*** CHRISTMAS COMPETITION *** And now for something completely different … again!

Christmas is eight weeks on Wednesday. Hopefully that isn’t too much of a shock but if you’re struggling with gifts for that tricky relative or friend then this blog might just help you out.

“A Christmas Carol” was written by local chap Charles Dickens back in the 1840s and first published on 19 December 1843. Dickens was influenced by the changing Christmas traditions (like the introduction of Christmas trees) and it seems as though the western world is going through some Christmas changes too. In a world of consumerism, where most things are at your door at the touch of a button and within 24 hours, more and more businesses are cropping up that provide gift experiences, or just an experience for you!

Get out of my Space (GOOMS) is a theatre production group specialising in putting on the unusual,. Run by local Tobias Cornwell. he and his cast were behind summer successes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The 39 Steps”. Whilst “The 39 Steps” experience was just a play (and a very funny one at that), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was combined with food, an immersive dining experience, with food prepared by the chefs from the I’ll be Mother kitchens (The Beacon, Kingdom, The Twenty Six etc) held at the perfectly ethereal Kingdom in Penshurst.

I interviewed Tobias about their next project, “A Christmas Carol” to be staged in The Beacon’s beautiful Grand Pavilion (really is stunning) for which he’s kindly given me some tickets to offer to you!

How and why did you decide upon “ A Christmas Carol”?

“So the idea to do this production came about from the success of both The 39 Steps and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Both productions were great successes for different reasons, we wanted to see whether we could combine the best elements of both performances into one show.
Weaving the food and theatre together during A Midsummer Night’s Dream was received extremely well as a complete ‘evening out’, and although it was a fun evening, the fast-paced comedy of The 39 Steps was at another level. So when I came across a version of A Christmas Carol which was adapted for stage by the same writer of The 39 Steps, I was very intrigued.”

What can theatre-goers expect from this version of a classic Dickens?

”I read the script and it was perfect. It gave us the opportunity to bring together a classic story and a meal, but in an unconventional and unexpected way. The script keeps together the story we all know and love, but is adapted in a way which keeps it fresh, fast paced and feeling brand new.
We are keeping this feeling of combining the conventional and unconventional through the food as well. With a classic Christmas dinner being served during scenes in the performance, we are hoping to have the audience leaving feeling festive and full!”

How have you put the Gooms stamp on this production?

“The journey of the performance will hopefully blur the traditional lines so there is no feeling of ‘lights up, performance begin’ and the whole night flows perfectly as soon as you step into the Grand Pavilion. We will welcome you into a loud and excitable Christmas party in the tent, encouraging everyone to dress up as festive as they can, and the performance will begin very organically. The first course will be served during the first scene in a very carefully chosen place, the main course is going to be blended with the last scene of the act and the interval to create a seamless transition to focus on the food and friends around you. Pudding will then be served in a similar style to the starters, involving it carefully into the story.
We don’t want this to be an evening of polite theatre watching and eloquent dining, we want the audience to feel right in the middle of the action and be swept up in an amazing evening of fun festivities!”

Sounds good, right? I think this would be great for a team Christmas night out, a night out with friends or just a special night for you and a partner. The production is running from 3-7 December at The Beacon’s Grand Pavilion in Tunbridge Wells.

Would you like some tickets?! Well, of course you can purchase them from the Gooms website but Tobias has kindly given me two tickets to giveaway….well., I say giveaway but, call me Scrooge, you need to answer a question first!

How many ghosts visit Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic tale of “A Christmas Carol”?

You can comment on the website, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as many times as you like to up your chances.

Closing date is next Friday 1 November at noon.

Go and good luck!