By Jared Lindell

 With the holiday season fast approaching, the atmosphere locally turns festive with people looking for opportunities to celebrate. There are a number of local institutions that provide an avenue for holiday fun with perhaps the most prominent being the Reg Lenna Civic Center. In a continued effort to provide entertaining performances, while capitalizing on the season of joy, A Dickens of a Holiday will be showcased for the third straight year at the Reg Lenna Civic Center.  

A Dickens of a Holiday is a performance program that is offered through the Drama Enrichment Program (DEP). The DEP, which is a program run through the Reg Lenna Civic Center, has an overall organizational goal to enhance learning of its students by providing training in the dramatic and performance arts, while challenging students to reach high levels of ability, creativity, responsibility, and discipline. The DEP has been performing A Dickens of a Holiday for six years now, with the past two taking place at the Civic Center due to the popularity and size of the show. 

The Drama Enrichment Program and, specifically, A Dickens of a Holiday showcases the talents of area students and adult performers. Additionally, the seasonal aspect of the show brings together all elements of drama, music, and dance to celebrate holiday traditions. The first act of the show features a special Christmas story each year, with the second act focusing on Christmas carols and upbeat dance numbers. With people of Chautauqua County looking for fun, festive performances this time of year, A Dickens of a Holiday will not disappoint.This year’s performance of A Dickens of a Holiday is scheduled for December 22. For more information on the performance, contact the Reg Lenna Civic Center at 484-7070.

In addition to the performance aspect of the show, A Dickens of a Holiday brings many people to downtown Jamestown. This provides a great economic boost for local shop and restaurant owners, as well as providing an opportunity for patrons to behold the beautiful and festive holiday decorations in downtown Jamestown. The show also provides a real-life performance situation for students of the Drama Enrichment Program to help them build on the skills they learn.

As with any performance of this scope, there are inevitably a number of costs including costumes, set design, technological needs, and advertising. As such, based on the community impact of this event and the benefit of providing a fun and entertaining performance for the entire community to enjoy, the Community Foundation awarded a Field of Interest grant to the Reg Lenna Civic Center to help with the costs of putting on the show. 

If you are feeling in a festive mood and are looking for a great way to celebrate the holidays on December 22, 2007, head down to the Reg Lenna Civic Center to see A Dickens of a Holiday.