November 6, 2021
Gerald Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, will return to Mid-Continent Public Library this holiday season for his annual rendition of A Christmas Carol. During his one-man performance, Dickens leaps, laughs, and sobs as he portrays the voices of nearly all the characters, and his energy and striking resemblance to his ancestor bring the classic to life. Registration is required for Dickens’ in-person performances at mymcpl.org/Events. The events will be held with limited capacity, and local COVID protocols will be followed.
A Christmas Carol with Gerald Dickens, A Very Special Engagement, will be held:
Saturday, November 13, at 7:00 p.m. – Liberty Performing Arts Theatre (1600 S Withers Rd, Liberty, Mo.)
Sunday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m. – MCPL’s Midwest Genealogy Center (3440 S. Lee’s Summit Road, Independence, Mo.)
Sunday, November 14, at 7:00 p.m. – MCPL’s Colbern Road Library Center (1000 NE Colbern Road, Lee’s Summit, Mo.)
Virtual Option: Select performances will be livestreamed on the Library’s YouTube channel.
A professional actor in England, Dickens has been performing for MCPL audiences for nearly three decades. This year, in addition to A Christmas Carol, Dickens will perform a new show about a deadly 1865 rail crash that claimed 10 lives but might have faded from memory if not for one celebrity survivor, novelist Charles Dickens. The program The Signalman with Gerald Dickens, A Special Engagement, brings these haunting memories to life and previews Gerald Dickens’ forthcoming book about the accident: Dickens and Staplehurst: A Biography, Recounting the Disaster and its Effect on Charles Dickens.
Registration is also required for The Signalman at mymcpl.org/Events. The events will be held with limited capacity and following local COVID protocols on the following dates:
Friday, November 12, at 7:00 p.m. – MCPL’s Woodneath Library Center (8900 NE Flintlock Road, Kansas City, Mo.)
Saturday, November 13, at 2:00 p.m. – MCPL’s Midwest Genealogy Center (3440 S. Lee’s Summit Road, Independence, Mo.)
Virtual Option: Both performances will be livestreamed on the Library’s YouTube channel.
Following the Signalman performances, there will be a Q&A session with Gerald Dickens. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive a discount code to purchase the Dickens and Staplehurst book upon its release.
In addition to Dickens’ performances, the Library is offering a host of other virtual holiday programs for all ages this season. Find more information about each of these programs and register at mymcpl.org/Celebrate.
