New Scrooge Doug McKeag prepares to take over iconic role in A Christmas Carol

Doug McKeag will take over the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in Theatre Calgary's production of A Christmas Carol. Performances start Nov. 30. (Photo: YouTube/Theatre Calgary)

It's a role that turns over a little bit faster than the head of the British royal family, but it's still pretty huge news whenever there's a new Scrooge onstage at Theatre Calgary.

Theatre Calgary made the announcement earlier this week that its new Scrooge is Doug McKeag, who is a very familiar face to Calgary theatre-goers.

McKeag has performed in 32 shows at Theatre Calgary alone, including nine previous productions of A Christmas Carol, where he played Mr. Fezziwig, Fred and Topper.

"Doug has been a staple within Calgary’s artistic community for over 30 years and has graced Theatre Calgary's stage in some of our most memorable shows," said Theatre Calgary's Artistic Director Stafford Arima, in a release.

"I cannot wait for our audiences to experience his performance as the legendary Ebenezer Scrooge in this spectacular production featuring a cast of 20 Calgarians."

McKeag takes over from long-time Scrooge Stephen Hair, who performed the role live for 27 years and also played it in a film version that was streamed during the pandemic. (Mike Tan performed the role of Scrooge in a small cast version that was produced in 2021).

Hair also was one of the originators of Toonies for Turkeys, the fundraising component of the production that raised well over a million dollars for the Calgary Food Bank.

This year's production of A Christmas Carol also marks the return of the popular holiday production, which was replaced by Little Women last year.

An all-Calgary cast will be directed by Arima in collaboration with associate director Jane MacFarlane.

A Christmas Carol starts previews Nov. 30 and runs until December 31. Tickets are available here.