Director Laura Buchanan, along with music director, Jeff Buchanan cordially invite you to audition for this true Christmas tale that will make audiences laugh and maybe shed a tear too. 

Audition dates September 17 & 18
Show Dates December 8-10 & 15-17

The Christmas Schooner transforms the historical fact that ships braved the dangerous Great Lakes to bring Christmas trees to Chicago, into a generational tale about the importance of family traditions and the challenges immigrants face in meeting a new country and culture. It personifies these issues in the microcosm of the Stossel family. Grandpa Gustav Stossel still clings to his Germanic roots, while his forward-looking daughter-in-law, Alma, embraces the new world, refusing to allow German to be spoken in the house. Amid holiday festivities, a letter arrives from a cousin in Chicago who says how it’s nearly impossible to get a Christmas tree in the city and how a generation of German Americans will grow up without experiencing the tradition of the tannenbaum.

Alma’s husband, Capt. Peter Stossel, wrestles with his love for his family and his desire to bring the tannenbaum into the lives of others, even if it means risking his own life.  Peter decides, against his wife’s wishes, to cut Christmas trees and bring them to Chicago running the risk of the treacherous Lake Michigan winds in late November.

Schooner demonstrates the spirit of togetherness, help and sacrifice that fuels the hearty Midwestern ethic.  Along with fun music and times of humor,  this historical story is told with genuine sentimentality and a feeling of goodness and sacrifice that runs through these characters.

Roles:
Peter Stossel – 25-35yo; 4 songs
Alma Stossel – 25-35yo; 6 songs
Gustav Stossel – 55-60yo (German accent); 3 songs
Karl Stossel – Double Cast 9yo & 15yo; 2 songs each
Martha – 25 – 40yo; 1 song
Sailors/Storytellers – Rudy, Oscar, Steve, Hans – varying ages; 4 songs
Mary Claire -10yo; 1 song
Questions please contact: Laura Buchanan
lnpinks@aol.com