What's your favorite part of A CHRISTMAS CAROL?
Great Lakes Theater's "The 12 Days of (A) Christmas (Carol)"
Great Lakes Theater's "A Christmas Carol" @ PlayhouseSquare
Recreating a CLE Christmas Tradition
Mr. Fezziwig (actor Darryl Lewis, center) makes merry with his party guests in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
The Cleaveland family celebrates the holiday season by enjoying Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol", as read by Mother Cleaveland (actor Laura Perrotta, center) in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic by the same name at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. The children from left to right are actors Aaron James Howell, Tim Try, Meghan Kelley, Malika Petty, Cameron Danielle Nelson and Callie Shea Sulllivan. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
Great Lakes Theater rings in the holiday season with its production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Aled Davies stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
The Ghost of Christmas Past (actor Matt Lillo, center back) introduces Ebenezer Scrooge (actor Aled Davies, left) to his younger self (actor Phil Carroll, couple right) in an embrace with Belle (actor Laura Welsh Berg, couple right), the love of his life, in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
The Ghost of Jacob Marley (actor Lynn Robert Berg) warns Ebenezer Scrooge (actor Aled Davies) to change his ways in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
The Ghost of Christmas Present (actor David Anthony Smith, above) looms over Ignorance (actor Meghan Kelley, left) and Want (actor Rebecca Oet, right) in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
Bob Cratchit (actor Scott Plate) lifts Tiny Tim (actor Cameron Danielle Nelson) high into the air as the rest of the Cratchit family watches on in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
From the Director...
Gerald Freedman reflects on his role as adapter and director of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
I had never seen A Christmas Carol on stage or film before tackling an adaptation for Great Lakes Theater Festival in 1989. The piece has, however, entered our literary and popular vocabulary as a metaphor for redemption and the possibility of change. So it was with great anticipation that I approached my job.
Our production takes place in a middle-class London home. It is Christmas Eve, 1864, Twenty years after Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol. As the Cleaveland family sits down to the traditional reading of the story, the youngest child, a boy, begins to imagine the story that is being told to him. We see the play from his point of view.
Articles from the family home roam freely through Dickens' story and the child's imagination. The family fireplace appears in Scrooge's home; a desk becomes the workplace of Bob Cratchit; Samuels, the butler and also disciplinarian for the boy, becomes Scrooge; and siblings variously appear as other characters.
Dickens called the story a Ghost Story, and we have tried to remain true to this description, while at the same time creating an entertaining piece of theater.
Scrooge is a young man born into poverty who grows up distorted into thinking money is everything. He rejects his spiritual side and his heart becomes small and cold. Through the course of the story, he learns that he can change. The Spirits show him how loving people were in the past, how needy they are in the present, and that the results of his current pattern of behavior are to die alone without family, friends or love.
The three Spirits are each larger than life and haunting for different reasons. I see the Ghost of Christmas Past as benevolent: Scrooge first does not want to deal with the past, which serves as a painful reminder of what he has lost, but it is familiar and potentially warm.
The Spirit of Christmas Present is huge and expansive, as he embodies the entire world with everyone's thought and feelings on Christmas Day. The most daunting of the three is the Spirit of Christmas Future. He is connected to the unknown and therefore represents the greatest threat.
I think Dickens is essentially saying it is never too later to change -- not only yourself, but the world. One good deed, if allowed to, can and will spread through the world. The obstacles to the growth of a giving spirit are Ignorance and Want. As the poet Santanyana said, "Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it." It is this ignorance of the past and present which holds our downfall. Likewise, want of proper food and housing beget people who can't function properly.
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens decries materialism in favor of generosity and social responsibility. The enduring popularity of the story is grounded in his faith in the idea of change. Dickens portrays the obstacle to change as the paralyzing fear of giving up something and being somehow diminished in the process.
In the end, Scrooge risks squandering his money to provide for the welfare of others, and risks opening his heart and giving of his love, which makes him vulnerable to hurt, but which paves the way for his redemption.
Gerald Freedman, Original Director and Adapter A Christmas Carol
Synopsis
A Christmas Carol is more than a holiday tale.
It is a retelling of the very human dilemma that many of us face. We often think of Scrooge as a stereotype: as just the mean old man who says, “Bah, humbug!” The character of Ebenezer Scrooge, however, is much more than that – he is a symbol of all people who close their eyes to the ignorance and poverty in the world. In the story, Scrooge is a strong supporter of, and active participant in, a corrupt and cruel system. He goes through life thinking only of himself. In his own words, “It’s enough for a man to understand his own business and not to interfere with other peoples’.”
Begin at the Beginning
It is Christmas Eve and Ebenezer Scrooge is busy in his counting house. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, works in the next room with the smallest of fires to keep warm. Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, arrives to invite his uncle to Christmas dinner. Scrooge adamantly refuses, exclaiming, “Bah, humbug!” Fred tries to persuade him to change him mind, but to no avail. As Fred leaves, two gentlemen arrive and request a donation for the poor. Scrooge refuses, citing that taking care of the poor is the job of the prisons and workhouses. Scrooge grudgingly gives Bob Cratchit Christmas day off and they both leave for the day.
As Scrooge returns home on Christmas Eve, he is startled by the appearance of his doorknocker, which suddenly takes the form of his deceased partner’s face. It turns into a regular knocker again and Scrooge goes about his business, getting ready for bed. Scrooge is just settling down to a bowl of gruel when he is suddenly frightened by a loud ringing of many bells and the appearance of the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley.
Jacob Marley
Marley, doomed to wear heavy chains and wander the earth witnessing misery, cautions Scrooge to change his ways. Marley shows Scrooge hundreds of ghosts, many of whom Scrooge knew when they were alive, suffering the same fate. He explains that their misery is caused by their powerlessness to interfere for the good in human affairs. In life, these people had been blind to the suffering around them, only to see, in death, what good they could have done. Marley warns Scrooge that his own chains are just as long and heavy, but that there is a chance of escaping his own horrific fate. Marley tells Scrooge he will be visited by three ghosts, the first at one o’clock. Marley departs and Scrooge convinces himself that the entire incident was only a dream.
The Ghost of Christmas Past
At the stroke of one, however, the Ghost of Christmas Past appears and takes Scrooge on a journey through his own life. During this visit to his past, Scrooge experiences a great deal of regret. He sees himself as a lonely young boy, a carefree young man and, finally, as a hardened adult. The ghost also shows Scrooge the woman he once loved. Scrooge begins to realize that the love of money became more important to him than the love of other people.
The Ghost of Christmas Present
Scrooge is next visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present. In the course of this visit, Scrooge sees his clerk, Bob Cratchit, and his large family. The Cratchits are poor, but happy and grateful for one another. Scrooge is struck with a foreign emotion – compassion – when he sees Bob’s youngest son, Tiny Tim, who is sickly and crippled. Scrooge and the Ghost then travel throughout the land, observing gatherings and party goers, miners on a distant moor and sailors in a ship at sea – all celebrating Christmas in their own way.
Almost immediately Scrooge and the Ghost find themselves at Scrooge’s nephew Fred’s home. Scrooge overhears Fred and his party guests discussing his ill-temper and solitary nature. Fred tells the gathered guests that he means to continue asking his uncle to Christmas dinner, despite his rude refusals. Scrooge begins to realize he is only cheating himself out of happy experiences by not visiting. The Ghost and Scrooge continue to view Christmases throughout the world – from homes to hospitals to jails. Scrooge witnesses that each person visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present feels a greater sense of joy and hope.
Finally, Scrooge notices two children clinging to the Ghost’s robes. Scrooge asks if they belong to the Ghost, who replies: "They are man’s. And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance, the girl is Want. Beware of them both, and all of their degree. But most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
The bell strikes twelve and Scrooge is visited by the third and final spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. The Ghost, tall, shrouded in black and totally silent, shows Scrooge various people discussing the death of a man who was obviously disliked. A group of businessmen laugh at what a small funeral he was likely to have. Another group does nothing but mention his death casually. Scrooge then witnesses several servants selling the man’s stolen belongings. Scrooge realizes that “the case of this unhappy man might be my own.” Almost at once the scene changes and Scrooge is terrified to see the body of the plundered and uncared for man.
Scrooge, overcome, requests to see some emotion connected with the man’s death. The Ghost shows him a poor, young couple overcome with relief that their relentless creditor has died. To purge the previous scenes from his mind, Scrooge then demands to see some tenderness related to a death. The spirit conducts him to Bob Cratchit’s house. Scrooge realizes the quiet family is in mourning for the death of poor Tiny Tim. Scrooge, suspecting the end of the spirit’s visit, begs the Ghost to tell him the identity of the unfortunate deceased man. Without speaking a word, the Ghost takes Scrooge to a graveyard, where Scrooge sees the neglected grave – his own. In anguish he cries out to the Ghost for mercy, swearing to change the course of the future.
