Starting last week, Iron Door Arts and Theatre brought the exciting premier of the theatrical version of “Jacob T. Marley” to town.  As discussed both elsewhere in the paper and in this interview, the play was adapted by Melissa Draper ten years ago and revived by Kylee Elizabeth Francom.  Bennett, from Alpine, Utah, attended the Malad premier with his son Bryan where the Enterprise was able to meet them.  Here are some of the author’s thoughts on the book, the play, and the message of both.  

Kylee Francom (far right) shares the stage with Roland Amendola’s Jacob Marley last Friday.

William Bennett

Can you tell me a bit about your background, and how you got into writing?

I grew up in New Jersey and Connecticut and was blessed with wonderful parents and siblings.  After college, I decided to come west, and I have never lived back east again.  My wife and I have raised four wonderful children who have added seven grandchildren to our family.   

From my earliest memory, I loved a great story.  Even watching cartoons and b&w serials (Leave It To Beaver, Dennis the Menace, and the best - My Three Sons), I understood the principle of a story arc, though I never would have called it that.  In sixth grade, my English teacher, Miss Noonan, brought a good friend of hers, the author Lester del Rey, to speak to our class about writing.  He was a very popular science fiction writer of that era.  As I listened to him, something resonated in me, and I felt it was my purpose in life to become a writer.  From that point on, I wrote stories when I thought of them, journaled, and captured ideas for the future.

However, after graduating from college, I saw no path to support myself as a writer and took a traditional business track.  I really enjoyed most of the jobs I have had, but I had the nagging feeling I really needed to write.  There was a moment in 2009, when I was on a business trip, when the thought hit me: ‘It’s time!’  I left my job and wrote full-time for three years.  That produced a couple of books, including Jacob T. Marley.  I found I needed to go back to work, but have been writing in whatever time I could find ever since.  I have published a third, and three more are under consideration, as well as a movie version of Jacob T. Marley.

What brought you to the story of “A Christmas Carol”?

As a young boy, I remember being cuddled up with my father watching the old Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol.  I was only 4 or 5, but I remember feeling so much pain for Marley.  He was so aware of what he had done wrong, and was so sorry and full of grief, and though he was able to help Scrooge, I thought ‘there has to be a way to help him too...’  

What would you like people to take away from your version of the story?

Well, first of all, I hope they enjoy it and it lifts their spirits (no pun intended) in one way or another.  Then, there are a few messages in there: first, that there are no coincidences and that people cross our paths for a reason, usually so one of us can help the other.  When we watch for it, we will see it all the time.  Besides that, there is also the message that we can always change, try to make things right, and heal broken relationships and hearts.  It is never too late.  As I have spoken to book clubs over the years, I hear many other things that people take from the story, things I never particularly intended, but make sense to me.  All in all, I want people who spend time reading my stories to feel their time was well spent and that it gave them something positive for their life. 

How did you get involved with Malad and the production?

Two years ago, I got an email from a young woman named Kylee Francom.   She introduced herself and shared her passion for the story.  She had a dream to create a play and wanted my permission to write a script.  I told her that Deseret Book owned it and she would need permission from them, but I was entirely in support of the idea and would do what I could to help.  She encountered so many roadblocks I thought she would probably give up, but she is a force of nature!  She never flagged in her determination, and in 2025, finally got the rights.  I told her I would be there for opening night if she could pull it off.  From that moment on, she was on a mission.  As you saw, she and a wonderful group pulled it together, and we were excited to make the trip to Malad to be part of her outstanding work.

What are your thoughts on the performance/production itself?

I was not worried that they would not do a great job, but I was curious to see how they interpreted my writing.  When I wrote Jacob T Marley, the story in my head was much more detailed, and I had to cut to fit it into the book.  And, of course, they had to cut a lot from there to get it into a 2-hour play. There are a few integral ‘anchor’ scenes that hold the story together.  They not only captured all those, but the writing and the acting brought out the profound depth of emotion I had hoped for.  For example, when Marley is leaning over Fan as she passes away, he is wracked with torment because he feels at fault for her death and could do nothing about it.  The actors all captured the feeling beautifully.  In addition, another key moment was when Marley takes on the chains of Scrooge, committing himself to an eternity of suffering so that Scrooge can have another chance.  The way they had the other ghosts heap the chains on Marley and he sank from their weight was beautiful! 

Why do you think the Dickens story has become such an integral part of American Christmas?  

That is a great question!  Though not ‘ours’ in the sense of where the author hailed from, I think we have adopted it entirely as ours.  I think it is more popular here than anywhere in the world.  I think part of it is that America was a country founded on principles and though we have our string of mistakes as a nation, the principles remain.  That is in our cultural DNA.  A Christmas Carol is a story of principles - repentance, redemption, love of others and those ideas resonate with us.  I also am a personal believer that Dickens was inspired when he wrote it.  He was at a low point in his life, and had been humbled into a place where he was able to listen to his promptings and write a story for all the ages.  I think we feel that, even if we don’t know why, when we read, hear, or watch it.  Americans have produced more than 50 movie versions of the story and one of my favorites, An American Christmas Carol, with Henry Winkler, brings those storylines into our cultural paradigms in a way we can probably even identify with more. Incidentally, I watched every version of those 50 I could find (about 30) before I wrote the story.  The most popular with Americans?  A Muppet Christmas Carol, which is delightful!  

