Who doesn’t love “A Christmas Carol” or “The Nutcracker”? Still, wouldn’t it be nice to see a brand-new Christmas-oriented work on stage? Introducing “Replacing Prancer,” written by actor, director, dancer, choreographer and educator Tom Truss, who also happens to live and work in the Berkshires. Yay for new material, but what makes this production extra significant is that it’s the first time these two Berkshires venues — Dewey Hall in Sheffield and The Foundry in West Stockbridge — have collaborated and are co-producing the play. They will present a staged reading on December 8 at Dewey Hall and December 14 at The Foundry, with plans to return next year with a full-out production.

“Replacing Prancer” has been in the works since pre-pandemic, the result of Truss being challenged to write a better holiday show than the mediocre one his friend was appearing in. Although he’d done quite a few solo shows, he had to consider a theme that would make for a family play. After Covid slowed things down, he asked students in the advanced acting class at Monument Mountain High School to read the play. They liked it and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

“That was all I needed to dive back in,” he says. He finished the work in May and got good feedback when he shared it with theater professionals at The Foundry. The actors and audiences were eager to know when they were going to repeat it.

Looking for a way to bring the play to life, Truss suggested the partnership of the arts organizations, and a match was made.

“Tom is amazing at creating experiences that are really wacky and funny in some ways, but he always brings an element of heartfelt, thoughtful reflection,” says Maggie McRae, Dewey Hall’s manager. “Plus, it’s always fun to have new holiday content.”

The play is for all ages and begins with a crisis among the eight reindeer. Santa has a meltdown, and if the reindeer don’t resolve their issue, they might end up in a petting zoo. Aside from the shenanigans among the reindeer, the play is about more than Christmas. “It’s about loss, and accepting what’s in front of you,” Truss says. “We've all come through the pandemic, we’ve all lost someone. How do we make the adjustment?”

The Foundry’s owner, Amy Brentano, says “It’s a big piece, but fast moving, hilarious and intelligent, especially for a holiday piece.” She will be directing the show, and all eight reindeer will be played by local actors. A talkback following each performance will allow audience members to voice their thoughts, and for the producers to see if there is interest for next year. “We want as many people to see it as possible and give Tom feedback,” she says.

The choice of the two organizations as collaborators was an inspired one, and works on so many levels. Two towns. Two audiences. Two presenters of different kinds of programming but a similar mission of bringing the community together. Collaboration also helps to spread out the workload and share in the promotion.

“It’s a great idea,” says Brentano. ”Smaller arts organizations will only be able to survive if they’re supporting and collaborating with each other.”

Truss feels lucky that Dewey Hall and The Foundry have said yes to pooling their resources, instead of competing for audiences. And it’s inspiring that they are creating an incubator for local artists to make work.

“That’s uncommon in the Berkshires where so many cultural institutions focus on bringing in outside artists, yet don’t always support what’s in their backyard,” he says. “The Foundry and Dewey Hall are champions for supporting local artists.”

“Replacing Prancer, “ A Staged Reading
Dewey Hall: Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m.  
The Foundry: Sunday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.  
Tickets: $10; children 12 and under free.

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