Redemption
Suddenly, Scrooge finds himself back in his own room and immediately sets out to make good on his promise. Bubbling with joy, he anonymously sends a large turkey to the Cratchit family, flags down the previous day’s charity solicitor and promises a large sum, goes to church and spends the afternoon with Fred’s family – much to their surprise and delight. The following day, catching Bob Cratchit coming in late to work, Scrooge surprises him by proposing to raise his salary and assist his struggling family.
Lynn Robert Berg*
Marley/Lighthouse Man/Man2/Undertaker
Ten seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Lynn is elated to be back at Great Lakes Theater for his 10th season, and for another year of Christmas Carol-ing. Previously at GLT: Doctor Parker in Bat Boy: The Musical, Banquo in Macbeth, Caliban in The Tempest, Sandy Tyrell in Hay Fever, Marcus Lycus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and the Ghost of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol. Other credits: Macbeth in the Short Shakespeare! Macbeth tour with Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Malvolio in Twelfth Night at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival; Bill Walker in Major Barbara, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Edmund in King Lear and Hastings in She Stoops to Conquer at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival; Prospero in The Tempest at Maine Shakespeare Festival; The Professor in All the Great Books (Abridged) at Delaware Theater Company and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at Writer’s Theater in Chicago. Lynn holds an MFA from the University of Delaware Professional Theater Training Program. SLL’M Ten seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Lynn is elated to be back at Great Lakes Theater for his 10th season, and for another year of Christmas Carol-ing. Previously at GLT: Doctor Parker in Bat Boy: The Musical, Banquo in Macbeth, Caliban in The Tempest, Sandy Tyrell in Hay Fever, Marcus...
Kayleigh Collins
Master William/Tiny Tim
Great Lakes Theater debut: Kayleigh is thrilled to be in her very first Great Lakes Theater production. She is 7 years old and is in the second grade at Hale Road Elementary. She has performed the role of Molly in Annie at both the Geauga Lyric Theater and Willoughby Fine Arts Association. Kayleigh was also seen in the Ashtabula Arts Center’s 101 Dalmations as Penny. Most recently, she performed as Young Kim in Mercury Summerstock’s production of Show Boat at the Cleveland Play House. She has appeared professionally in local commercials in the Pittsburgh area. Kayleigh enjoys performing the national anthem, and has done so at several area ballparks, including the Lake County Captains, the Erie Seawolves and the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. She enjoys gymnastics, singing, acting and spending time with her family. Kayleigh thanks her friends, family and teachers for their love and encouragement. Great Lakes Theater debut: Kayleigh is thrilled to be in her very first Great Lakes Theater production. She is 7 years old and is in the second grade at Hale Road Elementary. She has performed the role of Molly in Annie at both the Geauga Lyric Theater and Willoughby Fine...
Jackson Daugherty
James/Robert/Adolescent Scrooge/ Ensemble
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Jackson is grateful for the opportunity to participate in Great Lakes Theater’s A Christmas Carol for the third time. He got his start in acting at the Chagrin Valley Little Theater when he was 5 years old, and has been hooked ever since. Jackson has enjoyed studying acting with the Chagrin Valley Little Theater, Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory and Simply Theatre Academy. Some of his credits include Randy in the Cleveland Play House production of A Christmas Story; Tiny Tim in Chagrin Valley Little Theater’s musical version of A Christmas Carol; Mr. Rat in the Simply Theatre production of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox at Théâtre de l’Espérance in Geneva, Switzerland; and Randolph in the Willoughby Fine Arts Association’s production of Bye Bye Birdie. Jackson has also had the opportunity to work under the direction of Greg Cesear in the part of Jerry in the Cesear’s Forum production of Samuel Beckett’s All That Fall, at Kennedy’s Down Under. He recently enjoyed filming his first commercial, as well as participating in Mercury Summer Stock’s production of Camp Rock. Jackson, an eighth-grader at Chagrin Falls Middle School, enjoys traveling, playing soccer and baseball, juggling and playing the tuba. He would like to thank his parents and his brother, Ben, and sister, Ella, for supporting his love of acting. Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Jackson is grateful for the opportunity to participate in Great Lakes Theater’s A Christmas Carol for the third time. He got his start in acting at the Chagrin Valley Little Theater when he was 5 years old, and has been hooked ever since. Jackson...
Aled Davies*
Scrooge/Samuels
Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: This is my 100th professional production, a personal milestone I wish to mark with some acknowledgements. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles Fee who has produced the majority of those shows and directed me in many, and, by extension to all the trustee’s, staff members, directors, designers, stage managers, technical artisans, run crews and audiences at Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Similar thanks to Anita Stewart and all those at Portland Stage Company (Maine), notably Bartlett Sher and Peter Still. Other Regional Credits; The Goodman, Hartford Stage, Intiman, Portland Center Stage, George St. Playhouse, Delaware Theater Company, Milwaukee Shakespeare Company, Los Angeles Theater Center, Los Angeles Shakespeare Company, Boise Contemporary Theater and the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. Two national tours with The Acting Company included an appearance at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (NYC) for which I received a Theater World Award, and I began it all as an intern at the Milwaukee Rep. My greatest thanks goes to all of my fellow actors who have had to put up with much, and to my beautiful and wonderful lady Sara and our two tolerant, intrepid cats. I have been a very proud and appreciative member of my union, Actors’ Equity Association since 1984. Go Browns! (Someday Please) Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: This is my 100th professional production, a personal milestone I wish to mark with some acknowledgements. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles Fee who has produced the majority of those shows and directed me in many, and, by extension to all...
Jodi Dominick*
Jane/Mrs. Cratchit/Charwoman/Ensemble
Five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Jodi’s previous roles include Sally Bowles in Cabaret, The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Lady MacDuff in Macbeth, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Helena Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, Bianca in Othello, Ivana/Tailor in The Taming of the Shrew and Lucetta/Outlaw in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Four seasons at Idaho Shakespeare Festival include Into the Woods, Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Twelfth Night, An Ideal Husband, Othello, Two Gentleman of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew and Cabaret. Other credits include Diana in I Love You Because at PlayhouseSquare; Helen/Frances/Bad Perm, The Break Up Notebook at The Beck Center for the Arts, New World Stages and Hudson Backstage Theatre; Clara, Passion at The Beck Center for the Arts; Woman 1 and 2 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at The Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare; Debtor’s Wife in A Christmas Carol, Great Lakes Theater; and Gypsy at Great Lakes Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Other shows include Lovelace: A Rock Opera, The Hayworth Theatre (LA); Violet and Bye Bye Birdie, Cain Park; and Closer, Dobama Theatre. Jodi is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music and proud member of AEA. Five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Jodi’s previous roles include Sally Bowles in Cabaret, The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Lady MacDuff in Macbeth, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Helena Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, Bianca in Othello, Ivana/Tailor in The Taming...
Mackenzie Dale Durken
Skate Girl/Ensemble
Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Mackenzie is honored and delighted to be returning for a second season, reprising her role as Skate Girl/Ensemble with the Great Lakes Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol. She is a ten year old fifth grader at Walter Kidder Elementary School in Brunswick, Ohio where she most recently portrayed Peter Cooper/mountain man in Go West. She is active in school participating in choir, band (clarinet), walking club (captain), science club, Kiwanis kids, and running club. She recently placed third (13 and under category) in a Relay for Life 5K. Other activities include reading, Girl Scouts (junior), piano, karate, and she is a seasoned traveler. She also enjoys spending time with her older sister Kaylee and younger brother Shaun. She is thankful to all her family, friends and teachers for their love, support and encouragement. Mackenzie is extremely grateful to have this opportunity to be part of A Christmas Carol once again. Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Mackenzie is honored and delighted to be returning for a second season, reprising her role as Skate Girl/Ensemble with the Great Lakes Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol. She is a ten year old fifth grader at Walter Kidder Elementary School in Brunswick, Ohio...
Antwaun Holley
Richard/Peter Cratchit/Dick Wilkins/Ensemble
Great Lakes Theater debut: Antwaun Holley is pleased to be joining GLT in its 50th season for A Christmas Carol. Favorite roles include Youth in Passing Strange, Seaweed J. Stubbs in Hairspray, C.C. White in Dreamgirls and Benny in Rent. I would like to thank my father for his continuing love and my BW family for their unending support. Merry Christmas! Great Lakes Theater debut: Antwaun Holley is pleased to be joining GLT in its 50th season for A Christmas Carol. Favorite roles include Youth in Passing Strange, Seaweed J. Stubbs in Hairspray, C.C. White in Dreamgirls and Benny in Rent. I would like to thank my father for his continuing...
