Count community theater among holiday traditions

The Railsback family in North Carolina enjoys lots of conventional holiday festivities. But for the last several years, they have added another tradition that illustrates the meaning of the season for them: performing in the High Point Community Theatre's "A Christmas Carol: The Musical."

"It's a huge part of our Christmas," said Kristina Railsback, who has played the role of Mrs. Cratchit since the theater first presented the production five years ago. Her husband, Eric, and sons, Liam, 14, and Caleb, 18, also have taken part every year, either performing onstage or working in the production crew.

She loves that the commitment brings the family together often for rehearsals, and she finds the message of Charles Dickens' classic tale sets the right tone for the holidays.

"It's such a story of redemption that the Scrooge character has a chance to become a better person — it moves me every single time," she says.

More than that, she relishes the energy and feeling of kinship produced when people of all ages and backgrounds come together to do something creative.

Community theater productions take on special meaning at the holidays, agreed Tabi Bryner, who has been directing plays in Hemingford, Nebraska, since 2008. The performances give audience members a way to reconnect with the meaning of the holidays, said Bryner.

"Live entertainment takes you away from reality for a short couple of hours," she said. "We always choose a heartwarming story."

Eleven-year-old Grace Lilley-Gitch has acted in two Hemingford productions, including "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," a popular holiday play based a children's novel. "It's really good for the community that there's a holiday play because it's an event for everybody to go to," she said. "There's usually a message about what Christmas is really about and how to be grateful."