Why do we revisit this story every year? What is it about Scrooge’s journey that continually reveals something new about ourselves?
Every year about this time, we start to hunger to hear this story again. To make plain what we tend to forget or take for granted through much of the year. To remind ourselves that, no matter how isolated or cynical one has become, there is always the possibility for transformation — the chance to replace our stony hearts with generous, loving ones.
Gathering together to share in this story has become much more than simply tradition. It’s taken on the air of ritual, affording us the chance to reaffirm certain profound truths about our shared humanity. One of those truths is the most basic of all: we need each other. We cannot know who we are without knowing who we are in relationship to others. To this community. To our family. To our friends. To our neighbors. To you. Scrooge, like many of us, seems to have forgotten this most basic of truths: That it is in relationship with others where we find meaning. Not in isolation. Not in things. But in community.
Scrooge’s isolation impacts more than his own misery. It deprives his community of certain possibilities. Similarly, the boundless gratitude of Tiny Tim is not just an individual virtue but a gift that is freely given to all in his orbit. Tim generously shares with all of us a vision for a more selfless, loving world. Each day, we’re given the opportunity to choose generosity, to reflect back to each other our authentic selves, and to help create that version of the world.
Like Scrooge on Christmas morning, we “haven’t missed it!” We still have time. Thank you for joining us again this year, and for reminding us of that beautiful truth.
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Jennings Hertz Artistic Director & Christopher Moses
Jennings
Hertz Artistic Director
“PAINTING WITH LIGHTS TO MUSIC”
Stage Manager Liz Campbell on Carol, stage managing, and why she keeps coming back
STORY BY Ashley Elliott
Liz Campbell is no stranger to the Alliance Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol. She has been involved with the production in various roles backstage since 2005, spanning the three different versions of Carol that have been produced in that time.
“I started at the Alliance as a Stage Management apprentice,” Campbell says, “and I did A Christmas Carol for the first time that same year. I did a year as run crew, took two years off, then came back as the assistant stage manager in 2009 and filled that role until 2012. I took over [stage managing] the show in 2013 when Pat [Flora] retired.”
Campbell has worked on all three versions of this story that the Alliance Theatre has produced — the previous David H. Bell adaptation that ran on the Alliance Stage (later The Coca-Cola Stage) for thirty years, the current David H. Bell adaptation that premiered on The Coca-Cola Stage in 2021 and continues its run today, and the live radio play adaptation that performed in a parking lot in Atlanta’s Summerhill community in 2020.
“I’ve been with the show so long, I sometimes feel like the Ghost of Christmas Carols Past,” Campbell says.
H er favorite backstage tradition is Potluck Day, the day when the cast and team backstage gather for a few hours together to share food and exchange Secret Santa gifts.
“It’s the culmination of all the values of the season” says Campbell “gift giving, sharing a meal, joy, laughter, and communion.”
When asked why she pursued stage managing as a career, Campbell says, “I love stage managing because it combines the skills and talents that I was lucky enough to be born with, as well as the passions I have (and an overwhelming desire to organize things). Calling a show feels like painting with lights to music; it brings me a joy I can’t describe.”
In addition to many — many — Alliance Theatre productions, Campbell has offered her talents as a stage manager to many theaters and organizations outside of the Alliance, such as The Shining and RENT at The Atlanta Opera; In the Continuum at Synchronicity Theatre; Book of Will and It’s a Wonderful Life at Theatrical Outfit; and The Drowsy Chaperone, Camelot, The World Goes ‘Round, Million Dollar Quartet, Monty Python’s Spamalot, and Ragtime at the Atlanta Lyric Theatre. She has also been the stage manager for the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards (or the Shuler Awards) for almost a decade.
Actor Adrienne Ocfemia and Young Performer Supervisor Kate Walsh. Photo courtesy of Liz Campbell.
Actor Clare Latham. Photo courtesy of Liz Campbell.
However, she says that her career highlight has been watching her daughter grow up “seeing, responding to, and enjoying” the shows she’s worked on.
Her favorite moment in the Alliance’s current production of Carol is when Christmas Present sings “O, Holy Night” at the beginning of Act II. “It stirs my heart and soul so much,” she says, “that sometimes I forget for a moment I’m working and have cues to call!”
Campbell says she keeps coming back to Carol “because I love it. I can’t imagine my holiday season without A Christmas Carol.”
And we can’t imagine A Christmas Carol without her.
Actor Emberlynn Wood. Photo courtesy of Liz Campbell.
Stage Management Fellow Kacie Pimentel, Crew Chief Bryan Perez, Stage Manager Liz Campbell, and Assistant Stage Manager Anna Baranski in 2022. Photo courtesy of Liz Campbell.
LIGHT AND DARK AT PLAY IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL
STORY BY Amanda Watkins
At the beginning of Alliance Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol, we are met with a lamplighter, extinguishing the flames from the lamps across the stage, dousing the blanket of nighttime and giving space to the light of day, which rises over the first scene of the show. This same lamplighter returns in the final scene, lighting up the streetlamps on Christmas night — inviting in the cloak of evening and bidding adieu.
The symbolism of light vs. dark is threaded discreetly (albeit substantially) throughout this adaptation by David H. Bell. And very understandably, as Dickens’ original source material by the same name tells a story of one night’s journey, fueled by the visitation of four ghosts — all of whom in one way or another give language to light and darkness. From the head of the Ghost of Christmas Past, a “bright clear jet of light” shines, symbolizing the truth that is found in our memories. The Ghost of Christmas Present presents to Scrooge kitchens and parlors celebrating cozy dinners by the “brightness of the roaring fires” and a “ray of brightness on the awful sea” thrown by the fires of lighthouse men. Christmas Present carries a torch, giving light to what is “good” in the world, as opposed to the shroud worn by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, which forebodingly represents the darkness of Scrooge’s possible future. Some of the most-studied literature uses symbolic gestures of light and darkness to better represent in characterization and plot two opposing forces of nature: good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, love and hate, happiness and despair, blindness and sight, abundance and lacking.
In religious literature (for instance, the Bible), “goodness” is often portrayed as some element of light. The book begins with a higher power actually separating light from dark and later on in the book, a prophet being described as the “light of the world.” There are verses in the Quran where a higher power talks about moving from darkness towards light, and in doing so, purifying the soul. Shakespeare’s Macbeth associates death with darkness (“out, out, brief candle,” referring to Lady Macbeth’s suicide) and in Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare deploys light as a symbol of love, describing Juliet as the sun and once she is in the tomb, “a feasting presence full of light.”
London Lamplighter, 1800. Illustration for Knight’s Pictorial Gallery of Arts (London Printing and Publishing, c 1860)
Lest one think that this categorizing of light and no light be too simplistic, too one-dimensional to represent the complexities of the human spirit, the aforementioned authors are cleverly using the exaggeration between the opposing concepts not to highlight separateness, but instead to focus on the in-between journey. These writers are viewing “darkness” as a necessary condition of life — essential to the journey to enlightenment. In this space of darkness, the human must face their greatest horrors and (hopefully) begin to rebuild the mind and spirit, educating their fragile ego. In the drama
Manfred, Lord Byron uses the words “the night/Hath been to me a more familiar face/Than that of man; and in her starry shade/Of dim and solitary loveliness,/I learn’d the language of another world.” One might expect these words to come from Scrooge.
Over one night’s time, with the help of spirits, carolers and charity workers, we see Scrooge journey from a man who refuses light in his own home and coal use in his office to a man who awakens with a “you must light the lamps!” exclamation. It’s almost as if he is given a new chance at life, because of the darkness he has endured, practiced and experienced, not in spite of it. By being forced to bear witness to his greedy and dis-eased ways, being able to see it all play out in front of him as an audience member would, a veil has been lifted from his heart and his mind, and the light pours in. His enlightenment has been a destructive process, having little to do with becoming “better” or “happier” but instead a series of untruths crumbling away — untruths about hoarding affection and money and time.
Our lamplighter returns in the final scene, awakening the streetlamps and welcoming another night of possibility. And the streetlamps shine brighter than the night before as one more soul on earth understands that the business of humankind is the most important business of all. Sometimes characters with the fewest lines have the greatest impact, and this is true with our lamplighter. He plunges Scrooge (and us all) into the darkness of night for all of us to be reborn into the light of day.
THE CAST & CREW OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL ON THE MEANING OF BACKSTAGE TRADITIONS
WRITTEN
BY
Emma Seif
Here at the Alliance, the holiday season usually begins a bit early. Every October we welcome the cast and crew of A Christmas Carol back into our rehearsal halls to prepare for our favorite holiday tradition. For many of our friends working on this production, being a part of the show is its own special tradition, spending the season with us year after year.
In the spirit of tradition, we asked the folks of A Christmas Carol to share about some of the backstage traditions that have developed amongst the cast and crew over the years what they are and what they mean to them.
“A tradition of sorts is our first read through/meet and greet day. I find it electric. Friends from all departments gather in the rehearsal space, some people you saw earlier in the week, others you haven’t seen since December 24th of the previous year. It’s filled with ‘It’s good to see your face’, ‘How are you actually doing?’, ‘Show me pictures of your dog!’ ‘How are you liking the new place?’ ‘Your kids have gotten so big!’ Even though the world can feel so heavy, for some magical reason on an early evening in October, everything feels just right.
I [also] really enjoy the first [full] day back. You have jitters of starting to learn this story again and finding newness within it with everyone. I, along with many others, have heard this Charles Dickens classic since I was a little girl. Although a story told many ways, many different times, there is so much to discover. I get so excited at the thought of what we, as a company of artists, will find out about each other, the world, and ourselves through diving back into this piece.”
—Allie Hill (understudy)
“Before I was in the show, I was in the audience. It was my family’s tradition to see A Christmas Carol every year, and it was one of the best parts of the holiday season. The show is still our tradition, but now I am on stage instead of [in] the audience.
One of the best traditions [I share with my Alliance Theatre family] is that every year the cast and crew come together to celebrate the season by doing a Secret Santa gift exchange. It’s less about the gifts though and more about coming together. The day is filled with laughter and friendship. All the gifts are very thoughtful and specific to the person receiving the gifts — some of the gifts are even handmade! For many of us, this show has become our Christmas.”
—Caleb Baumann (Matthew Watkins)
Cake! Photo courtesy of Liz Campbell.
“The best memories I have from my time with the A Christmas Carol family are ones that happened behind the scenes!
My first year, the other A Christmas Carol kids and I decorated our dressing room with lights and holiday decorations, had pajama day, and decorated gingerbread houses during the break of a two-show day. We also created a really fun video and took silly pictures with our young performer supervisor, Kate! But my favorite tradition was being part of Secret Santa and seeing everyone’s expressions during the reveal party and A Christmas Carol potluck!”
—Adrienne Ocfemia (Melinda Cratchit)
“Usually on the potluck day, not only do we do food and a secret Santa exchange, but the crew chief will let the child actors ride on the lift and make it snow [on stage].
The last day in the rehearsal hall the kids pull up all the [marking] tape from the floor and I give them leftover Halloween candy in direct proportion to the size of the tape ball they bring me. It’s fun and takes them [only] three minutes to do something that would take the Stage Management team at least 20!
Leora bought us a Polaroid camera for the first opening and every year I get a new set of film for everybody to take pictures.”
