Alliance Theatre, A Christmas Carol, November-December 2023

A L L I A N C E T H E AT R E

PRESENTED BY

NOV 11–DEC 24, 2023

encoreatlanta.com

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

F R O M T H E A R T I ST I C D I R E C TO R S Between Us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 F E AT U R E A Christmas Carol: More Than A Holiday Tradition, ‘An Anchor’ Back. . . . . . . . . . . 8 STORY BY MASHAUN D. SIMON

Program Highlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

P age 9

Onstage & Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Program Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Your Story, Your Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Synopsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 D E PA R T M E N T S About the Alliance Theatre. . . . . . . . . 39 Board of Directors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

P age 14

Sponsors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Annual Fund. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Alliance Theatre Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

P age 35

|3

Our audience is your audience.

Advertise with Encore and reach a targeted group of performing arts lovers.

encore Printed exclusively by Communicorp

E N C O R E AT L A N TA .C O M P U B L I S H E R

Brantley Manderson brantley@encoreatlanta.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR CHARLOTTE

Hila Johnson hila@encorecharlotte.com

E D I TO R

I N

C H I E F

Robert Viagas robert@encoreatlanta.com

G R A P H I C

D E S I G N E R

Tamara Hooks tamara@encoreatlanta.com

D I G I TA L

M E D I A

D I R E C TO R

Jennifer Nelson jennifer@encoreatlanta.com P R O G R A M

P R O D U C E R

Ashley Elliott ashley.elliott@alliancetheatre.org

ENCORE ATLANTA is published monthly by B2 MEDIA, LLC. P.O. Box 1377 | Columbus, Georgia 31902 Phone 678-837-4004 Copyright © 2023 Encore Atlanta. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Encore Atlanta is a registered publication of B2 Media, LLC. The publisher shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical errors, or errors in publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication.

CO N TAC T Hila Johnson 305-978-2922 hila@encorecharlotte.com

As one of the region’s largest Marketing Solutions Providers, Communicorp handles everything from print to digital to emerging technologies like clickable print or eCommerce storefronts. We guide clients through the maze of new marketing technologies and methodologies with a unique approach that always looks beyond yesterday’s solutions.

Based in Columbus, GA, Communicorp is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aflac. To learn more about our award-winning solutions, visit Communicorp.com.

betweenus

|7

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 Artistic Director &

Christopher Moses Artistic Director

8 | programfeature

encoreatlanta.com

|8

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: MORE THAN A HOLIDAY TRADITION, ‘AN ANCHOR’ BACK STORY BY

Mashaun D. Simon

W

hen he was about one or two years old, Caleb Baumann attended his very first theater performance. New to Atlanta, his mother felt it important that her young sons be exposed to the arts.

“As a single mother,” Erika Baumann explained, “I knew it was important!”

She took them to a family production at the Alliance. The show? Goodnight Moon,, directed by Rosemary Newcott. She still has pictures of him sitting in her Moon lap in the lobby on the night they saw the show.

Over the years, whenever they could, she made sure to take them to a production. When Caleb was around four or five years old, she bought them tickets to see the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.

Carol.

There is a picture of Caleb, all of about four or five years old, in the lobby of the Woodruff Arts Center Memorial Arts Building, outside of what is now the CocaCola Stage. It was the night he and his family saw A Christmas Carol for the first time. He came across it one day recently. In the picture, he is with Andrew Benator in costume as Jacob Marley. Benator played Marley for many years before assuming the role of Ebenezer Scrooge a few years ago.

“It’s kinda surreal,” said Caleb. “Here I am, roughly four or five or six, and I was lucky enough to meet some of the actors in the lobby and Andrew, in his full Jacob Marley garb, is one of them. And now I call him a friend.”

His mother calls the night serendipitous. “During the show, Caleb tugged me and asked, ‘Mom, how do I get to be one of those kids up there,’ pointing to the stage,” she remembers. “I said, ‘You don’t honey. We sit in the audience and clap. So be quiet cause the kids are gonna do their thing.’”

But Caleb was determined. Four years later (and after the continuous hounding of Caleb), his mother enrolled him in acting classes at the Alliance. Not long after, his dream came true when he was invited to audition for A Christmas Carol that year.

Caleb (far right) at his first Alliance show, Goodnight Moon. Courtesy of Erika Baumann.

Moon.

Now at 18, Caleb has appeared in countless productions at the Alliance Theatre. They include In My Granny’s Garden, The Jungle Book, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Shakespeare in Love.

Love. He also performed in a reading of Where Butterflies Go in Winter as part of the Alliance/Kendeda Festival. But nothing holds a candle to A Christmas Carol for Caleb. This year he will reprise the role of Matthew Watkins, a role he has held since the new adaptation premiered on the Coca-Cola Stage in 2021. He will also understudy as Fred and Dick Wilkins.

“We’re a family. And I don’t exaggerate that at all. I grew up with these people. I mean Andrew and Brad [Raymond] and so many others have taught me [so much including] how to be a professional working actor,” he said. “I know how much joy it brings. I know how much tradition it is. So, to be able to be in it is... it’s surreal. It is.

The first day of rehearsal is always like no time has passed, you know. We start right back where we left off. That’s a family, you know!”

This show, his mother said, has helped raise Caleb.

“For several months during the year he would spend 10 to 12 hours a day with these individuals, right? I didn’t go to rehearsals, right? I would just pick up my son. And at the beginning of the rehearsal process to the end he was a different person,” she said. “It was a completely different life experience, and we’ve been really grateful for the contribution that the Alliance has made to helping us, you know, raise our family, literally.”

