Much ado at WRC Theater: from summer camp to ‘A Christmas Carol’

Warwick Reformed Church (WRC) Theater Company’s summer camp wrapped its productions of Moana and Moana Jr. this July, and is now the theater gearing up for the holiday season. On Thursday, September 1, auditions were held for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “A Christmas Carol.”

Director Margaret Tench, a longtime actress and Orange County resident, teamed up with her church to create WRC Theater Company in 2013. Her goal? To empower local children to build and showcase their talents while giving back to the community.

“We don’t charge ticket prices, we collect free will during each performance and usually the audience is very generous,” explained Tench. WRC Theater then passes those donations along to charities and nonprofits such as the Backpack Snack Attack, Warwick Ecumenical Food Pantry, Charity Water, Tunnel to Towers, and the Warwick Humane Society.

The program revolves around kindness and generosity, and aims to create a “warm and family-like” atmosphere for the actors, said Tench.

WRC Theater Company’s holiday shows will be held at Warwick Reformed Church in December. The Junior Company will be performing “A Charlie Brown Christmas,’’ while the Senior Company will be performing “A Christmas Carol.”

“My favorite show is always the next one,” said Tench. “I look forward to having an incredible experience this fall.”