Cameron Andrew Howell
Delivery Boy/Ensemble
Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cameron is ecstatic to be acting with GLT in A Christmas Carol for his seventh and final year, and is grateful to Sara Bruner for the opportunity. At age 3, Cameron walked on stage at a pageant and stole the crowd’s heart with his confidence. His final bow to the audience was a sure sign that he loved performing. Cameron has modeled and been in Geauga Lake, Safe Auto and Cleveland Zoo commercials, as well as in an infomercial for Ultimate Sack. Feature films include Closed for the Season, 25 Hill and Pretty All The Time. Theater performances include Peter Pan (Peter) at Caryl Crane’s, Richard III (Prince Edward) at Ohio Shakespeare, Oliver (Charlie Bates) and Best of Broadway at Cassidy, Joseph (Mercury Summer Stock), Honk Jr. (Strongsville Community Theatre), Sound of Music (Kurt) at Garfield Heights Little Theater, Children’s Letters to God (Brecksville Little Theater), Music Man (Porthouse), Seussical Jr. (Near West), Children of Eden (Heights) and Charlotte’s Web at Royalton Players. He performed in LaBoheme Opera at Baldwin-Wallace and Amerikids Show Choir at Sandusky State. He enjoys singing, dancing, acting, basketball and baseball. Cameron is 13 and in seventh grade at Amherst Junior High. He has three talented big brothers: Justin, Ryan and Aaron. Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cameron is ecstatic to be acting with GLT in A Christmas Carol for his seventh and final year, and is grateful to Sara Bruner for the opportunity. At age 3, Cameron walked on stage at a pageant and stole the crowd’s heart with his...
Paul Hurley*
Young Scrooge/Nephew Fred/Ensemble
Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Paul is thrilled to return to the Great Lakes Theater, where he appeared last season as Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and performed multiple roles in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Recently, he played Neoptolemus in The Cure at Troy (American Players Theatre), Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis) and Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company). Other regional credits include work with Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Othello); Milwaukee Repertory Theater (A Christmas Carol, Anna Christie); Madison Repertory Theatre (The Laramie Project); Delaware Theatre Company (Henry V, All the Great Books (Abridged)); Utah Shakespearean Festival (Romeo and Juliet, Doctor Faustus); and seven seasons with American Players Theatre (The Circle, The Belle’s Stratagem, Merchant of Venice, Timon of Athens, The Cherry Orchard, Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, among others). Paul holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program. Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Paul is thrilled to return to the Great Lakes Theater, where he appeared last season as Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and performed multiple roles in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Recently, he played Neoptolemus in The Cure at Troy...
Rachel M. Jones
Elizabeth/Martha Cratchit/Fan/Ensemble
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Rachel is happy to return to the wonderful tradition that is A Christmas Carol with GLT! Also with GLT, Rachel has been a part of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Cabaret. Other favorite projects include the first-ever in-repertory productions of Rent and La Boheme, Side by Side by Sondheim, Hairspray and [title of show]. Rachel is a senior music theater major at Baldwin-Wallace College, and is looking forward to graduating in May and starting the next chapter! So much love and gratitude to my unbelievable support system and to you for supporting the arts! Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Rachel is happy to return to the wonderful tradition that is A Christmas Carol with GLT! Also with GLT, Rachel has been a part of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Cabaret. Other favorite projects include the first-ever in-repertory productions of Rent and La Boheme, Side by Side by Sondheim, Hairspray and [title...
Mia Knight
Swing/Street Child
Great Lakes Theater debut: Mia is honored and thrilled to be making her debut with Great Lakes Theater. She is 10 years old and attends Beachwood Middle School. She has appeared in several productions at Beachwood Community Theater. Her favorites include Alice in Wonderland (knave) and Pinocchio (Jennifer). Mia’s most recent performance was as the youngest actress in Miss Jean Brodie with the Fairmount Performing Arts Center. She is also an experienced voice-over actress for His Handiwork Puppets. Mia would like to thank her family and friends for supporting her dreams of being a triple-threat diva, singing, acting and performing and would like to encourage them to come and enjoy the show and help her celebrate her 11th birthday on Christmas Eve. Great Lakes Theater debut: Mia is honored and thrilled to be making her debut with Great Lakes Theater. She is 10 years old and attends Beachwood Middle School. She has appeared in several productions at Beachwood Community Theater. Her favorites include Alice in Wonderland (knave) and Pinocchio (Jennifer). Mia’s most...
Darryl Lewis*
Charity Man 2/Mr. Fezziwig/Man 1/Captain
Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Darryl is an American-trained bass-baritone who is thrilled to be performing again in this beautiful holiday tradition. Earlier this year, he was seen as Uncle Bonze in the opera Madama Butterfly, Jim in Big River, Marty the Manager in Dreamgirls and Montel/Jesus in Jerry Springer the Opera. Other recent roles include The Young Man in the chamber opera Hello Out There by Jack Beeson and Dr. Gibbs in the Oberlin College Summer Theater Festival production of Our Town. Prior credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Grey Gardens, Caroline or Change, The Wiz, My Favorite Year, To Kill a Mockingbird, Holy Ghosts, Jekyll and Hyde, Violet, Passion, Porgy & Bess and The Exonerated. A graduate of the D’Angelo School of Music in Erie, Pennsylvania, he has also performed in the following opera companies: Cleveland Opera, Chautaqua Opera, Toledo Opera, Michigan Opera and the Rome, Italy, Opera Festival. Mr. Lewis is a teaching assistant at Kent State University. He is the music director at the Cleveland School of the Arts and he teaches private lessons at a studio he owns in Euclid. Mr. Lewis is a proud member of the Actors Equity Association. Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Darryl is an American-trained bass-baritone who is thrilled to be performing again in this beautiful holiday tradition. Earlier this year, he was seen as Uncle Bonze in the opera Madama Butterfly, Jim in Big River, Marty the Manager in Dreamgirls and Montel/Jesus in Jerry...
Colleen Longshaw*
Cynthia/Mrs. Fezziwig/Laundress/Ensemble
Great Lakes Theater debut: As a Cleveland native, Colleen has seen A Christmas Carol in downtown Cleveland in years past and is beyond thrilled to be making her Great Lakes Theater debut in this Cleveland classic. She has been seen in many Cleveland area theaters, and holds a BFA in acting from Kent State University. Credits include Kiss me, Kate (national tour), Hairspray (Northshore Music Theatre), The Full Monty (Northshore Music Theatre), Dreamgirls (Cain Park), Caroline, or Change (Karamu and Dobama theaters), The Piano Lesson (The Cleveland Play House), Once On This Island, (Porthouse Theatre), Avenue X, (Cain Park), Godspell (Porthouse Theatre), Aida, (The Beck Center) and The Buddy Holly Story (Carousel Dinner Theater). Colleen sends love to her family and friends for their unending love and support. Colleen is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Psalms 16:11 Great Lakes Theater debut: As a Cleveland native, Colleen has seen A Christmas Carol in downtown Cleveland in years past and is beyond thrilled to be making her Great Lakes Theater debut in this Cleveland classic. She has been seen in many Cleveland area theaters, and holds a BFA in...
Dougfred Miller*
Father/Bob Cratchit/Ensemble
Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: This is Doug’s seventh season with Great Lakes Theater. Previous appearances include the title role in Macbeth, Jonathan in Arsenic and Old Lace, Cassius in Julius Caesar, Jaques in As You Like It and Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest. In several seasons with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, his roles have included Cusins in Major Barbara, Holofernes in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Horatio in Hamlet, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, several dukes, an emperor in Amadeus and Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. Other appearances include Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Versati in The Underpants at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Lysander in a Vietnamese/ English production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Central Dramatic Theatre Company in Hanoi, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Portland Center Stage, Richard in Richard III and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company, Prospero in The Tempest and the Duke in Measure for Measure at Texas Shakespeare Festival. Doug teaches acting at Ashland University, and is a proud graduate of the PTTP at the University of Delaware. Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: This is Doug’s seventh season with Great Lakes Theater. Previous appearances include the title role in Macbeth, Jonathan in Arsenic and Old Lace, Cassius in Julius Caesar, Jaques in As You Like It and Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest. In several seasons...
Cameron Danielle Nelson
Sarah/Polly/Want
Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cameron is thrilled to return to A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) for her fourth season after playing Tiny Tim for three seasons. Past credits include Annie Get Your Gun (little Jake) Porthouse Theater; Fiddler on the Roof (Bielke) Beck Center for the Arts; The Nerd (Thor) Weathervane Playhouse; The Trojan Women (young boy) Lorain Community College; Pagliacci (as part of children’s chorus) Opera Cleveland at the State Theatre in PlayhouseSquare; Les Miserables (young Epinone); Big (a grade school kid) Fairmount Performing Arts; Honk Jr. (Fluff) Strongsville Community Theater; and Oliver (fain boy, workhouse boy) and The Wizard of Oz (Toto) Cassidy Theatre. She has also appeared in a nationwide photo shoot for Things Remembered and in three short films in the Cleveland and Akron area. Cameron has studied ballet and tap at The Studio of Dance for eight years, and started jazz and lyrical classes this fall. She also has studied at Fairmount Arts Conservatory Camp and Camp Theater with Great Lakes Theater. She is very active in school, participating in choir, chess club, k-kids, newspaper club, volleyball, basketball and softball. Cameron is very grateful to Sara Bruner and Great Lakes Theater for the opportunity to share this holiday tradition with all her sisters. Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cameron is thrilled to return to A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) for her fourth season after playing Tiny Tim for three seasons. Past credits include Annie Get Your Gun (little Jake) Porthouse Theater; Fiddler on the Roof (Bielke) Beck Center for the Arts;...
