This year’s Prairie Arts Council Children’s Christmas musical, “A Winterhaven Christmas,” by local playwright Rachel E. Gorenz-Johnson, was written especially for PAC’s young actors and was first performed on the PAC stage in 2009.  As the play begins, six young cousins are stranded at their grandmother’s house in the country over the holidays; they venture into the attic to explore and find a book hidden in a locked trunk. As one of the children reads the book out loud, they suddenly find themselves face to face with the daughter of an Archduchess, a wicked sorceress, and one of the Sorceress’ minions, who step right out of the book into the dusty attic. But when the sorceress disappears, the Archduchess’ daughter remains in the attic and one of the children is gone, taken captive by the sorceress. With the help of their grandmother and more colorful storybook characters, the children set about on an adventure to return the Archduchess’ daughter to her home and free their lost cousin.

The cast includes Alexis Alt, Sophie Alt, Luke Bowen, Libby Boyles, Faustina Bystry, Kimberly Imsland, Addison Carr, Maggie Davis, Keegan Fogarty, Erah Goodale, Phillip Goodale, Trent Goodale, Trinity Hanson, Makayla Heller, Alexis Jacobs, Bianca Lanham, Cearra LaPlante, Joelle LaPlante, Emma Mavity, Audrey Nelson, Emily Rabe, Reese Reviglio, Ashley Richardson, Brennan Roden, Chloe Sampson, Isabella Tisdale, Krysten Walowski, Payton Walowski, Ashten Wilson, Brandon Wray, Lilly Wray and Camryn York.  

The show is directed by David and Shelley Gorenz.  Directors’ Assistants are Abby Davis and Asia LaPlante, and choreographers are Mia Bowen, Abby and Maggie Davis, and Emma Roden, all former children’s theater performers.  The accompanist is Cheryl Bebej, who accompanied the first several Children’s Christmas Musicals at the Prairie Arts Center.

The Prairie Arts Council is supported in part by grants from the Illinois Fine Arts Trust and the OmniArts.