Caleb is not the only beloved and familiar face returning to A Christmas Carol this year. Other members of the “family” include Benator as Scrooge and Raymond as the Ghost of Christmas Present, as well as other favorites including Asia Rogers as Alice and Fan, Rhyn McLemore as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Caleb Clark as Young Scrooge and Peter, and Thomas Neal Antwon Grant as Tom Watkins, Mr. Fezziwig, and Topper. There is also another beloved cast member returning this year, but in a different role.

This year, Caitlin Hargraves, who previously performed in A Christmas Carol in the role of Missy Watkins/Bess/Mudge, returns to the show as director.

“I’m really excited to be able to be directed by Caitlin,” said Caleb. “She’s an amazing person. And I know she’ll do amazing. In past productions, she has played my mother. I know she’ll take the reins and she’ll direct gracefully.”

Not only is she honored to be directing the production this year, but Hargraves also looks forward to what this opportunity means for her family.

She was pregnant during last season’s production.

encoreatlanta.com

| 11

“This year, I’ll get to bring my baby daughter, Ophelia, to rehearsals with me.

That alone fills me with hope and joy,” she said, “Knowing that she will get to take part of a theatrical tradition celebrated across the globe, with many of the artists and friends who have inspired and encouraged me since I moved to Atlanta in 2017. What a gift, and I’m beyond grateful that it continues to give.”

As someone who has probably seen the show more times than anyone else, Erika Baumann considers the show a unifier.

“It is such a uniting message, right? It might be a tried-and-true story, but there’s a reason that it stands the test of time. And I think in these times, where things are so volatile and tumultuous, it’s even more important,” she adds. “The story, the show, and the cast have a very unique way of always making it very alive and very relevant to what’s happening in the world.”

And no matter what is going on in his career (before the WGA and SAGAFTRA strike he was planning a move to Los Angeles), the Baumanns describe the Alliance’s production of A Christmas Carol as Caleb’s anchor back to Atlanta.

“Oh, I’m coming back every year,” he said. “Plus, playing Jacob Marley has always been the dream role since I was a kid. I look forward to that. I look forward to that for sure.”

Just like when he was four or five, he is determined. He has never been more determined.

Caleb Baumann and Andrew Benator in the Alliance Theatre’s 2021 production of A Christmas Carol.

Carol.

Photo by Greg Mooney.

12 | programhighlight A CHRISTMAS CAROL REIMAGINED WRITTEN BY

Morgan Yhap, Kenny Leon Intern Alliance Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol has been an Atlanta tradition for decades. Though many adaptations have been played at the Alliance, one thing remains true through their commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion: equitable casting. On stage, Alliance Theatre represents not only the diversity of modern day Atlanta, but also that of historical London. England has a long history of immigration that has brought many different people and cultures together in its capital city.

This story takes place during the Industrial Revolution, wherein England’s economy experienced rapid growth through shipping routes and the factory system. During the 1600s, London experienced increased growth and diversification in population due to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Many people from North America and the West Indies were brought to be household servants, work in cotton mills, or to be sold through slave ports. London, Bristol, and Liverpool were the main ports for slave trade. This continued to be the case even after emancipation was officially declared in England in 1838.

By the mid-1700s, the Industrial Revolution was well underway. England’s economy became dependent on international trade, and they needed cheap labor to support the shipping industry. Many job opportunities were created with the target workers being immigrants of color from the colonies in Africa, Malaysia, India, and the West Indies. These workers were hired as sailors and paid unfair wages to work in horrible conditions. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Somali, and Yemeni workers were often picked up to work on ships trading with Asia, while people from West Africa and the West Indies were typically picked up to work on ships on the Atlantic routes. Many of these workers hired in their native countries were abandoned upon arrival at the shipping ports in England, and so they had to settle in the cities near the coast, London being a major hub.

Other immigrants fled to England because of poverty and war. In the 1840’s, due to the Great Famine, a million people emigrated from Ireland to other places to find better resources, job opportunities, and relief. Many from the Scottish Highlands had to flee Scotland because of unsustainable rent prices, foreclosures, poor harvests, and a lack of jobs. There were also immigrants from the villages of southern Italy fleeing poverty and the civil war.

People came to London for many different reasons but many shared one thing in common: a desire for a better life. Through this massive immigration, England now has diverse communities throughout the country to be represented on stage.

Oftentimes, newly arrived immigrants would settle within communities of people who shared their language and culture. This created pockets of different cultures throughout England. For example, Limehouse was a common city for people of Chinese descent, Italians who settled in the city settled in Clerkenwell, and many of the European Jewish community settled in Spitalfields. Black and African communities settled in London, Bristol, Liverpool, and Brixton.

As one can see, it is likely that a diverse and varied group of people populated Charles Dickens’ classic story. While this play represents the diversity in London, Alliance’s production presents the classic work for an Atlanta audience, representing our own city’s diversity through an entirely local cast of Atlanta actors.

With a piece that has been done so many times before, and has typically excluded BIPOC people in its reiterations, the Alliance has taken this story and made it not only relatable, but accessible for audiences in Atlanta to enjoy.

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

14 | onstage&off

THE WORTH OF THINGS WRITTEN BY

Kay Nilest

“But I have a few papers, some old photographs. They have little value but are of infinite worth.”

— Ebenezer Scrooge In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is called upon to reckon with his fixation on worldly goods by otherworldly figures. Throughout his nighttime journey, he learns that his relationships with family, friends, and neighbors are more important than any of the expensive items he owns.

That’s not to say that physical objects are insignificant. Instead, an item’s worth is measured, not in monetary value, but in the way that it connects us to other people. The most important items have little to no financial value at all.

With this in mind, we decided to hear from the people involved in this production of A Christmas Carol. Here are their responses: What is an item in your life that has “little value, but infinite worth”?