Carly Marie Nelson
Sled Boy/Ignorance
Great Lakes Theater debut: Carly is beyond excited to make her debut in A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) for her first season as Sled Boy. She has also appeared in Oliver (workhouse boy) for Cassidy Theater. Carly is starting her third year of ballet and tap dance, and started kindergarten in the fall. She has attended Camp Theater with Great Lakes Theater. Other interests include soccer, t-ball, singing and art. Carly would like to thank all her sisters for showing her the way to perform on stage, and Sara Bruner for making her holiday season so magical by casting her in A Christmas Carol with all her sisters!!! Great Lakes Theater debut: Carly is beyond excited to make her debut in A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) for her first season as Sled Boy. She has also appeared in Oliver (workhouse boy) for Cassidy Theater. Carly is starting her third year of ballet and tap dance, and started...
Cassidy Josephine Nelson
Master William/Tiny Tim
Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cassidy is very happy to return to A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) for her second season in a new role as (Master William/Tiny Tim). At the age of 8, Cassidy began to love the stage. Past roles include Pearl Fishers (super child) Opera Cleveland; Honk (little girl) Mercury Summer Stock; Oliver (workhouse boy), Dear Edwina (Katie Spoonapple), Honk Jr. (Froglet), Nun Crackers (student), How to Eat Like a Child (Brandon) Strongsville Community Theater; Alice in Wonderland (baby pigeon) 82nd Street Theater and Oliver! (workhouse boy) at Cassidy Theater. Cassidy has attended Camp Theater with Great Lakes Theater. She has studied dance (ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz) for five years, and enjoys playing travel soccer and softball, as well as gymnastics. She is finally not the youngest sister in a play, and is super excited to be performing with her sisters. Thank you to Sara Bruner for this wonderful experience. Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cassidy is very happy to return to A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) for her second season in a new role as (Master William/Tiny Tim). At the age of 8, Cassidy began to love the stage. Past roles include Pearl Fishers (super child) Opera...
Courtney Anne Nelson
Soloist/Street Child
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Courtney is ecstatic to return to A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) after performing in two seasons prior (Tiny Tim, skate girl). Some of her past favorite roles include A Christmas Story (Helen), Heaven’s My Destination (little Roberts girl, Elizabeth, Rhoda May Gruber), Solomon’s Blade (Hannah Greenwold) The Cleveland Play House; Annie (Annie) Cassidy Theater; Bye Bye Birdie (sad girl), Annie Get Your Gun (Nellie) Porthouse Theatre; Jane Eyre (young Jane) Kent State University; Pagliacci (children’s chorus) Opera Cleveland; Into the Woods (Little Red), EAT-It’s Not About Food (Emily), Les Miserables (lovely lady, ensemble), Big (middle school student) Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory; Oliver (workhouse boy), Children of Eden (young Abel) Weathervane Community Theater; Fiddler on the Roof (Sprintze) Beck Center for the Arts; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (children’s choir) and Honk (Beaky) Mercury Summer Stock. Courtney has attended theater camp in Cleveland and New York City for the past five years as well as Fairmount Arts Conservatory after camp in Cleveland. Her other interests include dance (Cecchetti, tap, jazz, lyrical, pointe), which she has studied since age 2 1/2, math, choir and art. Courtney is thankful to Sara Bruner and Great Lakes Theater for the opportunity to share the stage with all three of her sisters. Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Courtney is ecstatic to return to A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theater) after performing in two seasons prior (Tiny Tim, skate girl). Some of her past favorite roles include A Christmas Story (Helen), Heaven’s My Destination (little Roberts girl, Elizabeth, Rhoda May Gruber), Solomon’s...
Laura Perrotta*
Mother/Mrs. Fred/Ensemble
Thirteen seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Representative roles in New York: Love’s Labour’s Lost, Heartbreak House, Kabuki Macbeth, Troilus and Cressida, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Major Barbara, Boy Meets Girl, The Long Goodbye, Talk to Me Like the Rain ..., Whispers on the Wind and Private Lives. Cleveland: Hedda Gabler, Broken Glass, Uncle Vanya, King Lear, Jocasta, The Front Page, Angels in America, Three Days of Rain, Closer, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and How I Learned to Drive. Great Lakes Theater: The Wild Duck, Gypsy, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Arms and the Man, Julius Caesar, The Importance of Being Earnest, Private Lives, Tartuffe and Hamlet. Idaho Shakespeare Festival/Great Lakes Theater: The Taming of the Shrew, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Love’s Labour’s Lost, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Hay Fever, Into the Woods, Twelfth Night, Othello, An Ideal Husband, Cabaret and The Taming of the Shrew. To Daisy with love. Thirteen seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Representative roles in New York: Love’s Labour’s Lost, Heartbreak House, Kabuki Macbeth, Troilus and Cressida, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Major Barbara, Boy Meets Girl, The Long Goodbye, Talk to Me Like the Rain ..., Whispers on the Wind and Private Lives. Cleveland:...
Eduardo Placer*
Ghost of Christmas Past/Ghost of Christmas Future/Street Singer
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previous GLT and ISF credits include Master of Ceremonies (Cabaret), Hortensio (The Taming of the Shrew), Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Bud/Pan/Daisy (Bat Boy: The Musical), Ghost of Christmas Past (A Christmas Carol), Roderigo (Othello), Vicomte de Nanjac (An Ideal Husband), Neville Landless (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and Feste (Twelfth Night). New York credits: Clincher Sr. (The Constant Couple) and Rosencrantz (Hamlet) at The Pearl Theatre. Regional credits: world premiere productions of Zhivago (La Jolla Playhouse) and Senor Discretion Himself (Arena Stage), Much Ado About Nothing (The Shakespeare Theatre), Camelot (Arena Stage), A Man’s A Man (Arena Stage), The Mineola Twins (Woolly Mammoth). Training: MFA in acting, UCSD. B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. Proud AEA member since 2003. Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previous GLT and ISF credits include Master of Ceremonies (Cabaret), Hortensio (The Taming of the Shrew), Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Bud/Pan/Daisy (Bat Boy: The Musical), Ghost of Christmas Past (A Christmas Carol), Roderigo (Othello), Vicomte de Nanjac (An Ideal Husband), Neville Landless (The Mystery...
Maggie Roach
Debtor's Wife/Belle/Ensemble
First season at Great Lakes Theater: Maggie is thrilled to be returning to Great Lakes Theater after finishing an exciting run as Frenchie in Cabaret at the Hanna Theatre. Other favorite credits include Heidi in [title of show] (PlayhouseSquare), Dodi in See Rock City (Dobama Theatre), Julie in Show Boat (Carson-Dater Performing Arts Center), Chess Queen in Chess (PlayhouseSquare), Frenchie in Cabaret (CBB of St. Louis), Dolores in The Wild Party (Baldwin-Wallace College) and Essie in Parade (Baldwin-Wallace College). She holds a bachelor of music in music theater from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music. Tons of love and thanks to the cast and crew at GLT and my NYC family, as well as my 6 Roaches at home. First season at Great Lakes Theater: Maggie is thrilled to be returning to Great Lakes Theater after finishing an exciting run as Frenchie in Cabaret at the Hanna Theatre. Other favorite credits include Heidi in [title of show] (PlayhouseSquare), Dodi in See Rock City (Dobama Theatre), Julie in Show Boat...
David Anthony Smith*
Muggeridge/The Ghost of Christmas Present/Debtor/Ensemble
Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Great Lakes Theater audiences have seen him as Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Iago in Othello, Viscount Goring in An Ideal Husband, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Macduff in Macbeth, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Sergius in Arms and the Man, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar and Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost. He has performed at the Tony Award-winning Old Globe Theater in San Diego, at South Coast Repertory and just finished 11 seasons with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (title role in Henry V), Laguna Playhouse, Sierra Rep, Madison Rep, the Shakespeare festivals of Utah, Colorado, Garden Grove, Nevada and The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum (where he played Hamlet for director Ellen Geer). He has played Romeo, Lucio, Bassanio, Tranio, Dromio, Mercutio and other roles ending in “o.” Television credits include Babylon 5, Knots Landing, The Trials of Rosie O’Neil, North and South – Book II, The Young and the Restless and One Life to Live. David has starred in five feature films: The Hanoi Hilton, Field of Fire, Terror in Paradise, After Romeo and Judgment Day. Forever and a day — Natalia. Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Great Lakes Theater audiences have seen him as Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Iago in Othello, Viscount Goring in An Ideal Husband, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Macduff in Macbeth, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Sergius...
