200^th Birthday Theatrical Celebration of
’Twas the Night Before Christmas in Montgomery County, NY

FONDA, NY—The TWAS200 cast, birthed by Massimo Leggio, director from Italy, and Sally Veillette, producer and founder of www.Christmas200.com, will perform throughout Montgomery County this week. Their 20-minute skit goes behind the scenes, to 201 years ago, before ’Twas the Night Before Christmas was penned… when Santa’s magic, for the first time, was revealed.

Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, published on December 23, 1823, in Troy, NY, was the first time that Saint Nicholas’s reindeer-drawn sleigh was mentioned as his method of traveling around the world. Only then were the true number of reindeer revealed (and their secret names spoken). Until that moment, children didn’t know how Santa used the chimney to enter their homes. Before 1823, this magic was a mystery.

“Kids need to be reminded that magic is the true force that powers this world,” claims producer Sally Veillette. “This season, I want to scream from the rooftops—the very roofs in which Santa’s sleigh lands—that magic is REAL!”

TWAS200’s skit travels to when an elf first thought of how to attract Clement’s attention and engage Clement’s creative powers. The elf draws ordinary people from the “terrestrial” world and brings them into a magical dimension, as Clement looks on. ’Twas the Night Before Christmas is recited in English, Dutch, Italian and Spanish.

Veillette has published the Moore’s poem in 20 languages: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian (with Milanese, Neapolitan, Salentino and Sicilian dialects), Malayalam, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Sinhala, Spanish and Ukrainian.

Poems were translated by a worldwide group of over 80 volunteers from 20 countries. Apple device users can enjoy “enhanced” ebooks that include narration of the translated poems, read-along text highlighting, and delightful animation. A multilingual TWAS200 app is coming soon!

PERFORMANCES in Montgomery County, NY

Thursday, November 30: 10 a.m.
Marie Curie Elementary School
8 Brice Street, Amsterdam, NY

FOR STUDENTS ONLY

Saturday, December 2: 1:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m.
Canajoharie Elves Day Out

1:30 p.m.  performance: Van Alstyne Homestead, 4 Moyer St, Canajoharie, NY

3:00 p.m.  performance: Firehouse, 75 Erie Blvd, near Santa’s line