(Rochester, Minn.) May 19, 2025 – Mayo Civic Center’s season of holiday programming will include a production of Christmas with C.S. Lewis on Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 plus applicable fees and will go on sale this Friday, May 23 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets will be available at the Mayo Civic Center Box Office and Ticketmaster.com. Box Office Hours are Wednesdays-Fridays, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. A special 50% off discount is available by using code WRITER when purchased online.

In the early years of his young adult life C S Lewis believed the story of Christ’s birth was nothing more than feel-good myth. That all changed after a particular encounter with his great friend and fellow author, J R R Tolkien. Although both men loved mythology in general, Tolkien was convinced that the Jesus myth was the one true myth. That was the start of Lewis’ journey from Atheism to Christianity. From that point on Christmas, for Lewis, took on an entirely different meaning. Here we find him at his home near Oxford on Christmas Eve hosting a group of Americans who are Christmassing in England. They are about to experience an unforgettable assortment of Yuletide recollections which stimulates a whole range of emotions – curiosity, laughter, gladness and even some tears. Above all, they will discover how that encounter with Tolkien forever changed his Christmas celebrations.

Since landing his first role as CS Lewis in the 1990s, David Payne has become the world’s foremost actor in the world of Lewis. He has performed as CS Lewis in more than 1000 productions, in front of nearly 750,000 people. There almost seems to be a magical connection between Payne and his audiences. Throughout the entire performance audience members feel as if they’re in the presence of the great author, scholar and humorist as Payne completely embodies the role.

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