Submitted Photo This is a scene from “A Christmas Carol Play” being presented at the Glory Ann Monson Theater.

The production team at Village Arts Inc. has been working hard to renovate the old Bethany Lutheran Church into a theater in time for their rendition of “A Christmas Carol.”

Performances began Friday and will be held again tonight at 7 p.m. Next week the performances will be Friday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m.

The renovations to the space were meant to make the work of the stage crew and cast easier, and also give the show a much more impressive display.

Most recently, Josh Dockter, the show’s producer, said the production team has added a new sound system and an array of wireless microphones. These upgrades will allow the actors and actresses to project their voices to the audience, and give the sound team the opportunity to wow the audience with effects.

“We can make things more dramatic, we can make it loud if we want, or we can make things quiet,” Dockter said.

Aluminum trussing was also installed above and in front of the stage for illumination with the help of Wade’s Construction, allowing colored “washes” to flood the stage with varying shades of light. The LED installed on the trussing allows the technicians to program an entire show into the lights instead of having to make adjustments as the production is in action.

“All the settings are saved, and we can bring (the lights) up really easily without having to send anyone up there. It’s just controlled with a wireless board. It’s pretty cool” Dockter said.

The single spotlight installed allows the crew to make the stars of the show shine.

When talking about how the new lights will be used, Dockter said the crew can change the whole mood of the scene portrayed.

When describing the upcoming production, he said, “We can make it very, very red, very ominous,” for the scenes where Scrooge, a miserly character, is being shown what may happen if he doesn’t change his ways.

When describing how the lights help set the scene, Dockter said the crew can vary the lights from “an ethereal blue” to “noon day sunshine on city streets.”

To cover the stained glass windows surrounding the stage, Dockter and his team used insulation foam to fill the window wells. This preserved the stained glass windows of the original building, as well as blocked the light coming through, allowing the production crew to be in control of ambient lighting.

The rest of the windows in what used to be the sanctuary are to be covered in coming months, Dockter said.

Before Dockter became a part of Village Arts, he said the previous team installed curtains. Dockter said he adapted the way the performance takes place, using the curtains to his advantage, and allowing the crew to perform changes to the stage while the show goes on, unbeknownst to attendees. There’s only one “blackout,” where crews turn all the lights off to work quickly to reset the stage in the whole production, Dockter said proudly. He said the curtain has made parts of production easier, and has improved the play by reducing blackouts.

The renovations to the church will be an ongoing process, and will come in stages, Dockter said, with the final plan becoming a reality over the next five or so years. This “tiered system,” as Dockter described it, allows him and his team to make necessary changes as they see them, and allows them to learn how to work with each change they make before doing more.

“It’s fun to be artistic, but the creativity has to be consistent and it has to be efficient,” Dockter said, speaking about how he and the “incredible cast and crew” have been adapting to the changes and learning as they go to make the theater fit them.