12/25/2020
James Taylor
2011: The year the Taylor family played the Cratchit Family in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" at home in the Berkshires:
"We look at these photos and they instantly brought a lump to our throats. Our boys, Henry and Rufus, were 8 when they first auditioned for The Berkshire Theatre Group's production of "A Christmas Carol". We thought it might be a good experience, not seriously thinking they would be cast. James and I were there, to accompany the boys, when Eric Hill jumped up and said to me "At last, an age appropriate Mrs. Cratchit!!" Still not sure how I should take that! And there is no one as gracious, brilliant and persuasive as the incomparable Kate Maguire from the Berkshire Theatre Group. James joined the production a few years later, having been (type)-cast as the quintessential Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's put-upon and humble clerk.I remember the snowy nights driving to rehearsal, first in Stockbridge and then in the gem of the restored Colonial. The boys would try to cram for Latin exams in the backseat in the dim light of the passing streetlamps. There is perhaps no better representation of what it means to be part of the Berkshire community than to participate in an endeavor like this.
Being part of a cast--being part of something greater than oneself is a feeling like no other. It's a lesson in acting, performance, and turning over one's own ego to the greater good, in this case, a tight-knit ensemble.
"A Christmas Carol" feels painfully relevant today--perhaps never more so. Dickens might be surprised how many of his words still ring true. And as we approach this holiday season--unlike any we have lived through--we leave you with the words of Tiny Tim:
God Bless Us, Every One!"
Kim and James
Berkshire Magazine, December 2020
Photos: Ken Regan
