Our second entry on Thanksgiving Day is for an experience…one we recommend each year for people in the Charleston, WV area.  Mark Scarpelli and Dan Kehde’s rock opera, MARY, a Charleston tradition, opens the day after Thanksgiving.

The Contemporary Youth Arts Company will present the 28th annual production of the Mark Scarpelli-Dan Kehde rock opera MARY at 7 PM November 29 & 30 and December 5, 6, and 7 with additional 2 PM matinees on December 1st and 8th at the Elk City Playhouse, 218 Washington St. W, Charleston. Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $8.00 for students and seniors and are available online at cyaccharleston.ticketleap.com. Early online ticket purchases are highly recommended.

To get you in the mood for this production by Charleston Youth Arts Company, you can sample a Radio Free Charleston playlist of clips from previous  productions in the video at the bottom of this post. This year MARY happens at the Elk City Playhouse at 218 W Washington St, Charleston, on the city’s historic West Side.

I’m going to quote from CYAC’s press releases for the rest of this post, but if you haven’t seen MARY: A Rock Opera, you really should…

The story of the nine months prior to the birth of Jesus Christ seen through the eyes of a young girl destined to be the most important woman in the Christian tradition, MARY has become a family friendly holiday tradition throughout the greater Charleston area.
Drawing talent from all over the greater Kanawha Valley, this year’s cast includes Maddie Wright in the title role, with Nik Tidquist as Joseph, Julia Carriger as the Archangel Gabriel, Erin Martin as Elizabeth, Rob Cleland as Zechariah, and Matty Connelly as Herod, along with a chorus of angels, and live accompaniment led by Lisa Peery.
The annual production began rehearsals in early October for the traditional opening night the day after Thanksgiving. A driving score and an ageless story continue to give audiences new insight to the days and months leading up to the first Christmas.

You might want to keep in mind that MARY is a wonderful experience that can make for a very nice early Christmas present for the theatre-lover on your shopping list.