YC Players to present 'Chronicles,' 'A Christmas Carol'

The York College Players will end their fall season with performances of “Chronicles” and “A Christmas Carol.”

“Chronicles” will be presented at 7 p.m., Dec. 1-5, in the Perko Playpen Theatre, and “A Christmas Carol” will be performed at 1 p.m., Dec. 2-4, in the Collegiate Performing Arts Center. All performances are open to the public free of charge. For more information, contact Jim McGhee at jmcghee@ycp.edu or call 717-815-1401.

“Chronicles” is one in a series of full-length and one-act plays by Don Nigro that follow the fate of the Pendragon family of Armitage, Ohio. The play is set in 1920 in the crumbling family mansion at Christmas time. Trapped in the labyrinth of darkly cruel history, the characters nevertheless love each other and make each other laugh in this richly textured and intricately woven drama.

Director for the production is Jamie Caponera, a senior mass communications major from Valhalla, N.Y.; stage manager is Casey Bossert, a sophomore professional writing major from Baldwinsville, N.Y.; and assistant stage manager is Kieran McGhee, a nursing major from York. Cast members include Sara LiPira, a theatre major from Grasonville, Md.; Jessica Hackman, a sophomore music major from York; Kate Karczewski, an undeclared major from Annandale, Va.; Rebecca Jensen, a junior English literary studies major from Levittown, Pa; Jamie Shinault, a senior graphic design major from Eldersburg, Md.; Sam Shea, a sophomore theatre major from La Plata, Md.; Adam Brown from Abbottstown, Pa.; Matt Pattley, a sophomore political science major from Morrisville, Pa.; and Dan Geske, a senior theatre major from Kensington, Md.

“I decided my freshman year that I would direct ‘Chronicles,’ so it is such a great feeling for me to finally see the show in rehearsals,” Caponera said. “I can’t wait for it to go up in December. It will definitely be a show not to miss!”

“A Christmas Carol” is a dramatization of Charles Dickens’ story of Scrooge and the three ghosts that will once again be presented for elementary school children, along with their teachers and parents. Besides the typical characters featured in the play, two narrators and other comedic roles, such as two eccentric elderly women who work at a local charity, have been added.

The play will be directed by Rachel Thomson, a senior elementary education major from Warrington, Pa.; and stage managed by Heidi Freeland, a junior public relations major from Duncannon, Pa. Cast members include Jason Hinkle, a senior theatre major from York, as Scrooge; Vincent Scalco, a sophomore theatre major from Stevensville, Md., as Bob Cratchit; Alex Nappi, a junior accounting major from Cranford, N.J., as Tiny Tim; Paige Comegys, a sophomore public relations major from Bel Air, Md., as the Ghost of Christmas Past; Maggie Sackman, a first-year theatre major from La Plata, Md., as the Ghost of Christmas Present; and Jeannette Torres, a business administration major from Philadelphia, as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

“The cast is a very talented and fun group of people, so I am really looking forward to seeing the final product,” Thomson said. “I’m also an elementary education major, so I’m excited to see the children’s reactions to the show.”

The York College Players produce plays and occasionally musicals from the classic and modern repertories for the education and appreciation of the college community. Funded through the Department of English and Humanities, Players is open to all full- and part-time students who meet academic criteria.