FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington will present a community production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 20-23, at the Emery Community Arts Center. The show features more than 30 UMF students and local performers, alongside live music and a children’s chorus.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Nov. 20-22 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 23. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for UMF students with ID. Reservations are recommended and can be made by contacting Shari Witham at 207-778-7425.

The production is adapted and directed by Jayne Decker, UMF faculty member, playwright and award-winning director. Decker said returning to the timeless story now feels especially meaningful.

“Bringing Dickens’ story to the stage at this time speaks to the enduring environment of basic human need,” Decker said. “People were hungry in 1843 Victorian England when Dickens wrote, and people are hungry today.”

Tim Wheeler, last seen in Decker’s “All the Good They Gave Us,” returns to the UMF stage in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

The play also features live fiddle music by 12-year-old Wiley Billings, choral arrangements led by music director Gavin Pickering and a folk dance choreographed by UMF student Ginny Stokes.

Decker said audiences may find themselves drawn into quiet, emotional moments throughout the show.

“Scrooge, portrayed beautifully by Tim Wheeler, pulls us into moments with his presence,” she said. “When Tiny Tim delivers the iconic line and holds up his cup, I imagine all of us will be in that moment of goodness.”

The cast ranges from young children to adult community members. That dynamic, Decker said, reflects the spirit of the story itself.

“Much like real life, we are shaped by the community that surrounds us,” she said. “The rehearsal atmosphere is a wild and wonderful collective of humans. We have kids singing with a chorus of adults and dancers who turn to the fiddler with great admiration for the song he plays, so they can, indeed, dance.”

Dickens’ novella has long been seen as a call to recognize hardship and practice compassion. Decker noted that message remains urgent in Franklin County.

“People are struggling to eat and stay warm,” she said. “How do we turn the concerns inward, to find compassion in a time of great need?”

To honor that message, nonperishable food items will be collected at every performance for local food pantries.

“We hope the play is a reminder of the community that surrounds us,” Decker said.

The Emery Community Arts Center is on Academy Street between Main and High streets in downtown Farmington.