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"A Christmas Carol" Returns to Coventry in a Historic Setting

  • Writer: David Court
    David Court
  • 15 minutes ago
  • 2 min read
Paul Nolan in "A Christmas Carol" - Photograph credit: Conor Nolan
Paul Nolan in "A Christmas Carol" - Photograph credit: Conor Nolan

Paul Nolan presents A Christmas Carol at The Charterhouse, London Road, Coventry, CV1 2JR - December 10-21

Preview


This year Paul Nolan presents his unique adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Playing all of the well-known characters and not straying too far from the original narrative and text, this intimate theatrical experience is ensured to delight and enthrall its audience in the setting of a 14th century Carthusian monastery.


Based on the reading that Dickens himself delivered over 150 years ago at the Corn Exchange in Coventry. Its themes of redemption, compassion, social responsibility, and the importance of family and community, there is no better moment to present this tale in a fresh setting, bringing it to new audiences in today's dynamic cultural landscape.


Paul commented, ‘staging A Christmas Carol in a new National Trust location offers a unique way to see the classic novella brought to life. Coventry audiences will benefit from gaining access to a performance in a venue previously unavailable to them. This special production invites families from Coventry and surrounding areas to experience live theatre within an exceptional and atmospheric environment.’


Paul has previously played Ebenezer Scrooge under the directorship of Kevin Shaw, former Artistic Director of the Albany Theatre, Coventry. Their collaborations spanned four years including two productions of A Christmas Carol [2021/2022], (Fagin) in Oliver Twist [2023], and Hatter in Alice in Wonderland [2024] all of which received critical acclaim.  Nolan is a Coventry stalwart and his contribution to the arts and theatre in Coventry has spanned four decades from his early years as actor and director with the award winning Tic Toc Theatre Company. Associations include The Belgrade Theatre, Talking Birds, Sante Theatre, EGO Performance Co./ No Fit State Circus, and Imagineer Productions. He is a creaTive associate with The Seanchaí Collective.


Lucy Manning, Experience and Visitor Programme Manager of the National Trust, commented, ‘Paul approaches his work with a high level of professionalism and artistic integrity that is rare and inspiring. He is highly talented, with a clear creative vision. He has significantly raised both the profile and the calibre of performance in our programme. The projects he has led on have challenged artistic boundaries and left a lasting legacy with audiences.’


The Charterhouse – Coventry

In 1857 Sir Joseph Paxton [Landscape gardener, architect and M.P. for Coventry] invited his friend Charles Dickens to come to Coventry and deliver a reading of his seasonal novella ‘A Christmas Carol’ for the citizens of the mediaeval town of Mercia.


A few years prior to his elected position as M.P. for Coventry, he had designed one of the first garden cemeteries in the country on London Road, where a monument dedicated to Sir Joseph Paxton stands today. It was agreed that Mr Dickens would present a reading of the ‘Carol’ at the Corn Exchange Tuesday 15th December 1857 for the benefit of the Coventry Institute. Once announced to the public the tickets sold out almost immediately.


“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.” Charles Dickens.



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