Sam Macrides ’18: There is one tradition that comes around each December, one chapel in particular that excites every student and faculty member in the Middle and Upper schools: the Scrooge chapel. Every other day, students and faculty at EA flock to the chapel for inspiring speeches, empowering discussions, and new perspectives, but this chapel has been an annual celebration at EA for as long as anyone can remember and is always largely anticipated.
The whole production begins with Theater and Dance Department Chair, Dan Clay, who first thinks about what characters from today’s culture may be funny to see portrayed in the chapel and also, what teachers would fit the roles. Many roles never change, but the ones that do are portrayed by different and varying faculty from the Middle and Upper schools. Seeing these new adaptations of the characters every year is usually one of the most interesting aspects of the chapel, but the element of surprise truly gets everyone excited. The whole cast is sworn to secrecy about the details of the skit, and the rehearsals are extremely low-profile as if the members are working undercover. That being said, people do not hesitate to give Clay recommendations and ideas about what could happen in the skit, and he even admits that often the characters are not his idea, but rather the ideas of people who approach him.
Photo Courtesy of Michael Leslie
Clay said, “Theatre, even if it’s just a twenty-minute Chapel skit, brings a community together. Everyone’s experiencing a story being told at the same time, live, and in the moment. If it’s interesting and exciting, we share that emotional experience together. Add to that the fact that the audience is watching their teachers let loose and have a little fun. I love the tradition because it’s all that, plus it’s unique to our community.” The committed cast of characters put in such an effort to make the skit enjoyable for the audience, and often the cast changes their own scripts and edits the dialogue to get it exactly right.
Sarah Baker, Chair of the English Department, can attest to this. Baker attended EA and returned to work here, giving her a total of twenty two Scrooge chapels under her belt. She admits that now as an adult she understands more of the jokes and looks forward to seeing her colleagues in the different roles. Not only has she witnessed the skit many times, she was also a cast member as Sarah Palin a few years ago and a caroler with the faculty singing group last year. These experiences reveal how much work is put into this chapel through the consistent rehearsal schedule and dedication of the cast. Even if the skit is funny, it is still taken seriously by Clay and the cast members.
This skit has become ingrained as a cultural tradition for the EA community. Baker said, “As much as the country has turned to early celebration of holidays, this often feels to me like the first Christmas tradition of the season. Sure, the decorations are up in stores, but this feels like a rite of the season which makes it so special.” The spirit of the chapel is always strong among the faculty, whether they are in the cast of the show or not, but the festivity of this chapel is not reserved for faculty only.
EA students always await the Scrooge chapel excitedly. Many say this skit is one of their favorite chapels of the year. “You can feel the anticipation in the chapel before every ‘ghost of Christmas’ appears to Scrooge. Then, every pew bursts into laughter as a teacher emerges in costume with an accompanying soundtrack,” explained Bella Echevarria ‘16. “Every Scrooge Chapel is memorable. It’s a tradition that I look forward to every year.