—Liz
Campbell (Stage Manager)
“One ritual that, for me, is tied particularly to A Christmas Carol is saying (shouting, really) ‘Upon the ice!’ to fellow cast members as we go to places at the top of the show. As if we are, I don’t know, hockey players perhaps, saying ‘I’ll see you out there on the ice’? I really don’t know when or how it started, but I’ve been saying it since I was first cast in A Christmas Carol as Jacob Marley around 2011 or so. I can hear Chris Kayser (Scrooge) and Bart Hansard (Present/Fezziwig) in my head saying it, and I think those guys are where I learned it.
I love rituals in the theater. I feel like they tie me to the past, present, and future of theater in a beautiful way. This ritual ties me to Atlanta actors, friends I’ve worked with, people I love and respect. It’s fun to think that someone in this year’s cast is learning this ritual from me, and they’ll continue to say it down the road like an ancient blessing that travels through generations.”
—Andrew Benator (Ebenezer Scrooge)
Actors Caleb Clark, Christopher Hampton, Adrienne Ocfemia, Lucy Long, Emberlynn Wood, Clare Latham, and Maria Mae Lopez. Photo courtesy of Liz Campbell.
ALISON HERGEN, ERIN MAGNER, JENN ROGERS, LAURA SANDERS Wardrobe
LINDSEY EWING Wig Master
ALANA SPACH Wig Crew
SPECIAL THANKS
Alexander Babbage
Ru Johanson-Murray
Amanda Perez
Bryan Perez
*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
The Alliance Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, an independent national labor union. The Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young Audiences (ASSITEJ/USA), The Atlanta Coalition of Theatres, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Midtown Alliance.
Photos may be taken in the theater before the performance, and following the performance. If you share your photos, please credit the designers.
Photos, videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited, is a violation of United States Copyright Law, and is an actionable Federal Offense.
This production is approximately two hours long and has one fifteen-minute intermission.
BRANT ADAMS (u/s Lamplighter, Fouquet, Matthew Watkins, Ensemble) [he/him] is thrilled to make a return to the Alliance Theatre stage! Alliance Theatre: U/S Actor 4 and Actor 8 in A Tale of Two Cities. Previous Atlanta Credits: Mendel in Fiddler on the Roof (City Springs Theatre Company), Buttons in Cinderella (Arís Theatre). Regional Credits: Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain (Encore Theatrical Company), Malcolm in Macbeth (Knock at the Gate), Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher (Encore Theatrical Company), Jabeth in Sha-Kon-O-Hey! (Dollywood), Benvolio in Romeo & Juliet (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art). TV and Film: “Snapped,” “Snapped: Killer Couples,” “The Big Door Prize.” Brant holds a BA in Theater Studies from Emory University. He wants to thank his family, friends, and Hannah for their never-ending support. Happy Holidays! Instagram: @brant.adams11
BLYTHE ARMISTEAD
(Melinda Cratchit/Child Dick Wilkins/Want/ Ensemble) is excited to make her Alliance Theatre debut in A Christmas Carol. Her previous credits include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Anna in Frozen Jr., Matilda in Matilda Jr., and Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical Jr.. She is passionate about studying voice and musical theater and is immensely grateful for the support of her family.
CALEB BAUMANN
(Matthew Watkins/ Ensemble, u/s Fred, Dick Wilkins) is honored to return to A Christmas Carol and be a part of this Atlanta holiday tradition! Alliance Theatre: The Jungle Book (Mogli), In My Granny’s Garden (Zeke), Winnie-thePooh (Christopher Robin), Shakespeare in Love (Webster), Where Butterflies Go in Winter (Lil’ Lou) Aurora Theatre: Children of Eden (Young Cain) Theatrical Outfit: We the Village (Redd) Serenbe Playhouse: Shenandoah (Gabriel) Film/TV: AMC’s “Parish,” Disney’s “Raven’s Home,” HBO’s “Doom Patrol,” The Skeleton’s Compass, 15:17 to Paris, Teenage Wasteland, Kidstuf Be on the lookout for an exciting new movie coming soon! Caleb thanks his family, including the Alliance family, for their never-ending love and support. Much love
and special thanks to Caitlin and Jody. Instagram @calebfbaumann
ANDREW BENATOR (Ebenezer Scrooge) is thrilled to be returning to A Christmas Carol as Ebenezer Scrooge. Previous Alliance credits include Everybody, Small Mouth Sounds, Crossing Delancey, Troubadour, Disgraced, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, By The Way Meet Vera Stark, Good People, August: Osage County, Tennis in Nablus, and Eurydice. Other Atlanta credits include Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, Indecent, and Pitmen Painters at Theatrical Outfit, The White Chip, a co-production between Theatrical Outfit and Dad’s Garage, Becky Shaw and Seminar at Actor’s Express, RACE and Between Riverside and Crazy at True Colors Theatre, and Boeing Boeing at Aurora Theatre. Andrew has worked off-Broadway and in regional theaters across the country. Film and TV credits include The Founder, Game Night, Million Dollar Arm, “Amazing Stories”, “Bigger”, and “Stranger Things”. 2016 Recipient of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship.
LOWREY BROWN (Jacob Marley/Ensemble) is grateful for the chance to come back to the Alliance Theatre and, for the first time, perform with his incredibly talented wife, Lyndsay. He is a Georgia native who now lives with his wonderful daughter, perfect pup, and gloriously beautiful wife, Lyndsay. When not acting, Lowrey enjoys playing video games, strumming his guitar, and watching Korean Dramas with his tectonically steadfast wife, Lyndsay. During this Christmas and Holiday Season, Lowrey wishes peace upon your hearts, love within your homes, and patience in your minds; as you all come to terms that you are not married to the bodacious babe that is my wife, Lyndsay. His previous credits at the Alliance include almost 10 years of A Christmas Carol, Edward Foote, Naked Mole Rat, and more (none including my vivacious wife, Lyndsay.) Film and TV credits include Dopesick (HULU), TILL, Night Sky (Amazon), Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix), and more (again to the detriment of the production, no Lyndsay).
CALEB CLARK (Young Scrooge/Peter/Ensemble, u/s Ebenezer Scrooge) is chuffed to bits to be back at the Alliance Theatre for another holiday season. All my love to my wife Rhyn (Ghost of Christmas Past), our pup Sadie, and our incredible daughter. Previous ATL Roles: Max in The Play That Goes Wrong (Aurora Theatre) - Suzi Award; Actor 5 in Bootycandy (Actor’s Express)Suzi Nom & BWW Award; Roat in Wait Until Dark (Georgia Ensemble Theatre) - Suzi Nom. Other Credits: Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Flint Rep) - Wilde Award; Chris Keller in All My Sons (Studio 208); Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Banquo in Macbeth, Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors, Harmon in Antigone, John Dashwood in Sense & Sensibility (American Shakespeare Center); Edmund in King Lear (Houston Shakespeare Festival)Houston Theatre Award Nom; Richard III in Richard III (Hoosier Shakespeare Festival); Walker/Ned in Three Days of Rain (The Vault). He also runs his own company (CoachClark), offering private Acting Coaching and Master-Level Intensives. www.theCalebClark.com.
GRACE DEEDRICK (u/s Ghost of Christmas Future, Martha Cratchit, Belle, Ensemble) [she/her] is beyond elated to join the cast of A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre this season, a dream she has had since her first trip to the Alliance Theatre in middle school! Previous credits include Featured Vocalist aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom Of The Seas, 9 to 5: The Musical (Doralee Rhodes) and The Secret Garden (Lily Craven) at The Gainesville Theatre Alliance where she holds a BFA in Musical Theatre. Grace would like to thank the creative team of A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre for an incredible dream come true, as well as her family and friends for their never ending support. Merry Christmas to all!
LAURA BOSTON
EDWARDS (u/s Mrs. Cratchit, Mrs. Fezziwig, Missy Watkins, Bess, Mudge, Ensemble) [she/ her] is thrilled to be making her Alliance Theatre debut in A Christmas Carol! Favorite Atlanta credits include Goneril in Young Jean Lee’s Lear and Lenore in The
Exterminating Angel (Vernal & Sere Theatre). TV: Cobra Kai, The Resident. Laura originally hails from Kingston, Jamaica and is a scientist-turned-actor with degrees in Molecular Biology, Psychology, and Education. She is currently on faculty at Emory and a core staff member at Thrive Acting Hive. Deepest gratitude to her mentors, friends/chosen family, and her radiant wife Shani, for their enthusiastic support. IG: @its.laura.edwards
THOMAS NEAL ANTWON
GHANT (Tom Watkins/Mr. Fezziwig/Topper/Ensemble) is excited to once again join the Alliance for another wonderful year of A Christmas Carol. Alliance credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Native Guard, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Shakespeare’s R&J. Other regional credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Our Town, and One Man, Two Guvnors. Neal received Suzi Bass awards as best featured actor and best actor for his role in Race. Happy holidays to all!
ANN MARIE GIDEON
(Missy Watkins/Bess/ Mudge/Ensemble) [she/ her] is delighted to be back at the Alliance. Favorite Atlanta theatre credits include Max Makes a Million, Edward Foote, The Geller Girls, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Christmas Carol (Alliance Theatre); Perfect Arrangement (Theatrical Outfit); Hamlet, One Man Two Guvnors, As You Like It, Noises Off, Shrew: The Musical, Much Ado About Nothing, Metamorphoses (Georgia Shakespeare); Time Stands Still (Horizon Theatre). TV: “Hysteria!” and “The Resident.” Award Winning Audiobook Narrator of 300+ Audiobooks. BFA, University of Memphis. Proud member of Actors’ Equity & SAG-AFTRA. All my love to Joe, Jack, & Liza.
CARLYN CHANTAL DENT
GOODMAN (u/s Melinda Cratchit, Child Dick Wilkins, Lamplighter’s Son, Choir Boy, Ignorance, Want, Child Scrooge, Emma Cratchit, Child Fred, Ensemble) [she/ her] age 11, is excited to join the cast of A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre for the second year in a row! Carlyn is a native New Yorker who moved to Atlanta two years ago. Carlyn
loves performing and has been cast as a background actor in two television series and a major motion picture. Carlyn loves stage acting, and her most notable performance was in the lead role of Le Monstre in the Portledge School’s performance of Su Le Pont D’Avignon (performed and sung in French). Carlyn is also a vocalist and pianist with an extensive resume of local and online open mic performances. Carlyn performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the second time this summer at a minor league baseball game in July and will perform with the Georgia All State School Chorus in January. Carlyn is in the sixth grade at the Paideia School and enjoys gymnastics, swimming, reading fiction, drawing and painting, and spending time with her cat, Sulwe. Carlyn would love to thank God, her parents, her acting teacher, Clare Latham, her voice teacher, Vira Slywotzky, and her piano teacher, Jason Pomerantz, for their love, encouragement, and support!
CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON
(Bob Cratchit/Mr. Pritchitt/ Ensemble) is thrilled to return to The Alliance for another holiday season. Previous Alliance Credits include Shakespeare In Love, A Temple Bombing, and Seize the King. Christopher has worked in many of the Theatres in Atlanta including Aurora, Horizon, Actors Express, and 7 stages. Some of his favorite roles include, Richard in Seize the King (The Alliance), Sam in Blues for an Alabama Sky (Actor’s Express), Ensemble in Mlima’s Tale (7 Stages), Ed in The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time (Horizon /Aurora). Christopher’s play Cracking Zeus saw its world premiere at Spooky Action Theatre in Washington D.C. this year. Christopher is also a board member for Working Title Playwrights, a support system for theatre makers (www.workingtitleplaywrights. com). When not working in the arts, Christopher runs The Point of Health Wellness Center with his wife (www. healthatthepoint.com). To keep up with Christopher and future works you can find him on Instagram @champtonysus.
