BWW Stage Mag Moppets Present: A Christmas Carol - Zelda Dearest Stage Mag

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Moppets Present: A Christmas Carol
 
at Zelda Dearest
 
 
Ayla Claypool
Director
 
Adam Kampouris
Director
 
Starring
 
Asher Bell
Della Downey
Symone Garrison
Mia Ha
Anaya Harris
Andy Higginbotham
Maeve Higginbotham
Darcy Kinsey
Banks Lang
Nova Marlin
Wilder Pennington
Mirabelle Saricicek
 
 
 

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Director’s Note

The future of theatre has to be adaptable to changing times — especially to the TikTok generation. This production being set in the 1920s is not just a reflection of site-specific theatre to highlight the amazing venue that we are collaborating with, but a challenge to us as theatre-makers and audiences to look at different ways to tell a story. Who are we talking to?

Theatre has long been confined to dark rooms filled with white-haired humans. This group of young theatre-makers is twisting a traditional story in so many beautiful ways. The original script I wrote has been adapted and changed by their minds, their instincts, and their proposals — and the piece is stronger and more brilliant than I ever could have dreamed.

You cannot have the light without the dark. The two make each other stronger. The levity of the Commedia Dell'Arte elements I bring to this production, contrasted with the almost horror-leaning ghostly elements of A Christmas Carol, is meant to draw the audience into the story more deeply. The lack of a fourth wall is intentional — the goal is not for you to simply witness the story, but to be the children’s final player.

This was an ambitious proposal and an ambitious show. It could not have happened without the support of everyone involved — especially my partner, Mr. Adam, who has sat with me in and out of the rehearsal room, ruminating on this show, these children, and their growth and opportunities as young artists.

Thank you for being here and being willing to play.

North Carolina Arts Council

Cast

Asher Bell
Scrooge
Della Downey
Ghost of Christmas Past/Socialite
Symone Garrison
Belle/Suffragette 2
Mia Ha
Ghost of Christmas Future/Flapper
Anaya Harris
Lucy/Title Cardier 1
Andy Higginbotham
Marley/Clerk
Maeve Higginbotham
Suffragette 1/Tiny Tim
Darcy Kinsey
Fred/Fezziwig
Banks Lang
Ghost of Christmas Present
Nova Marlin
Mrs. Cratchit/Banker
Wilder Pennington
Bob Cratchit/Clergy
Mirabelle Saricicek
Chief Mourner/Title Cardier 2

Creative Team

Ayla Claypool

Director

Adam Kampouris

Assistant Director

Meet the Company

Asher Bell

Scrooge
Asher Bell is excited to be in his first lead role. He's previously been in Anne of Green Gables and Wendy & Peter, as well as many Commedia Dell Arte shows. He is a jack of all trades and likes drawing, baking, and 3D modeling. He is only this old most of the time.

Della Downey

Ghost of Christmas Past/Socialite
Della has been homeschooled her entire life, discovering several passions along the way, including socializing, nature, climbing, and many more. Also recently discovering a passion for theater and is honored to be a part of this wonderful play as it is her first of many to come!

Symone Garrison

Belle/Suffragette 2
Symone Garrison is absolutely jubilant to be in this year's Christmas Carol! You might have seen them in last year's Christmas Carol, at the Renaissance Fair or Whale Day performing Commedia dell’arte (Moppets), A Winters Tale (Moppets), The Lion King, and various other performances. They would like to thank Ember, Circe, and their family for supporting them and encouraging them through their theatre journey!

Mia Ha

Ghost of Christmas Future/Flapper
Recently introduced to the theater arts, this is Mia’s second production. She has taken on this new challenge with incredible enthusiasm. As an artist and designer, she brings a bold and detail oriented touch when embodying these characters. She is finding so much joy working in this team and with these directors. This is just the beginning. There is so much more to come!

Anaya Harris

Lucy/Title Cardier 1
Anaya Harris is a 7th grade homeschooler at the rebel alliance. She’s loves Theater and has performed in several plays! She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She loves all things transformers, voltron,horses, music,dancing and more!

Andy Higginbotham

Marley/Clerk
Andy Higginbotham is a sophomore at SILSA who is incredibly honoured to have been a part of this experience! They would like to thank their parents for ferrying them to every known corner of the universe, and their mentors for being so incredibly patient as they roll across the floor like a demonic child.

