While Hollywood’s version of Ebenezer Scrooge gets the red-carpet treatment, a new documentary is turning the spotlight on the unsung road warriors who bring Dickens’ ghost story to life in small-town America. SPIRIT: On Tour with A Christmas Carol pulls back the curtain on the chaos, camaraderie and sheer exhaustion that precedes every curtain call.
World premiere planned in Orlando on November 8th, with additional premieres in Los Angeles and New York
There’s a curious scheduling coincidence for holiday entertainment fans this November. As Academy Award® Nominee Johnny Depp brings Ebenezer Scrooge to the silver screen on November 13th, a much scrappier, behind-the-scenes look at the same classic tale will hit digital platforms just days later. SPIRIT: On Tour with A Christmas Carol debuts on November 17th, chronicling the trials and tribulations of a national touring company determined to bring the joy of A Christmas Carol to small and medium-sized markets across America.
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Beginning November 17th, viewers can stream the documentary on pay-per-demand through Amazon.
Directed and produced by filmmaker and actor AJ Jones, the film shadows a company of actors, musicians and technicians who have just 12 days to prepare an entire national tour. The staggering assignment: perform 20 shows in 25 days, log 7,600 miles of travel and connect with 20,000 audience members along the way.
Audiences typically see only the polished final product on stage. SPIRIT exposes everything that happens before the lights go up — rushed rehearsals, last-minute cast shakeups, equipment breakdowns, endless highway hours and the bone-tired reality of spreading holiday cheer night after night while sleeping far from home.
The documentary anchors its narrative in three deeply personal journeys. Cody Taylor, an actor from Lexington, Kentucky, tackles his first leading role as Ebenezer Scrooge, shouldering both the physical toll of the production and the weight of humanizing a character audiences think they already know. Shanna Stoker Henson returns to performing after years away and three surgeries for endometriosis, questioning whether her body can endure the grind of the road. Stage manager Jeff Brozovich (“Broz”) labors behind the scenes to hold the production together, making countless invisible decisions. Rounding out the cast is Gideon McManus, an actor and theatre-focused content creator with more than 3 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.
Drama strikes early. When the actor portraying Jacob Marley departs due to a family emergency, the company scrambles for a replacement. After another stand-in doesn’t work out, David Casey — the play’s director — steps into the role himself, saving the show just ahead of a major performance at Dickens on The Strand in Galveston, Texas.
In the story, Marley is Scrooge’s deceased business partner who returns as a ghost to warn his former colleague against repeating his mistakes and to herald the arrival of three spirits. Offstage, Casey shares a different kind of tie to the production: he is the stepfather of Jeremy James, the film’s executive producer and owner of Entertainment Central Productions, the company behind the tour.
“Audiences buy a ticket to see A Christmas Carol, and it’s our responsibility to deliver that experience, whatever challenges arise behind the curtain,” said James. “When David stepped into the role of Jacob Marley, he helped keep that promise. SPIRIT gives audiences a chance to meet the people whose commitment makes this production possible.”
For Jones, who embedded with the company through rehearsals, performances, van rides and hotel stays, the project evolved into a meditation on why theater artists keep returning to a profession that demands so much personal sacrifice.
“I watched people struggle, laugh, get frustrated, adapt, and take care of one another,” Jones writes in his director’s note. “I watched a group of individuals become a family because they had chosen to build something together.”
SPIRIT represents Jones’ second feature-length directorial effort. His debut, The Curse of La Patasola, follows two couples whose camping trip turns into a survival battle after they encounter a terrifying creature from Colombian folklore. Jones directed, co-wrote and starred in the supernatural horror film, distributed by Vertical Entertainment, which ScreenRant ranked No. 1 on its list of “10 Best Horror Movies Based on Latin American Folklore.”
Produced by Entertainment Central Productions and distributed internationally by Bayview Entertainment, SPIRIT: On Tour with A Christmas Carol runs 109 minutes. The film kicks off with a planned world premiere in Orlando at The West Orange Cinema at 12:30 p.m. ET on November 8th, followed by premiere events in Los Angeles and New York.
To watch SPIRIT: On Tour with A Christmas Carol on pay-per-view, visit Amazon beginning November 17th. For the trailer and additional information, visit https://spiritthedoc.com/.
Why it matters: This documentary reminds audiences that live theater is a human endeavor — fragile, messy and miraculous in equal measure. In an era when streaming dominates entertainment, SPIRIT celebrates the enduring power of in-person performance and the dedicated artists who make it possible, one small town at a time.
Kerrie Levick
Creaxion
kerrie@creaxion.com
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SPIRIT: On Tour with A Christmas Carol Trailer