Dudley Swetland*
Topper/Man 3/Miner
Fifteen seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Last summer, Dr. Swetland appeared as both the Duke and Don Antonio in the Idaho Shakespeare Festival production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. At Great Lakes Theater, he has appeared in many roles over the last 15 years, including that of Scrooge for 12 years. Other productions include Antony and Cleopatra (directed by Gerald Freedman), As You Like It, Measure for Measure, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, along with many non-Shakespearean productions over the last several seasons. He even dipped his creative toe into the musical theater genre in both She Loves Me and A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum. Since graduating from Ohio State (Ph.D. 1976), Dr. Swetland has served as a member of the acting faculty at Case Western, was part of the Cleveland Play House artistic staff, served as a staff director for four summers at the Champlain Shakespeare Festival, was a master acting coach at the University of Akron for one semester, and has appeared at almost all theatrical venues throughout Cleveland. He remembers fondly working with the late Tony Randall in the John Kenley production of The Man Who Came to Dinner (and feels blessed to have known these two theatrical icons). For many years, he has worked as a voice-over talent, and is often heard on radio in that capacity. Dr. Swetland is truly appreciative of the opportunity afforded him in being a part of Great Lakes Theater. Fifteen seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Last summer, Dr. Swetland appeared as both the Duke and Don Antonio in the Idaho Shakespeare Festival production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. At Great Lakes Theater, he has appeared in many roles over the last 15 years, including that of Scrooge for...
M. A. Taylor*
Charity Man 1/Joe the Keeper/Ensemble
Ten seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Mark Anthony (aka M.A.) is delighted to contribute to this holiday tradition once again. He has most recently been seen in The Taming of the Shrew (Grumio), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Speed), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Actor 3), Othello (Gratiano), An Ideal Husband (Phipps), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Flute/Fairy), A Christmas Carol (Charity Man/Old Joe), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Durdles) and Twelfth Night (Fabian). Also among his credits: Candy in Of Mice and Men (directed by Adrian Hall) for PTTP/Rep, Dracula for Boise Contemporary Theater in the title role, Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Gravedigger/Player King in Hamlet for Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and Crave & Fully Committed for Tooth & Nail Theater in Salt Lake City. Other productions include Arsenic and Old Lace, The Crucible, She Stoops to Conquer, A Streetcar Named Desire, Tooth of Crime, Translations, An Ideal Husband, All the King’s Men, The Effects of Tobacco, Swan Song, Saint Joan and The Count of Monte Cristo. He holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP). He wishes to give special thanks to my supportive families, both professional and genetic. Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night! Ten seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Mark Anthony (aka M.A.) is delighted to contribute to this holiday tradition once again. He has most recently been seen in The Taming of the Shrew (Grumio), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Speed), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Actor 3), Othello (Gratiano),...
Natalie Welch
Abigail/Belinda
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Natalie is delighted to return to the cast of A Christmas Carol for a third year. Previously, she has played Belinda (2010), Sarah Cratchit, Polly Cleaveland and “Want” (2009). Most recently, Natalie was seen in The Wizard of Oz national tour (munchkin) at PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre. She has performed the title role in Annie at the Players Guild Theatre in Canton, and Star to Be in the recent Annie production at Heights Youth Theatre. Natalie has appeared regionally in productions at the Beck Center, including the Cleveland premiere of Grey Gardens (Lee Bouvier), Peter Pan (Jane), Beauty and the Beast (villager and cocktail napkin), and the youth production of Cats (Munkustrap). Other credits: Oliver! (workhouse boy) at Cain Park, Peter Pan (Michael) at Beachwood Community Theater and The Music Man (Amaryllis) at Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Center. Natalie made her film debut in 2011 as Robin/Ideal Object in the short film, Pretty All the Time. She has received professional musical theater training at Interlochen Center for the Arts in 2010-2011, where she played Alice in Alice in Wonderland and Jennyanydots in Cats. She has also studied locally at the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory. FPAC credits: Into the Woods (Little Red Riding Hood) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (children’s choir), and will be in the upcoming production of The Music Man (Zaneeta). Natalie has studied a variety of dance styles since age 3. She sings in the Select Choir at Chagrin Falls Middle School where she is in eighth grade. Natalie is very grateful to Sarah for this amazing opportunity, and to the cast and crew of ACC for making these three holiday seasons so memorable. Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Natalie is delighted to return to the cast of A Christmas Carol for a third year. Previously, she has played Belinda (2010), Sarah Cratchit, Polly Cleaveland and “Want” (2009). Most recently, Natalie was seen in The Wizard of Oz national tour (munchkin) at PlayhouseSquare’s...
* Members of the Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Sara Bruner
Director, A Christmas Carol
Eight seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Sara is honored to be part of the Christmas Carol tradition. She has adapted and directed Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Othello and Twelfth Night for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival’s educational outreach tour. She has also served as assistant director to Charles Fee (GLT, ISF), Victoria Bussert (PlayhouseSquare) and Risa Brainin (ISF). GLT credits include Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Frau Kost in Cabaret, Desdemona in Othello, Mabel in An Ideal Husband, Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Viola in Twelfth Night, Masha in The Seagull, a witch in Macbeth, Abigail in The Crucible, Ariel in The Tempest, Raina in Arms and the Man, Ophelia in Hamlet, Marianne In Tartuffe, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sorel in Hay Fever. Eight seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Sara is honored to be part of the Christmas Carol tradition. She has adapted and directed Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Othello and Twelfth Night for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival’s educational outreach tour. She has also served as assistant director to Charles Fee (GLT, ISF), Victoria Bussert (PlayhouseSquare) and Risa Brainin (ISF). GLT credits include Kate in The Taming of the Shrew,...
Charles Fee
Producing Artistic Director
Ten season at Great Lakes Theater: Directing credits at GLT, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Hay Fever, The Importance of Being Earnest, Arms and the Man and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Charles holds a unique position in the American theater as Producing Artistic Director of three independently operated, professional theater companies: Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio (since 2002), Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise, Idaho (since 1991) and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, (since 2010). His appointments have resulted in a dynamic and groundbreaking producing model for the festivals in which 37 plays have been shared between the companies since 2002. In 2009, Charles was honored to receive recognition for his leadership by the Cleveland Arts Prize as a recipient of the Martha Joseph Award. Other awards include The Mayor’s and Governor’s awards for Excellence in the Arts, in Boise, Idaho. From 1988 to 1992, he held the position of artistic director at the Sierra Repertory Theatre in California. He has also worked with such companies as The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, the Milwaukee and Missouri repertory theaters, Actor’s Theatre of Phoenix and the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival. In addition to his work with the festivals in Ohio, Idaho and Nevada, Charles is active within the community. He has served as a member of the strategic planning committee for the Morrison Center, as producer of the FUNDSY Award Gala (’96, ’98 and 2000), and as producer of the 1996 Idaho Governor’s Awards in the Arts. Charles has served on the board of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Downtown Rotary Club. He received his BA from the University of the Pacific and Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Along with his wife, Lidia, and 16-year-old daughter, Alexa, Charles resides in Boise, Cleveland and Lake Tahoe –– a feat that is only possible because of the incredible love and support of his family, and the generous communities he serves! Ten season at Great Lakes Theater: Directing credits at GLT, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Hay Fever, The Importance of Being Earnest, Arms and the Man and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Charles holds a unique position in the American theater as Producing Artistic Director of three independently operated, professional theater companies: Great Lakes Theater in...
Gerald Freedman
Director, Adaptor, A Christmas Carol
Twenty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Gerald Freedman is the dean of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, one of the leading undergraduate acting conservatories in the nation. An Obie Award winner and the first American invited to direct at the Globe Theatre in London, he is regarded internationally for his direction of productions of classic drama, musicals, operas, new plays and television. He served as leading director of Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival from 1960 to 1971, the last four years as artistic director. He was co-artistic director of John Houseman’s The Acting Company from 1974 to 1977, artistic director of the American Shakespeare Theatre from 1978 to 1979 and artistic director of the Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1985 to 1997. Gerald has staged 29 of Shakespeare’s plays, along with dozens of other world classics. He made theater history with his off-Broadway premiere of the landmark rock musical Hair, which opened the Public Theater in 1967. Broadway direction includes The Robber Bridegroom; The Grand Tour; the revival of West Side Story, co-directed with Jerome Robbins; the premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business and Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Gerald also directed opera productions for the Opera Society of Washington (Kennedy Center), the San Francisco Opera Company and the New York City Opera. Prior to assuming his current position at UNC School of the Arts, he taught at Yale and Juilliard. A native of Lorain, Ohio, he received both his B.S. and his M.A. (summa cum laude) from Northwestern University, and trained with Alvina Krause, Emmy Joseph and at The Actors Studio. Twenty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Gerald Freedman is the dean of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, one of the leading undergraduate acting conservatories in the nation. An Obie Award winner and the first American invited to direct at the Globe Theatre in London, he is regarded internationally for his direction of productions of classic drama, musicals, operas, new plays and television. He served as leading...
