A day in the life of a professional Scrooge: 'It's kind of fun to play mean'

• Eric Fletcher is an actor at The Players Theater who plays Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol."
• He earned a BFA in theater performance before moving to New York and has been in more than 50 shows.

"Don't be such a Scrooge!" is commonly tossed around this time of year, usually aimed at someone for being cranky or unfestive. The derivation, of course, is from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," the famous story of ​​Ebenezer Scrooge's selfishness and ultimate redemption.

The story is brought to life each year at The Players Theater in Greenwich Village, New York City, where it will be mounted 34 times this holiday season. Always the most popular production at the theater, the show is an annual tradition for many audience members. Eric Fletcher, who's played the character of Ebenezer Scrooge at the theater every holiday season for the past 11 years, knows what it means to "be a Scrooge."

Fletcher received a BFA in theater performance from Virginia Commonwealth University before moving to New York City to pursue a career in acting. For more than 10 years he's worked with the off-Broadway theater company Literally Alive and has appeared in more than 50 shows at The Players Theatre including "Alice in Wonderland," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Cinderella." His most enduring role, however, has been that of Scrooge.

Here's a look at what it's like to play the infamous character during the most wonderful time of the year.

Preparing for opening night

Rehearsal days typically begin with greetings to the rest of the cast and an overview of the scenes they'll be running through that day, he told Insider. "Rehearsals are fun because you get a chance to play and maybe do things that you wouldn't necessarily do in the show," Fletcher said. "It gives you a chance to explore the character."

Fletcher also works as the vocal director of the production and is responsible for going over all the vocal parts and harmonies for the performance and making sure everyone knows what they're singing. Leading up to opening night, he said, the cast and crew will rehearse between four and five hours per day for four to five days each week with Mondays and Tuesdays off.

Performance days are Fletcher's favorite. He always takes some personal time before the show to be alone with his thoughts, but after so many years, he said, it isn't very hard to get into character. "Certain sounds like the beginning notes of the opening number or the orchestra playing takes me to where I need to go," he added.

Putting on his makeup for the role also helps him begin the transformation. "A lot of times I'll just sit there by myself and draw the age lines on my face. That gives me a lot of insight into who Scrooge is. I specifically don't draw any smile lines because he is so not happy. He has a lot of angry and sad frown lines," Fletcher said. "As I draw him on, I start to see him in the mirror and feel like we're becoming the same person."

The biggest transformation, however, is revealed by time itself. Some fans come back year after year and show him photos from past productions, he said, charting Fletcher's own changes over time.

Embracing the holiday spirit while playing a grumpy character

Even though Scrooge is notoriously cranky and ungenerous, Fletcher said he finds nuance in the character. "I love who Scrooge is," he said. "I think the journey he goes on is something everyone can relate to and I think that however I'm feeling that day, there's a part in the show Scrooge is feeling because he cycles through so many emotions."

In addition to his makeup application, Fletcher said his pre-show routine involves staying hydrated, enjoying a fruit smoothie, and making liberal use of his humidifier. "I have a vaporizer thing you can put your face in. Sometimes I'll use that backstage before a show to clean out the cobwebs," he said.

When the curtain closes, Fletcher tries to cool down and return to a neutral place. Sometimes there are two shows a day and he'll just have a few hours in between to grab a meal and rest before the next run. While he plays a grump on stage, Fletcher is affable and friendly in real life. He'll often socialize with the cast, a tight community, and catch up on their latest news during this down time.

Fletcher doesn't see playing a curmudgeon during one of the most spirited times of year as a negative thing. "The story to me is such a part of Christmas that it's kind of fun to play mean because I know that the harsher I am at the beginning of the show, the more glorious the arc is at the end when Scrooge finally redeems himself."

Plus, every performance is an opportunity, he said. "I like to bring a certain humanity to Scrooge that makes people understand that no one is one thing … It feels cool to be able to be that person on stage and give people an insight into the character that they didn't have before coming here, to be able to bring nuance and humanity and honesty in the moment."

Above all, Fletcher is reveling in the opportunity to be in front of a live audience again. After a pandemic hiatus where he pivoted to the virtual space, mounting Facebook shows as his drag persona, Madame Sparkle Monster, Fletcher is embracing live theater.

"There's nothing more fun than getting to be onstage," he said. "It's a release if you will."