ALLIE HILL (u/s Mrs. Dilber, Christmas Past, Ensemble) [she/her] is thrilled to be returning to A Christmas Carol for another holiday season with her Alliance family! Some of her favorite past regional credits
include Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Out Front Theatre Company), Judy Bernly in 9 to 5 (Gainesville Theatre Alliance), and Myrtle WIlson in Gatsby: A New Musical (Woodstock Playhouse). She is a proud graduate of Brenau University with her BFA in musical theatre, and has also been singing and dancing on the seven seas with Carnival Cruise Lines as a Playlist Singer/ Dancer. All the love, all the time to her friends and family. Follow her on all the things! @allieghill and allie-hill.com
CLARE LATHAM (Mrs. Cratchit/Mrs. Fezziwig/ Ensemble) [she/her] is full of Dickensian Christmas joy to be back on the boards with the Christmas Carol gang for a fourth year. Previously with the Alliance: the world premieres of Data and 53% Of Clare is a three-time Off West End Award nominee in the UK, most recently for the world premiere one-woman show, Wolf Cub, at the Hampstead Theatre, London. Previous Offie nominations for Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and the first major UK revival of Doubt, A Parable (Southwark Playhouse). Off Broadway, NYC: original production of Pulitzer Prize-winning Fairview (Soho Rep/Theatre For A New Audience) and The Worth of Water (HERE Arts). Favorite UK/International theatre credits include: My Name Is Rachel Corrie (Lebanon Premiere & Tour: Al Madina Theatre/Zoukak Theatre/The Faction), UK premieres of Blue Surge and Don’t Smoke In Bed (Finborough Theatre), and the UK premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Green Eyes (The Hotel Plays, Defibrillator Theatre). Core Ensemble member of UK theatre company The Faction (Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Joan of Arc, Mörder, Strindberg’s Apartment). TV: “Mr Robot,” “Suspicion”. Training: NYU-Tisch (BFA); Drama Centre, London (MFA); Vakhtangov Theatre Institute, Moscow; Shakespeare’s Globe, London; and RADA. www.clarelatham.com
MARIA MAE LOPEZ (Martha Cratchit/Belle/Ensemble, u/s Fan, Alice, Ensemble) [she/her] is over the moon about joining the company of A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre! Favorite credits include Lady Of The Lake in Spamalot (Georgia Repertory Theatre), Betsy/Lindsey in Clybourne Park (CSU), Inga in Young Frankenstein (GRT), and Lily Craven in The Secret Garden (CSU).
“Thank you for joining us this year. Enjoy the show and may your Holidays be bright. To my people, I love you! XOXO!” Find me anywhere: @mariamaelopez
RHYN MCLEMORE (Ghost of Christmas Past/ Ensemble) is entering her fourth season of A Christmas Carol with a heart filled to the BRIM with gratitude. Atlanta credits include: Darlin’ Cory, Ever After (Suzi nomination), The Incredible Book Eating Boy, and A Christmas Carol — Alliance Theatre; The Humans and Safety Net — Theatrical Outfit; Roe (Suzi nomination) and The Cake — Horizon Theatre; Fun Home, Stupid F’ing Bird, and Company — Actor’s Express; Cinderella, The Bridges of Madison County, and Split in Three — Aurora Theatre; Dot — Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company. Off-Broadway: Dot — The Billie Holiday Theatre; A World to Win — The York Theatre; Violet (NYC revival) and The Crucible — Gallery Players. Favorite Regional credits: The Sound of Music — Sierra Repertory Theatre; The Spitfire Grill — Cape Fear Regional Theatre; A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Our Town — West Virginia Public Theatre; The Crucible and The Comedy of Errors — North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. BFA, Carnegie Mellon University. Endless love to her husband Caleb (Young Scrooge) and their beautiful Christmas Carol daughter :) www.rhynmclemore.com
ROBERTO MÉNDEZ
(Lamplighter/Fouquet/ Ensemble, u/s Young Scrooge, Peter, Ensemble) [he/him] is overjoyed to be returning to this lovely company of A Christmas Carol. He was last seen as Bobby / Dance Captain in Cabaret at Actor’s Express. Other Atlanta Credits Include: Legally Blonde, Fiddler on the Roof, Spamalot (City Springs Theatre Company), Support Group For Men (Horizon Theatre). Regional Credits: Blithe Spirit, Kinky Boots, Bright Star (Charleston Stage), Spring Awakening (Mill Mountain Theatre). TV: Noah Harrington in “First Kill” (Netflix). Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Columbus State University 2021. Roberto would love to thank his family for their neverending love and support, and looks forward to a very jolly holiday season! You can connect on Instagram: @_robertocmendez
MARY LYNN OWEN (Mrs. Dilber/Ensemble) is delighted to return to the Alliance Theatre for this annual holiday tradition. Prior Alliance Theatre credits include Knead, her one-person show, for which she received the Alliance Theatre’s Reiser Award and the Gene Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award as well as the productions of Crossing Delancey, Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue, Medea, Steel Magnolias, and A Wrinkle in Time. A two-time Suzi award winner, Mary Lynn appeared earlier this year in a second production of Knead (Aurora Theatre) and most recently as Fraulein Schneider in the Actors Express production of Cabaret. Additional Atlanta theater credits include Six Degrees of Separation, Kimberly Akimbo (Actors Express); Our Town, The Laramie Project (Theatrical Outfit); Wit (Aurora Theatre); The Clean House, Third (Horizon Theatre); and The Glass Menagerie (Georgia Shakespeare.) Recent film appearances include Overexposed, Sheet Cake, and Trailer (Trash) Magic, in which she appeared as the matriarch of a family of witches living deep in the North Georgia mountains. An actor/teacher/playwright, Mary Lynn was recently named a finalist for the Dramatists Guild National Playwriting Fellows Program and is a longtime faculty member of Emory University Theater Department. www.marylynnowen.com
ZAC PHELPS (u/s Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, Mr. Pritchitt, Ensemble) [he/ him] is thrilled to make his Alliance Theatre debut in A Christmas Carol! Favorite credits include Mordcha in Fiddler On The Roof (City Springs Theatre Company), Finn McCool in The Legend of Finn McCool (Aris Theatre), Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors (The Strand Theatre), Footloose (The Strand Theatre), Bullets Over Broadway (Georgia Ensemble Theatre). Zac wants to give all the love to Steph, Rubye, Cash, Tonka, and Moses. Find him on social media: @zacwphelps
BRAD RAYMOND (Ghost of Christmas Present/ Ensemble) is so excited to be returning to the Alliance Theatre for his 12th production of A Christmas Carol! Brad has performed as an actor, singer or conductor at some of the art world’s most
Mary Lynn Owen
esteemed institutions including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Light Opera Works of Chicago, the Ravinia Festival, Arena Stage, The Broad Stage, The Alliance Theatre, The Denver Center, Atlanta Opera, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre, Theater Emory, Horizon Theatre, and Spivey Hall, as well as several film and television credits including Joyful Noise, The Color Purple, and The Wonder Years. Some of Brad’s favorite roles include: Homer in Lilies of the Field, Fetch in Fetch Clay, Make Man, Narrator in Passing Strange, Ronald in Born For This, and the Suzi Bass Award winning performance as Blue in the musical Chasin’ Dem Blues. Brad is also a 2024 winner of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship for acting.
LYNDSAY RICKETSON (Ghost of Christmas Future/Ensemble) is delighted to be back with the Alliance this holiday season. Past Alliance appearances include A Christmas Carol, Wizard of Oz, Shrek: the Musical, and Next to Normal. Other Atlanta credits: Camelot and Ragtime (Atlanta Lyric Theatre), A Year with Frog and Toad (Synchronicity), Smokey Joes Café and Kiss Me Kate (Stage Door Players), Comedy of Tenors and Pump Boys and Dinettes (Georgia Ensemble Theatre), Space!, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and Peter Pan (Center for Puppetry Arts). Regional credits: Next to Normal (Geva Theatre), A Chorus Line (Mill Mountain Theatre). Love always to my friends and family, you make life wonderful. Lowrey, you’re my favorite. IG @Lyndzrbrown ~ Discover your noblest dreams within the cathedral of your heart.~
ASIA ROGERS (Alice/Fan/ Ensemble/Dance Captain) is delighted to return to the Alliance Theatre for this most magical time of year. You may have seen her on the Coca-Cola Stage in the past three years of A Christmas Carol, as well as Darlin’ Cory. Her credits include Written By Phillis (Quintessence Theatre), Good Bad People, Skeleton Crew (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre), Bootycandy (Actor’s Express), Our Town and The Laramie Project (Theatrical Outfit), Pipeline (Horizon Theatre), Titanic (Serenbe Playhouse), and Dangerous Women (Weird Sisters Theatre Project). Asia has a bachelor of arts in Theatre from Vassar College, and has studied physical theatre at L’Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Special thanks to her
family and to her husband Nijel for all of their support! Follow her on Instagram @perfectlypicturesque to see what’s next.
KADEN TAYLOR (Lamplighter’s Son/Choir Boy/Ignorance/Child Scrooge/Ensemble) is thrilled to make his theatrical debut in A Christmas Carol. His passion for acting, shared with his father through reenactments of favorite scenes from Les Misérables and Star Wars, now comes to life on stage. Kaden has already made a significant impact on screen, co-starring in hit TV series like “Abbott Elementary” (ABC) and “Found” (NBC). He also appeared in the feature film The Fabulous Four and has been featured in projects such as Harlem Jezebel, Oh Happy Day, and Something Different. Additionally, Kaden has worked in commercials for leading brands including Pfizer, Kaiser Permanente, Food Lion, and Cosmo Watches. Represented by People Store and CESD, and managed by Five Star Talent Management, Kaden is excited to explore new opportunities in theater. Follow his journey on Instagram @being_kaden.
DANE TROY (Fred/Dick Wilkins/Ensemble) [he/ him] is honored to return home to the Alliance Theatre. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: OSF (Macbeth, Jane Eyre, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet). Regional: CalShakes (LEAR, The Winter’s Tale, The Oresteia, Macbeth), Oakland Theater Project (The Mojo and the Sayso), Capital Stage (Pass Over), Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Toni Stone), Killing My Lobster (Night of the Living Data), New Conservatory Theatre Center (Cardboard Piano), Marin Theater (Native Son, JAZZ). Atlanta: Theatrical Outfit (My Children! My Africa!), Synchronicity Theatre (Peter Pan & Wendy), Aurora Theatre (Lombardi, South Pacific, Tamer of Horses), Horizon Theatre Company (Waffle Palace, Right On!) & Alliance Theatre (Toni Stone, A Christmas Carol (x4)). Dane holds a BA in Theater from UGA. He is also an improv comedy graduate from Dad’s Garage, iO Chicago, iO West, The Groundlings, The Pack, Upright Citizens Brigade: Los Angeles & UCB:NY. Dane sends lots of love to his family, his amazing wife Paige Mayes & their late son! All glory to GOD! Happy Holidays. Go Braves & Go Dawgs!
