MANSFIELD, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The Renaissance Performing Arts Association is delighted to present One Night, One Man Christmas Carol, a one-of-a-kind holiday event featuring Renaissance Artistic Director Michael Thomas. The performance will take place on Friday, December 12, 2025 at 7:30pm in the Ghostlight Lounge, the Renaissance’s speakeasy located in the former historic lobby.

About the Show

A Christmas Carol

A One Man Performance of Profound Depth, Intense Passion, and Any Other Adjective You Can Think Of

A Christmas Carol By Chuck Dickens

That being a mostly improvised retelling of the classic story, complete with props, wigs, puppets, historically inaccurate references, audience participation, prizes, Totino’s Pizza Rolls (limit one or if we run out none per customer), singalongs, plum pudding which always sounds good but is actually just a lard-based fruitcake, games, dancing, (in your seat), and holiday cheer, (overpriced drinks at the bar.)

Content warning: This performance contains no nudity, red dye #3, gluten (unless you get a Pizza Roll), or any real entertainment value. No animals were harmed in the making of this performance. Unless they were in the Pizza Rolls.

Written, directed, produced and barely memorized by Michael Thomas, who will portray over 250 different characters, (individuals and crowd scenes), as he brings to life one of the most cherished and beloved stories in the public domain where no lawsuits or copyright restrictions apply.

Seating is very limited and is reserved for people who buy a ticket. All proceeds go to benefit the Renaissance Theatre Fund To Pay Our Bills.

About Michael Thomas

Michael Thomas (Director) has directed nearly 100 productions on the Renaissance stages, including Hello, Dolly!, Grease, Follies, Something Rotten!, The Music Man, Once, Hairspray, Dreamgirls, Les Misérables, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, The Light in the Piazza, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Cinderella, Ain’t Misbehavin, Sister Act, Ragtime, A Chorus Line, Mamma Mia, Newsies, White Christmas, Rock of Ages, Matilda, Avenue Q, Mary Poppins, and Chicago.

Originally from New London, Thomas attended the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College and Wright State University before heading to Chicago, where he musical directed national tours of The Secret Garden and Once On This Island, co-wrote Hamlet: The Musical with Jeff Richmond, performed with The Second City, and received three Joseph Jefferson Awards for his theatre work. His original musical Melancholy Baby opened New York City’s acclaimed Ars Nova Theatre in 2002.

Thomas has premiered numerous original works at the Renaissance, including At Last: An Evening with Etta James, The Last Act, Hot Mess: A Lethal New Musical, Remember Me Always: Highschool Yearbook 1977, The Unforgettable Marvelenes, Twilight Gardens, and the Ren Studios film Heartaches. He also leads the Renaissance’s nationally recognized Emerging Artists Program, housed at Theatre 166, which fosters new works for stage and film.

Get Tickets

Every ticket purchased helps sustain arts programming, education, and community outreach at the Renaissance—keeping the magic of live performance thriving in our region.

Tickets are available online at Rentickets.org, by calling the Renaissance Box Office at 419-522-2726, or in person at 138 Park Avenue West in Mansfield. Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and tickets are available 24/7 online. Seating for this performance is limited, so early reservations are encouraged.