If you ask Nolan Carr what Christmas means to him, you won’t get a long-winded answer about gifts, glitter or grand gestures. For Nolan, Christmas is about the simple, heartfelt things: baking cookies with family, sharing a plate of turkey and mashed potatoes, and singing along to Silent Night. That love of connection and tradition fits perfectly into Cow Patti Theatre’s holiday production of Ethan Claymore’s Christmas, where Nolan makes his professional stage debut after previously participating in Cow Patti’s Youth Theatre Camp.
Nolan may be new to the professional stage, but he isn’t new to the joy of storytelling. His camp experience sparked a curiosity and enthusiasm for theatre, and now he’s ready to step under the lights in front of Cow Patti’s holiday audiences. It’s not every day we get to welcome someone who admits that their favourite Christmas gift as a kid was a brand-new sled. That image of a bundled-up Nolan, flying down snowy Alberta hills, could easily be a scene right out of a Norm Foster play.
When he’s not on stage, Nolan can usually be found outdoors. He loves camping and hiking in Alberta’s mountains, trading scripts for trail maps and stage lights for starlit skies. That passion for the outdoors even spills into the advice he’d give his much younger self: “Go hiking more.” Spoken like someone who knows that nature has just as much to teach us as a rehearsal room.
Nolan’s also a reader, currently making his way through the Alex Rider series. Adventure, suspense and resourceful heroes — it makes sense that those stories appeal to someone ready to dive into new roles and tackle the unknown with enthusiasm.
As for wisdom, Nolan keeps it simple: “Treat your brother kindly.” That one sentence captures the heart of the season and the heart of theatre itself (kindness, connection and a little bit of laughter along the way).
So whether he’s sledding, hiking, reading spy novels or stepping into his first Cow Patti production, Nolan Carr brings with him an openness that makes him a joy to watch. This Christmas, audiences can expect him to deliver more than just lines. He’ll bring warmth, authenticity and maybe even a touch of mountain air to Ethan Claymore’s Christmas.