World War One is being remembered at the Arts Center this holiday season on the 100th anniversary of the Great War, with “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce Of 1914.”

Director Jeri Lynn Schulke says this play is a wonderful story of the holiday spirit, even during some of the most dreadful times in history.

“(It’s about) when soldiers in the first Christmas of World War I put down their guns, formed a truce, and celebrated Christmas together,” she described. “They sang carols, they exchanged gifts, and they shouted and buried the dead. They played soccer. All of that is told in this story.”

Schulke described the plays as both “moving” and “funny,” saying that the concert-style play has a lot of depth and different aspects that are brought out through the performance.

She says, “There’s a lot of music in it – interspersed with text taken from letters and diaries, war documents, and poems, but mostly music.”

This is the second time the play will be making its way through the Arts Center in Carrboro; Schulke says they put on a rendition of the play two years ago, but this version is a fresh show.

“It’s not just a re-staging of what we did before. It’s completely different,” she assures. “The stage is different. And the staging is completely different. You’re going to see a different show.”

There are some benefits of this being the second version of the show at the Arts Center. According to Schulke, she is more confident and they have been able to bring back three-quarters of the previous cast, which has made for a more comfortable experience for everyone.

And since it is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, Schulke adds that this is the second of three shows that fit the theme of remembering the war.

“All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce Of 1914” will run through Sunday at the Arts Center in Carrboro. Tickets are available online at artscenterlive.org. You can also stop by the box office on East Main Street in Carrboro, or call (919) 929 2787.