Rhyn’s teddy bear (photo courtesy of Rhyn McLemore)

“My childhood teddy bear: Arthur. My father caught me eyeing him in a toy store during a family vacation in California and later surprised me with him. Holding him for the first time is one of my earliest childhood memories of pure, unadulterated joy. Arthur represents to me the pure, selfless love of my family. Over the decades, he has traveled all over the world — from vacations, to college, to dozens of jobs across the country, Europe, India, Asia. He is quite worn and tattered, yet remains a beautiful symbol of my family. I am currently pregnant with my first child and I cannot wait to place Arthur in her hands for the first time — as my father did for me.”

—Rhyn McLemore, Ghost of Christmas Past/Ensemble

“My nana was a Leo and loved anything leopard or tiger striped — anything big cat related. When she passed, my sister and I were given these king-sized fleece throws — I was given the tiger striped, my sister the leopard print...It’s been more than 20 years since her passing, and through all my moves — from college to LA to Memphis, back to San Diego, and then to Atlanta — I still have that throw, which I refer to as ‘my nana blanket.’”

—TeKeyia Amaru-Rice, IDEA Director

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

Coming Soon in the 2023/24 SEASON

JAN 23–MAR 3 2024 Winner of the 20th annual Alliance/Kendeda National Graduation Playwriting Competition

FEB 21–MAR 17 2024 This radical reimagining of Charles Dickens’s classic tale of the French Revolution forces us to ask: am I who I am because of my actions or the circumstances of my birth?

A poignant new play on the dynamics that lead us to our home.

Written by A.K. PAYNE Direction by TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

By CHARLES DICKENS Adapted by BRENDAN PELSUE Directed by LEORA MORRIS

Plus many more!

Tickets and memberships available at alliancetheatre.org

SHARE YOUR STORY. PRESERVE YOUR STAGE. The posting of photos taken before the show, during intermission, or in our lobbies is not only allowed but strongly encouraged! We do kindly ask that you refrain from taking pictures, recording audio, or capturing video during the performance to allow our audiences and performers to stay connected with each other during our brief time together.

Our stories are not simply told for you, but with you. alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

encoreatlanta.com

—Christopher Hampton, Mr. Cratchit/Mr. Pritchitt/ Ensemble

Christopher’s guitar (photo courtesy of Christopher Hampton)

“My wife gave me a guitar when we were in college. She engraved a quote from one of my favorite poets on it. Now it sits in our living room even though it’s broken and out of tune. It’s a reminder of when we were first together years ago.”

| 17

“I took ballet when I was 4 years old. My mother was very into handmade clothing, so she made me a ballet bag out of my favorite baby blanket.

I still have it in my closet, holding pairs of abandoned dance shoes from high school and college. I’m sure a tattered and stained 80s blanket bag has little value in any market but the memory of my now-gone mother’s desire for me to have something comforting in my first extracurricular activity is worth quite a lot to me.”

—Liz Campbell, Stage Manager

Andrew’s ring (photo courtesy of Andrew Benator)

“Certain objects that tie me to my past become almost magical, like a talisman. One of them is my father’s wedding band, which I started wearing after he and my mother were both gone. It carries history and significance that are unique to me. I saw it on my father’s hand for my entire life, and I now see it on my hand. It reminds me of who I come from and, to some extent, who I am.”

—Andrew Benator, Ebenezer Scrooge*

Now, we turn it to you: What are some meaningful items in your life?

What are the things you have been given by loved ones, and what do you hope to give in the future?

In the wise words of Mr. Fezziwig, “At the end of your days, one look at this photograph and you’ll be transported back to a time surrounded by good companionship. And good friends.”

Visit alliancetheatre.org/acc-things to read an extended version of this article with more stories from the cast, crew, and staff.

ALLIANCE THEATRE TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

CHRISTOPHER MOSES

Artistic Director

Artistic Director

MIKE SCHLEIFER Managing Director

&

present

BY

DAVID H. BELL BASED ON THE BOOK BY

CHARLES DICKENS SCENIC DESIGN

COSTUME DESIGN

TODD ROSENTHAL MARIANN VERHEYEN COMPOSER/ADAPTOR/ ORCHESTRATOR

SOUND DESIGN

CLAY BENNING

PUPPETRY DESIGN

KENDALL SIMPSON MUSIC DIRECTION & ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

GREG MATTESON

LIGHTING DESIGN

GREG HOFMANN

TOM LEE & BLAIR THOMAS CHICAGO PUPPET STUDIO

FLYING EFFECTS

D2 FLYING EFFECTS

CASTING

STAGE MANAGER

JODY FELDMAN

LIZ CAMPBELL*

ORIGINAL STAGING BY

LEORA MORRIS DIRECTED BY

CAITLIN HARGRAVES SPONSORED BY

Scenic construction for the 2023/24 Season is generously supported by The Home Depot Foundation.

