I'm here in Goshen at Ignition Music Garage, and I'm here with Ben, Alex and Andrew.

And first of all, Ben, people might recognize you from being on a very popular game show that's on an evening that requires you to be very smart.

So you were on that for quite a while as well, on jeopardy!

Is that right?

So you were on there.

I had a pretty good run on jeopardy!

Yeah.

You did.

Okay.

That's what gives you all the free time now to be able to do shows like this.

Now I'm just I'm just writing the trivia.

Hi.

Yeah.

Productions.

And so we're not here today to talk about how smart you are, but we're here today to talk about a VHS Christmas carol.

So tell me about that.

And why are we doing this here in Goshen?

Yes.

So a VHS Christmas Carol is a one act musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol, and we are doing it as a benefit show for The Window, the food bank here in Goshen.

Nice.

And I know that they've been through a lot recently as well, which a lot of people know about.

So they really need the funds at this time and really need the support, which is probably one of the reasons why you chose them.

Yeah, absolutely.

We had actually started planning this before, some of the challenges they faced this year, but even more glad now that we're able to offer them a little extra support.

I know there's already been a bunch from the community.

Alex, what's it like being married to such a genius?

Does he remind you often, or I have to remind him more, I think, oh, is that what it is?

Oh, he's too humble.

Yeah, he's a little humble.

And it's better now that we're done taping jeopardy, I think.

Yeah, yeah, that you actually get to see each other.

Yes.

And and so when it comes to this show, what's your role in this and what are you bringing to it?

So I am the stage manager as well as a few other things, but primarily stage and production management.

And what I do is I kind of oversee all the people and make sure everyone is safe and healthy, and having a good time and having their time respected.

I helped scope out all of our actors and our designers and technicians for this as well.

I'm kind of just the people manager, and then on the day I'm the one standing in back calling all the shots, making sure we all do what we said we were going to do.

Nice.

That sounds like life there.

Really?

You're just keeping them on track.

Andrew, what's it like working with a couple?

No, no, I'm just kidding.

Tell me a little bit about the show, because I know you got to see it in Chicago.

So what?

You both did, right?

You both got to see it.

So tell me a little bit about the show.

What can people expect?

Because it's a little bit different.

It is.

So this is a show by StarKid productions.

They are a theater troupe that began at the University of Michigan all the way back in 2009.

Some folks might know them from some of their early work.

They did a lot of parody musicals, especially their Harry Potter musicals.

They branched out into a lot of original pieces in the last 5 or 6 years, and this is one of them.

They actually put it up in LA in 2021 and released it on YouTube in 2022, and they've since done two full productions of it in Chicago.

We were lucky enough to see one of them, so they released the rights for it last year, and we thought it was just a perfect piece for the type of show we wanted to put on.

Yeah, and Ben, it's a perfect venue for that kind of feel, right?

Because tell me a little bit about it.

Like a lot of synthesizers and, you know, that kind of 80s feel going on with this.

Right.

So and this seems like a pretty good place for that.

Yeah.

It's fun to do a synthesizer focused show in a cool music space like mission.

It's also, you know, we didn't want to do this in a 600 seat theater where you're sitting 70ft away from the action, like we're on stage, and the audience is going to be right here when we're performing this.

And there's a lot of moments in this where you want to feel that energy.

You want to feel that connection to the actors.

Yeah, perfect space to do that.

I love it, I'm sure if it does go well, and then there is an opportunity to put it in front of 600 people next year.

I'm sure you'll do that too.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, but it is really cool.

And Alex, when is this happening?

And obviously around Christmas.

Right.

So.

Sure.

Yeah.

So we open on December 11th.

We will run the 11th, 12th and 13th.

All shows will be at 730, but it's only about 45 minutes.

So it's a nice tidy evening.

And yeah we will we're looking forward to seeing everyone here.

That's perfect.

When I hear people say they went to a concert on the arches performed for like three hours, I'm like, that sounds like my worst nightmare.

I can't sit still.

Like I'm like, shiny thing, like, you know?

And so.

So that sounds perfect.

It sounds like a real nice evening.

And I've got a three year old and a seven month old so I could be home by nine, so that even sounds better.

