The trees have changed colors, the turkeys have been stuffed and the first snow has fallen. The holiday season is here and brings countless traditions with it.

ISU Theater will be putting on a production of “A Christmas Carol,” one of the most famous plays during this time of the year, something the theater group does once every three years.

The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, who has come to despise Christmas since his best friend Jacob Marley died.

“I absolutely love playing a character that is so different,” says Kevin Geiken, an ISU alumnus who plays Scrooge in the play. “[I love] the excitement – 50-some people pool all of their hard work into the performance.”

Although the main characters receive most of the recognition, the four narrators tell the story and are on stage throughout most of the play.

“In some situations, we just stand [on stage] and watch; in other cases, we are narrating the story,” says first narrator Brendan Dunphy, senior in zoology.

This is Dunphy’s second ISU Theater production, after performing in “James and the Giant Peach” earlier this year, and he said being on stage throughout most of the play with a lot of lines to remember doesn’t make him nervous.

“We have single sentences, nothing too complex,” he says of his many lines.

Despite Dunphy’s calm attitude, some cast members are still a little bit nervous. For Melanie Richter, freshman in English, who was involved with theater in high school, this play will be in front of her largest audience yet. Richter plays the Ghost of Christmas Past.

“It’s a really special type of acting,” she says of playing the character.

Richter, like most of the students in the cast, which also includes adults and children from the Ames community, got involved with ISU Theater for fun and doesn’t intend on majoring in theater.

Matt Bridges, freshman in art and design, who plays a suitor and a robber in the play, said acting in front of so many people can be nerve-wracking.

“You’ve got to put yourself out there,” he says.

Director Jane Cox said the enthusiasm of the students and their desire to act is part of what has kept her at Iowa State for more than 20 years. She has directed, helped with or been in more than 300 productions with ISU Theater.

“There are a lot of good, intelligent people here, [our production] has a lot of heart,” she says.

What: A Christmas Carol

Where: Fisher Theater

When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 to 3 and 9 and 10; 2 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11

Cost: $7 students, $12 senior citizens, $13 adults