![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karole-Foreman-by-Rob-Mainord-Photography-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCreated from the mind behind last year\u2019s winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Play (\u201cCrevasse), MRS. CHRISTMAS lights up the holidays in Southern California with another world premiere from playwright Tom Jacobson. Directed by Karole Foreman, a multi-award-winning musical theatre notable (Richard Rodgers and Ovation Awards, Jonathan Larson, and Edgerton Foundation Grants), MRS. CHRISTMAS will definitely bring holiday lights into your life.<\/p>\n
This brand-new take on holiday traditions delivers some savory entertainment for adults. MRS. CHRISTMAS stars Linda Libbyand Cody Bianchi (with Michelle Merring taking over Libby\u2019s role during the last week of performances). On December 15, 2025, Karole Foreman kindly agreed to tell us something about this unique new holiday tradition in the making.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Karole Foreman \u2013 Photo by Rob Mainord Photography<\/p>\n
HOW DOES THIS SHOW CHALLENGE OR PLAY WITH TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY THEMES?<\/p>\n
Karole Foreman: I love MRS. CHRISTMAS because it is not your typical holiday entertainment. It is a show for those of us who aren\u2019t completely jaded but maybe still a bit ambivalent about the holidays. It\u2019s for grown-ups. It\u2019s about our parents and about our kids and the legacies we inherit and the ones we leave behind.\u00a0 It\u2019s not about having it all figured out, but still doing the best with what we\u2019ve got. It\u2019s about those not so rosy holiday memories; but, somehow, we still manage to hold out hope for reconciliation \u2013 not only with the holidays but with family members with whom we may not have seen eye to eye on everything. And, okay, it\u2019s still about hope and love.<\/p>\n
WHEN DID YOU FIRST CATCH THE THEATER BUG? WAS THERE ANY ONE MOMENT THAT SENT YOU DOWN A CAREER PATH IN THE ARTS?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Mrs-Christmas_-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Linda Libby \u2013 Photo by Rhyan Michele<\/p>\n
KF:\u00a0 I first caught the bug, or at least had an inkling of the power of storytelling, when I was in sixth grade in Virginia. I was very shy and had experienced a lot of racism growing up, so standing in front of a group of people and talking was a terrifying proposition for me. In any case, we had to write and read an original story out loud in front of the class. I found myself becoming lost in the story; and at one point, it felt as if everyone in the room was leaning in to listen to me. When I referred to something in the back of the classroom, everyone turned to look at what I was describing. I had never felt anything like that before. For the first time I had the experience of feeling like I was the same as everyone else. That we were all in communion together, breathing and laughing together, sharing an experience. I couldn\u2019t articulate it then, but I understood that it was the first time that people weren\u2019t looking at me and judging me or trying to hurt me. It was the first time I felt safe in a space with other people who were all different and felt equal. Later, my family moved to San Diego, and I went to a combined junior high and high school.\u00a0 Stepping onto campus, there was so much diversity, so I wasn\u2019t a minority anymore. I ended up taking a Reader\u2019s Theatre class, puppetry class, and acting. My high school teacher, Susan Shattuck, was an incredible mentor who exposed us to so much, laying the foundation of what would become professional practice for me. Becoming a professional actor didn\u2019t really click until I did a production of \u201cLittle Shop of Horrors\u201d at the San Diego Rep in 1988. Having the opportunity to work with professional actors made me realize: \u201cOh, people can do this for a living! That\u2019s what I\u2019m gonna do.\u201d<\/p>\n
HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AS AN ACTOR\/SINGER INFLUENCED YOUR DIRECTING STYLE?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Mrs-Christmas-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Linda Libby \u2013 Photo by Rhyan Michele<\/p>\n
