The Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive is holding a free event Monday, December 16th from 7 pm-8 pm at the Chevy Chase neighborhood library.
Join WAPAVA’s Executive Director Bridget Grace Sheaff and Artistic Programming Manager Erika Scott to discuss and explore Ford’s Theatre holiday favorite A CHRISTMAS CAROL. With clips from the 2015 and 2018 productions, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic. Come get into the holiday spirit and learn about this family favorite.
WAPAVA is one of only three major continuous Actors’ Equity-approved video performance archives in America. WAPAVA is a resource for theater professionals and scholars; students and educational programs; specialized researchers in local/national theater history; and the public.
James Taylor founded WAPAVA in 1993 to preserve live theater performances, and he secured permission from the Actors’ Equity Association to tape professional stage performances in Washington, DC. In 2004, WAPAVA entered into an agreement with the Washington, DC Public Library (DCPL) and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library (MSPAL) at the University of Maryland to donate, assign, and transfer permanently the archive to MSPAL and to maintain a duplicate copy of the archive at DCPL. Prior to Taylor’s death in 2005, the archive was renamed the James J. Taylor Collection in his honor.
Since 1993, WAPAVA has produced over 1000 professional video recordings, representing a cross-section of DC-area theaters, from large and established to small and emerging. Productions are chosen for their historical/educational value.
Ford’s Theatre celebrates the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln and explores the American experience through theatre and education. During the Civil War, Ford’s Theatre was one of Washington’s top entertainment venues, giving Washingtonians a much-needed break from the realities of war. President Lincoln, who loved theatre, opera and Shakespeare, visited Ford’s Theatre on at least 10 formal occasions. In 1968, Ford’s Theatre officially reopened as a national historic site and theatre producing live performances. Today, Ford’s offers inspiring theatrical productions, interactive museum exhibits and engaging education programs. Here, you can immerse yourself in America’s past while finding meaningful connections to our world today. Ford’s Theatre is operated through a public-private partnership with the National Park Service. Ford’s Theatre has been presenting a production of Charles Dickens’ novella, “A Christmas Carol” since 1979.
Erika Scott is a member of the Ford’s Theatre Family where she serves as the Artistic Programming Manager. Her recent credits in the region include serving as one of the youth directors for the Ford’s Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, as well as Lady in Brown in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf (Anacostia Arts Center).
The Ghosts of Christmas Past: Ford’s Theatre’s A Christmas Carol, presented by The Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive takes place on Monday, December 16th from 7 pm-8 pm at the Chevy Chase neighborhood library – 5625 Connecticut Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC. Admission is free.
