Dickens Fellowship, an organisation of Dickens lovers from all walks of life. To be a part of this family is truly a joy and a privilege. VC: How did you get started performing his works and how long have you been doing it? GCD: I first performed a work of Dickens in November 1993, which marked the 150th anniversary of the first publication of A Christmas Carol. I was asked to perform to raise money for a local charity. Originally, it was to be purely a one-off, but the joy of Charles's characters and the reception I got from that first audience convinced me to carry on..and the rest, as they say, is history!

VC: It must be thrilling to perform the works of such a great author. How is it more intensified being his relative? GCD: Usually I try to put the relationship out of my mind when I am performing. It could become too overwhelming and affect the performance. Occasionally, in certain venues there is a....I don't know how to explain it, it's not pressure, but an energy, that seems to take me over and fill me with more strength and passion that I normally have. When a show like that happens, it takes me a long time to come down to earth. The interesting thing is that this 'energy' doesn't always come in a venue that Charles visited. It can happen anywhere. VC: Other than the fact that Charles Dickens was your great-great-grandfather, why do you feel that it is important to go from his works in the manner in which he did originally? GCD: The works of Dickens are so well-suited to the one-man format--that's how he wanted to perform them, and who am I to argue! Charles Dickens loved to become close to his readership and to really 'give' his stories to them. Of course, he came to the United States of America twice, and next year marks his 160th anniversary of his first trip in 1842. Dickens was very much a 'people's author,' and I love the fact that I can still take his works and perform them to live audiences all these years on. VC: What do you do when you are not traveling and performing? GCD: I have a very little spare time when I am not travelling, as I am a director of a theatrical production event management company in the UK. I spend as much time with the family as possible. We all enjoy cycling, walking in the Kentish countryside (the most beautiful in England, whatever anyone else may say!). My wife Lucy and I also very much enjoy watercolour painting...neither of us is very good, but it is so relaxing and encourages you to look at your surroundings so much more closely. VC: How active are your children in keeping the works of Dickens present in people's lives? GCD: My children Georgia, 9, and Jasmine, 7, are fascinated and so proud of their relationship to Charles Dickens. They will read various editions of his works and watch adaptations and then question me endlessly on the plot and what experiences Charles had, which made him write in the way that he did. At the moment, they are very interested in A Tale of Two Cities and are asking questions all the time. Not only are they fascinated by the story, but now they are interested in the French Revolution as well. What pleases me more than anything is their interest in Charles Dickens as a person who wrote books and not merely in a dusty name on a book cover. Our son, Cameron Charles, is only two years old. VC: How do you hope the world will remember Charles Dickens? GCD: As it does now! A wonderful storyteller, a reporter of an era of change, a compassionate man who cared deeply about those with no voice, and as entertainer. VC: We have heard that you have a few pieces of Department 56 village. Do you consider yourself a collector? GCD: Regretfully, we can't get Department 56 pieces over here, but each year when I have gone to The Golden Goose in Virginia, the proprietors and collectors give me something to bring home to the family. Each Christmas those pieces I do have always come out and take pride of place. I always look forward to my visits to Department 56 stores, in order to see what's new and what's retired. VC: What will you be doing at Department 56's Silver Celebration in August? GCD: I will, of course, be meeting as many of the collectors who come to St. Paul as I can manage. As far as performing is concerned I'll be performing "Mr. Dickens is Coming!" which I wrote. It gives a very varied look at the theatrical side of Charles Dickens, and also I will do a one-off of A Christmas Carol. In August? Well, Scrooge was convinced that he should 'Keep Christmas All the Year round!' VC: As you get ready to meet the thousands of collectors who will attend the Celebration, is there anything you would like to say to them in advance? GCD: The Saint Paul Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota has been a regular feature of my tour. It is always the last stop prior to Christmas, and the weather is very, very cold! The warmth of the audiences is ample recompense for the falling thermometer. Now, I am so looking forward to visiting in the hot summer and, as for my audiences, well, I have met Department 56 collectors all over the country and have so many friends among them, I can only imagine the fun and friendship that awaits me this summer! Gerald Charles Dickens is represented by Jackson Enterprises, Inc., www.jackprises.com