Great Lakes Theater's "A Christmas Carol" @ PlayhouseSquare
What's your favorite part of A CHRISTMAS CAROL?
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)
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.
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Sara Bruner
Staging/GLT Artistic Associate
Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Sara is honored to be part of the A Christmas Carol tradition. She has adapted and directed Macbeth, 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 Toinette in The Imaginary Invalid, 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. Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Sara is honored to be part of the A Christmas Carol tradition. She has adapted and directed Macbeth, 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 Toinette in The Imaginary Invalid, Kate in The Taming of the Shrew,...
Charles Fee
Producing Artistic Director
Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Directing credits at GLT: Blithe Spirit, Romeo and Juliet, 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 companies, in which 45 plays have been shared 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 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 companies 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 B.A. from the University of the Pacific and Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Along with his wife, Lidia, and 17-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! Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Directing credits at GLT: Blithe Spirit, Romeo and Juliet, 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...
Gerald Freedman
Director/Adaptor
Twenty-five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Gerald Freedman is Dean Emeritus 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 Festival 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 Dean Emeritus 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...
Matthew Webb
Music Director
Six seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Matthew is a graduate of the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music and hails from Cordova, Illinois. Previously at Great Lakes: Sondheim on Sondheim, Cabaret, Bat Boy: The Musical, The Mystery ofEdwin Drood, Into the Woods, Macbeth, TwoGentlemen of Verona and A Funny Thing Happened onthe Way to the Forum. He is also the music director for the acclaimed corporate entertainment group, The Water Coolers.
Pandora Robertson
Choreographer
Nineteen seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Pandora returns for her nineteenth year staging dances in A Christmas Carol. GLT credits are movement staging in The Taming of the Shrew and You Can't Take It With You and the acting company of She Loves Me. Pandora was a 2011-2012 Director Fellow at Cleveland Public Theatre, where she created and directed 13 Most American Dreams, Crash Project, World Wide Dream Stream: Digitally Dipping into the Subconscious, and Voice Over. Other local credits include Shorn, Dobama Theatre (director), at The Cleveland Play House, Galileo (choreographer), The Glass Menagerie (choreographer), The Emperor’s Groovy New Clothes (choreographer), and Ferdinand the Bull (choreographer). Pandora has worked extensively in Northeast Ohio as a director, actor, choreographer, and dancer, with among others Porthouse Theatre, convergence-continuum, and Ensemble Theatre. She danced for seven years with Ohio Ballet under the direction of Heinz Poll. Other professional dance credits include Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Boston Repertory Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and an appearance with The Twyla Tharp Dance Company on Broadway. She holds an MA in Theater Arts from Case Western Reserve University, and has attended physical theater training intensives with The Dell’Arte International School for Physical Theatre, Pig Iron Theatre, Ann Bogart’s The Siti Company, and Raymond Bobgan at Cleveland Public Theatre. Teaching credits include Baldwin Wallace College, The Academy for Performing Arts in Chagrin Falls, and The University of Akron. Upcoming productions include Free Radical and the Late Night Sketchbook for Cleveland Public Theatre’s Big Box, and Living Storefront, a Night of New Theatre with Ohio City Theatre Project. Nineteen seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Pandora returns for her nineteenth year staging dances in A Christmas Carol. GLT credits are movement staging in The Taming of the Shrew and You Can't Take It With You and the acting company of She Loves Me. Pandora was a 2011-2012 Director Fellow at Cleveland Public Theatre, where she created and directed 13 Most American Dreams, Crash Project, World Wide Dream Stream: Digitally Dipping into...
Mary Jo Dondlinger
Lighting Designer
Twenty-six seasons at Great Lakes Theater:Recent GLT design, Sondheim On Sondheim. 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-six seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Thirty-six 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 Johannes - burg, 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; PBSTV 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-six seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Thirty-six 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...
Gene Emerson Friedman
Scenic Designer
Twenty-four 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-four 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,
Stan Kozak
Sound Designer
Twenty-seven 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 27th 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-seven 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 27th 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...
Tom Mardikes
Sound Designer
Twenty-four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Tom Mardikes most recently designed sound for the GLT’s summer 2005 production of TheMerry 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-four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Tom Mardikes most recently designed sound for the GLT’s summer 2005 production of TheMerry 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...
James Scott
Costume Designer
Twenty-four 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 CityUniversity 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-four 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...
Robert Waldman
Music Adaptor and Arranger
Twenty-four 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-four 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...
Corrie E. Purdum
Stage Manager
Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: GLT: 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, Cabaret, The Mousetrap, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Winter’s Tale, and Much Ado About Nothing.Other credits include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Lake TahoeShakespeare Festival, seven seasons with IdahoShakespeare Festival, six seasons with theCleveland Play House and three seasons with CainPark. Corrie is an alumna of Baldwin-WallaceCollege, where she teaches stage management. Seven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: GLT: 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, Cabaret, The Mousetrap, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Winter’s Tale, and Much Ado About Nothing.Other credits include The Complete Works of William...
