Yellowknife (Dec 10/04) - Stuck in a Snowbank theatre has an early Christmas present for Yellowknife: a series of vignettes of Christmas stories from across the NWT.

A Frostbite Christmas is similar in format to A Taste of the Wildcat, which was performed at the museum back in August.

Through 10 stories, three actors jump back and forth through 200 years of Northern Christmases, recreating French voyageurs, a British navy crew, a Dogrib chief or the Northwest Mounted Police.

"It's a lovely trip around the north," said Erica Tesar.

Tesar did the research and wrote the stories, which Ben Nind adapted for the stage. Tesar mined historical journals and reports for inspiration.

"It can sometimes be painful when you watch the stories you've written get pieces taken out of them," she said. But she has faith in Nind's adaptation and nothing but admiration for the cast. Though Murray Utas, Tiffany Ayalik and Sheldon Elter change characters every couple of minutes, they have energy to spare.

"You should see the warm-ups," said Tesar. "If I tried that I'd be dead on a slab before I went on stage."

Nind agreed the performers have brought a dynamic physicality to the project.

Utas was last seen in A Taste of the Wildcat with Rene Bourque, Elter first visited Yellowknife in the fall with his one-man show Metis Mutt, and Ayalik is a student at Sir John Franklin, active in the drama department and a graduate of the Centre for Indigenous Theatre's summer school. Chic Callas provides the music for the play.

"Each story has a memorable character," said Nind.

"People will find something in each one of these stories."

The play, with free admission, opens Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, then runs Monday to Saturday at 8 p.m., followed by a closing matinee Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. The museum's Heritage Cafe will have a buffet open evenings from Dec. 14 to 18, 5 to 9 p.m., to coincide with performances of A Frostbite Christmas.