ADAM WASHINGTON (u/s Ghost of Christmas Present, Tom Watkins, Mr. Fezziwig, Topper, Ensemble) is thrilled to be working with the Alliance once again. Past credits include: The Color Purple (Aurora Theatre), The Boy Who Kissed the Sky (Alliance Theatre), Sunday in the Park with George (Jennie T. Anderson Theatre), and Pancakes Pancakes! (Alliance Theatre). Many thanks to my family for their undying support, my friends for always pushing me to be better, and to you for supporting the arts. Anything you do, let It come from you. Then it will be new, give us more to see.
CULLEN WOOD (Tiny Tim/ Ensemble) [he/him] is an Atlanta based actor, represented by East Coast Talent. He is ecstatic to make his professional theater debut in A Christmas Carol this year. When not acting, you can find Cullen baton twirling on a regional competition team. A big thanks to Lisa Rosemond for being the best voice coach around. Special thanks to Caitlin Hargraves, Jody Feldman, and the entire Alliance Theatre team.
EMBERLYNN WOOD
(Emma Cratchit/Child Fred/ Ensemble, u/s Tiny Tim) [she/her] is an Atlanta based actress, represented by East Coast Talent in the Southeast and AEFH in Los Angeles. She is delighted to be rejoining the incredible cast and crew of A Christmas Carol for the third year. When not acting or singing, you can find Emberlynn reading, playing piano, dancing, or baton twirling on a regional competition team. A huge shout out to Lisa Rosemond and Clare Latham for their advice, training, and friendship. Special thanks to Caitlin Hargraves, Jody Feldman, and the rest of the Alliance Theatre team. Find her on social media: @emberlynnwood
CAITLIN HARGRAVES (Director) has loved being part of the Christmas Carol family as a cast member and is thrilled to return as director for the second year. Caitlin is an American/ Chilean director, actor,
producer, and educator based in Atlanta. Her theatrical career has taken her to various regional theaters across the country, but locally she’s performed at Theatrical Outfit, Synchronicity, and this spring will be back the Alliance for the world premiere of Bust. She produces and acts in short films with Cafecito Productions whose work can be seen on HBO (Mi Casa), Amazon Prime (Give Me an A), and at film festivals across the country. When Caitlin isn’t performing, she is teaching as a faculty member in the Theater Studies department at Emory University where she is also the Artistic Director of Theater Emory. She received her BFA from Tisch at NYU and her MA from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Caitlin would like to thank her family, especially Dorian and Ophelia — te amo.
DAVID H. BELL (Adaptor) was the Artistic Director of Ford’s Theatre (DC), Associate Artistic Director to Kenny Leon at the Alliance Theatre, and was the Artistic Director of the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) and served as the head of the music theatre program at Northwestern University. As director or choreographer or author, David has received 46 of Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award nominations (winning 12), 5 of Florida’s Carbonall Awards, the Drama-Logue Award (LA), the Helen Hayes Award (DC), his musical Hot Mikado was nominated for London’s Olivier Award, and Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol (written with Dolly Parton) recently won the Jessie Award (Vancouver, Canada). David Has written and/or directed the world premieres of Cowboys and Lawyers (Goodspeed), The Good War (Northlight Theatre), Die Schone und das Biest (European Tour), Gut Bucket Blues and Shaking the Rafters (True Colors Theatre), Elmer Gantry (Ford’s Theatre) and Jimmy Buffets and Herman Wouk’s Don’t Stop the Carnival (Coconut Grove Playhouse), Cy Coleman’s 13 Days to Broadway, Murder for Two (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Hero (Asolo Playhouse, Marriott Theatre). Currently David is working on his new musical, Museum of Broken Relationships (with Dan Green) and Michael Collins (Cunningham and Salzman).
CHARLES DICKENS (Book) was a British novelist, journalist, editor, illustrator and social commentator who wrote such beloved classic novels as Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. Dickens is
remembered as one of the most important and influential writers of the 19th century. Among his accomplishments, he has been lauded for providing a stark portrait of the Victorian-era underclass, helping to bring about social change.
LEORA MORRIS (Original Staging) Alliance: A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Ride the Cyclone, Winnie-the-Pooh, Crossing Delancey, The Dancing Granny. Other directing credits include The Philosopher’s Wife (Toronto); Labour of Love (Olney Theatre Center); Spring Awakening (Connecticut College); Knives in Hens, Orphans (Coal Mine Theatre, Toronto); He Left Quietly (2014 SummerWorks Best Production Award, Toronto); Amy and the Orphans, Women Beware Women, King John (Yale School of Drama); The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, love holds a lamp in this little room (Yale Cabaret). Awards/Fellowships: Toronto’s 2012 Ken MacDougall Award, Yale Julian Milton Kaufman Prize in Directing, O’Neill/NNPN National Directing Fellow, Alliance Yale Directing Fellow. Leora was recently shortlisted for the international 2020 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Prize. Leora is currently an assistant professor in Directing and Acting at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. MFA Directing — Yale School of Drama. www.leoramorris.com
TODD ROSENTHAL (Scenic Design) is a Chicago-based set designer and educator. Broadway credits include: August: Osage County (Tony Award), The Motherfucker with the Hat (Outer Critic’s Circle nomination and Tony nomination), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Tony for Best Revival), Of Mice and Men (filmed by National Theatre Live) and the upcoming Eureka Day and Purpose. Select Off Broadway: Red Light Winter (Barrow Street), Domesticated (Lincoln Center), and The Qualms (Playwrights Horizons). International credits include: Madama Butterfly (Irish National Opera, Dublin/ Cork), Nice Fish (London’s West End) and Life After (Toronto). Regional work includes Steppenwolf Theatre Company (over 30 productions), Goodman Theatre (Artistic Partner), Guthrie Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, and La Jolla Playhouse. He has received the Laurence Olivier Award (first American set designer), the Helen Hayes Award, the Michael Merritt Award for Excellence in
Design and Collaboration, and has been nominated for four American Theater Wing Henry Hewes Design Awards. Todd is a Full Professor at Northwestern University and a graduate of the Yale Drama School.
MARIANN VERHEYEN (Costume Design) won the 2022 Suzi Award for Costume Design for this production. She has been designing for the Alliance since 1987 for shows including Good People; August: Osage County; Avenue X (Suzi nomination); August Wilson Full Circle: Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf; Intimate Apparel (Suzi winner, 2005/06); Day of the Kings; Light Up the Sky. New York credits: Cathy Rigby’s Peter Pan, Everybody’s Ruby (Audelco Award nomination), numerous Off-Broadway productions and 10 years of commercial styling. Regionally, her work has been seen at Ford’s, Huntington and Studio Arena theaters; Missouri Rep; and the Chicago, Alabama, Oregon and Colorado Shakespeare festivals. She has designed costumes for Disney Cruise Lines, Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, SeaWorld San Antonio and Viking Cruise Lines. Mariann has received design awards in New York City, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, and received distinguished achievement awards from her undergrad and high school alma maters.
GREG HOFMANN (Lighting Design)
Previous Alliance Theatre Designs: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Ride the Cyclone [Suzie Award Recipient]. Additional Selected designs: Ride the Cyclone (MCC Theater); Nell Gwynn, Peter Pan; A Musical Adventure, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Ride the Cylcone, Road Show (Chicago Shakespeare). Ride the Cyclone (ACT Seattle). Man Of Destiny (American Players Theatre). Beautiful, Billy Elliot, School of Rock, Rock of Ages, Kinky Boots, Secret of My Success, Wizard of Oz, Elf, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mamma Mia!, Hairspray, Oklahoma!, Tommy [Jeff Award Recipient], Mary Poppins, Annie (Paramount Theatre); Rock of Ages, The Game’s Afoot, Les Misérables, Oliver! (Drury Lane); Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Airness, Lewiston/Clarkston, Marjorie Prime, Outside Mullingar, Silent Sky (Forward Theatre). Greg has also designed over 100 productions for Cedar Fair amusement parks across the country. More information at www.hofmannlightingdesign.com.
CLAY BENNING (Sound Design) has designed more than 150 productions in
his career. He was the Resident Sound Designer for the Alliance Theatre for over 20 years and has worked as the Production Sound Engineer on many pre-Broadway shows including The Color Purple, The Prom, and Bring It On. An Atlanta native, he was an Associate Artist at Georgia Shakespeare and has worked with Atlanta Ballet, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Theatrical Outfit, Geva Theatre, Northwestern University, and the Georgia Aquarium. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College (BA), North Carolina School of the Arts (MFA) and a member of IATSE/USA829 and TSDCA.
KENDALL SIMPSON (Composer/Adaptor/ Orchestrator) composes music for theatre, dance, film, and the concert stage. The majority of his theatrical work has been with the Alliance Theatre, where he has collaborated with renowned directors such as Lynne Meadow, Kimberly Senior, Judith Ivey, Laura Kepley, and many others. His compositions have also been showcased at other theaters, including Baltimore’s Center Stage, Theatrical Outfit, and Theater Emory. An award-winning composer, his music has been honored with three Suzi Bass Awards. Kendall currently serves as the music director for the dance department at Emory University, where he works as a composer and accompanist. He has written and arranged dance pieces for Emory Dance Company with choreographers Greg Catellier, George Staib, and Sarah Hillmer, among many others. Kendall’s work has also been featured on the concert stage, with compositions performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, and the Vega String Quartet.
TOM LEE (Lead Puppetry Design) is a puppet artist, designer and director. He is co-director of Chicago Puppet Studio and the Chicago Puppet Lab, a developmental incubator for contemporary puppetry. Mr. Lee was a puppeteer in the original Tony-Award winning Broadway cast of War Horse and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera (Madama Butterfly & Florencia en el Amazonas), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Queen of Spades), New York Philharmonic Orchestra (Petrushka), and Dan Hurlin (Hiroshima Maiden, Disfarmer, Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed). Tom is a student of Japanese master puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V and has taught
puppetry and design nationally and internationally. www.tomleeprojects.com
BLAIR THOMAS (Puppetry Design) is Founder and Director of Blair Thomas & Co. and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. His productions have twice earned the highest honor in the medium, the UNIMA Excellence in Puppetry Award. He has received the Puppeteers of America Award, Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Award, and several Jefferson Citations. On faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 1991, Thomas also held the first-ever Jim Henson Artist-in-Residence position at University of Maryland, College Park. For three decades, Thomas has contributed to the Chicago theater scene as an actor, director, puppeteer, designer, curator, and educator, securing his status as “Chicago’s unofficial puppeteer-general” (TimeOut). He serves on the Board of Directors at the Henson Foundation and the UNIMA Commission for International Festivals. The biennial Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival spans 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, sharing 100+ puppetry activities with over 14,000 guests.
CHICAGO PUPPET STUDIO (Puppetry Design) is the design and fabrication wing of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and is codirected by Blair Thomas and Tom Lee. Recent designs include puppetry for Mary Zimmerman’s Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera, John Michael LaChiusa’s See What I Wanna See at Theater 154 and The Magic Flute at the Goodman Theater. The studio offers professional level training and classes at their workshop in the Fine Arts Building Chicago. www.chicagopuppetfest.org
D2 FLYING EFFECTS (Flying Effects) was founded in 2009 by Delbert Hall and Sam Fisher. Based in Maryland, D2 Flying Effects is a part of PointWight Entertainment Specialists. Between them, Delbert and Sam have over 75 years of combined performer flying experience with both manual and automated performer flying.