KF:\u00a0 That\u2019s an interesting questions because my teacher in high school not only had us acting \u2013 but we all had to write our own material, direct, work on scenery, lights, and costumes.\u00a0 She told us it was important to understand the value of the entire team\u2019s contribution to production. So, I don\u2019t necessarily see the creative work that any of us do being that different. We all must know what the story is. What are the specifics of the time, environment, culture, the people of the time? Of course, you have to learn the technical language of your production team as well as an actor\u2019s language. I have had the great fortune to work with some extraordinary director\u2019s like George C. Wolfe, Kent Gash, Glenn Casale, Gregg T. Daniel, Timothy Bond, Wren T. Brown, Saundra McClain, and Casey Stangl, to name a few. And I have loved watching them work, trying to absorb everything I could. I found that it is important to be prepared, to do my dramaturgical research, to do the investigative deep dive into the script, to respect the writer, to have a vision, but also to be open to my team\u2019s expertise and artistry. To respect and trust my actors and my team. Leaving the ego and personal drama out of the room and creating a space where people feel safe to do their best work. I have had to reach back and remind myself of the times directors made me feel the most empowered, inspired, and encouraged. At times, I have had to kick my behind to help me do my best work. Also, I went back and completed my graduate work a few years ago at CSULB with a focus on teaching acting and directing; and I am so grateful for that training.<\/p>\n
WHAT DO YOU FIND UNIQUE ABOUT TOM JACOBSON\u2019S WRITING?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Mrs-Christmas-_-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Linda Libby \u2013 Photo by Rhyan Michele<\/p>\n
KF: Tom\u2019s writing is exciting. I love the breadth of his imagination and his love of language. He is so fantastically smart, and every page is a meal. His work is visually and culturally rich. We have been waiting for almost 40 years to work on something together, and this has been such a joyful and creatively fulfilling experience.<\/p>\n
WHAT HAS DIRECTING TAUGHT YOU ABOUT YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST?<\/p>\n
KF: That I am stronger and more resilient than I ever thought. It has reminded me that I absolutely love being an artist. That I don\u2019t need anyone\u2019s permission to make art (but we definitely need the financial support to do a lot of it, and we are immensely grateful to those who do support it). That I love collaborating with people. That I thrive in the arts community.<\/p>\n
ONCE YOU GOT INTO REHEARSALS, WERE THERE ANY STAGING CHALLENGES THAT SURPRISED YOU? DID TOM WORK WITH YOU DURING THE PROCESS?<\/p>\n
KF: The staging challenges were working in the small space because the stage at the Aurora is only 12\u2019 X 14\u2019.\u00a0 However, I knew it would be the perfect space for an intimate piece like MRS. CHRISTMAS. There were a multitude of props that our actors had to navigate as well as some technical ideas that needed to be trimmed down or eliminated. But everything worked out because we always had to do what best served the story. It was great to have Tom in the room. He is incredibly collaborative, and I loved the way we communicated with each other.\u00a0 He is also the repository of all kinds of random ideas and details about the Midwest, Lutherans, and Krumkake, for which I will always be grateful. I appreciated how much he trusted me and the team with his play.<\/p>\n
DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER PROJECT THAT YOU\u2019RE WORKING ON IN THE FUTURE?<\/p>\n
KF: There are a couple of things I am looking forward to.\u00a0 Some friends and I are working on a big band arrangement of a holiday song (and music video) that we wrote last year called \u201cSanta Zaddy.\u201d I am currently writing two musicals and working on a jazz chamber piece of a section from \u201cThe Iliad.\u201d I am also heading up to Santa Maria to do \u201cCome from Away\u201d at PCPA and Solvang. And I would love to do more directing.<\/p>\n
MRS. CHRISTMAS runs THROUGH December 15, 2025, with performances at 7 p.m. on Fridays, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays (added performance at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 15). Aurora Theatre is located at 4412 East Village Road, Long Beach, CA 90808. Tickets are $37.50 (students $20, seniors\/military $30; Mondays, $20. Groups of 10 or more $25). For information and reservations, go online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Created from the mind behind last year\u2019s winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7974,12853,131,133,132,10239,52878],"class_list":["post-96377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-classical-music","tag-jazz","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-opera","tag-splash-magazines-worldwide-is-your-destination-for-in-depth-culture-coverage-including-theatre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}