The Home Page Network

1. Register Now for 30-Minute Virtual Program This Friday, Dec. 18 about the 2020 Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
2. “It’s A Wonderful Life” Performance to be Streamed This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18, 19 and 20
3. Tickets are Available for “A Christmas Carol” Audio Stream on Dec. 26 and 27

Diane Eaton
dianetn@ptd.net
(570) 724-3800

REGISTER NOW FOR 30-MINUTE VIRTUAL PROGRAM THIS FRIDAY, DEC. 18 ABOUT THE 2020 GREAT CONJUNCTION OF JUPITER

This Friday, Dec. 18 from noon to 12:30 p.m., Tim Morey, Hills Creek State Park Complex natural resource specialist, is presenting a 30-minute virtual program titled “The Great Conjunction of 2020.”

Those who want to participate must register at https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/cherry_springs_state_park and will immediately receive a link to a Skype session. A download is not required.

On Dec. 21 about 45 minutes after sundown, Jupiter and Saturn will have their closest encounter since 1623, four centuries or 397 years ago.

During the great conjunction. the planets of Jupiter and Saturn will form a “Christmas Star.” A “conjunction” in astronomy is when two celestial bodies, such as planets, asteroids and the sun and the moon appear closest together in the sky when looking at them from Earth.

During the program, registrants will find out how to best observe the dazzling conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Monday, Dec. 21, the first day of winter; why these events happen; and the history of several similar astronomical events in history.

Because this program is virtual, it is NOT taking place at Cherry Springs State Park in Potter County, Pa. Registrants participate from their homes.

This virtual program and others are available by request for presentation to groups, such as scout groups or individual classrooms as scheduling permits.

For more information about this program or how groups can schedule a presentation, email Morey at tmorey@pa.gov.

“IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE” PERFORMANCES TO BE STREAMED THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, DEC. 18, 19 AND 20

The pressure was on last week for the cast of “It’s A Wonderful Life” with the replacement of a cast member self-quarantining because of COVID-19 and the taping of the performance by Videographer Adam Murtland who used multiple cameras to capture close-ups and many other shots of the actors.

The resulting film will be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 18 and 19 and at 2:30 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 20 so it can be seen and heard by people in their own homes.

“All of us are greatly relieved that we were able to pull this off during this difficult and uncertain time,” said Director Thomas Putnam. “Adam, the videographer, led us through the process and is very happy with the results. On Monday, Dec. 14, he was editing it and ready to start adding the opening credits.”

The play is about George Bailey, a man who has so many problems, he is thinking about ending it all even though it’s Christmas. Instead he rescues Clarence who through flashbacks shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all of his good deeds over the years. It is based on the Frank Capra Christmas fantasy drama film released on Jan. 7, 1947 and adapted into a radio play by Philip Grecian.

In the cast are four who performed in Hamilton-Gibson’s 2011 radio play version of “It’s A Wonderful Life.” They are: Gordie Dunlap of Wellsboro as George Bailey, Karin Knaus of Westfield as George’s wife, Mary Hatch Bailey and Eugene Seelye of Wellsboro as Clarence Oddbody. Last week, Kate Sholonski of Wellsboro, also in the 2011 production, took on the roles of Violet, Tilly and other characters for the cast member whose COVID-19 test came back negative on Monday, Dec. 14.

“I’m playing Clarence, George Bailey’s guardian angel again this year, and if there ever was a need for all of us to have a guardian angel, with all that is going on in the world, it is now,” Seelye said.

River Moyer of Whitneyville plays young George Bailey and Hortense. Asked why he decided to audition, this eighth grader at the Rock L. Butler Middle School said, “I have enjoyed doing HG Winter Camp musicals during the last four years with Mr. Putnam. I loved those experiences and learned so much from him and the other students. This past August I was in a Tune In To HG Radio show. Since I enjoy doing plays, I thought I’d just try out and see what happened. Although I have not seen the movie yet, I think ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ is a pretty cool story based on reading the script. I am happy to be able to continue acting.”

Others in the cast are: Emme Reifer of Wellsboro as Zuzu Bailey; Nicholas J. Duffy of Mansfield as banker Henry F. Potter, George’s younger brother Harry Bailey and Nick the bartender; and Timothy Wilbourn of Wellsboro as Joseph the Angel, Uncle Billy and Mr. Bailey, George’s father.

