Hickory – Director Gary Moore has just announced the cast for the Hickory Community Theatre’s upcoming holiday youth show, REINDEER GAMES. The show is an educational outreach program of the theatre and will be performed for school field trip groups in mid-December. There will also be two public performances, Saturdays, December 9 and 16 at 2:30pm.

The play is about a wacky North Pole competition to decide which young Reindeer will replace the retiring Dasher. These aren’t your typical winter events though, nor are these your typical competitors.  Alongside fast, strong and nimble jocks is a brainy tech geek, a lost chef looking for a cooking competition, a chipper cheerleader, and a lingo-slinging international snowboarder.  The all-star quarterback has a tender secret talent, and one competitor looks curiously like a moose!

The talented cast features John Scott as Coach Kris Kringle, Emma Lee Kurts as Coach Carol Kringle, Nick Forte as Bobsled Costas and Sam Miller as Rein Roberts. Among Santa’s reindeer, Lila Chamberlain plays Dancer and Eden Johns is Dasher. The competing reindeer are Ally Cubbage as Shredder, Arlo Alvarez as Cheddar, Lee Arnao as Thunder, Caroline Kiser as Ella, Grace Parsons-Kiser as Rudi, Tess Mandell as Hopper, Jaelyn Prestwood as Peppy, Xadrian Roosberry as Elvis, Aidan Ross as Lightning, and Finnan Ross as Halley.

Performances of REINDEER GAMES are Saturday afternoons, December 9 and December 16 at 2:30pm. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at hickorytheatre.org/box-office of by phone at 828-328-2283.

The Hickory Community Theatre’s 75th anniversary season is sponsored by A Cleaner World, Green Park Dentistry, Paramount Automotive and Sunbelt Xpress. REINDEER GAMES is produced by Renaissance Financial Partners of North Carolina, LLC. The Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County.

Photo: The cast of REINDEER GAMES, (front L-R) Finnan Ross, Tell Mandell, Xadrian Rossberry, Sebastian Chamberlain (middle) Jaelyn Prestwood, Aidan Ross, Ally Cubbage, Lee Arnao, Arlo Alvarez, Caroline Kiser; (back) Grace Parsons-Kiser, Emma Lee Kurts, Sam Miller, John Scott, Eden Johns, Ian Miller and Nick Forte. Photo by Ethan Fite.