The Christmas season has arrived and
on its tail is the “Santaland Diaries,” which
began a four-day run yesterday in I.G. Greer Arena Theatre.
“This is an encore performance of last year’s
production. Last year we sold out and we wanted to give people
the chance to see it again,” Stage Manager and senior
Mandi S. McCallister said.
McCallister said the “Santaland Diaries,” originally
written by David Sedaris, is a one-man show, performed by
junior Jesse R. Gephart, and tells the story of David Sedaris
experiencing life as an elf. The audience will be taken through
the process of applying, interviewing, training and practicing
to be an elf in Macy’s Santaland.
McCallister said it shows the trials and tribulations Sedaris
goes through as an elf dealing with the adults and kids visiting
Santaland and the different Santas and elves he works with.
“It’s very autobiographical of David Sedaris’
encounters as an elf,” McCallister said.
“The humor is in your face, crude and no one is spared.
You will probably be made fun of through the course of the
night,” one-man performer Gephart said.
“Someone in the audience will find humor in the show
because it relates to them,” Gephart said.
“My introduction to the ‘Santaland Diaries’
was through my friend, who did this show in Raleigh for two
years, and I ran lights for him,” Gephart said.
Gephart said last year they weren’t able to do a new
play festival, which was the Play Crafters’ fundraiser.
Gephart proposed the “Santaland Diaries.”
McCallister said this year the show’s changes are mostly
minor, but Gephart’s costume is completely different.
“I just wanted minor changes to happen in order to
keep it fresh because … I don’t want to give
[the people who saw it last year] the same show,” Gephart
said.
“This a well-written show, and for one person it’s
a lot to take on, but Jesse does it wonderfully,” Assistant
Stage Manager Thomas J. Miller, a senior, said Monday.
“I love working on this show, it’s absolutely
hysterical. You have those favorite parts that make you laugh
and I laugh every time,” McCallister said.
“This show is absurdly funny, yet I warn people it
is not your everyday Christmas story filled with holiday
cheer and joy. This show is not for children, it contains
adult content, but anyone who has an open mind about in-your-face-humor,
this is the show for you,” Gephart said.
“This will be a good break from the stress of final
exams,” Miller said.
The night begins at 8 p.m. with the New Play Festival first.
The “Santatland Diaries” will run approximately
an hour to an hour and 10 minutes.
Admission is $4 a person. The ticket includes performances
of the New Play Festival and Santaland Diaries.
The performances are a fundraiser for The Play Crafters.
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