Tim Kinzel
Assistant Stage Manager
Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Stage manager credits for Great Lakes Theater include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, AnIdeal Husband, The Complete Works of WilliamShakespeare (Abridged), The Taming of the Shrew,Romeo & Juliet and The Imaginary Invalid. Assistant stage manager credits for Great Lakes Theater include The Mystery of Edwin Drood and AChristmas Carol. Tim has multiple stage management credits from the following companies: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizon, Cherry Lane Theater NYC and Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre. He also holds multiple production assistant and intern credits with Alley Theater, Houston Grand Opera and Stages Repertory Theater. Tim owes an enormous debt of gratitude to his family, friends and coworkers for their positive push in life. “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Stage manager credits for Great Lakes Theater include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, AnIdeal Husband, The Complete Works of WilliamShakespeare (Abridged), The Taming of the Shrew,Romeo & Juliet and The Imaginary Invalid. Assistant stage manager credits for Great Lakes Theater include The Mystery of Edwin Drood and AChristmas Carol. Tim has multiple stage management credits from the following companies: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizon, Cherry Lane...
Monday, December 01, 2008
...richly deserves its title as Cleveland's most popular holiday play...
By The Plain Dealer
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
"We will highly recommend this play to our friends!"
By Nancy (audience member)
We attended you production last Friday evening and thought it was wonderful!!!!!! It set the tone for our Christmas season. All actors and actresses were wonderful and the venue is great!!! We will highly recommend this play to our friends! The Avon School choir was also enjoyable. Please pass on our praise to them as well.
Friday, December 07, 2012
"...absolutely fabulous ..."
By Kory (radio, The New 102)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL is absolutely fabulous and will become a holiday tradition for you after your first time experiencing it. Why not start this year?
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
"The actors, sets, lighting and costumes were outstanding."
By Kathleen McGrath (audience member)
I took my grandchildren (ages 12 and 9) to see Christmas Carol last Sunday afternoon. It was their first play other than live shows for young children and they thoroughly enjoyed it! The actors, sets, lighting and costumes were outstanding. It was a wonderful prelude to the holidays.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
"It's pure magic!"
By Vicky (audience email)
AS always, we enjoyed the performance of A Christmas Carol very much. It is my favorite thing to see around Christmas time. I love the Great Lakes Theater presentation! It's pure magic! P.S The staff and ushers were also very friendly and helpful. Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
"I am, time and time again, in AWE of the sheer fabulousness of the production"
By Laura (audience email)
I am, time and time again, in AWE of the sheer fabulousness of the production of A Christmas Carol. My mom and I see it EVERY year together to celebrate the season, and remind ourselves of what is TRULY important! THANK YOU, from the actors to the score to the set, all top notch! laura
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
"...amazing! Thank you. We will be back again soon."
By Ron & Kathy (patron email)
What a wonderful play! The actors and scenery were outstanding, Our congratulations to your entire staff. From the time we entered the beautifully decorated Ohio Theatre to the time the play ended, we really enjoyed ourselves. We brought our daughter and son-in-law who live in Boston to this event with us. It is one we will always remember....amazing! Thank you. We will be back again soon.
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...
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
"A wonderful way to begin the Christmas season."
By Ken (audience email)
Great performance as usual. We have been coming too many years to count. Each year we bring our grandchildren and one or two others. Everyone loves it. A wonderful way to begin the Christmas season.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
"I have to say it was a wonderful experience."
By Penny (audience email)
I brought my son to the Ohio Theater last Saturday for the matinee of A Christmas Carol. I have to say it was a wonderful experience. He is nine years old and loved the show. We were fortunate enough to have 2nd row seats so we could see everything up close. He was fascinated with the actor that played Scrooge because all the lines he had to remember. We truly enjoyed our day. Thanks. I brought my son to the Ohio Theater last Saturday for the matinee of A Christmas Carol. I have to say it was a wonderful experience. He is nine years old and loved the show. We were fortunate enough to have 2nd row seats so we could see everything up close. He was fascinated with the actor that played Scrooge because all the lines he had to remember. We truly...
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."
Thursday, December 13, 2012
"The acting was great and the scenery was awesome."
By Sherri
I saw A Christmas Carol last Friday and it was excellent! I took my mom and we both had a great time. The acting was great and the scenery was awesome. I would definitely come back next year and invite others to come along. Well-done! The theater itself has a nice atmosphere.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
"...it only gets better as time passes..."
By Jonathan (patron email)
Hello, I just wanted to express my complete satisfaction with this show. I have gone to this with my family for the last twelve years and it only gets better as time passes. Thank you for a such a great time.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
"left the theater with a feeling of Christmas in our hearts."
By Judith (audience email)
We thoroughly enjoyed the creativity in the set design and scene transitions, and congratulate all the actors on their excellent work. We laughed, and cried, and left the theater with a feeling of Christmas in our hearts. Thank you!
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
My son and his girlfriend had a wonderful experience. We went last year to a matinee and enjoyed it
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.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
"...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!
Sunday, December 11, 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!!!!!"
Cleveland's Classic Theater Company Announces Ambitious 2013-14 Season to Headline Hanna Theatre Home
February 05, 2013
CLEVELAND, OH – Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes Theater (GLT), unveiled an ambitious, five-production array of classics to headline the company’s 2013-14 season. Great Lakes Theater’s fifty-second year is scheduled to run from September 2013 through April 2014 at PlayhouseSquare’s Hanna and Ohio Theatres.
GLT will commence its 2013-14 season with Shakespeare’s royal epic, Richard III, presented in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical, Sweeney Todd (September 27 - November 4, 2013). The company’s annual production of Dickens’ holiday classic,
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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 TRG Reality)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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)
Click the thumbnail above to open a larger hi res version of this photo. Then right click and "Save As" to your computer. Caption: 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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