Reading Railroad Theater to present Christmas-themed readings

Reading Railroad Theater proudly presents a doubleheader of Christmas-themed readings for all to see. Join us for our holiday program on Dec. 20 and 21st, at 3 p.m. at Morningstar Studio, 51-1/2 S. Court Street in Fairfield, to witness Miracle at Blaise by Josephina Niggli, and O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi." These will be joined by personal tales of beloved Christmases past from cast members as well as Christmas Caroling.

Miracle at Blaise is a one-act play written by Mexican playwright Josephina Niggli, with an all- woman cast. She wrote this in 1942. Set in the Nazi occupied French village of Blaise on Christmas Eve 1941. The French Resistance calls upon Madeleine Giraud to secure a curfew pass, to enable them to light a signal fire at the German air strip, thus thwarting a German bombing raid. A mysterious lady with the ability to freeze time enters Madeleine's life, to demand that she face her troubled past. Director Douglas Marshall was attracted to the story because "It has the FEEL of a Twilight Zone episode."

Josephina Niggli (1910-1983) is a literary voice from the middle ground between Mexican and Anglo heritage. Her Swiss father sent her out of her birthplace of Monterrey, Mexico during the Mexican Revolution to San Antonio, Texas, where she studied playwriting at the San Antonio Little Theatre (now the Public Theatre). Shequickly established herself as a fine writer, soon joining the Carolina Playmakers, at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina where she wrote several one-act plays. Niggli also penned some Mexican Folk Plays, including Soldadera, with the women of the Revolution as her subject. She spent a few years in Hollywood as a stable writer, and wrote two books. In the 1950s, she worked at Dublin's Abbey Theatre, then returned to Western Carolina University (1956-1970) to teach English and Drama, founding the Theatre Department. The theatre at Western Carolina University bears her name: Niggli Studio Theatre. She is renowned as a trailblazer of Chicana literature movement.

"The Gift of the Magi" was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern, at 18th Street and Irving Place in New York City. where the beloved short-story writer O. Henry was a regular in one of the cozy booths. Indeed, the writer's continued presence there made it a literary landmark forever tied to his work and the story's iconic themes of selfless giving. O. Henry was the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter, who was known for the hundreds of short stories he had written. He got his start as a writer while working for a bank in Austin, Texas and was later charged with embezzlement. He first attempted to flee the country and surrendered himself to authorities upon discovering that his wife was dying of consumption. He served out his term at an Ohio penitentiary and continued writing his stories. Eventually he made his way to New York City where he wrote the bulk of his known work. O. Henry married a second time, but Sarah Coleman Porter left him two years later. Henry left the earth on June 5, 1910, in poor health, but he left quite a legacy, including the famed O. Henry Award, a yearly prize granted to writers of short stories.