GREG MATTESON (Music Direction/ Additional Arrangements/Keyboard 1) is a pianist, music director, and arranger/ composer. He has had the pleasure of working with the Alliance Theatre on a number of productions, including Ride the Cyclone (Music Director & Conductor/
Pianist), Maybe Happy Ending (Assoc. Music Director), and Max Makes a Million (Copyist & Transcriptionist). Recently, Greg conducted City Springs Theatre’s production of Spamalot and has conducted or played piano for many productions there, including Cats, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, The Color Purple, and The Sound of Music. Greg is currently an Artist Affiliate in Piano at Emory University and Adjunct Faculty at Kennesaw State University and occasionally music directs at other institutions including Georgia State University, Clayton State University, and the Atlanta Jewish Academy. He is an active vocal coach, private instructor, collaborative pianist, and chamber recitalist, and regularly performs in and around Atlanta. His award-winning arrangements and compositions have been featured in a variety of contexts, from choirs and wind ensembles to video game soundtracks. Thank you to all the wonderful and dedicated people on this production who made the long journey to the stage so worth it! www.gregmatteson.com
JODY FELDMAN (Casting) began her theater career as an actress in Atlanta before moving into administration as the Assistant General Manager at Frank Wittow’s Academy Theatre. It was at the Academy that Jody realized the importance of theatre to a city’s cultural values and identity. Feldman started her career at the Alliance as casting director in 1991 and added producer to her title and responsibilities in 2001. She has cast and produced more than 250 productions at the Alliance, encompassing a range of world premieres that include The Last Night of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry, Blues for An Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage, The Geller Girls by Janece Shaffer, In the Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney, more than 20 years of Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competitionwinning plays, such world and regional premiere musicals as Aida; The Color Purple; Sister Act: The Musical; Bring It On: The Musical; Tuck Everlasting; Ghost Brothers of Darkland County; Harmony, A New Musical; The Prom; Trading Places, and finally exciting new plays developed specifically for children and families, which is integral to the expansion of audience and mission for the Alliance. Jody is most proud of the thriving Alliance community engagement and partnerships that recognize theatrical work as a catalyst for civic conversation and connection.
LIZ CAMPBELL (Stage Manager) [she/ her] Favorite Alliance credits include: Babble Lab, Tale of Two Cities, The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine StarrKidd, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Max Makes a Million, The Wizard of Oz, The Dancing Granny, Cinderella and Fella, Ugly Lies the Bone, Pancakes, Pancakes!, Tiger Style!, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, James and the Giant Peach, Shrek, and Charlotte’s Web. Other local credits include: RENT, The Shining (The Atlanta Opera), The Drowsy Chaperone, Camelot, The World Goes Round, Million Dollar Quartet, Monty Python’s Spamalot, and Ragtime (Atlanta Lyric Theatre); In the Continuum (Synchronicity Theatre); Book of Will and It’s a Wonderful Life (Theatrical Outfit). She has been the Stage Manager for the GHSMTA (Shuler Awards) since 2015. She holds a BFA in Theatre from Niagara University. Member of Actors’ Equity Association. Co-founder of Atlanta Theatre Artists for Justice. Love to Ali and Maggie. Happy Holidays to everyone!
XIAONAN (CHLOE) LIU (Assistant Stage Manager 10/9-12/15, Stage Manager 12/16-12/24) [she/her] is the BIPOC Stage Management Fellow at the Alliance Theatre, originally from China. She is so grateful to work in A Christmas Carol with such a wonderful team! Chloe has worked on The Chinese Lady and Pearl Cleage’s Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard at the Alliance. This May, she graduated from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale where her credits include Next to Normal, Green Suga Bloos, The Cherry Orchard, The Alley, and Twelfth Night, as well as Choir Boy and Escaped Alone at Yale Rep. She holds a B.A. from Shanghai Theatre Academy. Her working experience in China included Shanghai Disney production Beauty and The Beast and The Lion King; and the national tour of Man of La Mancha and The Sound of Music.
PHOEBE SWEATMAN (Assistant Stage Manager) [she/her] is a North Georgia native and graduate of the University of North Georgia’s Theatre Program with a BFA in Design & Technology. She also completed her stage management apprenticeship with Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. Some of her favorite credits include: Legally Blonde the Musical (City Springs Theatre), White Christmas (City Springs Theatre), Jersey Boys (City Springs Theatre), Clyde’s (Studio Theatre),
and People Places & Things (Studio Theatre). She is excited to be working on her first production here with the Alliance Theatre and to be a part of this beautiful holiday tradition! You can find her on Instagram: @phoebesweatman
ELIZA CRAFT (Stage Management Production Assistant) is so excited to return to Alliance for A Christmas Carol! Past credits include: The Incredible Book Eating Boy (Alliance Theatre); Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Sister Act, Christmas Canteen, The Three Little Pigs, and Greener Pastures (Aurora Theatre); Now Showing (Destination Theatre); Bootycandy (Actor’s Express); Guys and Dolls (Atlanta Lyric Theatre); RENT, Jitney, The SpongeBob Musical, and The Spitfire Grill (Kennesaw State University). She is an alumna of Kennesaw State University’s Department of Theatre and Performance Studies and Aurora Theatre’s AppCo24. Lots of love to her amazing family, friends, and mentors. IG: @eliiizaaa_
TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN (Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) began her tenure at the Alliance in 2016 as the BOLD Associate Artistic Director, assuming her current role in 2023. Originally from Zimbabwe, KajeseBolden combines her commitment to great art, deep education and community empowerment with an agile enthusiasm and unflappable, calm energy to inspire new possibilities. Kajese-Bolden honed her directing and producing skills as a freelance director working in regional houses across the country and on set. As a director and actor, she fosters deep ongoing collaborations with playwrights and has mounted innovative and critically acclaimed productions that merge elegant, theatrical designs with complicated human stories. A Princess Grace Award 2019 Winner for Directing, and Map Fund Award recipient as a director and actor, she has worked on and Off-Broadway as well as recurring roles in the Marvel universe “Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special,” Suicide Squad, “Hawkeye,” and CW’s “Valor,” “Dynasty,” HBO’s “Henrietta Lacks,” Ava Duverney’s “Cherish the Day,” among others. Up next, she is developing a new Opera, Forsythe is Flooding: The Joy of Lake Lanier, and proudly serves on the ARTS-ATL Artist Advisory Council. “My mission is the pursuit of what connects our different communities and how we create art that liberates us to imagine a more inclusive future.”
CHRISTOPHER
MOSES (Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) has been working in professional theatre for twenty years and in 2022 was given the Governor’s Award for Arts in Humanities for his body of work. In January of 2011, Chris took on the position of Director of Education at the Alliance Theatre, overseeing the Alliance Theatre Institute (twice recognized as an Arts Model by the Federal Department of Education), Theatre for Youth & Families, and the Acting Program. Since taking over this position, Chris has expanded the reach and impact by making the Alliance Theatre Education department a vital resource for advancing the civic agenda of Atlanta. This work is accomplished through deep and sustained partnerships with social service organizations throughout the city. Under his leadership, the Alliance launched its Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young program, which provides fully interactive professional theater experiences for children of all abilities from ages newborn through five years old; the Alliance Teen Ensemble, which performs world premiere plays commissioned for and about teens; the Palefsky Collision Project, where teens produce a new work after colliding with a classic text; expanded the Alliance’s summer camp program to include over 3,000 children in multiple locations across Atlanta; and Alliance@ work, a professional development program designed for the business sector — the latest offering of which uses theatre practice to create a culture of civility in the workplace. In 2014, Chris added the title Associate Artistic Director, and has continued to expand the Alliance’s education offerings. During his tenure in this position, the Alliance has produced over a dozen world premiere plays for young audiences, including Pancakes, Pancakes! by Ken Lin, The Dancing Granny by Jireh Breon Holder, Max Makes a Million by Liz Diamond, and The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Madhuri Shekar. Currently, the Alliance serves over 100,000 students pre-k—12 each season, as well as over 4,000 adults through its extensive education offerings. In 2023, he was named Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre.
MIKE SCHLEIFER (Managing Director) joined the Alliance Theatre in 2014 as the General Manager and in 2016, assumed the role of Managing Director. During his time at the Alliance, Mike has led the administrative and producing team on over 100 productions including bringing Tuck
Everlasting and The Prom to Broadway. He was one of the architects of the “On the Road” season while a multi-million dollar renovation of the Coca-Cola Stage was underway. Mike is excited to have started the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee at the Alliance and to serve on the board of the League of Resident Theatres and True Colors Theatre Company. Prior to Atlanta, he spent 13 years at Baltimore’s Center Stage working in several roles including Associate Producer, Production Manager and Resident Stage Manager. While in Baltimore, Mike was an adjunct faculty member at Towson University and has guest-lectured all over the country. Mike began as a Stage Manager and has dozens of stage management credits between his time in New York and working regionally. Mike is married to theater director and educator Laura Hackman and the proud father of two boys, Jack and Ben.
ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA)
Founded in 1913, AEA is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. www.actorsequity.org
NOV
JAN
By MILO CRAMER
TORNEY
By IDRIS GOODWIN
Based
WILLIAM STEIG
Directed by MARK VALDEZ
Produced
Directed by MATT
Mental Health Awareness and Support for the Holiday Season
While brightly lit displays, familiar melodies, and nostalgic scents can spark joy, this time of year can also bring up experiences of loneliness, overwhelm, and grief. Although tradition and celebration can feel timeless, they don’t always account for the influence of time and change as we move through our lives. The emphasis on holiday gatherings with family can be difficult as we may be confronted with the grief of missing those who are absent, no longer in our lives, or with whom we are at odds. It can also feel ostracizing if we don’t want to participate in the expected activities or mask our emotions around others for the sake of acceptance. The expectations and pressures to achieve the perfect holiday can leave little room for the human experience, especially if we already experience mental health challenges.
It can be really hard to balance these expectations and pressures with our own values and needs. Although holiday cheer and holiday blues feel so intensely different, the beauty of the human experience lies in our capacity to experience both, if we make room for all of it. While the season is centered around the spirit of giving, it’s important to include ourselves in that. That can start with giving ourselves permission to take care of and consider ourselves. There’s power in knowing that we can choose how we want to navigate the complexities of the season while still honoring our needs and values.
When we take care of ourselves, we are better able to be present and connect with the people in our lives. It is through the bonds of connection that we are reminded of our power to love, create, and inspire both ourselves and those around us. Connection can also look like more than a traditional family, it can be friends, communities, partners, chosen family, or the one person you feel the safest with. It can happen when people come together to support each other through acts of care, connection to resources, and being present with each other.
The power that lies in the shared human experience is a powerful force that can bring collective healing, one of the greatest gifts of all. If you are struggling with your mental health during the holidays, please know that you aren’t alone and that there are people, spaces, and resources out there to support you, should you decide to make room.