20 | programnotes CAST AUSTIN BAROCAS . . . . . . . . . . . Lamplighter’s Son/Choir Boy/Ignorance/ Child Scrooge/Ensemble CALEB BAUMANN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew Watkins/Ensemble *ANDREW BENATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ebenezer Scrooge *CALEB CLARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Young Scrooge/Peter/Ensemble *NEAL GHANT . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Watkins/Mr. Fezziwig/Topper/Ensemble *ANN MARIE GIDEON . . . . . . . . . . . Missy Watkins/Bess/Mudge/Ensemble CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Cratchit/Mr. Pritchitt/Ensemble *CLARE LATHAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Cratchit/Mrs. Fezziwig/Ensemble LUCY LONG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emma Cratchit/Child Fred/Ensemble MARIA MAE LOPEZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martha Cratchit/Belle/Ensemble ROBERTO MÉNDEZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lamplighter/Fouquet/Ensemble *RHYN MCLEMORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ghost of Christmas Past/Ensemble *MATTHEW MORRIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacob Marley/Ensemble ADRIENNE OCFEMIA . . Melinda Cratchit/Child Dick Wilkins/Want/Ensemble *MARY LYNN OWEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Dilber/Ensemble *BRAD RAYMOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ghost of Christmas Present/Ensemble *LYNDSAY RICKETSON . . . . . . . . . . . Ghost of Christmas Future/Ensemble *ASIA ROGERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alice/Fan/Ensemble *DANE TROY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fred/Dick Wilkins/Ensemble EMBERLYNN WOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tiny Tim/Ensemble UNDERSTUDIES CALEB BAUMANN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fred/Dick/Ensemble SULLY BROWN . . . . . . . . Jacob Marley/Mr. Cratchit/Mr. Pritchitt/Ensemble *CALEB CLARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ebenezer Scrooge MADDIE COMPTON . . . . . . . . . Ghost of Christmas Future/Charity Worker/ Martha Cratchit/Belle/Peg/Ensemble CARLYN CHANTAL DENT GOODMAN . . . Melinda Cratchit/Child Dick Wilkins/ Lamplighter’s Son/Choir Boy/Ignorance/Want/ Child Scrooge/Emma Cratchit/Child Fred/Ensemble ALLIE HILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Dilber/Christmas Past/Charity Worker/ Christmas Future/Ensemble LUCY LONG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tiny Tim MARIA MAE LOPEZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fan/Alice/Ensemble ROBERTO MÉNDEZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Young Scrooge/Peter/Ensemble AKASHA NELSON . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Cratchit/Mrs. Fezziwig/Missy Watkins/ Bess/Mudge/Mrs. Dilber/Ensemble IAN SAWAN . . . . . . . . . Lamplighter/Fouquet/Matthew Watkins/Ensemble RUSSELL J. SCOTT . . . . . . . . . . Ghost of Christmas Present/Tom Watkins/ Mr. Fezziwig/Topper/Ensemble MUSIC TEAM MICHAEL DUFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keyboard 2 NOAH JOHNSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cello GREG MATTESON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Music Director/Keyboard 1 BENITO THOMPSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Violin

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

encoreatlanta.com

| 21

STAGE MANAGERS *LIZ CAMPBELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Manager *AMANDA JOY PEREZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Stage Manager *MESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Stage Manager LAMARR WHITE, JR . . . . . . . . . . Stage Management Production Assistant PRODUCTION AND DESIGN ASSISTANCE JODY FELDMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Line Producer BRANT ADAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Casting Assistant COURTNEY O’NEILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Management Lead MACK SCALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Lighting Designer DELBERT HALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flying Director KATE WALSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Young Performer Supervisor KAREN AGUIRRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Up Young Performer Supervisor JACQUELINE SPRINGFIELD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dialect Coach AMELIA FISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Consent-Informed Rehearsal Practice ASIA ROGERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dance Captain FOR THIS PRODUCTION CHARLES BEDELL-ROBINSON, JOSH CAMPBELL . . . . . . . . . . Deck Sound EMMA MOULEDOUX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sound Mixer HAUZIA CONYERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wardrobe Supervisor MICHELLE LEE, JENN ROGERS, LAURA SANDERS, RODNEY WILLIAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wardrobe LINDSEY EWING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wig Master ALANA SPACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wig Run Crew BRYAN PEREZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crew Chief VICTOR MOULEDOUX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automation Stagehand SKYLAR BURKES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Properties Stagehand WILLIE PARKS, NIC STEPHENSON, CAITLIN DENNEY-TURNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stagehands GABRIELLE DRUM, NEIL ANDERSON . . . . . . . . . . . . Spotlight Operators STEVE JORDAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Board Operator

22 | encore

*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.

A S TA G E F O R E V E

RY AG E

Now enrolling for winter classes.

alliancetheatre.org/classes

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

encoreatlanta.com AUSTIN BAROCAS (Lamplighter’s Son/ Choir Boy/Ignorance/ Child Scrooge/ Ensemble) is overjoyed to reprise his role in his third season as part of A Christmas Carol.

Favorite theater credits include Peter and the Starcatcher (Ted, Stage Door Theater), The Wind in the Willows (Chief Weisel), Willy Wonka (Mr. Buckett, Frenchwoods Festival of the Performing Arts), Shrek (Gingy), Beauty and the Beast (Maurice), The Little Mermaid (Ensemble), and The Jungle Book (Ensemble, Atlanta JCC).

When not on stage, Austin loves spending time outside, being with his family, and enjoying 6th grade with his friends at school. Thank you to Caitlin and the incredible cast and crew for an unforgettable experience.

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: Granny’s Garden (Zeke), Winnie-the-Pooh (Christopher Robin), The Jungle Book (Mowgli), 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. 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) Andrew Benator. Andrew 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 The White Chip, a co-production between Theatrical Outfit and Dad’s Garage, Indecent and Pitmen Painters at Theatrical Outfit, 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

| 23

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.

SULLY BROWN (u/s Jacob Marley, Mr. Cratchit, Mr. Pritchitt, Ensemble) [he/him] is thrilled to be making his Alliance debut! Sully is a graduate of Kennesaw State University with a BA in Theatre & Performance Studies, Concentration: Acting. Some recent theatrical works of note: Mike Talman in Wait Until Dark, Billy Cane in Bright Star (Georgia Ensemble Theatre), Peter in Peter & the Starcatcher (StageDoor Theatre) and Georg in Spring Awakening (Jennie T. Anderson Theatre). Sully will be making his feature film debut in Gothic Slayers, coming to a streaming service near you in 2024. He would like to thank his friends, family, and Brandy for supporting him in everything he does.