Matthew Webb
Music Director
Five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Matthew is returning to Cleveland for his fifth season with Great Lakes Theater and is delighted to be making his A Christmas Carol debut. A graduate of the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music, Matthew was music director for Cabaret and for The Two Gentlemen of Verona earlier this year. Off-Broadway: Ernest in Love (The Irish Repertory). New York: The Cure (Roy Arias Theatre), The Water Coolers. Regional: I Love You Because (PlayhouseSquare’s 14th Street Theatre), The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Bat Boy: The Musical (Great Lakes Theater and Idaho Shakespeare Festival), The Breakup Notebook: The Lesbian Musical (The Beck Center), The Wiz (Cain Park), Guys on Ice (American Folklore Theatre and The Milwaukee Repertory), The Phantom of the Opera (Baldwin-Wallace College), Hair (Cain Park and Kent State University), and A Cabin With A View (AFT). Infinite thanks to my parents for their continued love and support, to Charlie and Vicky for their encouragement to grow, and to M3N for being the best. Five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Matthew is returning to Cleveland for his fifth season with Great Lakes Theater and is delighted to be making his A Christmas Carol debut. A graduate of the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music, Matthew was music director for Cabaret and for The Two Gentlemen of Verona earlier this year. Off-Broadway: Ernest in Love (The Irish Repertory). New York: The Cure (Roy Arias Theatre), The Water Coolers. Regional: I Love...
Mary Jo Dondlinger
Lighting Designer
Twenty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Design credits include productions for York Theatre Co, Irish Repertory Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, GEVA (Rochester) and Idaho Shakespeare Festival, among many others. Her most recent NYC design is the revival of The Fantasticks now playing at The Snapple Theatre Center in Times Square.
John Ezell
Scenic Designer
Thirty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Thirty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater as award-winning associate artistic director and director of design under Vincent Dowling, Gerald Freedman and James Bundy. He has designed for Broadway; New York Shakespeare Festival; NY Public Theatre; Crossroads Theatre; Roundabout Theatre; Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger; Williamstown; Berkshire; Old Globe; Coconut Grove; Asolo State Theatre; Arizona Theatre Company; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; Dallas Theatre Center; Indiana and Kansas City repertory theaters; Cincinnati Playhouse; Hong Kong Repertory Theatre; Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa; the Istanbul Cultural Olympics; Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts; Lyric Opera; Blackstone Theatre and Second City in Chicago; Cincinnati Ballet; Royal Danish Ballet; Royal Theatre in Copenhagen; Swedish Riksteater and the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm; CBS; PBS-TV and Swedish State Television. His drawings have been exhibited in New York, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Prague and Brussels. His work received the Award for Experimental Television Art in Milan, Italy, two Corporation for Public Broadcasting Awards for Excellence, and 15 national Critic’s Circle awards, including the 2011-2012 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for best professional sets at the historic Westport Country Playhouse. He is a Fellow of the College of the American Theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Thirty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Thirty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater as award-winning associate artistic director and director of design under Vincent Dowling, Gerald Freedman and James Bundy. He has designed for Broadway; New York Shakespeare Festival; NY Public Theatre; Crossroads Theatre; Roundabout Theatre; Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger; Williamstown; Berkshire; Old Globe; Coconut Grove; Asolo State Theatre; Arizona Theatre Company; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; Dallas Theatre Center; Indiana and Kansas City repertory theaters; Cincinnati...
Gene Emerson Friedman
Scenic Designer
Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: A native of Cleveland, Gene first designed at Great Lakes Theater in 1980. He returns as set designer for A Christmas Carol. Recent designs include Second City Does Arizona at Arizona Theatre Company, Richard The Third, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello and Romeo and Juliet at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and The Music Man, Carousel and La Cage aux Folles at Stages-Saint Louis. Other designs include Death and the Maiden at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Calderon’s Life is a Dream at New York’s Lincoln Center, Death of a Salesman and I’m Not Rappaport, Missouri Repertory Theatre and, at GLT, Gerald Freedman’s adaptations of A Christmas Carol and People Who Led to My Plays, as well as The Dearest Friends, The Boor, The Enemies, The World of Sholom Aleichem and What the Butler Saw. Gene serves as the architectural historian of the Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe [1629] at Zuni Pueblo, where he also serves as archivist and curator of the Casa de Santo Nino. Gene is a tenured associate professor of design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His design work can be seen at www.gefriedmandesign.com Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: A native of Cleveland, Gene first designed at Great Lakes Theater in 1980. He returns as set designer for A Christmas Carol. Recent designs include Second City Does Arizona at Arizona Theatre Company, Richard The Third, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello and Romeo and Juliet at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and The Music Man, Carousel and La Cage aux Folles at Stages-Saint Louis. Other designs include Death...
Stan Kozak
Sound Designer
Twenty-six seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Stan Kozak most recently designed sound for Bat Boy: The Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Comedy of Errors. Returning to GLTF for his 26th season, his more than 50 design credits include Amadeus, You Can’t Take It With You, Private Lives, Into the Woods and the Tom Hanks’ benefit performances. His work in 1979 and 1981 with Geraldine Fitzgerald on Streetsongs at GLTF led to the original cast album. Mr. Kozak was the resident sound designer for four seasons at the Porthouse Theatre Company, including productions of Driving Miss Daisy, Niteclub Confidential and And a Nightingale Sang. His collaborations with Victoria Bussert at Baldwin-Wallace College include productions of Chess, Hair, Company, Cabaret, West Side Story, Tommy in Concert, Parade, the Ohio premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Passion, and one of the first nonprofessional productions of Phantom of the Opera. For Cain Park, his design credits include Secret Garden, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Bat Boy, Tick, tick…Boom, Nine, The Wiz, Harold and Maude and Pippin. Mr. Kozak has also designed sound for Wit and Last Five Years for the Dobama Theater, Iolanthe and Sweeney Todd for the Cleveland Opera, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Forbidden Broadway SVU for the Hanna Theatre and A Shayna Maidel, Brooklyn Boy and Pangs of the Messiah for the JCC. He has served as sound designer for the All-City Musical for the last eight seasons, as well as the Ideastream Gala concert with Bebe Neuwirth in 2005. He was honored to be among the first group of LORT sound designers to achieve recognition in USA 829. Twenty-six seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Stan Kozak most recently designed sound for Bat Boy: The Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Comedy of Errors. Returning to GLTF for his 26th season, his more than 50 design credits include Amadeus, You Can’t Take It With You, Private Lives, Into the Woods and the Tom Hanks’ benefit performances. His work in 1979 and 1981 with Geraldine Fitzgerald on Streetsongs at GLTF led to the original...
Tom Mardikes
Sound Designer
Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Tom Mardikes most recently designed sound for the GLT’s summer 2005 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. His past designs have been for Julius Caesar, The Dybbuk, King Lear, Hamlet and The Cherry Orchard. He has worked on more than 250 professional productions nationwide, where he has designed for Kansas City (formerly Missouri) Rep, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Starlight Theatre, the Unicorn Theatre, the Dallas Theatre Center, Syracuse Stage, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, the Roundabout, Buffalo Studio Arena, the Alley Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. He is the head of graduate sound design training and the chair of the nationally prominent professional theater training program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 2005, he co-founded Kansas City Actors Theatre, and has successfully produced seven seasons of acclaimed productions with this artist-led, artist-driven theater company. Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Tom Mardikes most recently designed sound for the GLT’s summer 2005 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. His past designs have been for Julius Caesar, The Dybbuk, King Lear, Hamlet and The Cherry Orchard. He has worked on more than 250 professional productions nationwide, where he has designed for Kansas City (formerly Missouri) Rep, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Starlight Theatre, the Unicorn Theatre, the Dallas Theatre...
Stuart Raleigh
Original Musical Director
Twenty-one seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Stuart Raleigh, a native of Syracuse, New York, joined the faculty of Baldwin-Wallace College in 1973 and retired in June 2008 after 35 years of teaching. He was director of choral activities and conductor of the school’s opera and musical theater productions. For Baldwin-Wallace College, he was music director of the first nonprofessional production of The Phantom of the Opera. He appeared frequently as a conductor for Cleveland Opera (The Sound of Music, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, The Consul, The Mother of Us All) and Lyric Opera Cleveland (The Pirates of Penzance, She Loves Me, Orpheus in the Underworld and My Fair Lady). For GLT, he has been musical director for The Game of Love, directed by Gerald Freedman, Up From Paradise, directed by Kent Paul and The Threepenny Opera, directed by Victoria Bussert. Mr. Raleigh is beginning his 21st year of association with A Christmas Carol. Twenty-one seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Stuart Raleigh, a native of Syracuse, New York, joined the faculty of Baldwin-Wallace College in 1973 and retired in June 2008 after 35 years of teaching. He was director of choral activities and conductor of the school’s opera and musical theater productions. For Baldwin-Wallace College, he was music director of the first nonprofessional production of The Phantom of the Opera. He appeared frequently as a conductor for Cleveland Opera...
