Arts Club Theatre Company opened its marquee venue to the public on Nov. 18, with a new twist on a holiday classic.The Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage’s 620 seats had been empty since the start of the pandemic – before Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol kicked off the theatre company’s 2021/2022 season.“COVID-19 is the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced,” executive director Peter Cathie White told Global News.Western Canada’s largest theatre company cancelled more than 20 productions before becoming one of the first in the country to resume live performances – with one-actor shows, strict pandemic protocols and audiences of 50 in September 2020.