Instagram: @sullybrown CALEB CLARK (Young Scrooge/Peter/Ensemble, u/s Ebenezer Scrooge) is stoked to be returning to the Alliance for a fourth Carol. All my love to my wife Rhyn (Ghost of Christmas Past), our pup Sadie, and our soon to be little one. Previous ATL Roles: Max in The Play That Goes Wrong (Aurora Theatre); Actor 5 in Bootycandy (Actor’s Express), Roat in Wait Until Dark (Georgia Ensemble Theatre).

Other Credits: Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Flint Rep); Chris Keller in All My Sons (Studio 208); Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Haemon in Antigone (American Shakespeare Center); Walker/Ned in Three Days of Rain (The Vault). This past summer, partnering with the Aurora Theatre, Caleb created “The Actor’s Intensive,” offering two short intensives on acting technique, ensemble training classes, and specified masterclasses. He also recently launched his own private teaching company (Coach Clark), offering acting coaching as well as intensives. www.coachcalebclark.com MADDIE COMPTON (u/s Ghost of Christmas Future, Charity Worker, Martha Cratchit, Belle, Peg, Ensemble) is thrilled to be making her professional theatre debut with the Alliance Theatre! She graduated in May, 2023

24 | encore with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Brenau University with the Gainesville Theatre Alliance. She’d like to thank her parents, family, mentors, and dear friends for their endless support and encouragement. All glory to God, and Merry Christmas! Find her on socials: @maddie_compton 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: The Resident, The Game, Dynasty. 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 10, is excited to join the cast of A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre!

Carlyn is a native New Yorker who recently moved to Atlanta. This is Carlyn’s first professional performance, but she has been involved in musical theatre training since age 8, playing the role of Hans in Frozen Jr. at Take a Bow (Plainview, NY) and in several musical theatre classes at the Alliance Theatre.

Carlyn’s most notable performance was in the lead role of Le Monstre in the alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

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” at a minor league baseball game in July and sings in her church choir.

Carlyn is in the fifth 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 voice teacher, Vira Slywotzky, and her piano teacher, Jason Pomerantz, for their love, encouragement, and support!

CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON (Mr. Cratchit/ Mr. Pritchitt/Ensemble) [he/him] is thrilled to return to The Alliance Theatre for this holiday season. He has been on the Alliance stage in: Shakespeare in Love, Seize the King, and A Temple Bombing. Recently Christopher was a member of the Ensemble in 7 Stages Theatre’s production of Mlima’s Tale, and played many roles in Horizon theatre’s Kim’s Convenience. When not on stage, Christopher works as the Co-Owner of The Point of Health Wellness Center (www.healthatthepoint.com), and is a board member of Working Title Playwrights. He would like to thank his family and friends for their continued support.

ALLIE HILL (u/s Mrs. Dilber, Christmas Past, Charity Worker, Christmas Future, Ensemble) [she/her] has just returned from her contract on the seven seas aboard the Carnival Elation as a Playlist Performer, and she is so excited to be back with her Alliance family for the holiday season. Favorite past credits include Judy Bernly in 9 to 5 (Gainesville Theatre Alliance), Dotty Otley in Noises Off (Woodstock Playhouse), and Martha in The Secret Garden (Gainesville Theatre Alliance).

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Brenau University. She would love to thank her friends, family, and mentors for their other-worldly love and constant support. Follow her on all the things: @allieghill CLARE LATHAM (Mrs. Cratchit/Mrs. Fezziwig/ Ensemble) [she/her] is so very glad to be back with these gorgeous folx and sharing this story with you for a third year. Previously

encoreatlanta.com with the Alliance: Data and 53% Of. Clare is a three-time Off West End Award nominee in the UK, most recently for the premiere of her 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). 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 and Juliet, The Talented Mr Ripley, Joan of Arc, Mörder, Strindberg’s Apartment). TV: Mr Robot, Suspicion.

Training: NYU-Tisch (BFA); Drama Centre, London (MA); Vakhtangov Theatre Institute, Moscow; and RADA. www. clarelatham.com LUCY LONG (Emma Cratchit/Child Fred/ Ensemble, u/s Tiny Tim) is thrilled to join the cast of A Christmas Carol.

Lucy has been developing her skills through classes at the Alliance Theatre for two years, and this is her first official role. Lucy is a proud 4th Grader at E. Rivers Elementary School here in Atlanta, GA. When she’s not performing, Lucy loves shopping, eating pasta, and listening to her favorite Taylor Swift songs. Acting on stage is a dream come true for Lucy, and she’d like to send a special thank you to her family and friends, especially her parents and sister for supporting her through this amazing opportunity.

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! This is her proudest moment to date.

Overflowing with gratitude for the entire company for allowing her to join the ride. 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 so, so bright.

To my people, I love you! XOXO!” Find me anywhere: @mariamaelopez

| 25

RHYN MCLEMORE (Ghost of Christmas Past/Ensemble) is over the MOON to be back with her beloved Christmas Carol family for a third season. This year is particularly special: not only will she be sharing the stage with her husband, Caleb Clark (whom she met when they were cast together in THIS SHOW!) ... she will also be sharing the stage with her daughter who is due to make her grand entrance into the world next February! 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. www.rhynmclemore.com ROBERTO MÉNDEZ (Lamplighter/Fouquet/ Ensemble, u/s Young Scrooge, Peter, Ensemble) is overjoyed to be returning to this merry company of A Christmas Carol. He was last seen as Fyedka in Fiddler on the Roof at City Springs Theatre Company. Other Atlanta Credits include: Alex in Support Group For Men (Horizon Theatre), and Patsy in Spamalot (CSTC). Regional Credits: Bright Star, Kinky Boots, Blithe Spirit (Charleston Stage), and Spring Awakening (Mill Mountain Theatre). TV: Noah Harrington in First Kill (Netflix).

