S. Gunter Klaus

Anyone living with small children recognizes the true meaning of the holiday season as the years go by. Don’t kid yourself: It’s largely a festival for the little ones, with gift-wrapped toys and tall tales of St. Nick. Our inner child aside, it can all begin to ring a bit hollow.

Director Jon Ferguson has taken notice of the disconnect between the Yuletide and our sense of meaning in the grand scheme of things. A former Catholic altar boy, now a self-professed “atheist in the nicest possible way,” his company is offering up a left-field take on Santa Claus called S. Gunter Klaus and the Story Before.

“It’s set in a snowy Nordic village,” Ferguson explains. “And it’s about a real person who does battle with the darkness of winter. I believe that Christmas and gift-giving came about to lift spirits at the darkest time of the year. It’s about fighting the darkness within yourself and finding the light and joy and happiness.”

Presented at The Southern Theater and created in collaboration with John Heimbuch, S. Gunter Klaus was developed using Ferguson’s brand of company-created, freewheeling direction.

“We’re doing something a little bit darker, something very earthy that goes way back into folklore,” says Ferguson—back into the centuries-old “wild man” tradition of St. Nick. “It’s a holiday alternative that can be considered pre-Christian, or what people would call pagan,” he says. Holy ho ho, Batman. Dec. 10–23. The Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Mpls., 612-340-1725, southerntheater.org