Scenic designer Michael McGarty has designed many Trinity Rep productions, including many, many Christmas Carols. This season, he creates the environment for all three Chace Theater shows: A Christmas Carol, A Raisin in the Sun and The Importance of Being Earnest. He spoke with Emily Atkinson about this year’s Christmas plans.

When did you meet the director, Liesl Tommy?
When she was a student here, I designed the two Christmas Carols she was in – including the one Brian McEleney directed. I knew her then, in passing.

How many Christmas Carols have you designed?
Seven, I think. I did four in a row, but I haven’t done one in six years. I’m excited.

Where did you start, with your planning with Liesl?
We couldn’t meet face to face – she worked all summer and fall in Texas and New York and other places – so we had all our meetings via phone, email and Fedex. It was fine. She told me how she saw the story, that she wanted the feeling of a haunted house – people appearing from nowhere, a very fast pace. I always like to figure out the ghosts first, who they are and what they can do. So that was great! I sent her some sketches and she liked them.

There’s three levels, if you include the attic, but they’re small, it’s tight. Scrooge’s bedroom is up at the top, Marley’s crashing through the attic ceiling – the bed splits – they can move here and there. Down through the floor with trap doors, some surprises with smoke and disappearing. There’s lots of flying. Then there’s Christmas Present and his bicycle. I call it the Da Vinci bike. You’ll see why. It’s blowing their minds in the scene shop -- they’ve had to buy a lot of new motors. I used to be fond of saying that at Trinity Rep, we have the finest state-of-the-art technology, circa 1970. If it doesn’t use a block of wood and a rope, we don’t have it! (laughs) And the Ghost of Christmas Future is a return to the silent Grim Reaper. He’ll have some young helpers with him – it’s great to have kids in that scary scene right before Scrooge sees his own grave! Smoke and graves and dead bodies – yeah, it’ll be a great moment right before he sees the light.

Fantastic!
And of course we’ll end with lots of light and a Christmas tree. And snow. I want it to snow nonstop.

Really?
Well, often. I’d like to see it snowing before the show even starts. Who knows?