Education: BFA in Acting from Columbus State University. Roberto would love to thank his family for their constant support, and looks forward to a very jolly holiday season! You can connect on Instagram: @_robertocmendez

26 | encore MATTHEW MORRIS (Jacob Marley/Ensemble) is overjoyed to be returning to A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre! Favorite credits include Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar (Atlanta Lyric Theatre), Hugh Dorsey in Parade (Wallace Buice Theatre Company), Professor Bhaer in Little Women (Open Space Café Theatre), and Grantaire in Les Misérables (Aurora Theatre). He will soon be seen as Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!, working alongside his horrible friend and middling director, Taylor Buice. Matthew is a native of North Carolina and recommends you try Cheerwine if you haven’t already. He met his extraordinary wife working together on a show in Virginia where they were dance partners in the opening number. Ten years later and he still has two left feet. Much love and gratitude to the Alliance, Jenna, and Patches (the pup). Jeremiah 29:13 AKASHA NELSON (u/s Mrs. Cratchit, Mrs. Fezziwig, Missy Watkins, Bess, Mudge, Mrs. Dilber, Ensemble) [she/they] Alliance debut! Atlanta credits: Kim’s Convenience at Horizon Theatre and Christmas Canteen at Aurora Theatre. Other favorite credits include: Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Younts Center), #14 in The Wolves (The Warehouse Theatre), and Caroline in I and You (Clemson University). For her role in I and You, she received the 2022 National Special Achievement in Individual Performance distinction from the Kennedy Center. She originally hails from South Carolina and holds an MS in Applied Psychology from Clemson University. Up next, she’ll be performing in Hidden Gems: Our Favorite Selections from Song Cycles at 54Below in New York City. All glory to God. IG: @akashanelson ADRIENNE OCFEMIA (Melinda Cratchit/Child Dick Wilkins/Want/ Ensemble) [she/her] is ecstatic to return to Alliance Theatre’s A Christmas Carol! She recently performed on The Coca-Cola Stage as Danny Torrance in The Shining, a co-production of The Atlanta Opera and Alliance Theatre. Other Alliance Theatre credits include Henry in the remount of The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Child Ruth in the 2023 Alliance/ Kendeda Week staged reading of Ruth and Lydia, and Melinda Cratchit/ alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

Child Dick Wilkins/u/s Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, 2022. She has also performed as Prentiss in Peter and the Starcatcher (Stage Door Theatre); Jane Banks in Mary Poppins (Aurora Theatre); Madeline in Madeline’s Christmas (Horizon Theatre); Amanda Thripp/u/s Matilda Wormwood in Matilda the Musical (Atlanta Lyric Theatre); Children’s Chorus in Dead Man Walking (The Atlanta Opera); Ballet Girl in Billy Elliot and u/s Jerome in South Pacific (City Springs Theatre Company). She is extremely grateful to Caitlin Hargraves, Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, Chris Moses, Jody Feldman, and the ACC Team for the opportunity to return to this beloved production and to the City Springs Theatre Conservatory for their continued support. Love to her parents and older sister, Sophia.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season! IG: @adrienne_aly.o MARY LYNN OWEN (Mrs. Dilber/Ensemble) is thrilled to return to The Alliance Theatre and to be a part of this holiday tradition. Favorite Alliance credits include her one-woman show, Knead, for which she received The Reiser Grant and the Gene Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award; Crossing Delancey; and Elliott: A Soldier’s Fugue. Other favorite Atlanta credits include Wit and 4000 Miles at Aurora Theatre; Downstairs and Six Degrees of Separation at Actor’s Express; Our Town and The Laramie Project at Theatrical Outfit; The Glass Menagerie at Georgia Shakespeare; and Third, The Clean House, and the recent Rooted at Horizon Theatre. Mary Lynn is a two-time Suzi Award winner, a longtime faculty member of the Theater Studies Department at Emory University, a playwriting finalist for The Eugene O’Neill Theater Conference, and a very happy actor to be onstage!

Thank you for being here too!

Upcoming: Knead at Aurora Theater, January 2024. www.marylynnowen.com BRAD RAYMOND (Ghost of Christmas Present/ Ensemble) is so excited to be returning to the Alliance Theatre for his 11th production of A Christmas Carol! Brad has performed as an actor, singer or conductor at some of the art world’s most 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, Atlanta Opera, Kenny Leon’s True

encoreatlanta.com Colors Theatre, Theater Emory, Horizon Theatre and Spivey Hall. Some of Brad’s favorite roles include: Homer in Lilies of the Field; Fetch in Fetch Clay, Make Man; Ronald in Born For This; and the Suzi Bass Award-winning performance as Blue in Chasin’ Dem Blues. You can see Brad this Christmas in the muchanticipated film adaptation of The Color Purple musical.

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 Joe’s 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 two years of A Christmas Carol or 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.

IAN SAWAN (u/s Lamplighter, Fouquet, Matthew Watkins, Ensemble) [he/him] is thrilled to be reuniting with his Alliance Theatre family this year in

| 27

A Christmas Carol! A PalestinianVietnamese actor and creative, Ian was raised in Doha, Qatar, graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s esteemed BA Acting program in 2020, and now resides in Atlanta, GA. He recently completed his second stint as an understudy with the Alliance Theatre in their summer production of The Incredible Book Eating Boy, and some of his other notable credits include An Inspector Calls (Untethered Theatre Project), Pinocchio (Citizens Theatre), and Les Misérables (The Doha Players). You can connect with him on all socials @iansawan and at www.iansawan.com.

Happy Holidays!

