Holiday Favorite A Christmas Story to Open December 13 at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County | Arts & Culture

Camden, SC—December 5, 2012—One of the all-time favorite holiday movies turned stage production, A Christmas Story comes to life at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County (FAC.) Performances will be Thursday, December 13 through Sunday, December 16. Show times are at 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and a 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Directed by Frank Thompson and produced by Bryant Herring, this Camden Community Theatre production is sure to be a favorite with Camden audiences. Tickets to the production are $15 for adults and $12 for students, seniors and military. A Christmas Story is sponsored by Powers Funeral Home.

• About the play

 Written by Philip Grecian and based on the movie by Jean Shephard, A Christmas Story takes place in the 1940s in the Midwest and follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself, at a local department store. Of course, the response is  "You'll shoot your eye out!" There will be some familiar scenes such as the boys' experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; Ralphie's father winning a lamp shaped like a woman's leg in a net stocking; and more.

• The cast

The cast includes David Wilhite as the adult Ralphie, who narrates the show; Henry Kerfoot as young Ralphie, Bettie Beaty as Mother, Bill DeWitt as the Old Man, Louisa DeLoach as Randy, Benjamin Watson as Scut Farkas, Peggy Lane as Miss Shields, Zac Willoughby as Flick, Luke Meinyk as Schwartz, Ella Rescignio as Esther Jane Alberry, Sara Hendrix as Helen Weathers and William Antley as Red Ryder. Other cast members include Chip Summers, John Carrington, Don Jackson, Hank Kerfoot, Janet Brooks Holmes, Harry Little, Katrina Brickner, Michelle Brickner, Libby Kerfoot, Gabbi Magee, Robin Saviola, Lynne Summers, Juliana Willoughby, Tiffany Maples and Emma Ruth Maples.

"With our production of A Christmas Story, our goal has been to present a fresh, new look at a modern classic. There are certainly a few winks to the movie, as there most certainly should be, but there are also some differences between the two which have been lots of fun to explore,” says director Frank Thompson. " Above everything else, I hope our audiences leave with the warm feeling one gets after having paid a happy visit to an old friend."

For more information or tickets call 803-425-7676 extension 300 or visit the FAC website at www.fineartscenter.org.  The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County is located at 810 Lyttleton Street in Camden. Box office hours are Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and Thursday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

The Fine Arts Center is funded in part by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by the City of Camden, Kershaw County, and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina along with donations from businesses and individuals.