Those who purchase a ticket at hgp.booktix.com will get a link to stream the specific performance he or she has chosen to an iPad, Smart phone, computer or other device. “Those who buy a ticket for Friday will not be able to change their minds and use it to see the Saturday or Sunday performance instead,” said Hamilton-Gibson’s Operations Coordinator Bev Dochstader. “One ticket is only good for one device. If people in the same household want to watch the show on two different devices, they need two tickets.”

For more information, call the HG office at (570) 724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.

Photo by John Eaton
George Bailey (Gordie Dunlap) smiles at his six-year-old daughter Zuzu (Emme Reifer), who delivers one of the show’s most memorable lines: “Look, Daddy. Teacher says every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” Emme is a Don Gill Elementary School third grader.

Photo by John Eaton
River Moyer of Whitneyville plays young George Bailey.

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” AUDIO STREAM ON DEC. 26 AND 27

Pull up a chair and on your laptop, iPad, Smart phone or other device, listen to “A Christmas Carol” and get a taste of what life was like during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s through the 1950s. Let your imagination and the actors’ voices take you to the world of Ebenezer Scrooge.

“A Christmas Carol” is the tale of this coldhearted man who learns the value of love thanks to the intervention of three ghosts who come to haunt him on Christmas Eve. Holiday cheer, whimsical humor and a good dose of scary thrills combine with the timeless truths and themes in this enduring holiday story of a man’s redemption.

Audio performances of this show will be streamed at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26 and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27 courtesy of Hamilton-Gibson Productions and sponsor C&N Bank.

Gabe Hakvaag has directed “A Christmas Carol” for Hamilton-Gibson for eight years during Wellsboro’s Dickens of A Christmas.

“When the Duterte children, Sylvia, 8, and Oliver, 10, became members of the Warehouse Theatre cast as Actor One this spring, I decided they would each get their own chance to play those roles,” said Hakvaag. “That’s why we are producing two full cast recordings of ‘A Christmas Carol’, one starring Oliver and the other starring Sylvia,” he said. “This way both children have the opportunity to perform and be heard as Actor One during our audio stream. Those who tune in for both performances will get a chance to hear how they change the roles, which in turn changes the performance of the other actors.”

In the show, Actor One plays three roles, including Tiny Tim, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and Dick Wilkins, a young man who works with Scrooge as apprentices for Mr. Fezziwig in The Ghost of Christmas Past segment.

This year, in the face of COVID-19, only the Warehouse Theatre cast was going to do four in-person performances, three at night and one on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 3-6. Normally, there would have been seven daytime performances on Dec. 5 and 6 presented by both the Warehouse and Coolidge Theatre casts.

Then things changed again. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, during the regular Hamilton-Gibson board meeting, it was decided to cancel all in-person performances of the show due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the community.

Based on the willingness of his cast to perform, Director Gabe Hakvaag successfully obtained audio streaming rights for “A Christmas Carol,” adapted into a radio play by Christopher Schario from the book written by Charles Dickens 177 years ago.

Others in the Warehouse Theatre cast are: Tom Walrath as Ebenezer Scrooge, Sarah Knight as Mrs. Cratchit and The Ghost of Christmas Past, Kristine Worthington as Belle and Mrs. Fezziwig, Brian Kennedy as Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit and Mr. Fezziwig, and Mitch Kreisler as Fred Scrooge and The Ghost of Christmas Present. Music Director is Cherilyn Ayres.

Tickets are now on sale at hgp.booktix.com for the Dec. 26 and 27 shows. Those who purchase a ticket will get a link to stream the specific performance he or she has selected. “Those who buy a ticket for Saturday night will not be able to change their minds and use it to see the Sunday afternoon performance instead,” said Hamilton-Gibson’s Operations Coordinator Bev Dochstader. “One ticket is only good for one device. If people in the same household want to watch on two different devices, a teenager that wants to watch in another room for example, they need two tickets.”

For more information, call the HG office at (570) 724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.

Photo by John Eaton
Tom Walrath (shown) has been playing Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” for more than two decades.