Students view Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol live at Mount Hope Estate

Every year the students in AP language and composition as well as those in AP literature and composition have the opportunity to experience Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” performed live at the Mount Hope Estate’s mansion in Manheim, PA. This is the same location that the PA Renaissance Faire is, so students are familiar with the travel distance, but getting to see the Victorian decorations inside the mansion is a wonderful experience. Each performance adds a new twist to the famous story. This year’s was just as exciting and elaborate as always. From their website: “1932, the WMHR Radio Station. These days, the family gathers around the radio every night to get transported from their lives into the exciting world of super sleuths, super heroes, and the supernatural. Tonight, [our live studio audience] has the opportunity to join the WMHR family live in their studio to be transported through the airwaves to Victorian England. See the WMHR players put on a live radio play of Charles Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’.”

Viewing live theater is complementary to the curriculum the students study in their English and social studies classes. The students are taken into an entirely different environment than the brick & mortar school building; they get to escape into the imaginary world of storytelling. They learn to be good audience members and celebrate the comparisons of the written word to the action of the words. Every student commented on what a wonderful time they had and recommend that it be done again next year.