A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol
Summary
Dates 29 November – 6 December 2024
Performance Course BA Performance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Actors
Location Chandler Studio
Runtime 1 hour, 20 mins (no interval)
Creative Team
Director Ramesh Meyyappan
Sound Designer & Co-Composer Kevin Murray
Musical Director & Co-Composer Tom Bolam
Assistant Musical Director Emily Paterson
Production Sound Engineer Neal Clark
Sound Desk Operator Cameron Peden
Sound No. 2 Mary-Jane "MJ" McNally

Overview

Immerse yourself in the timeless magic of A Christmas Carol.

Charles Dickens‘ beloved tale is brought to life by students from the BA Performance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Actors programme in a uniquely visual retelling. An unforgettable journey through Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformative night, filled with wonder, joy, terror, and the true spirit of Christmas.

A piece of visual theatre accessible to both deaf and hearing audiences.

Lighting

This show was designed by Mhairi Burton and the electrics department was headed by Dominic De Mountfalcon. Programming was done by Maxi Heddle on the ETC EOS Apex. The rest of the electrics department for this show was made up of Abby Wills, Phoenix Hawthorne, and Sophie Harwood.

Practicals

A Christmas Carol used four practicals. In order of appearance, these are: the backlighting and number illumination in the clock set peice, the hanging lanterns, a light up coffin, and the lantern used by the ghost of christmas past. There was also discussion of a small snowflake that would be flown in, however this was originally cut

The Clock

The clock was constructed by the Production Arts and Design department. James Gardener then added Rock2 LEDs to add inner backlight, outer backlight, and light for each individual number of the clock. This allowed a large amount of design opportunity, such as pulsing the inner and outer sections of the clock, as well as creating chases for the numbers of the clock.

The Hanging Lanterns

These large lanterns were construted from large LED candle lanterns purchased from Amazon. The exterior was salvaged, with the interior candles and glass panes removed. The replacement light made use of Rock2 RGB LEDs attached to aluminium-wrapped cardboard tubing. These were then connected to 5 pin XLR connectors using Wago's, allowing them to be connected to an LED driver. The glass was replaced with large sheets of Lee 129 to hide the electronics and difuse the source of the LEDs. In order to reduce the risk of the lanterns falling safety measures were taken. The first is that the decorative hanging ring on them was removed, and the rope they were hung by went through the lantern directly. The second was that any weight bearing attatchment point was affixed with super glue. Though superglue is not a weight bearing solution, it was determined tha the lanterns were light enough that the glue was addequate.

The Coffin

In order to make the coffin light up, Cold White LED tape was line around the inside of the coffin, about 15cm from the lip. The tape was clipped to more perfectly match the perimeter of the coffin, as well as to be connected to a 5 pin XLR connector. This allowed it to be easily connected and disconnected from the driver during show runs. Then, soft 5mm foam was put on the rim of the coffin to shield the audience from the source of the LEDs, as well as to direct the light more towards the actors face. Finally, white cloth was affixed to the coffin to diffuse the light, cover the foam and LEDs, and generally make the coffin look more presentable.

The Handheld Lantern

This smaller handheld lantern was also constructed by James Gardener. The internal construction consisted of an LED filiment, a small LiPo battery, a variable dimmer, and a button. Originally, the button was placed too low on the lantern, making it difficult to be discreetly turned on and off. The button was then moved twice, eventually ending up in the very top of the lantern. At some point during these changes, an eveloped of Lee 015 was placed around the filiment, giving a more flame like glow.

Sound

Three second-year BA Musical Theatre (MT) students performed in this production, utilising their vocal and instrumental talents on the French horn, mandolin, and violin. These performers, along with one BA Performance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) actor, were equipped with DPA 4061 Lavalier microphones attached to radio transmitter packs. This setup ensured high quality audio for their carolling and a live violin performance during the Fezziwig’s Waltz scene.  

The mandolin contained an internal contact microphone connected to a radio transmitter secured on its strap.

Floor mics along with a retractable QTX SG300 Shotgun Microphone were installed in the Stage Right Wings as the MT students use chains to live Foley Jacob Marley’s ghostly chains with each representing the Arms, Legs and Torso respectively.

The intricate sound design, composition and arrangements that helped bring the production to life was crafted by Kevin Murray and Musical Director Tom Bolam. They were supported by Assistant Musical Director Emily Paterson and Sound Desk Operator Cameron Peden.  

Production Sound Engineer (PSE) Neal Clark oversaw the technical sound operations, ensuring all audio systems were including comms and RF were optimised and functioning at peak performance. Sound No. 2 Mary-Jane "MJ" McNally provided support, assistance with microphone setups, on-the-fly adjustments, and overseeing of the instruments during the show.  

The show was designed to be bilingual as a BSL and spoken English production and equally understood by both audiences at all times. KV2 EX1.5 active subwoofers and a Concert ButtKicker behind the clock set piece where installed so the vibrations of impactful audio could be felt and heard. All carols were accompanied by a signed rendition, and all sign is clear and accompanied by strong physical performances to be understood by those who do not understand BSL. There was no spoken dialogue and limited vocalisations and signed dialogue.

There were 13 speakers overall to give the audio depth and direction.