Were there any elements of the play that surprised you in the way they were adapted for the stage?

Yes!  First of all, I thought the use of the narrators was brilliant!  They were able to lay out story points that would never have fit in the production.  And the two ladies, in their beautiful period Christmas outfits, playing off each other, felt like friends of the audience by the time it was over.   Second, since the ghosts would communicate to Scrooge, which Marley could hear, but also to Marley, which Scrooge could not hear, it wasn’t very easy to show that.  They did a great job flipping the ghost’s attention so that we were with them, depending on who they were speaking to. As already mentioned, I loved how the other ghosts heaped the extra chains upon Marley when he takes on Scrooge’s burdens.  There was so much more as well.

Anything else you’d like to say about the play, Malad, or the people involved in the production?

My son and I both said that we felt completely enveloped by these beautiful people.  When we arrived, we went to dinner at the Pines and had a delightful waitress who made us feel we were at home.  When we got to the theater, everyone was so welcoming and genuine.  And, there is something special about community theater.  There are supposedly more than 6,000 of them in the United States, and they are exceptional.  Most of the time, the actors are not professionals but business people, plumbers and carpenters, homemakers, nurses, and more.  They are the true amateurs, defined as those who “do it for the love of it.”  Their passion was evident, and I could not have been more pleased that they shared my love of the story and brought it to life in such a moving way.  I appreciate all the cast and crew who gave so much time, and of course, the very special person Kylee is.

Kylee Elizabeth Francom

Tell us a bit about yourself 

I was born and raised here in Malad. I’m the fourth of seven kids. I am a single mom of a spunky 4-year-old girl, who I adore. I absolutely love storytelling! Whether that be through writing books, singing on the top of my lungs, or performing in plays, I am generally happiest when sharing stories.

How did you get involved with the project?

Around 2015-2017 (still trying to find an accurate date), my homeschool group wanted to perform a play for our families, and the story brought forward was Jacob T. Marley. We all loved it, and I got my dream role as the Ghost of Christmas Past. It was such an empowering experience, and I wanted to share it with the world, I just didn’t know how.

About two years ago, after receiving permission from the teacher who wrote the script [Melissa Draper], I hunted down the contact information for the author, and he helped me get in touch with Deseret Book, to coordinate a contract. Since then, it’s been a lot of sharing the idea and waiting, but I was able to get the rights to make this play official. My role has primarily been being the contract holder, adapting the script to flow better on stage, rewriting the prologue, and adding the Pearl Scene from the book into the script, and other Vision based things. I’ve also been able to take a few small roles in the play, which has been really nice.

What do you think the play brings to the story?

I feel like the play brings a broader voice to the book. It amplifies it, so more can hear it. I like that it can inspire individuals, especially with a primarily younger cast, and that it has the opportunity to become ingrained in their minds and hearts. And I love that we can become excited and passionate about the story together.

What was the production like for you?

Honestly, a lot of the waiting game again. Waiting for the producer to find the best directors for the show, waiting to hear insights on the script (including the tweaks and additions I personally made), waiting for auditions, waiting to see who would best fit each character, waiting to see what my role would be in all of this. Waiting for rehearsals, then performances... Waiting to see if we’d pull through at the last minute with an imperfect production, and to see what Bill would think, if he’d like it or feel let down... Lots of waiting.

What would you like people to take away from the story and play?

That there is redemption, no how far we feel we may have fallen beyond a Higher Power’s reach. That we can feel peace and hope. That we can heal and forgive and leave our current path. Because we choose our own path. No one else gets to control that. And change can be REALLY hard. It can be bitter. But the peace after finding what our own best path is... That’s worth fighting for. It’s worth every heaviness, every sacrifice, to feel safe and free and close to Christ.

What is your favorite “Christmas Carol”?

Super easy, “A Muppet Christmas Carol”. My family watches it every year on either Thanksgiving night to welcome in the season, or more often, on Christmas Eve.

What creative projects are on your agenda?

I want to finish writing and actually publish my books; there are so many stories trapped in my head, that I want to let out and share. I love singing and writing and acting all because they give me a way to get my feelings out, or to be someone else for awhile. To be whoever I want to try - fairy, villain, sorcerer, storyteller, and everything between - and then be free to go back to who I was before, with no repercussions. I dream of being a world-known (and hopefully loved) author, and most of all, I want to share love and light with everyone, and help everyone to find and use their voice. No one should go speechless, and I want to instill confidence in those around me, especially the youth.

I hope that all helps, and stayed reasonably on track. 

Feel free to reach out with more questions, and I’ll respond as soon as I can.