Hot off their sold-out runs of A Streetcar Named Desire and Short Plays: Lauder Made, New City Players begins its 9th season with a world premiere by local playwright and ensemble member Tyler Johnson Grimes, titled The Last Christmas.

Fans of New City Players’ last two holiday productions will see continuity between this new play and 2022’s It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play and 2023’s A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play.

For one, The Last Christmas brings us back to WNCP Studios, the fictional Fort Lauderdale-based radio station founded by Freddie Filmore in the 1930s and made famous for its live radio broadcasts.

To recap: In 2022, audiences enjoyed WNCP’s 1947 magical live radio production of It’s a Wonderful Life. In 2023, we jumped ahead to 1971, where things got groovy—and a little meta. Freddie Filmore’s children, Alastair and Frances, have inherited the radio station, and Alastair is ready to sell. After the broadcast of A Christmas Carol, he plans to shut it down—until he has his own Christmas Carol experience during the broadcast! For those immensely interested, check out the WNCP timeline, which highlights major historical moments for WNCP from 1938 to 1998.

Johnson Grimes penned the WNCP-specific adaptation of A Christmas Carol last season, and this year, he created the wholly original play The Last Christmas, where WNCP finds itself at the turn of the millennium on Christmas Eve 1999. The biggest change? Radio plays are a thing of the past, and the station now has a flagship program: “Calling Claire” (a young Claire Phillips played a key role in the 1971 A Christmas Carol broadcast).

The Last Christmas invites you to tune in once again to WNCP Radio. It’s December 24, 1999, and Eve Hart finds herself alone at the mic for the first time, filling in for the legendary host of Calling Claire. As anonymous callers share memories of love, loss, and a little holiday magic, Eve and her close-knit crew of radio misfits discover that sometimes the heart of Christmas isn’t wrapped in a bow—it’s found in unexpected moments and imperfect connections. Set against a backdrop of Y2K jitters and ’90s nostalgia, this third and final entry in our WNCP trilogy reminds us that even in the face of uncertainty, a shared story can help us all find our way home.

In addition to writing the script, Johnson Grimes returns as sound and foley designer. Producing Artistic Director Timothy Mark Davis will direct the production, and the cast includes WNCP regulars Carlos Alayeto, Caroline Tarantolo*, and Marlo Vashti Rodriguez*, along with newcomers to the WNCP universe: Casey Sacco*, Susanna Ninomiya, Summer Davis, Harold Petion*, and Nick Valdes (*denotes NCP Ensemble member).

New City Players has planned some exciting post-show events that take audiences Beyond the Stage:

• Opening Night Reception: Enjoy libations, baked goods, and bites with the cast and creative team immediately following the show! December 7 after the 8 p.m. show.
• Friday Carolers: Enjoy live caroling from the Yuletide Carolers plus complimentary holiday libations immediately following the show. December 13 and 20.
• Secret Santa Saturdays: Bring a wrapped gift ($15 or less) for a post-show gift exchange! December 14 and 21 (8 p.m. shows only).
• Sunday Talkbacks: Dive deeper into the process of bringing a new play to life with the cast and creative team after every Sunday performance. December 8, 15, and 22.
• Pay What You Wish Preview: This special “pay what you wish” performance offers tickets from $5–$25. Friday, December 6, at 8 p.m.

The Last Christmas will run for 12 performances from December 7 to 22. Performances will take place at Island City Stage (2304 N. Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, 33305). Tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for students (under 25 with ID), except for opening night on December 7 ($45) and the “pay what you wish” preview on December 6. Tickets can be purchased online at newcityplayers.org/season or by calling (954) 376-6114.

ABOUT New City Players
New City Players is a not-for-profit, ensemble-based, professional theatre company in Fort Lauderdale. Our mission is to create community through transformative theatre, in service of our vision to help South Florida become a more thoughtful and empathetic community.
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