After four years of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” magic, the St. Dominic Crusader Players shook up tradition this past weekend with the performance of “A Christmas Story.”

The fan favorite movie follows the story of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his ultimate Christmas wish- a Red Ryder BB gun. Watching this movie is a special tradition for many families and it was awesome to bring this classic film to the stage.

Freshman Patrick Klassen stepped into the leading role in his first show ever.

“I really loved this opportunity to be in a great show with a group of such amazing and talented actors,” said Klassen.

Patrick especially enjoyed being a part of his very first show with his older sister, Maria.

“I was thrilled to get to work with my brother in his first show ever. I am so proud of him for all of his hard work and the talent and confidence he had onstage. It was pretty funny to get to play his teacher and boss him around onstage… as my mom said, I’ve ‘been preparing for that role all my life,’” said junior Maria Klassen.

Along with the cast, technical director Mr. Jake Emge and his crew also had a lot to do. With smoke, snow, crazy kaleidoscope lights and other awesome effects, this performance was quite a feat. This show also had quite an elaborate set, taking over 14 hours to build and 4 hours to tear down.

“This show was the first one where a lot was expected of lights, sound and technical direction. There was a bit of challenge with it; however, it made it that much more rewarding when the final product came out almost perfect every night,” said senior and assistant technical director Payton Eggering.

The show-stopping special effects created an extra air of magic that, along with the iconic storyline and great performances, drew out huge crowds every night.

“We were sold out almost every night, which just goes to show what a great program we have here. I could not have asked for better performances from the actors and crew,” said Mrs. Findley.

All in all, Christmas Story was a great way to bring Christmas cheer to the SDHS community.