Tiny Tim hopefuls photographed by Tony Fouhse
Text by Tony Martins with Innika La Fontaine


Beloved for cheery optimism in the face of poverty and despair, the Tiny Tim character from the classic Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol may be the figure from Western literature most assocated with purity and innocence. That's why crusty ol' photographer Tony Fouhse seemed like the perfect choice to make the portraits of the would-be Tiny Tims we present here.

In early September, some 75 local boys and girls auditioned for the Tiny Tim role in the National Art Centre's current production of A Christmas Carol. During the day-long audition, the children played games, sang a solo Christmas song, told a little about themselves, and play acted. Candidates had to be between the ages of 7 and 10, under 4'10" in height, and of small build.

“We were looking for children that could take direction, that were outgoing, projected themselves and seemed to really make themselves stand out,” said NAC communications officer Sean Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick said the production's director Peter Hinton was thrilled at how many of the children gave strong auditions.

Uttering nary a “humbug,” Fouhse handled the portraits with his own brand of cheer and optimism, kidding with the kids to relax them and creating photographs that capture both the character and youthful innocence of each youngster.

Alas, none of the children Fouhse photographed at the audition were cast in the play. Those honours went to Joshua Bajpai and Ananya Rajkumar.

Starring Stratford Festival veteran Stephen Ouimette as Ebenezer Scrooge, the NAC's A Christmas Carol opened December 8th and closes on the 27th.