RUSSELL J. SCOTT (u/s Ghost of Christmas Present, Tom Watkins, Mr. Fezziwig, Topper, Ensemble) [he/him] is thrilled to be making his Alliance Debut this holiday season. Atlanta Credits: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Aurora Theatre), Urinetown (Actor’s Express), The Secret Garden (The Jennie T. Anderson Theatre), South Pacific, Billy Elliot (City Springs Theatre Company), Bright Star (Georgia Ensemble Theatre), Aida (Atlanta Lyric Theatre), Freaky Friday (Horizon Theatre Company), etc. Regional: Dreamgirls (The Lone Tree Arts Center), In The Heights (The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina), Footloose (The Public Theatre of San Antonio).

A huge thank you to the creative team for the opportunity. Grateful to God, his wife Tay, family, and friends for their love and continued support!

Happy Holidays! IG: @itsrussellscott www.russelljamesscott.com DANE TROY (Fred/Dick Wilkins/Ensemble) hails from the heart of Atlanta, GA. He is elated to return home to the Alliance. Dane is grateful for Caitlin Hargraves, this cast, and the entire production team. In 2024, Dane will return to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as Malcolm in Macbeth & Mason/St. John Rivers in Jane Eyre. He sends lots of love to family, his amazing wife Paige Mayes and their late son. All glory to GOD! Happy Holidays!

EMBERLYNN WOOD (Tiny Tim/Ensemble) [she/her] is over the moon to rejoin the incredible cast and crew of A Christmas Carol.

When not acting or singing, you can find

28 | encore Emberlynn reading, playing piano, dancing, or baton twirling on a competitive team. Emberlynn would like to thank God and her family for their never-ending love and support.

A huge shout-out to Clare Latham and Lisa Rosemond for their advice, guidance, and training. Special thanks to Jody Feldman, Caitlin Hargraves, and the rest of the Alliance Theatre team. Find her on social media: @emberlynnwood CAITLIN HARGRAVES (Director) has loved being part of the A Christmas Carol family as a cast member and is thrilled to take on the new role of director this year! Caitlin is an American/Chilean director, actor, producer, and educator based in Atlanta. She received her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and her MA from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Caitlin is a faculty member in the Theater Studies department at Emory University where she is also the Co-Artistic Director of Theater Emory. She is an executive producer of the SheATL Arts summer theater festival, which celebrates theater makers of marginalized genders, and a producer at Cafecito Productions, a film production company whose short film Mi Casa (which Caitlin stars in) can be seen on all HBO platforms. Caitlin has performed across the country at various regional theaters and locally around Atlanta with companies such as Theatrical Outfit, Synchronicity, and of course, the Alliance. She would like to thank her family, especially Dorian and Ophelia, for their love and support.

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),

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

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 Live Radio Play, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Ride the Cyclone, Winniethe-Pooh, Crossing Delancey, The Dancing Granny. Other directing credits include The Philosopher’s Wife (Toronto); Labour of Love (Olney Theatre Center); Spring Awakening the Musical (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

encoreatlanta.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). 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). 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

| 29

Adventure, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Ride the Cylcone, Road Show (Chicago Shakespeare). Ride the Cyclone (ACT Seattle). Man Of Destiny (American Players Theatre). 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, 42nd Street (Paramount Theatre); Rock of Ages, The Game’s Afoot, Les Misérables, Oliver! (Drury Lane); Airness, Lewiston/Clarkston, The Niceties, Marjorie Prime, Outside Mullingar, Silent Sky (Forward Theatre). A Loss of Roses, Vieux Carre (Raven Theatre). Greg has also designed over 90 productions for Cedar Fair amusement parks across the country. More information at www.hofmannlightingdesign.com.

CLAY BENNING (Sound Design) is currently the Sound Director for the Alliance Theatre and 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

30 | encore 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 designed Mary Zimmerman’s Steadfast Tin Soldier at Lookingglass Theater Chicago and Vancouver for Ma-Yi Theater Company NYC. Mr. Lee was a puppeteer in the original TonyAward winning Broadway cast of War Horse and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera (Madama Butterfly), 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

(2019 Jeff Award), Pinocchio for the House Theatre, and shadow puppetry for the independent film Monuments.

Chicago Puppet Studio created the puppetry and sets for Vancouver, a puppet film by Ralph Peńa and New York’s Ma-Yi Theater Company.

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 65 years of combined performer flying experience with both manual and automated performer flying.

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 ArtistinResidence 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.

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

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. The studio has designed puppetry for multiple projects at Lookingglass Theatre including Mary Zimmerman’s Steadfast Tin Soldier

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

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

encoreatlanta.com 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 Competition-winning 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: The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd, Bina’s Six Apples, 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: 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!

AMANDA JOY PEREZ (Assistant Stage Manager) [she/her] Alliance Theatre credits include: English, Water For Elephants, The Many Wondrous Lives of Jasmine Starr-Kidd, A Christmas Carol (2022), The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Bina’s Six Apples, DREAM HOU$E, A Christmas Carol (2021), Beautiful Blackbird Live!, A Christmas Carol (2019). Other Atlanta credits include: Spring Awakening, Assassins,

| 31

Next to Normal, Chess, Nine (Jennie T. Anderson Theatre); Matilda, Drowsy Chaperone, The Best of Broadway, Luminous, Oliver (Atlanta Lyric Theatre); Leading Ladies, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Driving Miss Daisy, Bullets Over Broadway (Georgia Ensemble Theatre). Regional credits include: DREAM HOU$E (Baltimore Center Stage & Long Wharf Theatre).

She’d like to thank her husband and daughter for all their love and support.

MESA (Assistant Stage Manager) [they/them] is the National Vision BIPOC Stage Management fellow for the Alliance Theatre’s 23/24 season.

