Truestory bring Scrooge to Brighton stage in solo version

Truestory bring A Christmas Carol … as told by Scrooge to Brighton with two shows nightly from December 16-24.
ScroogeScrooge
Scrooge

Performances will be at The Spire, Eastern Road, Brighton, with tickets on http://www.truestory-theatre.comSince 2015 the company has been staging shows in the derelict church, now arts centre on Eastern Road.

They are best known for their unique adaption of A Christmas Carol, which returned for the third time in 2019 and has now been seen by more than 15,000 people.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But with all the restrictions in place this year, they’ve gone from a big company of actors to just one on stage.

Can Scrooge (and Scrooge alone) save Christmas? Gary Sefton, who plays the only role, is attempting to take on the whole show, ghosts and all.

Presented in a re-designed layout, the venue has gone from hosting 220 people a show to just 57 to enable social distancing. The show has secured See It Safely approval, a mark set up by The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre to unify standards and best practice for theatres to reopen.

A Christmas Carol as Told by Scrooge opens on Wednesday, December 16 and runs until Christmas Eve. Tickets can be booked in bubbles across two shows per night. More details, times and prices on www.truestory-theatre.com.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Gary Sefton, who is also the company’s artistic director, said: “It would be impossible to stage the show we had planned to produce this Christmas, but rather than do nothing, we decided it was safer for just me to perform.

“It’s going to be very strange performing on my own. There are usually ten other people performing with me. It’s a big task, and I’m looking forward to the challenge and getting into the rehearsal room, then welcoming back our audiences. It feels important to do something now there’s a glimmer of hope that we might be able to stage some live theatre before the end of 2020.”

Producer James Turnbull added: “It will all feel very different this year for our audiences.

“Whilst we lose the glorious hustle and bustle of our packed bar before the show, we hope that the chance to see something live rather than online will help add some festive cheer and some of our loftier guests will be impressed with the new two-metre leg room!”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Gary and has led all the Truestory shows both on stage and as director and writer. He has worked extensively in theatre for more than 20 years at many major establishments including The RSC, Royal National Theatre, Northampton Royal Theatre and many other regional repertory companies. He teaches at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, East 15, GSA, Mountview, Rose Bruford and the University of Chichester. www.garysefton.co.uk

All Covid precautions must be taken at all times by those attending the show.

You must wear a face covering throughout the venue.

This also means the venue won’t be offering hot drinks or snacks; nor can you bring any into the venue.

Refund policy: should your party not be able to attend due to isolating, you can cancel your tickets up to 24 hours before the show and get a refund (after booking costs).

If due to government guidelines, the venue is unable to open, it will refund 100 per cent of your booking.