NELSONVILLE — An Appalachian Christmas Carol — a Southeast Ohio spin on the popular holiday tale — will be returning to Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville for the second year with shows beginning this weekend.

The play based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was written by Guysville playwright Merri Biechler and is presented by the Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble. The play premiered last winter after extensive research into the region’s coal mining history.

The production is the culmination of three years of development and research that included extensive community input. In the course of development, Brick Monkey invited local audiences and supporters to respond to two early drafts of the play. The research and feedback shaped the production into what it is today.

In An Appalachian Christmas Carol, Eb Scrooge owns a coal mine and the play takes a look at the region’s labor heritage set in 1907. Local musicians play live during every performance, which is filled with regional traditional music.

It’s also fitting that the production is held on the historic stage of Stuart’s Opera House on the Nelsonville Public Square. Local miners and their families frequently attended meetings and performances at the same venue. During the production, the stage will be lit to reflect how the Opera House may have looked at the turn of the last century.

An Appalachian Christmas Carol will be performed Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Shows will also continue next week: Dec. 19 at 7 p.m., Dec. 20 at 8 p.m., Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 22 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $12 for children. Tickets can be purchased online at www.stuartsoperahouse.org or by calling 753-1924. For information about Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble, visit www.brickmonkey.org.