol” at the Sprague Community Theater featuring a guest appearance by MarLo students. Slater found herself back in her home theater mingling on and off stage with professional and student performers.

“It was my childhood stage, but it was different,” said Slater. “It was interesting to have those two worlds collide.”

In 2019, Slater completed the State Street Ballet professional trainee program at Santa Barbara City College in California. She returned home to rest an injured foot and considered shelving her leotard and pointe shoes. Instead, she accepted an invitation to teach at MarLo. Back in the MarLo classroom, she reflected on childhood daydreams about becoming a dance instructor. Now, she says that daydream is actually an adult ambition.

“I realized, I really do like this. It’s not just a little kid dream,” she said.

Despite the pandemic, there will be no long winter nap at MarLo. Following a short holiday break, students and staff will resume dance classes– sharing their commitment to learning and the arts.

Arts Elevate Community

Arts Elevate Community is an ongoing series in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Sprague Community Theater.

Join our mailing list to learn more about the people and organizations bringing arts, culture, learning and fun to Bandon’s community theater.

2021 calendar images contributed by MarLo Dance Studio (from top) dancer Hallie Minkler photographed by Annetta Adams, dance instructor Faith Slater and dancer Rachelle Maxon photographed by Eric Wyatt.

The play celebrates an ongoing nostalgia for the work of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens in a contemporary comedy with heartfelt moments and plenty of humor.

“A Christmas Carol” was published in England in 1843 as an illustrated novella. Today, it’s one of Dickens’ best-known tales. Through the years, the holiday ghost story has been republished, adapted for movie scripts, stage plays and ballet.

“A Bandon Christmas Carol” follows Dickens’ original narrative: Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly, self-centered gentleman who confronts his shortcomings in a series of ghostly visits. First is the ghost of his late friend and business partner, Jacob Marley, then the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

After reflecting on his past and present– and glimpsing a possible future– Scrooge rediscovers this own capacity for kindness and sharing.

Creative Collaboration

Neal Davis and Mike Dempsey have performed or worked behind the scenes at the Sprague Community Theater on projects for Bandon Playhouse, Gaels Readers Theater, Bandon Feeds the Hungry, and others. And, “A Bandon Christmas Carol” isn’t their first writer/director collaboration.

“Helen and Anne: Through Their Eyes,” was commissioned by the Bandon Lions Club in 2010. The play honors Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, women who overcame visual and hearing impairments and became two of the most inspiring communicators in American history. Davis adapted the play from biographical texts, Dempsey directed the two-woman show, and Ruthanne McSurdy-Wong provided artistic direction and set design.

The dramatic comedy “Bethlehem Road” follows a modern-day family on a fantastic trip back in time to the first Christmas. It was Davis’ first holiday-themed script. The 2007 debut was presented by the Bandon Playhouse, (directed by Sally Ford), and the play enjoyed a reprise in 2015 with Dempsey as director.

Here, Davis and Dempsey answer questions about writing and directing a new play for Bandon audiences.

Q: Why do the Dickens story and characters still appeal to audiences– more than 150 years after its debut?

Davis: Dickens knew we all love a good redemption story. It’s a universal theme that transcends time and culture. That it occurs over three stages of life – childhood, the present, and the unknown future, allows us to discover new truths each time we experience it. The story I saw as a kid is different than how I see it today. Plus, for me personally, the fact that it’s royalty-free, (the novella is in the public domain), was a tremendous lure.

Dempsey: It’s got the key elements – suspense, family, loss, hope, redemption. These appeal to modern audiences just as much as when the story was created.

Q: What literary or historic discoveries did you make while writing the script and preparing to direct the play?

Davis: Writing this was easy and not. Dickens’ template is near perfect, but adapting it wasn’t as idiot-proof as I’d hoped. Finding the right tone and language took a little time, as did balancing the humor to drama. Since this was for all ages, I also wanted a sound and look to the piece that would appeal to everyone in the audience. With our great cast and crew, I think we’ve succeeded in making a fun and meaningful experience.

Dempsey: Dickens really knew how to tell a human story. That we could transfer it to modern day, and with loads of literary license, yet still keep the tale’s spirit and heart, shows how brilliant his creation is.

Q: Community theater productions by Bandon Playhouse draw cast members of all ages and levels of performance experience. What can you tell us about writing for and directing this cast?

Davis: The script had to be adaptable to a variety of skill levels. We got a Christmas miracle with our principal casting. Scrooge is played by Nameer El-Kadi, who brings over 30 years of stage and screen experience to the role. Others are local stage vets, from Heather Bouher, David Wyatt, Gareth Williams and Annie Giardinelli from Bandon; and Dave Elst from Coos Bay; to newcomers to the Bandon Playhouse. Their dedication is amazing.

Dempsey: This is one of the hardest working casts I’ve ever worked with. They’re eager, they learn, and they seem to be having the time of their lives. Nameer is one of the best – he lifts everyone’s performance and puts his whole heart into becoming Ebenezer Scrooge. His performance is one you’ll remember. That’s true of many of our performers – they’re having fun, and it shows.

Q: The title of this adaptation is “A Bandon Christmas Carol.” What elements, in the script or staging, are unique to Bandon, Oregon?

Davis: The scenery is all Bandon, as are a few of the situations. You won’t hear your street name or business, but you’ll definitely know it’s Bandon.

Dempsey: We’re in modern day Bandon, from Old Town to the cranberry bogs. We’re harvesting, partying, and working hard as a community. And the main character is a real crab.

More about the Show

Looking forward to the play? Browse the Bandon Events calendar for dates, times and ticket info.

The play is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, presented without intermission. It’s suitable for audiences of all ages.

Cast and Crew

Ebenezer Scrooge: Nameer El-Kadi
Ghost of Christmas Present: Heather Bouher
Ghost of Christmas Past: Annie Giardinelli
Marly and the Ghost of Christmas Future: Dave Elst
Ensemble: Linda Baldwin, Bella Blackard, Jaden Blackard, Kailynn Blackard, Aspen Elst, Dennis Hawkins, Merle Morrigan, Olwyn Reed, Linda Schoff, Meara Stadelman, Daniel Undell, Gareth Williams, David Wyatt

Tech and Stage Crew: Breezy Fiscus, Jeff Norris, Steve Shoff, and David Yeatts

Article and photos by Geneva Miller.