CHICAGO (WLS) — Holiday magic fills Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater this December with the return of Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol for a limited run, December 12-28.

Featuring hundreds of handmade puppets, immersive sound design and a stunning live score, Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol is a holiday show unlike any other. Every ticket comes with a special interactive post-show experience on the Studebaker stage, where audiences are invited to step into the magic of the show-including hands-on puppetry demos, conversations with the cast, set tours and festive photo ops.

Tickets for Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol are now on sale starting at $45, with student discounts available with proof of ID. Performances are on Fridays, Dec. 12, 19 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, Dec. 13, 20 and 27 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, Dec. 14, 21 and 28 at 2 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, Dec. 24 at 3 p.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit fineartsbuilding.com/christmascarol.

In Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, avowed holiday skeptic Aunt Trudy has been reluctantly recruited to carry on her late husband Joe’s tradition of spreading Christmas cheer. Alone in her Chicago home on Christmas Eve, she reconstructs his annual Christmas Carol puppet show over a Zoom call, while the family celebrates from afar. But as Trudy dives deeper into the story, the puppets take on a life of their own and the family call transforms into a breathtaking, one-of-a-kind cinematic reimagining of Dickens’s classic ghost story.

This beloved one-of-a-kind rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic story is co-produced by the Studebaker Theater and Manual Cinema.

“We are delighted to welcome Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol back to the Studebaker,” says Jacob Harvey, Managing Artistic Director of the Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater. “Manual Cinema’s uniquely imaginative adaptation has become the perfect holiday tradition for the Fine Arts Building, which has been Chicago’s cultural hub for 127 years. This Christmas Carol is a truly magical experience and we look forward to sharing it with audiences of all ages!”

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