While the moral tales of Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey might be popular for many locals at Christmas time, Olympic Theatre Arts’ actors turn to Martians to help Sequim get in the holiday spirit this December.
They stage the 1964 B-movie adaptation of “Santa Claus conquers the Martians” on OTA’s main stage through Dec. 21 with shows at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, visit olympictheatrearts.org, or call the box office 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays at 360-683-7326.
Executive Director David Herbelin said their Programming Committee has been considering running the show for a few years now as they’ve wondered “what’s not being done.”
“You’re not going to find this anywhere else around here,” he said.
Martians, from left, Colby Thomas as Kimar, Nick Bell as Dropo, Greg Bova as Hargo, and Ginny Holladay as Voldar brace to land at the North Pole where they plan to kidnap Santa in “Santa Claus conquers the Martians.”
To set the intergalactic plot, Martian parents Kimar and Momar (Colby Thomas and Rebecca Maberry) find that the children of Mars are in trouble because they are distracted by Earth television and do not want to partake in their typical activities.
So Kimar turns to 800-year-old Chochem (Liam Patterson) for his wisdom, who in turns advises them the children are distracted by Christmas, so the Martians surmise they must kidnap Santa Claus to build a workshop on Mars.
Director Kyle LeMaire said the show incorporates the cheese and silliness of the campy movie while keeping its joyfulness and adding updated references.
“Even though it’s the Martian landscape, it’s still the idealistic 1960s TV family,” he said. “It’s very relatable even though they have antennas.
“They still have that search for joy and magic that is Christmas.”
Thomas said his Martian character seems to change the most through the show.
“I think you can get stuck in a rut and think that the grass is greener somewhere on the other side, and then you realize it doesn’t so much matter what you have, it’s that we just need to make something special about what we have,” he said.
“It’s the spirit of Christmas; that’s what they were missing that whole time.”
News reporter Andy Anderson (Greg Bova) interviews Santa (Joel Swenning) at the North Pole as elves Finky (Arwen Osborne), Winky (Rayna Buggy), and Stinky (Rain Nelson) make toys.
With the movie being public domain, the show’s organizers have made some practical changes, such as reorganizing a few scenes to better the story’s flow.
Herbelin said where he moved from in California, they continue to make the show an annual tradition and have used a lot of improvisation.
Thomas said LeMaire has been great about helping the actors relax and try things out on stage.
“It’s just fun seeing what naturally comes out of that,” he said.
“It’s a lot of ‘let’s see where this takes us’ in a very skeletal, bare bones way, and he says ‘surprise me.’”
“Santa Claus conquers the Martians” features several child actors, both as Earthlings, elves and Martians in key roles.
“It’s been a blast,” LeMaire said. “The kids have been great!”
Thomas said he decided to try out for a role after his 10-year-old son Beckett showed an interest in trying out after participating in “The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood.”
In the show, Billy (Beckett Thomas) and Betty (Willow Kilcullen) must help Santa (Joel Swenning) save Christmas on Earth and bring its joy to Mars.
OTA incorporates some painted set pieces along with multiple screens to show animated scenes in space, Earth and Mars, Santa’s workshops, along with video news reels, a “Star Wars” opening crawl, and more.
Organizers said they make good use of the theater’s new speakers, and they’ll open each show with a few Christmas carols to warm up the audience.
Other actors in the show include Pete Griffin, Greg Bova, Rayna Buggy, Rain Nelson, Arwen Osborne, Nick Bell, Ginny Holladay, Sasha Larson, Judy Griffin, and Sasha Larson.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Martians Kimar (Colby Thomas) and Voldar (Ginny Holladay) channel their inner Three Stooges for a scene in “Santa Claus conquers the Martians” at Olympic Theatre Arts.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Actors and directors prepare the last scene in “Santa Claus conquers the Martians” at a recent rehearsal.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Kimar and Momar (Colby Thomas and Rebecca Maberry) consider the best way to help their Martian children go back to their usual ways after watching too much Earth television.
