Arís Theatre’s ‘The Red Telephone’ Tells The Story Of A Call That Changed Christmas Forever

In 1955, Col. Harry Shoup of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, took a call on his red telephone from a little girl that would forever change Christmas. The call resulted in the creation of the Santa Tracker, a way for children to track Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve as he makes his deliveries around the globe.

Since then, Shoup has become known as the “Santa Colonel,” or the Colonel that helped make the Santa Tracker Happen.

Atlanta’s Arís Theatre has a new short film production, “The Red Telephone,” that takes a look at the night of that call. The production stars young actor Maya Efrat as the girl who makes that first fateful call.