This is an adaptation of the classic “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, featuring fairy tale characters such as the Big Bad Wolf and the Fairy Godmother in the traditional roles of the story.

Show times are 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets cost $10.

Directed by Stephanie Coble-Day, the play features a multigenerational cast and involves a tradition of Hawkeye Community Theatre.

“We have tried, every three or four years, to do the ‘Christmas Carol,’ and I just felt like it would be fun, since we try to focus our December show on having kids in the production to try to do something a little bit different.” Coble-Day said.

-Photo by Stephanie Coble-Day
The Charming Family of Gretel (Evie McAtee), Cinderella (Kayla Harlow), Prince Charming (Brad McIntyre) and Hansel (Cam Johnson) rehearse a scene of “A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol” recently at Hawkeye Community Theatre.

She added, “When I was researching shows, I found this one, and I thought it was a neat way to share the original themes of the ‘Christmas Carol,’ but bring in some fun characters that would really draw kids to the production and to want to be a part of it.

“Plus, it’s also great for the audience, because the characters are very familiar for children, if their parents read them any classic fairy tale stories. So I thought it would be neat for the actors as well as the audience members, but still tell the story that really focuses on, you know, compassion and redemption and the Christmas spirit. So it was a way to tie in the traditional ‘Christmas Carol,’ but bring a little fun twist for the actors and the audience.”

The family component is one of the major factors that plays into the December shows at Hawkeye Community Theatre.

“Oh, it’s been so much fun.” Coble-Day said. “I think one of the best things about doing this production where we have children involved is we have a lot of parent-children combinations. This time is a great way for parents to get their children involved.”

She said there are seven parent-children combinations in this year’s show, meaning at least one parent with at least one child acting, as well as two sibling combinations.

-Photo by Stephanie Coble-Day
Old King Cole (AJ Smith) and The Big Bad Wolf (Brandon McAtee) act out a scene during rehearsal for Hawkeye Community Theatre's upcoming show, "A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol," which runs Wednesday through Saturday.

“It’s becoming a family experience, where a mom has done other theater productions, and now she’s being able to bring her sons, you know, as part of the show,” Coble-Day said. “Or a dad, specifically Brad McIntyre, who’s done lots of shows here at Hawkeye — his oldest son, Calvin, auditioned and is in his first theater show with his dad on stage.

“It’s really neat that we have parents and their children. They work together. They have fun together, and now they’re talking about, let’s make this a tradition.”

For Coble-Day, the theater experience has always been about family.

“The first show I remember seeing, I was watching my mom and siblings, and then when I was an adult and I was directing, I had my children involved,” she said. “So I think for me, theater can bring people together on so many different levels and capacities, not only if you’re just watching people, but also if you get a chance to perform together, because the experiences you have with theater are really unique when you’re with a certain group of people.”

She said Hawkeye Community Theatre does six productions a year and five of them “really focus on the adults, because students and kids in our community have a lot of great opportunities through their schools and through other opportunities.”

But Hawkeye’s December show has always been unique.

“We’ve traditionally wanted to do the December show to bring in kids, to get them exposed to our theater, give them more acting opportunities that they don’t have this time of year,” she said.

She said the December show has also traditionally been Hawkeye’s scholarship show.

“We give scholarships to high school seniors or even college students that have performed on our stage,” she added. “This gives them an opportunity to perform, and then later on, if they want to apply for a scholarship, then they can look back fondly on the experience they had as performers.”

She said the December show’s large cast helps to bring in more audience members, and therefore more money for scholarships.

“I think last year, we gave four scholarships out. So it’s just a really great way to get kids exposure to performing on our stage, give them opportunities if they really like acting and being a part of a community theater experience,” Coble-Day said. “It’s a great way to bring in the community. It’s also a great way to fill our accounts to get money for our scholarships.”

Last year, Hawkeye Community Theatre also began fundraising for a mitten tree.

“We did it just for our December show last year, and I think we raised $600 or $700 this year,” Coble Day said. “We decided that, since there is a great need in our community for mittens and gloves that for every show — all six productions — we got desserts donated by community business partners. And we provide desserts at intermission for just a freewill donation. Honestly, I don’t know how much we’ve raised. It’s well over $1,000 already.”

She said all of that money goes toward buying mittens and gloves.

“We will donate them back to schools, and we will donate them to other community organizations,” said Coble-Day. “It’s really evolved into this really neat time at our theater, because we understand the community is in need. Plus it’s getting cold, and so there’s always that need for extra gloves and mittens and hats.”

If you go

What: “A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol”

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee, also on Saturday.

Where: Hawkeye Community Theatre, 521 N. 12th St.

Tickets: $10