Ru Johanson-Murray, MS, APC, NCC Mental Health Counselor Modern Path
SYNOPSIS
While the whole world celebrates the holiday season, Ebenezer Scrooge prefers to remain secret, self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. But this Christmas, he can’t! Scrooge’s old business partner, Jacob Marley, sends three ghosts to take Scrooge on a journey through his past, present, and future that transforms his sense of purpose and interconnectedness. On this once-in-a-lifetime trip, Scrooge finds there’s more to life than being safe, secure, and wealthy, and rediscovers his desire to play, connect, and celebrate with everyone, from his employee Bob Cratchit to the Christmas carolers outside his window.
GET SOCIAL
Connect with us and other audience members on your Alliance Theatre experience. Share your comments and photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok with hashtags #AChristmasCarol and #AllianceTheatre. Plus, search your social media platforms with those hashtags for fun, behind-the-scenes content from our cast, crew, and creative team.
www.alliancetheatre.org
Alliance Theatre Sets Wonder Free.
And what delights during performances ignites a brighter future. You can invest in better tomorrows by supporting access for youth to experience world-class theatre on a stage that’s all their own. Now is the time.
Introducing The Goizueta Stage For Youth And Families,
a transformative new space designed to inspire young audiences year-round. Research shows that early access to live theater can significantly combat critical issues like low literacy rates and the urgent youth mental health crisis. To fulfill this promise, the Alliance Theatre is launching a $10 million Imagine Endowment to expand our capacity to serve more young people and sustain these enriching experiences in perpetuity. With this endowment, the Goizueta Stage will be a beacon of accessibility, welcoming children from all backgrounds and removing economic, geographic, and physical barriers to ensure that every child can engage with the magic of theatre for generations to come.
Support The Imagine Endowment
For more information about the Alliance’s Imagine Campaign or to make an endowment contribution, please contact: Trent Anderson, Director of Development trent.anderson@alliancetheatre.org (404) 733-4710
Scan here to learn more, contribute, or view our full donor listing alliancetheatre.org/imagine
Founded in 1968, the Alliance Theatre is the leading producing theatre in the Southeast, reaching more than 165,000 patrons annually. The Alliance is led by Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses, and Managing Director Mike Schleifer. The Alliance is a recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award® for sustained excellence in programming, education, and community engagement. In January 2019, the Alliance opened its new, stateof-the-art performance space, The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre. Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 135 productions including eleven that have transferred to Broadway. The Alliance education department reaches 90,000 students annually through performances, classes, camps, and in-school initiatives designed to support teachers and enhance student learning. The Alliance Theatre values community, curiosity, collaboration, and excellence, and is dedicated to representing Atlanta’s diverse community with the stories we tell, the artists, staff, and leadership we employ, and audiences we serve.
OUR MISSION
To expand hearts and minds onstage and off.
OUR
VISION
Making Atlanta more connected, curious, and compassionate through theatre and arts education.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In the sincerest efforts to gain further understanding of the history that has brought us to reside on this land and to accept the knowledge that colonialism is a current and ongoing process under which we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation, we hereby acknowledge this native land of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
| boardofdirectors
OFFICERS
Chair
E. Kendrick Smith
Vice Chair
Allison O’Kelly
Treasurer
Glenn Weiss
Secretary
Jennifer Boutté
Immediate Past Chair
Jocelyn Hunter
Ex-Officio
Hala Moddelmog
LIFETIME
DIRECTORS
Rita Anderson
Ken Bernhardt
Frank Chew
Ann Cramer
Linda Davidson
Laura Hardman
Hays Mershon
Richard S. Myrick
Helen Smith Price
Bob Reiser
Jane Shivers
H. Bronson Smith
Ben White
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kristin Adams
Norman Adkins
Kimberly Ajy
James Anderson
Farideh Azadi
Marc Balizer
Deisha Barnett
Alba Baylin
Maggie Blake Bailey
Bridget Blake
Kenny Blank
Terri Bonoff
Jennifer Boutté
Traci Bransford
Kristen Burke
Jeff Cashdan
Madeline Chadwick
Bruce Cohen
Miles Cook
LeighAnn Costley
Joe Crowley
Katie Fahs
Reade Fahs
Howard Feinsand
Rick Gestring
Richard Goerss
Claire Gotham
Lila Hertz
Jocelyn Hunter
Malvika Jhangiani
Alexander Johnson
Jane Jordan Casavant
Anne Kaiser
John Keller
Matthew Kent
Andjela Kessler
Jim Kilberg
Jesse Killings
Carrie Kurlander
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy
Robert Masucci
Jean Ann McCarthy
Alan McKeon
Dori Miller
Jeffrey Miller
Hala Moddelmog
Phil Moïse
Allison O’Kelly
Victoria Palefsky
Jackie Parker
Paul Pendergrass
Anne Rambaud Herren
Stephanie Ray
Patty Reid
Margaret Reiser
Matthew Richburg
Robyn Roberts
Maurice Rosenbaum
Steve Selig
Kim Sewell
Mital Shah
Bill Sleeper
E. Kendrick Smith
Chandra Stephens-Albright
Charlita Stephens
Mark Swinton
Julie Teer
Lisa Bigazzi Tilt
Richard Valladares
Benny Varzi
Rebekah Wasserman
Glenn Weiss
Wai Wong
Todd Zeldin
ADVISORY BOARD
Advisory Board Co-Chair
Laura Hardman
Advisory Board Co-Chair
Phil H. Moïse
Luis Andino
Andrew Barrow
Chris Brodnan
Johanna (Toni) Brookner
Maranie Brown
Carol Caines
La’Keitha Carlos
Mamie Dayan-Vogel
Candice Dixon
Malaika Dowdell
Brandon Fleming
Les Flynn
Allen Fox
Natalia Garzón Martínez
Lydia Glaize
Emmanuel Glaze
Caroline Gold
Meghan Gordon
Tevin Goss
Jeff Graham
Aulona Graham-Simms
Dr. Eve Graves, Ph.D.
Erica Greenblatt
Della Guidry
Dr. Lindsey Hardegree
Campbell Hastings
Mallika Kallingal
Jodi Kalson
Dr. Laura Kelly
January LaVoy
Jennifer Lee
JoJasmin “Jo” Lopez
Carlton Mackey
Nelly Mauta
Tre’Von McKay
Robbie Medwed
Juan Mejia
Aprille Moore
Jane Morgan
Zach Nikonovich Kahn
Amy Norton King
Susan Sim Oh
Kathy Palumbo
Kisan Patel
Pedro Pavón
Marion Phillips
Daniel Regenstein
Michelle Robinson
Daniella Sandino
Wendy Schmitt
Dr. Shenara Sexton
Sarah Anne Smith
Alicia Thompson
Ana Urrego
Christopher Walker
Emily Washburn
Melinda Weekes-Laidlow
Angie Weiss
Joni Williams
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
President, STARS
Andjela Kessler
Chairman, Theater
Advocates
Patricia Walsh
Chairman, Theater Ushers
Edwina Sellan
Chairman, Hospitality
Susan Stiefel
ALLIANCE SPONSORS
Alliance Sponsors are businesses, corporations, and institutions that have supported the work of the Alliance Theatre. We thank them for their generosity and support.
$500,000+
Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda & Dan Cathy
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Lettie Pate Evans Foundation
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
$250,000+
Anonymous
The Coca-Cola Company
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Shubert Foundation
WestRock
$100,000+
Accenture
Chestnut Foundation
Helen Gurley Brown Foundation
Georgia Power
The Home Depot Foundation
Invesco QQQ
John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Fund
King & Spalding
Norfolk Southern PNC
Truist
The Rich’s Foundation
Warner Bros. Discovery
Zeist Foundation
$50,000+
AT&T Foundation
Bank of America
Cadence Bank
City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Edgerton Foundation
Georgia Council for the Arts
Georgia Natural Gas
Google
Jones Day
Kendeda Fund
Liz Blake Giving Fund
Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
National Vision
Wellstar Foundation
$25,000+
Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition, powered by AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Comcast
Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Graphic Packaging
The Imlay Foundation, Inc.
Johnny Mercer Foundation
Kaiser Permanente
Northside Hospital
Peach State Health Plan
Southwire
$10,000+
AEC Trust
Alexander Babbage
Alston & Bird
Do a Good Day Foundation
Eversheds Sutherland
George M. Brown Trust of Atlanta
Georgia-Pacific
John & Mary Franklin Foundation
SCANA Energy
South Arts
The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
$5,000+
American Institutes for Research
Anonymous
Frances Wood Wilson Foundation
Osiason Educational Foundation
Perkins&Will
Publix Super Market Charities
By attending our theater, you have made a powerful statement about how important the arts are to you. Make another statement of support louder than any standing ovation. Visit alliancetheatre.org and click on Donate.
Individual, foundation, and corporate donors contribute more than $10 million to the Alliance Theatre so that we are able to present exceptional theater and educational programming to our community. We are deeply grateful for your support. To find out more about the benefits of giving or to make your gift, visit us at alliancetheatre.org/waystogive or call 404-733-5157.
Listed below are pledges and gifts to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund.
PREMIERE SUPPORT
Spotlight $100,000+
Mr. James E. Gay*
The SKK Foundation
Dan & Garnet Reardon
Artistic Director’s Circle
$50,000+
Ms. Stephanie Blank
Starr Moore & the James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation
Chairman’s Circle
$25,000+
The Antinori Foundation Around the Table Foundation
Ann & Jeff Cramer
Heidi & David Geller
David & Carolyn Gould
Jocelyn J. Hunter
Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Ivester
Jesse Killings
Daniel Marks & Keri Powell
Rosemarie & David Thurston
Leadership Circle
$15,000+
Ali and Farideh Azadi
Maggie Blake Bailey & Andrew Bailey
Brian & Jennifer Boutté
Jane Jordan Casavant
Roxanne & Jeffrey Cashdan
Barbara & Steve Chaddick
Katie & Reade Fahs
Ellen & Howard Feinsand
Doris & Matthew Geller
Anne & Scott Herren
Jane & J. Hicks Lanier
Kristie L. Madara
Barry and Jean Ann
McCarthy
Phil & Caroline Moïse
Allison & Shane O’Kelly
Victoria & Howard Palefsky
Patty & Doug Reid
Bob & Margaret Reiser
Patricia & Maurice Rosenbaum
Linda & Steve Selig
Ms. Mital Shah
William & Margarita Sleeper
Dr. & Mrs. Dennis Lee Spangler
Mark Swinton
Tim & Maria Tassopoulos
Benny & Roxanne Varzi
Mr. & Mrs. Art Waldrop
Amy & Todd Zeldin
Director’s Circle
$10,000+
Ms. Kristin Adams
Mr. & Mrs. Norman Adkins
Mr. & Mrs. George Ajy
James Anderson
Deborah L. Bannworth & Joy Lynn Fields
Deisha Barnett
Alba C. Baylin
Terri Bonoff & Matthew Knopf
Judge JoAnn Bowens
Martha & Toby Brooks
Madeline Chadwick
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. Chubb III
Ezra Cohen Charitable Fund
Miles & Nicole Cook
LeighAnn & Chad Costley
Joe Crowley & Phil Mack
Rick Gestring
Marsha & Richard Goerss
Claire Gotham
Doug & Lila Hertz
Malvika Jhangiani
Anne & Mark Kaiser
John C. Keller
Mr. Matthew D. Kent & Mr. Joseph C. Miller
Mr. James Kieffer
James & Lori Kilberg
Brian & Carrie Kurlander
Timothy Hardy & Allegra Lawrence-Hardy
Ms. Evelyn Ashley & Mr. Alan B. McKeon
Dori & Jack Miller
Jeffrey Miller
Paul Pendergrass & Margaret Baldwin
Diane & Mark Perlberg
Wade Rakes & Nicholas Miller
Matt Richburg
Robyn Roberts & Kevin Greiner
Mr. George Russell, Jr. & Mrs. Faye Sampson-Russell
Dean DuBose & Bronson
Smith
Mr. & Mrs. E. Kendrick Smith
Lynne & Steve Steindel
Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund
Richard & Melissa Valladares
Waffle House
Ms. Kathy Waller & Mr. Kenny Goggins
Mark & Rebekah Wasserman
Ms. Cathy Weil
Ramona & Ben White
Suzy Wilner
R. Wai Wong
BENEFACTORS
$5,000+
Anonymous
Russ & Cam Still
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh S. Asher
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas* J. Asher
Lisa & Joe* Bankoff
Mr. & Mrs. Roland L. Bates
Ken Bernhardt & Cynthia Currence
Natalie & Matthew Bernstein
Franklin & Dorothy Chandler
Ann & Jim Curry
Diane Durgin
Kathy & Jason Evans
Dr. Cynthia J. Fordyce & Sharon Hulette
Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Goldstein
Tad & Janin Hutcheson
Jason & Laurie Jeffay
Mr. Charles R. Kowal
Dr. & Mrs. John Lee
Burrelle Meeks
Alan & Cyndy* Schreihofer
Charlita Stephens & Delores
Stephens
Susan & Alan* Stiefel
Maria-Ruth Storts
Chuck Taylor & Lisa CannonTaylor
Marjan & Navid Yavari
$2,500+
Anonymous (2)
Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Allen
Mr. Andrew Benator
Ms. Raluca Bighiu
Ron & Lisa Brill Charitable Trust
Mr. & Mrs. W. Kent Canipe
Candace Carson
Melodie H. Clayton
Rita & Ralph Connell
Linda & Gene* Davidson
Marcia & John Donnell
Eve Joy Eckardt
Mrs. Anuja Gagoomal & Dr.
