HFC Fine Arts programs collaborate on ’Twas the Night Before Christmas classic radio play

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Through a collaboration between HFC Recording Arts, Media Communication Arts, Music, Theatre, and WHFR-FM Radio, the College is re-creating the beloved holiday classic, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” to debut in late December.

“HFC’s Fine Arts programs are proud to re-create this short holiday program from the classic age of American radio,” said HFC Director of Theatre Dr. John-Michael Sefel.

Sefel has worked closely with HFC Director of Music Anthony Lai and HFC MCA Chairperson/WHFR-FM General Manager Susan McGraw on this holiday radio program. “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” will be broadcast on WHFR-FM on Friday, December 19, at 1:00 p.m. WHFR-FM is HFC's award-winning, independent, non-commercial broadcast radio station, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this month.

The show will also be broadcast several times during the WHFR Winter Season Celebration, which runs from Wednesday, December 24, at 10 a.m. through Friday, December 26, at 10 a.m.

“It has been a joy to collaborate with our music and theatre colleagues on this cozy radio interpretation of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, presented with love for our broadcast community through WHFR-FM’s holiday programming,” said McGraw. “Our performers brought such heartfelt enthusiasm to the project, and it was a delight to guide students in discovering the magic of character creation through voiceover, making this warm and nostalgic story the perfect Fine Arts collaboration to share with our listeners during the holiday season.”

Exciting challenges for performers

HFC’s version of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” stars the voices of HFC students Adam El-Zein, Logan Taro, Alese Baskin, Alexsys Giraud, Jovon Jawad, and Trent Chadwell, as well as HFC alumna Vanessa El-Zein.

“I’ve never done voice acting before, so stepping into this world is a new and exciting challenge for me. The story is incredibly heartwarming, and I am grateful for the opportunity to explore this art form while working alongside such talented people,” said Vanessa El-Zein, who voices Mrs. Claus, Mother Mouse, and Sally.

Chadwell voices the Grandfather Clock and an elf. This marks his first time since his senior year at Trenton High School that he’s been part of a performance.

“It just feels good to act,” said Chadwell. “Everything fell together perfectly."

Taro voices Teddy, Billy Mouse, and Spangles the Elf. He has taken several of Sefel’s theatre classes.

"Diving into the minds and voices of different characters is such a great experience,” said Taro. “I've begun working on a career in voiceover acting, and I love exploring different personalities and how to express them through the way they speak."

A brief history of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”

In 1823, writer Clement Clarke Moore anonymously penned the Christmas poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The poem has influenced how Christmas is celebrated:

• It is largely responsible for many conceptions of Santa Claus from the mid-19th century to the present.
• It is the first time Santa Claus’ reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner (originally called “Donder,” which will be the name used in the HFC production), and Blitzen – are named.
• It has had an impact on the history of gift-giving during Christmas.
• It has been set to music and recorded by numerous artists over decades.
• It has been adapted into two television specials that first aired in 1974 and 1977.
• It has been recited in numerous Christmas movies from 1989 to 2016, including Prancer, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Reindeer Games, and Falling for Christmas.
• A 2002 Hallmark movie of the same name chronicles a town’s annual Christmas Eve courtroom play debating the poem’s true authorship.

Vaudeville actress/screenwriter/children’s show host Nila Mack served as the Director of Children's Programs at CBS from 1930-53. She adapted the poem into a play, which aired several times with various changes from the 1930s through the 1950s.

“The script is still basically what Nila Mack wrote, though with some basic tweaks by me, and with all the various collaborators bringing in their own creativity and spirit,” said Sefel. “It was recorded in the HFC studio exclusively for WHFR radio to broadcast."

First collaboration between Theatre and MCA

Sefel and McGraw had been discussing possible “theatre of the mind”-style collaborations between Theatre and MCA for several months. While brainstorming some creative projects for the future, they decided to start with something small, and decided on “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

“It was a sort of proof-of-concept to see if it was something we could pull off. WHFR has their well-loved holiday programming, so we thought a nostalgic look at classic radio theatre made perfect sense,” said Sefel. “Using Mack’s script as our jumping off point, we worked with theatre students to create this short, fun, feel-good piece. We also brought in Anthony and his music students to create sound effects. It's given us all a chance to get our feet wet as we begin to imagine what might be possible for future semesters. It's been a great first experience, and one I'm hoping that WHFR's audiences and especially children will thoroughly enjoy."

For questions or more information about “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” contact Sefel at jsefel@hfcc.edu or McGraw or scmcgraw@hfcc.edu.