“Christmas in Montpelier” goes from page to stage

Ross Peterson was a history professor at Utah State University for over 33 years. Now in retirement, he is an author. One of his noteworthy works gained interest from the USU Theatre Arts Department and introduced Peterson’s work to a new genre — the stage.

“Christmas in Montpelier” is a compilation of Christmas memories made into stories from Peterson’s childhood growing up in Montpelier, Idaho just after World War II.  

“In COVID, I took 12 of the 14 [Christmas stories] related to Montpelier, turned those into a book and published them, and then they were out in 2021,” Peterson said.  

Richie Call, the department head and associate professor of the BFA acting program at USU, approached Peterson about turning his work into a one-man play, giving new life to the Christmas stories of Peterson’s childhood.  

The project emphasized the power of family memories and the importance of connecting with the past during the holidays. “Christmas in Montpelier” has been important for Peterson’s family because his kids and grandkids never really knew his parents.  

When approached with the project idea, Peterson was unsure if the book would translate well to the stage.  

“I just couldn’t visualize how it would be a play,” Peterson said. “With me and my older brothers in the first story and me and my dad in the second story… I had no idea.”  

But Call’s idea was for a one-man show, where the tales were told rather than acted out. He would act as Peterson, telling the stories. Convinced, Peterson said his only conditions were that the play raise money for students and that he not be involved in the production.  

Stephanie White is an assistant professor of professional practice in the theatre department and was the play’s director.  

“I have known F. Ross Peterson for over 30 years and was very excited and honored to be a part of the page-to-stage process. The stories were so endearing and so relatable to the human experience, I couldn’t help but say ‘yes’ to the project,” White wrote in an email to The Utah Statesman.  

White, Call and collaborator Mary Heers selected seven tales for the one-hour show. They wanted to keep Peterson’s words intact, only cutting where necessary to make the play flow. Heers orchestrated the script’s writing and orientation. 

Adapting a book for a solo act had its challenges.  

“For the stage, we did need to figure out how to be multiple people with only one actor. All of the ‘he said/she said’ dialogue had to be adjusted for the stage,” White wrote. “We only had five rehearsals before tech and dress rehearsals. It was tight and we had to take out one chapter simply because there was no time.”  

Peterson was asked to show the production team around Montpelier to give visuals to his stories and aid in the set design. His other additions to the project were the pronunciations of names and song suggestions as they related to what his father used to sing on the farm. The team was also provided photographs of Peterson’s home and family to aid in the visualization process.  

“Christmas in Montpelier” debuted on Dec. 6 and was performed on Dec. 7, 9 and 12-14. For White, the production highlighted the importance of connection and remembrance.  

“My hope for the audience was to see themselves and their stories within those of F. Ross Peterson’s,” White wrote. “How do we deal with fairness? How do we apologize? When do we realize the pivotal moments that define us and have we written them down for the next generation?  Hope the audience came away lighter in spirit and with a greater hope for the future.” 

Peterson’s aim for his book — and the play — was to inspire people to remember and share their own tales.  

“But everybody has a story,” Peterson said. “Don’t leave it in your memory because one of these days, you might lose your memory, and the story is gone.”   

An in-depth telling of how the play came together is provided in a documentary by Kate Peterson, video manager at Bluelight Media and granddaughter to F. Ross Peterson. It explores the production process and includes interviews with Peterson, White and Call. The documentary can be viewed on YouTube.