James Scott
Costume Designer
Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: James Scott has designed costumes for productions of works by Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini at regional theaters and opera houses across the country. Among his favorite productions are Love’s Labour’s Lost for the New York Shakespeare Festival; Ten Little Indians, Arcadia, The Miracle Worker and The Most Happy Fella for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; The Merchant of Venice for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival; Norma and Il trovatore for the Minnesota Opera; Il barbiere di Siviglia for the Washington Opera; MacBeth, Othello and The Taming of the Shrew for the Acting Company’s national tours; Funny Girl, Fiddler on the Roof and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg for the Sundance Theatre; and Sweeney Todd, I pagliacci, and Il viaggio a Reims for the Portland Opera in Oregon. His production credits for Great Lakes Theater span more than 20 years and include Romeo and Juliet, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Rough Crossing, As You Like It and A Little Night Music. Mr. Scott is a graduate of New York and Brown universities, and attended the School of Law at The City University of New York. In addition, he is an adult, elite figure skater and is thrilled that Cleveland will be hosting the Gay Games in 2014. He would like to dedicate the design for this production in memory of Susan Gregg, director of Fallen Angels for Great Lakes Theater. Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: James Scott has designed costumes for productions of works by Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini at regional theaters and opera houses across the country. Among his favorite productions are Love’s Labour’s Lost for the New York Shakespeare Festival; Ten Little Indians, Arcadia, The Miracle Worker and The Most Happy Fella for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; The Merchant of Venice for the Colorado Shakespeare...
David Shimotakahara
Choreographer
Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: David is founder and artistic director of GroundWorks Dancetheater, based in Cleveland Ohio. Mr. Shimotakahara has choreographed for theater and dance. In addition to A Christmas Carol, his work has been a part of a number of Great Lakes Theater’s productions over the years, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Love’s Labor’s Lost, directed by Gerald Freedman, and Macbeth and Travels With My Aunt directed by James Bundy. He has received six Individual Artist Fellowships for Choreography from the Ohio Arts Council from 1996 to 2007. In 2000 Mr. Shimotakahara was awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize for Dance. In 2002 his work with GroundWorks Dancetheater was voted “One of 25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. In 2007, he received the OhioDance award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of the Dance Art form. Shimotakahara was awarded the 2000 Cleveland Arts Prize for Dance. In 2007, he received the Ohio Dance award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of the Dance Art form; and in 2010, he was awarded a Creative Workforce Fellowship which is a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, funded by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: David is founder and artistic director of GroundWorks Dancetheater, based in Cleveland Ohio. Mr. Shimotakahara has choreographed for theater and dance. In addition to A Christmas Carol, his work has been a part of a number of Great Lakes Theater’s productions over the years, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Love’s Labor’s Lost, directed by Gerald Freedman, and Macbeth and Travels With My Aunt directed by...
Cynthia Stillings
Lighting Designer
Twenty seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cynthia Stillings designs regionally and nationally, and designed the Great Lakes Theater premiere of Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders. Opera and dance credits include Sweeney Todd, Carmen, Of Mice and Men, Man of La Mancha and Turandot for Cleveland Opera; Tartuffe for Skylight Opera Theatre; and An American Festival for the Cincinnati Ballet. Regional theater credits include Utah Shakespearean Festival, where she designed The Matchmaker, Candida and the world premiere of the new musical Lend Me a Tenor, the Musical; Madison Repertory Theatre; Porthouse Theatre; Cain Park Theatre; The Contemporary American Theatre Company; Phoenix Theatre Circle and an award-winning production of Assassins for Players Theater Columbus. Ms. Stillings is currently the director of the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University. Twenty seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Cynthia Stillings designs regionally and nationally, and designed the Great Lakes Theater premiere of Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders. Opera and dance credits include Sweeney Todd, Carmen, Of Mice and Men, Man of La Mancha and Turandot for Cleveland Opera; Tartuffe for Skylight Opera Theatre; and An American Festival for the Cincinnati Ballet. Regional theater credits include Utah Shakespearean Festival, where she designed The Matchmaker, Candida and the world...
Robert Waldman
Music Adaptor and Arranger
Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Robert Waldman has written primarily for the theater. He began his career as a protégé of Frank Loesser and his music has been heard in Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo at The Cleveland Play House and Edgardo Mine at the Guthrie Theater, as well as in GLT’s production of Glass Menagerie; in New York in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Driving Miss Daisy, The Heiress, Voices in the Dark; and Lincoln Center’s Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Ivanov, Dinner at Eight, The Rivals, Jon Robin Baitz’ A Fair Country and Ten Unknowns. Most recently, his work was heard in Wendy Wasserstein’s Third, David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre and Peter Parnell’s The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket. Waldman composed the score for Broadway’s Here’s Where I Belong and The Robber Bridegroom, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, and Florida’s Poinciana and Parker Playhouses’ revue of Lois Wyse’s Funny You Don’t Look Like a Grandmother. His music has been heard in Arthur Laurents’ 2 Lives, Hartford Stage’s musical America’s Sweetheart, Long Wharf’s As You Like It and The School for Scandal, Washington Shakespeare Theater’s Richard II and The Country Wife, as well as the Kennedy Center musical, Swing. Performances of Mr. Waldman’s compositions have been heard in films, on television, in ballets and in numerous commercials and concert halls. Illustrated collections of some 40 of his piano compositions for children have been published by G. Shirmer, among them A Swing Bag, A Rag Bag, A ¾ Bag and A Santa Bag. He has received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in musical theater, the Dramatists Guild of America’s Flora Roberts Award for Outstanding Music for the Theater and the JEFF Award in Chicago for Best Original Music for Driving Miss Daisy. Twenty-three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Robert Waldman has written primarily for the theater. He began his career as a protégé of Frank Loesser and his music has been heard in Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo at The Cleveland Play House and Edgardo Mine at the Guthrie Theater, as well as in GLT’s production of Glass Menagerie; in New York in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Driving Miss Daisy, The Heiress, Voices in the Dark;...
Tim Kinzel
Assistant Stage Manager
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Tim is feeling jolly about celebrating the holidays in his hometown of Cleveland. Stage manager credits for GLT include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Ideal Husband, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and The Taming of the Shrew. For Idaho Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Ideal Husband and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). For Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: Twelfth Night. For NYC Cherry Lane Theater and Playwrights Horizon: Asking for It. For Houston’s Stages Repertory Theater: The Giver, Old Stories, Always Patsy Cline. Assistant stage manager credits for Great Lakes Theater include The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Christmas Carol. Production assistant credits for Houston’s Stages Repertory Theater include Mr. Marmalade, Rounding Third, Lady, Unseen, Altar Boyz, Black Pearl Sings, The Souvenir. For Great Lakes Theater: The Comedy of Errors. Tim cannot ask for a better family and group of friends. He is thankful for their continuous support and encouragement through his journey. A Merry Christmas to you and Go Browns! Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Tim is feeling jolly about celebrating the holidays in his hometown of Cleveland. Stage manager credits for GLT include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Ideal Husband, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and The Taming of the Shrew. For Idaho Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Ideal Husband and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). For Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: Twelfth Night. For NYC Cherry Lane...
Corrie Purdum
Stage Manager
Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater Festival: GLTF: The Taming of the Shrew, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Christmas Carol, The Tempest, Measure for Measure, The Crucible, Into the Woods, The Comedy of Errors, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bat Boy: The Musical, Othello, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Other credits include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, seven seasons with Idaho Shakespeare Festival, six seasons with the Cleveland Play House, and three seasons with Cain Park. Corrie is an alumna of Baldwin-Wallace College, where she teaches stage management. Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater Festival: GLTF: The Taming of the Shrew, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Christmas Carol, The Tempest, Measure for Measure, The Crucible, Into the Woods, The Comedy of Errors, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bat Boy: The Musical, Othello, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Other credits include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, seven seasons with Idaho...
Thursday, October 20, 2011
...richly deserves its title as Cleveland's most popular holiday play...
By The Plain Dealer
-Tony Brown
Sunday, December 25, 2011
"How lucky we are to live in a city where this kind of entertainment is available."
By Jackie Dickie (audience member)
"What a wonderful evening for my family. The production was very well done, and the cast was outstanding. How lucky we are to live in a city where this kind of entertainment is available. The ticket cost was appropriate and not so excessive that families from all economic classes can have this gift during the holidays."
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
"...you have won over our hearts..."
