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A Christmas classic special presented by Southland theater will be performed at 2 and 6 p.m. on Dec. 22.

Louisa May Alcott’s beloved story of the adventures of the four March sisters is brought to vivid musical life in “Little Women.” 

This show is free and open. Free will donations or non-perishable food item will be accepted. 

The Civil War is in full swing, and the March sisters — Meg, the oldest, a romantic, the spirited and tomboyish Jo, sweet and loving Beth, and irascible, playful Amy — live in Concord, Massachusetts with their Marmee while their father is on the battlefield. 

Filled with adventure (both lived and imagined), heartbreak, and a deep sense of hope, the struggle of these “Little Women” to find their own voices mirrors the growing pains of a young America. 

“‘Little Women’ has come up a few times from students, and we were looking at musicals,” Madlain Vander, the play’s director said. “However, the musical has such a limited number of roles and lacks opportunities for younger actors in elementary and middle school to participate.” 

She explained that after looking at photos of Class AA (Southland is Class A) winners at the State Festival, there was a one act play version. 

Since then, the hope was that Southland would have more male actors show up that were high school level. 

“This year, we finally had the numbers,” Vander said. 

Another reason “Little Women” was chosen this year was that most one act plays are unknown to the public

“I thought it would be exciting to do a play that rings a bell and a story that is loved by many,” Vander said. “A classic. Then, we’re adding a ‘real’ set (usually it’s more like cubes style) and moving the public performance up to before Christmas in hopes we attract a larger and more widespread audience.” 

With buoyant, joyful melodies, memorable characters, and a big-hearted message, “Little Woman” reminds us that “sometimes when you dream, your dreams come true.”

Little Women Cast & Crew 

Marmee: March Navin Britt 

Robert March: Gavin Minor 

Jo March: Brynn Sathre

Meg March: Camryn Deters

Amy March: Kaitlyn Schneider 

Beth March: Ava Golombowski

Hannah: Alyssa Himebaugh 

Laurence: Lillian McKay

Laurie: Brede Nelsen

Brooke: Aidan Wright

Aunt March: Taylor Kiefer 

Rehearsal assistant / Crew: Temperance Peters 

Rehearsal Assistant/ Crew: Lailah Sipple  

Director: Madlain Vander 

Assistant Director: Tom Flaherty