By Emily Masuda
Special to the Express
Stories on Stage Davis will release the eighth episode of its all-podcast eighth season on Saturday, Dec. 26, with Louisa May Alcott’s holiday story “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came to Be True,” read by Marcia Gollober. In Alcott’s story, a well-off little girl named Effie — who has everything a 10-year-old could want and expresses her blasé attitude toward Christmas — reads “A Christmas Carol” and dreams about bringing the spirit of generosity to those who have less than she does. As her mother pulls off the Christmas surprise of Effie’s dreams, the story speaks to the infectiousness of giving: the warmth we can stir in each other’s hearts in the coldest, darkest season.
Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) was an American novelist, short story writer and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Little Men (1871) and Jo’s Boys (1886). Raised in New England, she grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. (Adapted from Wikipedia.)
Reading Alcott’s story is Marcia Gollober, who is making her first appearance with Stories on Stage Davis. In the earlier part of her acting career, Gollober appeared in “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” (Lucy), “Oliver” (Bet), “Hello Dolly” (Ermengarde and Minnie Fay), among others. After she retired in 2017, she reconnected with her love of theater. Since then she has appeared in “My Fair Lady” (Mrs. Eynesford-Hill), “It’s A Wonderful Life” (Mrs. Hatch), “Annabelle Broom,” “The Unhappy Witch” (Lydia- Elly nomination), “Rumpelstiltskin Game of the Name” (Rumpelstiltskin- Elly award), “Jingle Argh the Way” (Swill), and “Curious George and the Golden Meatball.”
The Stories on Stage Davis podcast airs new episodes every second and fourth Saturday, and its eighth season will run from September 2020 to June 2021. Upcoming and past episodes, as well as ways to support the series can be found on the Stories on Stage Davis website. Stories on Stage Davis is a sponsored project of YoloArts, a non-profit arts organization.
For more information, and to listen to the podcast, visit http://storiesonstagedavis.com/.
