For half a century, seeing A Christmas Carol at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater has been a holiday touchstone for local theatergoers. Families return year after year to watch Ebenezer Scrooge discover the power of kindness and redemption.
However, the milestone anniversary came with an unexpected challenge: The Rep’s new Wauwatosa production center sustained roughly $7.5 million in damage during the summer’s historic flooding, wiping out decades of stored props and scenery. Among the casualties was the entire set for A Christmas Carol dating to artistic director Mark Clements’ first spin on the show in 2016.
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“All of the scenic elements of A Christmas Carol were destroyed,” Clements says. “Some props did survive, but probably 50% had to be new.”
After tallying up their losses, the Rep’s staff members had a decision to make. They could either scale back their 50th-anniversary production or leap into action to replace everything they’d lost. Fortunately, they had learned how to pivot quickly during the pandemic and decided that they were up to the task of replacing the damaged items in time for opening night. New sets were fabricated in Calgary, Canada, and donors stepped forward with emergency support.
For Clements, that sense of generosity echoes Dickens’ own themes. In his 2016 adaptation, he aimed to balance faithfulness to the text with accessibility for modern audiences. He streamlined plotlines and added flourishes like the falling snow, while emphasizing Dickens’ warnings about poverty and inequality. “I really wanted to hang on to the social commentary side of it,” he says.
Now, the company is treating the moment not just as a recovery, but as a celebration. Starting Nov. 25, audiences will see the same show they know and love, but with the added knowledge that the production itself is a testament to the resilience and generosity that can be found in community.
“We expect everything to be exactly the same from the audience’s perception,” Clements says. “That’s the miracle of it.”
This year is Mark Clements’ 15th anniversary as the Rep’s artistic director. In that time, he moved the company out of the resident acting model “because I was looking for more diversity,” he says. Clements has also championed large-scale, visually spectacular productions – like In the Heights or Come from Away – that appeal to audiences of all ages. As the Rep launches its next chapter in a new facility, Clements remains energized. “As long as I’ve got the ability and desire to never sit on our laurels,” he says, “I feel I’m where I want to be.”
