‘Yes, Virginia, The Musical’ to be staged in Meredith

MEREDITH — The Interlakes Summer Theatre, Professional Theatre in the Lakes Region, will present "Yes, Virginia, The Musical" at the Inter-Lakes Auditorium on Saturday, December 6 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, December 7 at 3 p.m.

Debuting as an animated special in 2009, "Yes, Virginia" was inspired by the true story of 8 year old Virginia O'Hanlon, who in 1897, wrote a letter to the NY Sun newspaper asking if there is a Santa Claus. The Sun's editor Francis P. Church responded with a poignantly worded essay on the importance of believing, including the famous lines, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist..."

Church's response became one of the most famous newspaper editorials of all time and served as the inspiration for Macy's "Believe" campaign, which supports "Make-a-Wish". The Believe program encourages children of all ages to drop their stamped letter to Santa at the red Santa Mail Letterbox at their local Macy's. For every letter received, Macy's will donate $1 up to $1 Million to Make-A-Wish, helping to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. To support this campaign, the Interlakes Summer Theatre will provide a Mail Letterbox in the lobby and deliver all letters to Santa to Macy's.

"Macy's created this musical and has made it available to theater programs around the country. I was looking for a Christmas Show that would work for us logistically and financially, and allow us to drop our prices to make the show more accessible to all", says Producing Artistic Director, Nancy Barry. "One of my NY directors sent me the information and I knew this was the answer!"

Another reason, the Interlakes Summer Theatre chose this production for the holidays was because it would allow the successful merging of the Professional Company with our local young people. "One of my favorite productions this summer", says Barry, "was the musical "Big" which featured 4 of the actors from the professional company with a group of teens and tweens. The fun and spirit of the show was one thing, but the caliber of the performances was incredible. The professionals had so much to offer the kids and the kids had just as much to show the grown-ups!"

In this production, the story will be told by Miriam, The Librarian, played by Ellie Kahn. Francis P. Church will be played by Paul Gregg. Scraggly Santa will be played by Mikey LoBalsalmo. The child cast will be announced shortly.

Tickets are available now online and over the phone, with children's tickets at $10 and adult/senior tickets at $20. Seating will be reserved, and tickets will be sold in advance and at the door. Call 603-707-6035 or online at www.interlakestheatre.com.