By Kelly Dimacchia (audience member)
My 10 yr. old, myself and both of my parents attended the show on Sunday. Every year we see a Holiday Production, generally it is "A Christmas Carol." Unanimously we agreed that this year was the MOST entertaining, had the BEST props and costumes AND left us smiling from ear to ear. That is not to say that we haven't enjoyed the past years productions from other companies, we were just really impressed by the quality of the actors and the costumes. My 10 yr. old son was amazed by all the "smoke" and loved the trap doors in the floor. The ghosts of Christmas were fabulously dressed, entertaining and downright creepy (future :). Kudos to a wonderful production, we will be talking about last night for the rest of the season. We are true fans of Great Lakes Theater, you have won over our hearts. Happy Holidays! My 10 yr. old, myself and both of my parents attended the show on Sunday. Every year we see a Holiday Production, generally it is "A Christmas Carol." Unanimously we agreed that this year was the MOST entertaining, had the BEST props and costumes AND left us smiling from ear to ear. That is not to say that we haven't enjoyed the past years productions from other companies, we were...
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
"...everything was perfect..."
By Cherie Matzek (audience member)
My son and his girlfriend had a wonderful experience. We went last year to a matinee and enjoyed it so much. We thought the actors were great! Staging and theme- everything was perfect!
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
"The costumes, music and actors were wonderful. "
By Tina Pilcavage (audience member)
The Christmas Carol matinee yesterday was fantastic. The costumes, music and actors were wonderful. The parking was easy to find and exiting was pretty painless as well. Hope to attend another show next Spring. Thank you!
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
"Thank you for the wonderful family experience yesterday afternoon."
By Colleen Miller (audience member)
Thank you for the wonderful family experience yesterday afternoon. We really enjoyed A Christmas Carol. Thank you for having booster seats so the kids can see the stage! Even my 10-year-old used one.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
"...a very impressive production..."
By Gloria Ferris (audience member)
...attended on Saturday night. The Singers Club caroling before the show was a good start to a very impressive production of "A Christmas Carol". Can't believe it has been so long since we revisited.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
"...simply wonderful..."
By Frances Pollock (audience member)
A Christmas Carol was simply wonderful. Thank you for such a great experience. Great way to kick off the season. Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
"What a fabulous show!"
By Lisa (Audience Member)
"What a fabulous show! I purchased tickets for my Mother-In-Law for her Birthday. We made it a girls night out with her 2 sisters and 2 daughters. It was a great time. The performance was exceptional! What a terrific cast.....truly talented! This was a great way to kick off the holiday with the true spirit of Christmas and sharing time with family. Thank-you!!!!!"
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
"We look forward to this event every year..."
By Todd Maurer (audience member)
"Christmas Carol Staff, I have been going to a Christmas Carol at Great Lakes Theater for the last 17+ years and the experience has been a staple in my family for years. My wife and I have recently added my Daughter to this great event and will soon be including my 3 other children. We look forward to this event every year and it never gets old. Thank you for helping us celebrate Christmas with this Classic production. We are looking forward to many more years to come. Keep up the great work! "Christmas Carol Staff, I have been going to a Christmas Carol at Great Lakes Theater for the last 17+ years and the experience has been a staple in my family for years. My wife and I have recently added my Daughter to this great event and will soon be including my 3 other children. We look forward to this event every year and it never gets old. Thank you for...
Saturday, December 17, 2011
"...wonderful!!!"
By Jacqueline Owen (audience member)
"A Christmas Carol was wonderful!!!"
Monday, December 19, 2011
"God Bless us Everyone!!"
By Pauline Wills (audience member)
"We took our 3 nieces to the Sunday Matinee performance on 12/18 and thoroughly enjoyed the production. God Bless us Everyone!!"
Monday, December 19, 2011
"This was my first visit...and I can tell you that I will be back each year..."
By Pam (audience member)
"This was my first visit to see 'A Christmas Carol.' I can tell you that I will be back each year and bring family and co-workers. I encountered an unexpected snow storm afterwards and it didn't even bother me because I was so happy when I left. The sound effects and acting were amazing."
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
"...a true classic, the acting is stellar, the special effects are spectacular..."
By Positively Cleveland, Christopher S. Musselman
Celebrate the holidays with A Christmas Carol! Great Lakes Theater's 23rd annual production of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale opened Friday, December 2. Staged by GLT's very own Sara Bruner, this holiday tradition will run through December 23 in the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare.
The timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge has been told numerous times from various film adaptations to a host of other media. By now, we all know the story, but its magic continues to enchant every holiday season. Great Lakes Theater's version opens on Christmas Eve 1864. The Cleaveland Family is celebrating the season, and Mother is reading A Christmas Carol to the children. The story then comes to life on stage as we are "transported" to Victorian London where we, too, will learn the story of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold, nasty, bitter, old man. He has little happiness in his life, and his only true love is money. On a Christmas Eve long ago, Scrooge is visited by four ghosts. The first is his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him of the other three: The ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. These three ghosts help Scrooge to see his life, and the lives of others, in a new and very different way, and in doing so, he learns the true spirit of the Christmas season.
Charles Dickens is one of the world's most celebrated authors. Most of Dickens' works were initially serialized in weekly and monthly magazines before being published in standard book formats. Among his many well-known works are The Adventures of Oliver Twist (February 1837 – April 1839), David Copperfield (May 1849 – November 1850), A Tale of Two Cities (April 1859 – November 1859), and Great Expectations (December 1860 – August 1861). His novella A Christmas Carol was published in December 1843. It remains a classic of English literature, and it has never been out of print.
For nearly 50 years, Great Lakes Theater has been presenting classic theatre of the highest standard in the Greater Cleveland Area. And A Christmas Carol continues to be a favorite production. The story is a true classic, the acting is stellar, the special effects are spectacular, and the sets and costumes take us back in time to Victorian London. A Christmas Carol is a "can't miss" show.
In the spring, the company will return to the Hanna Theatre with three eagerly-anticipated productions. Celebrating 60 years in London's West End, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap (March 9-25) is one of the stage's greatest murder mysteries and the longest-running play in theatre history. William Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet (April 13-28) remains the greatest love story of all time. And Sondheim on Sondheim (May 30 – June 17) celebrates the music of Stephen Sondheim, master of the American musical.
This is Great Lakes Theater's 50th Anniversary season. And subscription packages are still available. Be sure to secure your seats and be part of the celebration at one of the country's best professional theatre companies.
For more information about Great Lakes Theater, A Christmas Carol, or GLT's exciting 2011-2012 50th Anniversary Season, please refer to its website at www.GreatLakesTheater.org. For more information about PlayhouseSquare, its website is www.PlayhouseSquare.org.
Christopher S. Musselman
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Celebrate the holidays with A Christmas Carol! Great Lakes Theater's 23rd annual production of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale opened Friday, December 2. Staged by GLT's very own Sara Bruner, this holiday tradition will run through December 23 in the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare.
The timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge has been told numerous times from various film adaptations to a host of other media. By now, we...
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Northeast Ohio's Favorite Holiday Tradition Returns to the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare
November 06, 2011
CLEVELAND, OH - The stage of the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare will glow with good spirits and time-honored tradition when Great Lakes Theater (GLT) presents its annual production of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, running December 2 - 23, 2011. The production has delighted more than 570,000 people in its history, making it one of northeast Ohio’s most-loved and best-attended holiday events.
Great Lakes Theater’s twenty-third annual production of A Christmas Carol is sponsored by The John P. Murphy Foundation. The company’s 2011-12 season is presented with support from The Cleveland Foundation and the...
The Cleaveland family celebrates the holiday season by enjoying Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol", as read by Mother Cleaveland (actor Laura Perrotta, center) in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic by the same name at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. The children from left to right are actors Aaron James Howell, Tim Try, Meghan Kelley, Malika Petty, Cameron Danielle Nelson and Callie Shea Sulllivan. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
Mr. Fezziwig (actor Darryl Lewis, center) makes merry with his party guests in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
Great Lakes Theater rings in the holiday season with its production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Aled Davies stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
The Ghost of Christmas Past (actor Matt Lillo, center back) introduces Ebenezer Scrooge (actor Aled Davies, left) to his younger self (actor Phil Carroll, couple right) in an embrace with Belle (actor Laura Welsh Berg, couple right), the love of his life, in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
The Ghost of Jacob Marley (actor Lynn Robert Berg) warns Ebenezer Scrooge (actor Aled Davies) to change his ways in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
The Ghost of Christmas Present (actor David Anthony Smith, above) looms over Ignorance (actor Meghan Kelley, left) and Want (actor Rebecca Oet, right) in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
Bob Cratchit (actor Scott Plate) lifts Tiny Tim (actor Cameron Danielle Nelson) high into the air as the rest of the Cratchit family watches on in Great Lakes Theater's production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. The production runs through December 23. (Photography by Roger Mastroianni)
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