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Show Editor: Scotl Iwasaki arts@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.113 FILMMAKER'S SHOWCASE The Park City Film Series' 5th Annual Filmmakers Showcase will screen films directed by Summit County residents on Dec. 9, in the Park City Library. Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Avenue, at 7 p.m. Admission is free. The event will also feature video screenings from the winners of the www.parkcitygreen.org video contest. AUTHOR SIGNING: GERALD ELIAS Associate conductor of the Utah Symphony and music professor Gerald Elias follows up his successful Devil's Trill with a new mystery set in the world of classical music. Elias will be at will be at Dolly's Bookstore, 510 Main Street, on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. JEFF DANIELS Actor and singer/songwriter Jeff Daniels has managed to create a body of work notable for its variety Having proven that he is not just an actor, but also an accomplished singer/songwriter, Daniels donates all proceeds from his CD sales to benefit The Purple Rose Theatre, a non-profit arts organization Daniels founded in Chelsea, Michigan. The show starts Saturday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Eccles Center. Tickets are S18-S65 and are available at www.ecdescenter.org or by calling (435) 655-3114. PARK CITY SINGERS CHRISTMAS CONCERT The first of three holiday concerts by this 60-voice community chorus, celebrating 15 years of bringing choral music to the greater Park City area on Saturday, Dec. 12, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 4595 N Silver Springs Drive. The program includes a Handel's Messiah sing-in, so bring your score if interested. Tickets available at Smith's Market, The Market, ColeSports, or at the door. GOOD BOOKS GROUP The Good Books reading group meets at the Park City Library on the third Thursday of the month from 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. On December 16, it will discuss the recent Newbury Award-winning novel "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. Hot chocolate will be served. Rent cheer Director Paul Tan helms the musical 'A Rented Christmas' By SCOTT IWASAKI 0/ the Record staff The Egyptian Theatre Company's production of "A Rented Christmas" is a foray into unfamiliar terrain for director Paul Tan. "I haven't done many musicals before and I'm not a singer by trade," Tan said during an interview with The Park Record. "So this is quite different for me and I rely heavily on different choreographers and music directors. Our musical director is Tanya Taylor and she is phenomenal with the music aspect of the production, and the singing is tremendous. "It's all about the team you put into place." he said. "As a director, directing is not all about you. You may be the head of the ship, but its the whole rest of the team that makes the real difference." "A Rented Christmas," written by Norman C. Ahern, Jr., and Yvonne Ahern. is based on a short story by J. Lillian about John Dale, a man who doesn't have a family, but wants a real Christmas. It tells how he rents a family and Christmas carolers from shop owner Anne Weston. "I read the play five to 10 times before I started getting a feel for what I wanted it to kind of look like," Tan said. "If I were to describe it visually, the play begins with a coldblue feeling, and over the arc of the story, it warms up as Dale slowly realizes what he's been missing is right in front of him. "What he doesn't realize is while he's trying to fill the hole in his life with a family, he really wants to fill the hole in his heart." The cast includes Nate Sears and Stephanie Ogden, who have extensive theatre and film experience. "Nate is a local actor and Stephanie is local to the region, but not so much to Park City," Tan said. "They are great actors in their own right and they make a great couple." One of the joys about directing "A Rented Christmas" is that the play, since it was adapted from a short story, doesn't have a lot of reference points. "It contains music that is based on recognizable Christmas carols," Tan said. "But a lot of the musical aspect also surrounds original music. So there is not a lot of preconceived PHOTO COURTESY THE EGYPTIAN THEATRE COMPANY "A Rented Christmas" is a story about John Dale who loses his family and tries to celebrate the holiday season with a family and a group of Christmas carol singers he rents from a shop owned by Anne Weston. notions of how it should be put together. The production is created from what we think it should look and sound like. And that's fun." When approached to direct a holiday play. Tan. a director who is also known for the Egyptian Theatre Company production of "The Follies," knew he wanted to do something different than the staple heartwarming holiday fare. 'The Egyptian was interested in doing a different Christmas play as opposed to the regular 'ChristmasCarol' kinds of productions," he said. "So we looked around and tried to find some different ideas." "A Rented Christmas" was discovered by one of the company's board members, said Tan, who immediately saw its potential. "I thought it was a great story that could always be told over again,'" he said. "There are a lot of the contrasts of our world that are some of the important aspects of the play. We have the rich and poor; the haves and have-nots, and we have those people that always seem to want something different in their life. "I've found life sometimes seems What he doesn't realize is while lies trying to fill the hole in his life with a family, he really wants to fill the hole in his heart..." Paul Tan Pircaer <>t A lu-nu d ( hnsinni\ funny and serious poignant parts of 'A Rented Christmas.' which is a play all ages can enjoy." Tan said the holiday season just calls for this sort of Christmas musical. "Everybody can see a piece of themselves on the stage and in this play," he said. "Everyone can relate to some degree to some of the characters or their situations. "When you see something you really like, it's usually because it reflects something inside of you, "Tan said. "This is true, especially in theatre, because it's something so personal and real (unfolding) right in front of you. "Compared to the modern day computer generated films out there nowadays that tell you what to enjoy, theatre allows you to make your own decisions about what you enjoy." to be almost more about what you don't have than what you have," he said. 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