John Stites
The Robert S. Elster Foundation
Karen & Andrew Ghertner
Mr. David F. Golden
Sandeep Goyal & Taylor England
Shauna Grovell
Dr. & Mrs. John B. Hardman
Ariana Hargrave
Henry & Etta Raye Hirsch Heritage Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. J. Michael Hostinsky
Linda & Richard Hubert
Alexander Johnson & Susan Somersille Johnson
Mr. & Mrs. Wyatt T. Johnson
Judith Lyon & Ron Bloom
Lloyd & Mary* McCreary
Hala & Steve Moddelmog
Clair & Thomas Muller
Joan Netzel & John Gronwall
John & Helen Parker
Sam & Barbara Pettway
Ali & Layla Rahimi, ALYKA Health
Don & Rosalinda Ratajczak
Ms. Kristin L. Ray
Dana Rice
Mr. & Mrs. Mark Rosenberg
Jane & Rein Saral
Ms. Donna Schwartz
Kashi Sehgal
Ms. Mallie Abdsharafat
Mr. & Mrs. S. Albert Sherrod
Mr. David C. Shih
Brian Shively & Jim Jinhong
Henry N. & Margaret P. Staats
Chandra Stephens-Albright & Warren Albright
Julie Teer
Kathy Gillespie Tomajko
Dana Weeks Ugwonali & Obi Ugwonali
Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Weiss
Bryan & Carrie Williams
The Zaban Foundation
$1,500+
Anonymous
Judge Gregory A. Adams & Wanda C. Adams
Mr. E. Scott Arnold
Ellen Arnovitz
Johanna Brookner
Marie & Brad Foster
Aubrey & Carol Bush
Susan & Edward Croft
Gail Crowder & Claude Wegscheider
Tim & Tina Eyerly
Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. Flexner
Ms. Tiffany Rosetti
Della & Theo Guidry
Warren M. Gump
Mrs. Elaine L. Hentschel
Ashley & Elton James
Boland & Andrea Lea Jones
Mark Keiser
Andjela & Michael Kessler
Amy & Jeremy King
David Long & Starane
Shepherd
Ms. Addie P. Mathes & Mr. Richard Knittel
Greg & Gillian Matteson
Fabienne Moore
Dennis & Debra Murphy
Denis Ng & Mary Jane Panzeri
Mr. & Mrs. Armond Perkins
Peg Petersen
Dr. Denise Raynor
Dr. & Mrs. Fredric Rosenberg
Mr. & Mrs.* Charles B. Shelton III
Ms. Amy Speas
Dr. & Mrs. Harry Strothers
Judith & Mark Taylor
Valerie & Anthony Thomas
Stan & Velma Tilley
Mr. & Mrs. Carlos Vazquez
Ms. Avril Vignos
Mamie Dayan-Vogel & Steven Vogel
John T. & Patricia Walsh
Kim Boldthen & Carolyn Wheeler
Adrienne Whitehead
William & Nancy Yang
Noam Zelman & Susan Hirsch
PATRONS
$1,000+
Anonymous
Mr. Reza Abree
Mr. George T. Baker
David Cofrin & Christine Tryba-Cofrin
Richard & Grecia Cox
Celeste Davis-Lane
Drs. Bryan & Norma
Edwards
Howard & Ellen Eisenberg
Dr. Azy Esfandiari, City Springs Dental Studio
Dr. Marla Franks & Rev.
Susan Zoller
Louise S. Gunn
Monique & Justin Honaman
Drs. Cathie & Hugh Hudson
Ms. Floria Izadi
Veronica Kessenich
Christina Kramer
Mr. & Mrs. Asghar
Memarzadeh
Anna & Hays Mershon
Mr. Kasra Naderi & Mrs.
Arezoo Akhavan
Debbie & Lon Neese
Deborah W. Royer
Jane E. Shivers
Nossi Taheri & Hope Vaziri
Mr. & Mrs. Alex Taylor
Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor
Lynne Winship
Mr. & Mrs. Brent Yamaato
$500+
Dawn & Michael Adamson
William Baas
Dr. Evelyn R. Babey
Mr. and Mrs. Barry N. Berlin
Jay Bernath
Rob & Suzanne Boas
Dr. Deloris Bryant-Booker
Mr. & Mrs. Mark Bunker
Mary M. Burke
Karen & Harold Carney
Dr.* & Mrs. S. Wright Caughman
Mrs. Eleanor H. Finley
Shelley & Bruce Gaynes
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Gerakitis
Steven Goss
Richard & Debbie Griffiths
Sarah Hawbecker & William Fuller
Ms. Jo Ann Haden-Miller & Mr. William Miller
Harris & Sharon Hobby
Mr. & Mrs. Phillip S. Hodges
Jason Kahn
Larry C. Larson
Ms. Lauren Linder & Mr. Jonathan Grunberg
Al Lurey
Ms. Theresa McCabe
Ms. Jaime McQuilkin
Robbie Medwed
Stacia Minton
Drs. Sharon Neulinger & Richard Kaplan
Mr. Eric Olson
Mr. Mark A. Pallansch
Marc & Jean Pickard
Lois & Don Reitzes
Paula Rosput Reynolds & Stephen Reynolds
Michelle & Gary Simon
C. Daniel Smith & Cynthia Smith
Celia Till
John & Bunny Underwood
ALLIANCE THEATRE MONTHLY SUSTAINER SOCIETY
We would like to thank our donors who have committed to giving us a recurring monthly donation to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund. Join today: www.alliancetheatre.org/sustainer
Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Abes
Mr. Faraz Ahmed
Mr. E. Scott Arnold
Dr. Evelyn Babey
Christine Brodnan
Maranie Brown
Dr. Deloris Bryant-Booker
Dean Jordan & Lee Burson
Mr. Brandon Bush
Karen & Harold Carney
Mr. Quentin David Cashman
Elizabeth Corrie
Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Cowart*
Christopher Cox & Draco Bohannon
Gray & Marge Crouse
Nash Ditmetaroj
Malaika Dowdell
Les Flynn
Christine & Andrew Fry
Emmanuel Glaze
Caroline Gold
Katie Goodman
Erica Greenblatt
Bryant Gresham & Alexander Bossert
Ms. Jo Ann Haden-Miller & Mr. William Miller
Lindsey E. Hardegree
Ms. Linda Hare & Mr. Gerald Barth
Dr. & Mrs. David M. Hill
Ms. Becca Hogue
Karen Jones
Kelley J. Jordan-Monné
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Kalista
Amy & Jeremy King
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Kraft
January LaVoy
Dr. Andrea W. Lawrence
Joyce Lewis
Ms. Lauren Linder & Mr. Jonathan Grunberg
Christian & JoJasmin Lopez
Stephen Lynch
Ms. Alison Main
Ms. Jaime McQuilkin
Heather & Jim Michael
Lori & Jonathan Peterson
Ms. Kendrick Phillips
Marion Phillips
Marc & Jean Pickard
Dana & Jacqueline Powe
Mr. Howard Rowe
Barbara Schreiber
Sarah Anne Smith
Tom Slovak & Jeffery Jones
Charles Thompson
Ms. Stephanie Van Parys & Mr. Robert A. Cleveland
Ben Warshaw
Caitlin Way
Mr. & Mrs. Napoleon A. Williams
all gifts, big and small, will be matched 1:1 until December 31st.
THE WOODRUFF CIRCLE
We are grateful to our dedicated Annual Fund donors for ensuring that everyone in Atlanta can experience the power of the arts. Their gifts support the arts and education work of the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art.
$1,000,000+
A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
$500,000 - $999,999
A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Anonymous
$250,000 - $499,999
Accenture
Art Bridges Foundation
Farideh and Al Azadi Foundation
Mr. Joseph H. Boland, Jr.
Thalia and Michael C. Carlos Advised Fund
Chick-fil-A Foundation |
Rhonda and Dan Cathy
Sheila Lee Davies and Jon Davies
$100,000 - $249,999
1180 Peachtree
A Friend of the High Museum of Art
Alston and Bird
AT&T Foundation
Atlantic Station
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Helen Gurley Brown Foundation
Cadence Bank Foundation
City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Cousins Foundation
Forward Arts Foundation
Art Bridges
Emerald Gate Charitable Trust
Georgia Power Company
Sara Giles Moore Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation
Google
The Halle Foundation
Invesco QQQ
Sarah and Jim Kennedy
Ms. Anne H. Morgan and Mr. James F. Kelley
Norfolk Southern Foundation
Novelis, Inc.
The Rich’s Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
Alfred A Thornton Venable Trust
Truist Trusteed Foundations:
The Greene-Sawtell Foundation, Guy Woolford Charitable Trust, and Walter H. and Majory M. Rich Memorial Fund
UPS
Smurfit Westrock
Barney M. Franklin and Hugh W. Burke Charitable Fund
Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Dick and Anne Game
Georgia Council for the Arts
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Georgia-Pacific
Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Foundation
The Hertz Family Foundation, Inc.
Karen and Jeb Hughes
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation
King and Spalding, Partners & Employees
KPMG LLP, Partners & Employees
Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc
The Marcus Foundation, Inc.
