Watching live theatre is a singular experience. Unlike pressing play on a familiar DVD, we go to plays waiting for the unexpected to happen. Sets, props, timing, and memory are tested under great pressure—and when it goes off without a hitch it feels nothing short of miraculous. (And even when a few kinks are being worked out on stage, it’s even more special to see how the actors handle a little improv!) The important thing is that the audience has been a part of the moment, and that same energy won’t be reproduced, even in subsequent performances.

Still, there is a different audience motivation behind going to see a production of something brand-new, such as Wooden Snowflakes by playwright-in-residence Catherine Bush, and that of a classic story such as A Christmas Carol. With the former, there is suspense in watching the story unfold—how will this strong-headed woman who crashed her car on an icy road in Kentucky react to being forced to spend Christmas Eve at a the house of a simple woodcarver dressed as Santa Claus? With the latter, the audience already knows how Scrooge’s behavior will be affected by visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future—but the suspense lies in how the story will be told.

The Barter Theatre’s A Christmas Carol largely stays true to the Charles Dickens story it was adapted from, both in plot and Victorian costume. But the narration is delivered remarkably—by fellow characters dropping in and out of the foreground. The cast even participates in making sound effects while visible on stage: chains are lifted and dropped by cast members with each step taken by Jacob Marley, and sheet metal is shaken to re-create dramatic thunder. Also impressive was the use of groups singing a cappella throughout the production—so realistically incorporated that you almost believe music was that spontaneous and well-rehearsed back in the 1840s.

Now there is some solo singing and impressive whistling in Wooden Snowflakes, too, but the effect is more subtle, the result of awkward interaction between two individuals thrown together in the middle of an ice storm. Each has endured a life filled with loss and yet one, Eve Lawson, has become a cynic and the other, Simon Peter Whitaker, remains an optimist. She’s a realist who survives by drawing boundaries and avoiding frivolity; he revels in small miracles, honoring the traditions of Christmas for the simple joys they bring.

It’s an allegory on one hand—begging audience members to ask which category they might fall into themselves, the believer or the unbeliever—and on the other, a touching story of healing as the result of a seemingly fated meeting. Wooden Snowflakes is about taking opportunities, about looking for the good in people, and opening yourself up to the everyday miracle of human relationship.

Being a morality tale, A Christmas Carol definitely requires the viewer to think about his or her level of generosity and the legacy one leaves behind, but of the two, I think Wooden Snowflakes probably speaks more closely to the difficulty of keeping the Christmas spirit alive today. How many of us are fed up with the obligatory gifts and visits the holidays can bring and yet still secretly crave something heartfelt and magic to happen?

Whether you choose the larger, more elaborate classic production of A Christmas Carol, or the intimate, two-person Stage II production of Wooden Snowflakes, you won’t be disappointed. Both productions will warm the heart and bring a tear to the eye. Better yet, see the matinee of one and the evening performance of the other. Tickets to the Barter Theatre are a gift-experience that won’t be soon forgotten.

The Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia, is located at 127 West Main Street in Abingdon. Contact the Barter for times and ticket prices: 276.628.3991 or www.bartertheatre.com.

Taryn Chase starred in three high school musicals, none of which was actually High School Musical. She’s also Managing Editor of the New River Voice.