MOUNT VERNON — If you’re going to produce a play about love, compassion and service to the community, you’d better walk the walk and talk the talk.
At least, that’s the way Theater Arts Guild is approaching its production of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale “A Christmas Carol,” on stage Nov. 14-30 at McIntyre Hall.
The local theater group is collaborating with Skagit County Community Action Agency and Skagit Libraries to promote the musical, help out some worthy local organizations and spread Dickens’ timeless message.
“It’s like Dickens wrote, ‘Mankind is our business,’” said Bruce Vilders, TAG Board member and co-producer of the show. “We’re trying to put the community back into community theater.”
TAG is listing information about the programs and services offered by Community Action — including help at local food banks, shelter for the homeless and legal assistance for the needy — in its production program that’s handed out to show-goers.
The group also seeks audience donations for the agency for nonperishable food, pajamas for kids, cleaning supplies for the agency’s homeless shelter apartments, bedding and other emergency help.
“They’re really working hard to make sure that ticket buyers know about the needs that we have,” said Sara Welty, fund development director for Community Action.
Many of the donations will be aimed at helping supply and supporting the agency’s Family Development Shelter in Mount Vernon. The shelter that used to house four families at a time was expanded and reopened in September to house 10 families, Welty said.
The agency is expecting to serve between 300 and 320 people at the shelter this year, Welty said. Not only do families find a safe, temporary place to live at the shelter, they participate in family development and literacy classes, learn new job skills and receive help finding transitional housing once they leave the shelter, Welty said.
This isn’t the first time TAG has partnered with Community Action. One of the theater group’s board members was the architect who helped design the expanded shelter. The group also donated labor and materials to build a retaining wall for the shelter, Welty said.
“They’ve been actively involved with the progress of the shelter over time,” Welty said. “We’re so fortunate to have a group like Theater Arts Guild approach us and help us out.”
TAG also is partnering with Skagit Libraries, a partnership that Mount Vernon City Library Director Brian Soneda sees as a natural fit — especially for “A Christmas Carol.”
Soneda is especially fond of the Dickens story, and reads it to his children each December.
“The message and the story is about making the community better,” Soneda said.
The fact that the musical is based on a piece of classic literature also provides the libraries with an opportunity to encourage more people to read.
All of the libraries in Skagit County plan to distribute bookmarks touting the TAG production and collect donated nonperishable food to give to local food banks.
The librarians will be at McIntyre Hall for each show to provide information about their services, Soneda said.
“I think it’s a good fit for what I believe as a person and librarian, that’s there’s a community responsibility that everybody has to look out for each other,” Soneda said. “That’s what our partnership is about.”
Beverly Crichfield can be reached at 360-416-2135 or .
