East End-Based Theatre Company To Host Holiday Readings

Hampton Theatre Company (HTC) has added a surprise last minute addition to its 32nd season. On Friday, December 9th, Saturday, December 10th and Sunday, December 11th, HTC will present Joy to the World – holiday stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Isaac Bashevis Singer, O. Henry and other notable writers, read by members of the company. The shows will take place at Quogue Community Hall.

“The Hampton Theatre Company celebrates the holidays with a selection of delightful stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Isaac Bashevis Singer, O. Henry and many more accompanied by festive music and delicious treats,” noted Sarah Hunnewell, Executive Director of Hampton Theatre Company.

The pieces will capture many of the emotions one can feel during the holidays – joy, sadness, surprise, anticipation, love, amusement and more. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle brings an air of mystery to the evening, as well as the beloved Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, while Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Zlateh the Goat transports you to a Jewish settlement in Poland in the days leading up to Hanukkah. Additional readings will include O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magic and The New York Sun’s Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus. The performance will also explore the surreal firsthand story of the Christmas Truce in the trenches of World War I.

Several HTC veterans, including Matthew Conlon, James Ewing, Terrance Fiore, Amanda Griemsmann, Sarah Hunnewell, Diana Marbury, Joe Pallister, Ben Schnickel and Tristan Vaughan, will be featured in Joy to the World, which will be directed by Hunnewell and Ewing.

As you wait for the performance to begin, holiday music will help you get into a festive mood. Tunes will start a half hour before the readings and be played during scene transitions. And, the Quogue Triangle of shops and the Quogue Gallery will host a pre-show “Holiday Cheese and Cheer” reception for each performance.

Performances will take place on Friday, December 9th at 7 p.m., Saturday, December 10th at 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 11th at 2:30 p.m. Tickets to Joy to the World are free for HTC subscribers, $15 for all adults, and $5 for students 21 and under.

Quogue Community Hall is located at 125 Jessup Avenue in Quogue. For more information, call 1-866-811-4111 or visit hamptontheatre.org.