Maeve Higginbotham

Suffragette 1/Tiny Tim
Maeve Higginbotham is a fifth grader at Claxton elementary. She has been in four plays before this one, two of them being moppet plays and the other two school plays. She enjoys books, acting, mythology, and music and is very excited to be in this play.

Darcy Kinsey

Fred/Fezziwig
Darcy Kinsey once rescued a yoga instructor from drowning and now acts. And sometimes sings. His burps are legend. The end.

Banks Lang

Ghost of Christmas Present
Banks Lang is a fifth grader at Isaac Dickson Elementary in Asheville. You may remember Banks as Tiny Tim and Young Scrooge in last year’s Christmas Carol, and he has also appeared in a Denver, Colorado production of “Tangled.” Banks would like to thank his mom for “everything!”

Nova Marlin

Mrs. Cratchit/Banker
Nova Marlin is a lifelong theatre fan, and has appeared in several performances, including Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the Montford Moppets ‘A Christmas Carol’. A seasoned traveller, her acting has been inspired by numerous visits to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London and various theatre productions in London's West End. Her love of theatre has also been nurtured by the Montford Park Players, whose performances she has been eagerly attending since toddlerhood. An avid Dickens fan since a very early age, her family recalls the phrase "There's more of gravy than of grave about him" as one of her first spoken sentences.

Wilder Pennington

Bob Cratchit/Clergy
Wilder is so excited for their debut performance with The Montford Moppets. They love musical theatre, playing D&D, and hiking with their mom, Penny, and dog, Cappy.

Mirabelle Saricicek

Chief Mourner/Title Cardier 2
Mira Saricicek is a 7th grader who loves watching and performing in theater as well as roller skating, crocheting, playing her trombone, and trying to meet her life goal of petting every cat in the world.

Ayla Claypool

Director
Miss Ayla is a theatre artist, director, and producer who makes work in conversation with place, people, and presence. Her practice is rooted in physical theatre, Commedia Dell’Arte, and site-specific storytelling, with a strong disregard for the fourth wall and a deep belief that audiences are collaborators, not spectators. Ayla is Zelda Dearest’s resident Zelda Fitzgerald, a title that emerged after a past production in which she embodied Daisy Buchanan/Zelda Fitzgerald to examine the debated authorship, artistry, and musehood surrounding the great American novel The Great Gatsby. That work — and most of Ayla’s work — was not about nostalgia for the glittering era of the 20s. It was about fascinating women, their voices, their erasures, and their refusal to stay quiet. She is currently the director and lead teaching artist for The Montford Moppets’ Commedia Dell’Arte program, where she has built a troupe of young theatre-makers who have taken their artistry to the Carolina Renaissance Festival, LEAF Festival, and various markets and events around town. Ayla’s work often lives in unconventional spaces — bars, hotels, backyards, festivals — because she believes theatre should come to people rather than people coming to the theatre. She does not particularly like Christmas. She does love these kids

Adam Kampouris

Assistant Director
Adam Kampouris: Adam owes his lifelong love for theatre to the late director/educator Bebe Abel of Waynesville’s Spotlights Youth Theatre. A recent pursuit, made his directorial debut with the Montford Park Players’ production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will (May, 2025), also marking his first collaboration with artistic and life partner Ayla. Lovers and practitioners of immersive storytelling, it has been a thrill to collaborate again with both her and Zelda Dearest to bring this unique performance format to The Moppets. This one goes out to Bebe, with love, respect, and perhaps a fair share of karma ;) Thank you for supporting youth in the arts!.

Photos

Photo

Many Thanks

 

Moppets would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Zelda Dearest, who donated space, time, and support for this performance. What a wonderful staff and space! Please support them by visiting the bar or booking a stay in the future.

We would also like to thank Story Parlor for making their beautiful space affordable for our Christmas Carol rehearsals. Please support their efforts to be a community resource by checking out their offerings and performances!

Thanks to HART Theatre and Montford Park Players for providing many of our props and costume pieces.

Many many thanks to Paula Downey, who fed the feral children at nearly every rehearsal and who had volunteered tirelessly to help us make this show run smoothly. 

We would also like to thank the North Carolina Arts Council and ArtsAVL for our Grassroots Arts Program grant, which partially funded this show.

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