And and again, with this space, Andrew, what are you hoping to bring to this space and use it for?

Because I know you were even talking about, like, all the cassettes over here and you're like, oh, I wonder if we could bring them into the show somehow.

So it gives us a lot of opportunities.

We're lucky enough that there is a lot of, a lot of concerts put on in this venue.

So for the type of show it is, we are lucky enough to have some lights and some effects in place and a stage ball and a disco ball.

But in terms of kind of keeping with the static that was in their original production and just the 80s synth pop theme, we're going to be doing some interesting Christmas decorations in here.

Nice.

Where the audience is going to be sitting.

No one's going to be far from the action.

They'll be involved.

They'll be right up close.

So it's going to be a lot of fun.

We're looking forward to it.

It's funny because that 80 sound, when I was younger, for some reason, it was like nails on a chalkboard to me.

And now the older I'm getting, the more I like love 80s music and I love that sound.

So I don't know if that is that a thing that happens a lot of people is that when you know you're starting to get older, when you start to love 80s, but there is something about it now when you listen to the music and the recordings and the arrangements, I'm like, it goes in cycles and a lot of it is present in pop music right now, like the these sort of 80 synth sounds.

If you listen to Sabrina Carpenter's music, they've got this like big juicy pads happening.

It's I definitely won't listen to her, but I try my best.

You know, I used to work on radio and I was like, oh, I have to play Justin Bieber again.

Like, I'm going to quit.

So I quit after I had to play him again.

But but now I get it.

And even like the weekend and stuff like that, they are just the weekend.

It started to use it as well.

And, and when it comes to the tickets, Alex, what is the cost and is 100% of the proceeds go to the window or how is that working out.

So sure.

So all ticket sales there will be $10 a piece and they will.

Every penny of it goes to the window.

Yeah, we are keeping nothing for ourselves, and any extra donations that come in are also all going to the window.

I love it just because we really feel that this is a good show for caring about your community and think it's a very straightforward way to do it.

And again, Ben, why are you so passionate about the window?

And I know you all are, but like, what is it about the window that you really wanted to choose them and not choose one of the other nonprofits in Goshen?

Sure.

You know, the window has been a a, a food bank mainstay for Goshen for a long time.

You know, they they went through some challenges this year.

It's been really cool to see the community rally, to support them and make sure that those services are continuing to be offered.

Yeah.

You know, food insecurity goes up during the holiday season.

The weather takes a turn.

It can be difficult for people who don't have access to a place to stay.

And so we wanted to make sure that we were doing our part to support the important work that the that the window does.

And again, $10 for a ticket is really like, you know, it's it's an inexpensive evening out.

Yeah.

Right now.

So and I love that so and and where can people get tickets.

Sure.

Well you can't get them at the door.

We do encourage you to go to Ignition Music tickets.

They will have tickets available for this production.

Well that's great.

And I really do hope people do get tickets in advance.

It's always great to know when it's going to be busy.

It's exciting.

Don't wait until at the door.

Just do it online.

Andrew.

When it comes to this story at Christmas Carol, people know that is this different?

Does it stick with the actual traditional story just in a different way?

Or like tell me a bit about that, because I know you're a bit of an expert on the actual story.

So.

So believe it or not, it actually pulls a lot directly from the Dickens text, despite the fact that it sounds like it's a parody.

This is not a parody show.

It is a very straight retelling of Christmas Carol.

Yeah, it's a very more upbeat, again type of music.

It is is more upbeat, generally speaking, but all the hard hitting parts are just as hard hitting.

All of the story beats and elements from the original are there.

So it's I think that matters to people when they care so deeply about a story like that, you know, you don't.

I mean, some people might want to go to something that's a parody, but I think of it stays true to the actual story.

I think it's a lot more fun to see what you've done with it, as opposed to just changing it.

So I love that.

So all right.

Net slash tickets is where you can get the tickets.

It's going to be here at Music Garage which is here in Goshen.

And yeah thanks for putting it on.

Thank you.

I know you're putting all this time in and you're doing it so that you can help other people, some that you'll never meet.

And I think that like really matters.

So thanks so much.