'Where are you Christmas?'

The Ogden Institute of Religion will present their annual Christmas production on December 5 and 6 at the Austad Auditorium at Weber State University's Val A. Browning Center. This is the 45th year of the Ogden Institute's longstanding tradition of annual Christmas performances.  This year's production, "Where Are You Christmas?" is presented by the Ogden Institute Chorale, Choralaires, and Folk Dancers. The cast of more than 220 performers will have rehearsed around 15,000 total hours in preparation for this performance. This is the 31st annual "Christmas Spectacular" featuring the combined performances of both singers and the Folk Dance Team. "Where Are You Christmas?" is a story about a woman that has overextended herself with obligations to her children's schools, a Christmas play, and other Christmas activities. As she struggles to keep up, she finds herself examining the real meaning of Christmas. Chelsea Cassel, a sophomore at Weber State University, plans to take advantage of the free student tickets and attend the Friday night performance. "Sometimes you just need something to get you into the right spirit of Christmas," Cassel said. Cassel is a lover of Christmas music, and especially looks forward to the musical portion of the performance. Jerry F. Simon, director of choralaires, is the director of this year's performance. Simon is a WSU graduate and has been teaching at the Ogden Institute since 1982.  "I love the Ogden Institute, and the outstanding young people that enroll in classes here," Simon said of his work with students. Simon encourages students and community members to attend the annual "Christmas Spectacular." He describes the production as high-quality entertainment that ushers in the Christmas season. "We have great singing, great acting, playful humor, phenomenal dancing, a thoughtful and evocative script, and a great overall production," Simon said. "... We love performing at the Austad Auditorium. It is the finest performance hall in northern Utah." DeAnn Erickson, a third year member of the Choralaires and a junior at WSU, said she believes that this year's performance is the Institute's best performance to date. "I love being able to perform with the group, and perform for other people," Erickson said. "Especially for Christmas, I love to be able to help other people get the spirit of Christmas." The Chorale and Choralaires will sing sacred and secular music. The Choralaires is a 67-member audition men's and women's choir directed by Simon. The Chorale is a men's and women's non-audition group directed by brother Jonathan Woodstock.                 The Ogden Institute was created 68 years ago, and its first choral groups were formally started in 1962. The first Christmas performance was in 1964 on the steps of Ogden Courthouse.                Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6. A matinee show will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, December 6. The show is 90 minutes long with no intermission. Free student tickets can be picked up at the Ogden Institute office by 12 p.m. on Friday, December 5th. Tickets prices for 7:30 p.m. shows are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children under 17, and $15 for families. Ticket prices for 2:30 p.m. matinee showing are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, $3 for children, and $15 for families.