It has been

eight years since Southside Theatre Guild has done a Christmas show. It

wasn't a deliberate break, but just the way the schedules worked out.

However, when the script for "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus"

came up in a meeting, they just couldn't say no.

The play is

based on a true story about Virginia O'Hanlon and her family and Frances

P. Church, a reporter for the New York Sun. Virginia's father, James,

is an Irish immigrant who gets fired from his job before Christmas. When

Virginia asks her father if there is a Santa Claus, he tells her that

if she sees it in The Sun, it must be true.

Virginia writes

to The Sun and asks if Santa Claus exists. Editor Ed Mitchell gives the

assignment to his star reporter, Frances P. Church, who has been troubled

since the death of his wife and child during childbirth.

Church writes

a response to Virgnia in the paper and it is possibly the most famous

editorial of all time. Virginia gets the answer that all children are

looking for, while Church finds redemption in the human spirit, witnessing

acts of human kindness during the holiday season.

Director Debbie

Lewis is excited about the show. Her cast features 32 local actors ranging

in age from six to 67. Lewis is also pleased that many families are involved

in the show both on and off the stage.

Church is played

his daughter Pasquale and his son Alfred on stage. Another family on stage

are Johnny and Heather May and their children, who play the O'Hanlons.

According to Lewis, the cast has come together remarkably well, considering

the fact that they had to rehearse during renovations in the theater and

had to build and paint the sets themselves.

"Yes,

Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" will also feature music from the

Tara Chorale Guild, both before the show and throughout. The community

effort to produce the play ties in with the message of the play itself.

"Christmas

has become so commercialized," said Lewis. "The true meaning

is that it is not things that matter but what's in your heart."

"Yes,

Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" will be presented Thursdays-Saturdays

at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. All Thursday tickets are $10 while admission

to all other shows is $12 for adults and $10 for children. Phone 770-969-0956.

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