free tickets to a christmas carol on december 1st for families in need

PROVIDENCE, RI: Trinity Rep is thrilled to announce that they are making a gift to the local community and opening up a free performance of A Christmas Carol on December 1, 2008 at 7:00PM. Four hundred free tickets will be made available to the general public through Trinity Rep’s existing partnership with The Rhode Island Community Food Bank and their network of member agency programs.

Local families that wish to take advantage of the free ticket offer can contact their neighborhood food pantry or agency to pick up their tickets, or call the RI Food Bank at 942-MEAL to locate a nearby agency. Tickets are limited to five per family.  The Food Bank’s network includes food pantries, soup kitchens, meal sites and shelters throughout Rhode Island.

Trinity Rep Executive Director Michael Gennaro states “Although we are all feeling the pinch in these trying economic times, we still wanted to make a gesture to our neighbors. Curt and I immediately came up with the idea that we should open up a whole evening’s performance of A Christmas Carol and offer the tickets free to Rhode Islanders in need.”

Trinity Rep Artistic Director Curt Columbus says, “Now, more than any other time in recent memory, this show has a powerful message about how we should treat others.  If we can bring smiles to the faces of a family that doesn’t feel like they have much to smile about, then we have made a difference.”

Andrew Schiff, Executive Director of Rhode Island Community Food Bank states, “The generosity of Trinity Rep in providing a performance of A Christmas Carol free of charge to the community only underscores their commitment to ensuring that everyone in our area has a chance to experience the power and magic of live theater. The outpouring of support from Trinity Rep is truly amazing.” He goes on to say, “Our partnership is a great example of what can happen when non-profits work together to make a difference in their community”

A Christmas Carol’s timeless message of the power of forgiveness is a welcome reminder of the magic of the holidays. Three spirits visit Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve — the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Through their magical travels that night, Scrooge greets Christmas morning with newfound hope and seizes the chance to redeem his ways.

TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY
Since its founding in 1963, Trinity Repertory Company has been one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. Featuring the last permanent resident acting company in America, Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works for an estimated annual audience of nearly 160,000. In its 44-year history, the theater has produced 54 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its graduate-level theater arts conservatory, trained hundreds of new actors and directors. This season marks the 42nd year of Project Discovery, Trinity Rep's pioneering educational outreach program. Launched in 1966, the program introduces over 20,000 Rhode Island and Massachusetts students a year to live theater. The Brown University/Trinity Rep Consortium offers professional training for actors and directors in a three-year MFA program. Trinity Rep's 45th season continues with The Receptionist by Adam Bock, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, The Secret Rapture by David Hare, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Shapeshifter by Laura Schellhardt. For more information, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.trinityrep.com.

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