Peppermint Creek Theatre Company Announces First Full Performance Since Pandemic

Peppermint Creek Theatre Company is proud to be premiering the first full, in-person production since the pandemic began in March 2020! All Is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914 will run December 8 – 11, 2021. The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man’s Land singing “Stille Nacht.” Thus begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music and peace. A remarkable true story, told in the words and songs of the men who lived it.

 All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 recounts an astounding moment in history when Allied and German soldiers laid down their arms to celebrate Christmas together, sharing food and drink, playing soccer, singing carols and burying each other’s dead. In some places along the Western Front the truce lasted a single night, and in others it endured until New Year’s Day. This dramatic re-telling weaves together firsthand accounts by 30 World War I soldiers with music including patriotic tunes, trench songs and Christmas carols. The cast includes ten local singers performing the 90-minute production completely accapella. This performance will be presented free of charge at four different community locations.

“Peppermint Creek has formally added “Community Partnerships” to its season planning structure, in an effort to more fully thread itself into the community and bring its programming to where audiences are, as opposed to asking them to always come to a theatre,” said Chad Swan-Badgero, Artistic Director of PCTC. “The last 20 months has allowed us to ask ourselves how we can continue to address our mission while bringing a theatrical lens to other community organizations and serve their missions as well. We are thrilled to be partnering with these four community organizations and bringing theatre to some unexpected places”.

“All Is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914” will be presented at these four community locations:

·  DECEMBER 8 - Sycamore Creek Church - Potterville (105 N Church St, Potterville, MI 48876)

·  DECEMBER 9 - Woldumar Nature Center (5739 Old Lansing Rd, Lansing, MI 48917)

·  DECEMBER 10 - Allen Neighborhood Center (1611 E Kalamazoo St, Lansing, MI 48912)

·  DECEMBER 11 - Carpenter Tree Farm (11243 Barnes Rd, Eaton Rapids, MI 48827) *(Note, this performance will be performed outdoors. Please dress accordingly).

Peter Rothstein, the creator of All Is Calm had this to say about the origins of the production, “I studied World War I in high school and college, but I don’t remember reading about the Christmas Truce in any of my textbooks. If I had, I certainly would have remembered. This extraordinary event took place in 1914, the first year of the war, and was never repeated. Thousands of men put down their guns and left their trenches to meet their enemies in No Man’s Land. They exchanged gifts of tobacco, rum and chocolates; even photographs of loved ones. They sang songs, played a game of soccer, and buried each other’s dead. Upon orders from above, they eventually returned to their trenches and re-instigated a war that would last four more years. So why did I not learn of this remarkable event? The propaganda machine of war is powerful, and news of soldiers fraternizing across enemy lines would put a human face on the Germans and readily undermine public support for the war. The heroes of this story are the lowest of the ranks — the young, the hungry, the cold, and the optimistic — those who acted with great courage to put down their guns, overcoming a fear that placed a gun in their hands in the first place.”

All Is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914 was written by Peter Rothstein, with vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takatch. The production is directed by Peppermint Creek Theatre Artistic Director, Chad Swan-Badgero and music directed by John Dillingham. Starring in the show are Ian Broughton, Ben Cassidy, John Dillingham, Tim Gates, Benjamin Hall, Patrick Harney, Jeremy Kratky, Matt Penniman, Nate Tykocki and Alex Wassom. This production is generously supported by Foster Swift, Collins and Smith PC, and Karen & Jerry Jennings.

All Is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914 will run December 8 – 11, 2021 beginning at 7:00 pm each night. The show is offered free of charge but RSVPs are required as seating is limited due to social distancing efforts. Tickets can be reserved at PCTC’s website, www.peppermintcreek.org. Patrons will be asked to remain masked when attending this event, regardless of vaccination status.