Northside Hospital
PNC
Patty and Doug Reid
Southern Company Gas
Carol and Ramon Tomé Family Fund
Warner Bros. Discovery
Kelly and Rod Westmoreland
wish Foundation
2023-2025
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
The Woodruff Arts Center’s unprecedented $67 million capital campaign will bring new life to our campus, expand access to our proven educational programming, and secure our place as Atlanta’s center for the arts. Scan the QR code to learn more about Experience Atlanta, Experience Woodruff.
$1,000,000+
The Goizueta Foundation
The Hertz Family Foundation, Inc.*
The Home Depot Foundation
The Imlay Foundation
$500,000 - $999,999
Acuity Brands Anonymous
$250,000 - $499,999
Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
$100,000 - $249,999
Thomas and Aimee Chubb
Ann and Jeff Cramer*
Emerald Gate Charitable Trust
Fraser Parker Foundation
$10,000 - $99,999
Annie Adams
H. Ross and Claire Arnold
Janine Brown and Alex Simmons
Collin Connolly
Michael and Mindy Egan
Vicki Escarra
Pat Gunning
Rand and Seth Hagen
Philip Harrison and Susan Stainback
James M. Cox Foundation
Norfolk Southern Foundation
PNC
Patricia and Douglas Reid*
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
The Tomé Foundation
The Zeist Foundation
Georgia Power Foundation
J. Bulow Campbell Foundation
Kelin Foundation
Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda and Dan Cathy
Phil and Jenny Jacobs
Robert and Margaret Reiser*
Kathy Waller and Kenny Goggins
The Hearst Foundations, Inc.
Joia Johnson
The Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, Inc.
Truist Charitable Fund
Julia Houston
The Dennis Lockhart and Mary Rose
Taylor Memorial Fund
Barry and Jean Ann McCarthy
Richard McPhail
Kavita and Ashish Mistry
Sara Giles Moore Foundation
Kenneth Neighbors and Valdoreas May
Galen and Lynn Oelkers
Mark and Jennifer Pighini
Southface Energy Institute
Tull Charitable Foundation
Vasser Woolley Foundation
Patrick and Susan Viguerie
D. Richard Williams and Janet Lavine
John and Ellen Yates
*Denotes additional support for the Alliance Theatre’s Imagine campaign
| matchinggifts&legacysociety 54
MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES
Many companies offer a matching gifts program for employees and retirees. You can double, or even triple, your gift at no additional cost to you simply by asking your employer! Think of how much further your donation can go.
We would like to thank the following companies who have matched contributions to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund. To find out more about matching gifts, contact Emma Seif at emma.seif@alliancetheatre.org.
AIG Corporation
American Express
Aon Risk Solutions
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
AT&T
Bank of America/Merrill
BlackRock
Bryan Cave-Powell
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Chubb Charitable Foundation
The Coca-Cola Company
Deloitte
Equifax Inc. Foundation
John and Mary Franklin Foundation
LEGACY SOCIETY
GE Energy
Georgia Power
Goldman Sachs Matching Gift
Goldstein
Google Hearst Foundations
Home Depot Foundation
Honda Motor Co.
IAC, Inc
IBM
JPMorgan Chase
Kimberly-Clark
Lynch
MacArthur Foundation
Macy’s Foundation
McDonald’s Corporation
McMaster-Carr Supply
Microsoft Corporation
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Principal Financial Group Foundation
Prudential Financial
Publix Super Markets
Salesforce.com, Inc.
Sprint
Truist
Thrivent Financial for Lutherns
Veritiv Corporation
Verizon Corporation
The Walt Disney Company
Wells Fargo Yahoo!
Celebrating our supporters who have made a legacy gift to the Alliance Theatre.
The Legacy Society celebrates individuals who have made a planned gift to the Alliance Theatre. Making a planned gift is a wonderful way to show your support and appreciation for the Alliance Theatre and its mission, while accommodating your financial, estate planning and philanthropic goals. With smart planning, you may increase the size of your estate and/or reduce the tax burden on your heirs. Just as important, you will know that you have made a meaningful and lasting contribution to the Alliance Theatre.
To learn more about the Legacy Society, please contact Lindsay Ridgeway-Baierl at lindsay.ridgeway-baierl@alliancetheatre.org.
Anonymous
Rita M. Anderson
Roland & Linda Bates
Kathy* & Ken Bernhardt
Anne & Jim Breedlove
Ezra Cohen
Ann & Jeff Cramer
Susan & Edward Croft
Sallie Adams Daniel
Linda & Gene Davidson
Terry & Stacy Dietzler
Diane Durgin
Elizabeth Etoll
Ellen & Howard Feinsand
Dorie Gallagher
James Edward Gay*
Laura & John Hardman
Nancy & Glen Hesler
P.J. Younglove Hovey
David A. Howell*
Lauren & David Kiefer
David Kuniansky
Virginia Vann* & Ken Large
Edith Love*
Lauren & John McColskey
Anna & Hays Mershon
Caroline & Phil Moïse
Winifred & Richard Myrick
Victoria & Howard Palefsky
Armond & Sharon Perkins
Jam Pomerantz
Helen M. Regenstein*
Margaret & Robert Reiser
Betty Blondeau-Russell*
Tricia & Neal Schachtel
Debbie* & Charles Shelton III
Jane E. Shivers
Roger Smith & Christopher Jones*
Ron* & Kathy Tomajko
Lee Harper & Wayne Vason
Terri & Rick Western
Ramona & Ben White
* deceased
ARTISTIC
Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, Christopher Moses
Producer & Casting Director
Producing & Casting Assistant
Distinguished Artist in Residence
BOLD Associate Artistic Director
Director of New Work
BOLD Producing Associate
Jody Feldman
Brant Adams
Pearl Cleage
Marie Cisco
Amanda Watkins
Abrianna Belvedere
Director of Community Engagement, Partnership, & IDEA Daviorr Snipes
Staff Electricians Joy Diaz, Rochelle Riley, Neil Anderson
Properties
Props Department Director
Suzanne Cooper Morris
Props Artisans Parker Ossmann, Bruce Butkovich
Props Artisan/Buyer
Interim Technical Director
Associate Technical Director
Shop Supervisor
Lead Welder
Carpenters
Charge Scenic Artist
Scenic Artist
Director of Audio
Assistant Director of Audio
Scenery
Kimberly Townsend
Rigel Powell
Luke Robinson
Patrick Conley
Chris Seifert
Kevin Dyson, Paige Bergen, Marlon Wilson
Kat Conley
Amanda Nerby
Sound
Michael Carrico
Aaron Vockley
Sound Engineers Tamir Eplan-Frankel, Emma Mouledoux, Graham Schwartz
Stage Management
Stage Managers Liz Campbell, R. Lamar Williams, Barbara Gantt O’Haley
Stage Management Production Assistants Samantha Honeycutt, Madeline Conrad
National Vision Stage Management Fellow Xiaonan “Chloe” Liu
Stage Operations
Stage Operations Manager
Assistant Stage Operations Manager
Flyman
Automation Stagehand
Scott Bowne
Kate Lucibella
Willie Palmer Parks
John Victor Mouledoux Jr.
Properties Stagehand Nic Stephenson
EDUCATION
Dan Reardon Director of Youth & Families
Naserian Foundation Head of Early Childhood Programs
Head of Secondary Curriculum & Partnerships
Education Accounting Assistant
Administrative & Adult Program Manager
Camp Administrative Manager
Head of Strategic Initiatives
Teaching Artists
Abigail Bowers, Abigail Kincheloe, Addison Peacock, Alexandria Walker, Allison Gardner, Andi Stanesic, Andrea Washington, Angel Fabian Rivera, Ann Marie Meeker, Anna McCarthy, Anna Oakley, April
Andrew Carswell, Aria Armstead, Audrey Myers, Autumn Stephens, Avery Sharpe, Barry Mann, Brad Raymond, Brandon L. Smith, Brantley Waller, Brie Wolfe, Brittani Minnieweather, Brittany Loffert, Caitlin Slotnick, Caleb Vaughn, Calyria Jyvonne Reynolds, Cara Mantella, Caroline Donica, Casey Navarro, Chanel Davis, Chase Anderson, Chelcy Cutwright, Chelsea Brown, Cece Campbell, Chloe Lomax, Christopher Nastasi, Clayton Landey, Coriana Raynor, Courtney Moors-Hornick, Da’Quan Cooney, Cody Benfield, Dan Triandiflou, Daniel Caffrey, Daniela Santiago, Danielle Montgomery, Davia Weatherill, David DeVries, David Kote, Deja Holmes, Dru Sky Berrian, E Haeberlin, Ebony Golden, Ebony Tucker, Elaina Walton, Ethan Davis, Eugene Russell, Gloria Martin, Hananya Allen, Hannah Chatham, Hannah Church, Harriet Bass, Hayden Weiss, Hollie Rivers, Imani Quinones, Isaac Breiding, Issa Solis, Ja’Siah Young, Jada Gorgor, James Patrick, James Williams, Javaron Conyers, Jeremiah Hobbs, Jessenia Ingram, Jetta Whitehurst, Jimez Alexander, John Doyle, Joseph Quintana, Josh Price, Julia Walters, Julie Woods Robinson, Julissa Sabino, Karen Aguirre, Kate Varner, Katherine Taylor, Katie Causey, Katie Wickline, Kierra Edwards, Kim Baran, Kira Rockwell, Kristian Martinez, Lamar Hardy, Lauren Alexandra, Laurin Dunleavy, Leah Thomas, Lee Osorio, Lilly Heidari, Lon Bumgarner, Lydia Rice, Maddy Roberts, Madeleine Noe, Madison Junod, Madison VandenOever, Marc Collins, Marcia Faith Harper, Marcia Harvey, Marielle Martinez, Marissa Kovach, Marquelle Young, Mary Claire Page, Mary Michael Patterson, Matt Baum, Matthew Caleb Brown, Maxwell H. Breaux, Maya Lawrence, Megan Cramer, Megan Wartell, Melissa “Mel” Ottaviano, Monteze Sutton, Morayo Otujo, Morgan Rysdon-Moulitsas, Myah Harper, Natalie Brown, Nicole Price, Nicolette Emanuelle, Patricia de la Garza, Patrick McColery, Phillia Prior, Rachel Da Silva, Razaria Denae Copeland, Riley Schatz, Rimothy Miracle Bennett, Robyn Sutton-Fernandez, Rodney Williams, Ryan Dinning, Sarah Mack Price, Sarah Oguntomilade, Sarah Wallis, Sariel Toribio, Shane Simmons, Shaniya Horton, Sharon Foote, Sierra Christensen, Stephen Ruffin, Tafee Patterson, Terence Lee, Theresa Davis, Tiffany Hobbs, Tramaine Jones, Tylia De’Armond, Vallea Woodbury, William Amato, Wynne Kelly, Zuri Petteway
Teen Ensemble Members
Alyssa Carr, Joshua Byrom, Saheim Patrick, Abigail May Watson, Jackson Millarker, Caleb Thomas, CJ Perkins, Adiya Stubblefield, Vanathi Parthiban, Ja’Kyah Jackson, Daniel McCall, Abigail Dougherty, Anshula Phadke, Eliana Leaks, Elliott Elliott, Kennedy O’Neil, Chloe Jarrett, Syrenity Hall, Helena Denton, Malaysia West-Lewis, Ella Dameron, Aja Najib, Taliyaah Muhammad, Rahul Daswani, Jeronimo Dye, Laila Drew, Chelsea Smith, Haley Smith
