The Art of Giving
Tyler Ilgen as Jim and Clarence Felder as O. Henry
IMAGINE SEEING O. Henry, the twentieth-century raconteur and humorist, live on stage in Charleston. Well, it’s happening December 22 and 23 at the Dock Street Theatre where O. Henry himself will recount The Gift of The Magi, his touching Christmas story about the true nature of love and giving.
On one end of the stage you’ll see O. Henry (the pen name of William Sydney Porter) in Pete’s Tavern—where the author is said to have written the story—mingling with a group of musicians.
That would be the Chamber Music Charleston quartet who, in addition to demonstrating their musical talents, will exercise some burgeoning acting skills; surely a feat not to be missed.
On the other end of the stage you’ll see the main characters, Jim and Della, enacting O. Henry’s tale. Deeply in love but with little money, they each want to give the other a special Christmas present. But there’s only way they can afford to do it in this heartfelt lesson about love and life.
CMC quartet
This production is more than just a stage play. It’s a collaborative effort that has become a signature art form of the tandem of South Carolina Actors’ Theatre and Chamber Music Charleston— a combination of drama and music that you usually see only in movies.
As the story unfolds on stage, live music envelopes the action and appeals to your emotions. It is a different kind of theatre experience. And in this case the music has also been carefully selected and arranged by Chamber Music Charleston’s Director, Sandra Nikolajevs, to suit the story as well as the spirit of Christmas.
Learn more for yourself in this short interview with S.C. Actors’ Theatre Director Chris Weatherhead, Chamber Music Charleston Director Sandra Nikolajevs, and O. Henry himself, actor Clarence Felder:
For ticket information, visit ChamberMusicCharleston.org
NOTE: you can also hear Chamber Music Charleston in a special Classical Kids Concert at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, Dec. 23 at the Dock Street Theatre (check our calendar).