As a young professional, they boast an impressive list of stage management credits including English (Alliance Theatre), After Juliet (South Coast Repertory), Appropriate (SCR), A Small Man (SCR), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Chance Theater), The SpongeBob Musical (CSU Fullerton), and Beauty and the Beast (CSUF), among others.

Mesa was a ’23 fellow of Beyond the Stage Door, a rigorous stage management program in New York City designed to teach and uplift recent BIPOC college graduates.

Member of Actor’s Equity Association.

TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN (Artistic Director) stepped into the role of Artistic Director in 2023 after serving as the Alliance’s BOLD Associate Artistic Director. Tinashe is a 2019 Princess Grace Award Winner for Directing and Map Fund Award recipient to develop her devised new work All Smiles, centering the experience of children on the Autism Spectrum. Most recently, she directed the World Premiere of The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine StarrKidd. Select directing productions include Toni Stone (co-production Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Alliance Theatre), School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre), Ghost (Alliance Theatre), Native Gardens (Virginia Stage Company), Pipeline (Horizon Theater), Nick’s Flamingo Grill (World Premiere at the Alliance Theatre), Eclipsed (Synchronicity Theatre, Best Director Suzi Bass Award). As a director and actor, she has worked on and off Broadway, including The Imperial Theatre, Primary Stages, 59E59 Theatre, Classical Theatre of Harlem; and regionally at Yale Rep, Woolly Mammoth Theater Co, Cincinnati Playhouse, The Geva Theatre, CTG’s Kirk Douglas Theatre, among others, as well as recurring roles on TV/Film (Strays, Suicide Squad 2, Marvel’s Hawkeye, CW’s Valor, Dynasty, HBO’s Henrietta Lacks, Ava

32 | encore Duverney’s Cherish the Day, among others.) She proudly serves on the ArtsATL Artist Advisory Council. “My mission is the pursuit of what connects our different communities and how we create art that serves that.”

CHRISTOPHER MOSES (Artistic Director) has been working in professional theatre for twenty years and in 2022 was awarded 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.

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

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

THE IMAGINE CAMPAIGN encoreatlanta.com

| 33

Coming soon to Peachtree Street: THE GOIZUETA STAGE FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES IMAGINE a state-of-the-art performance space built specifically to deliver the best professional theatre for young audiences this country has to offer.

IMAGINE year-round access to transformative arts experiences empirically proven to improve mental health, literacy, and hope for their own future.

IMAGINE theatre as a birthright for children of all ages and economic backgrounds in our city, across the state, and around the world.

AND JOIN US IN MAKING IT A REALITY. Over the next two years, the Woodruff Arts Center will transform the existing Rich Theatre into Atlanta’s year-round venue for youth and family programming. As a crucial component of this project, the Alliance Theatre is proud to launch The Imagine Endowment, a special $10 million fund providing access subsidies for audiences of all backgrounds and vital resources to equip and maintain Atlanta’s new home for youth, educators, and caregivers in perpetuity. With your help, geography and ticket prices will never be attendance barriers for the bright, empathetic, and creative audiences of tomorrow.

Together, we can accomplish this joyful mission.

ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTORS Special thanks to our early champions of the Imagine Campaign for their vision and generosity.

Kenny Blank // Campaign Chair Anonymous Kristin Adams James Anderson Elizabeth Armstrong Ken Bernhardt Around the Table Foundation Terri Bonoff and Matthew Knopf Jennifer and Brian Boutte Ann and Jeff Cramer Jeffrey and Roxanne Cashdan Joe Crowley and Phil Mack Linda and Eugene Davidson Reade and Katie Fahs Howard and Ellen Feinsand Richard and Marsha Goerss

John and Laura Hardman Jocelyn J. Hunter John Keller James and Lori Kilberg Allegra Lawrence-Hardy Alan McKeon and Evelyn Ashley Hays and Anna Mershon Phil and Caroline Moise Starr Moore & the James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation Vicki and Howard Palefsky Jamal and Tiffany Powell Patty and Doug Reid Robert and Margaret Reiser Maurice and Tricia Rosenbaum

For more information about Alliance Theatre’s Imagine Campaign or to make an endowment contribution, please contact Trent Anderson, Director of Development, at trent.anderson@alliancetheatre.org or (404) 733-4710.

For information about the capital renovation and the Woodruff Arts Center’s Experience Atlanta, Experience Woodruff Campaign, please contact Kristin Hathaway-Hansen at kristin.hathaway-hansen@woodruffcenter.org or (404) 733-4115.

Donor listings are current as of October 15, 2023, and every effort is made to ensure accuracy. Please contact us to request a correction.

The Selig Foundation // Linda & Steve Selig, Cathy & Steve Kuranoff William and Margie Sleeper E. Kendrick and Caryl Smith Benny and Roxanne Varzi Rebekah and Mark Wasserman Ben and Ramona White Todd and Amy Zeldin

yourstoryyourstage

| 35

There’s nothing that so profoundly expresses the significance of generosity as A Christmas Carol. We see so clearly through Ebenezer and Mr. Cratchit how one small act of kindness can ripple outwards to form a tidal wave of positive change. That same spirit is what sparked Open Hand Atlanta: we are neighbors helping neighbors with love, compassion, and integrity.

In 1988, a group of friends gathered to cook meals for their neighbors disenfranchised

by HIV/AIDS. Since then, Open Hand has expanded to meet the needs in the community to provide health-promoting food directly to the homes of those who need it. We provide all of our services free-of-charge to our clients, as over 90% of those we serve come from historically marginalized backgrounds, and 75% live at or below the federal poverty line.

Open Hand has grown to cook, package, and deliver 5,000 meals every day, ensuring our seniors, families, and our neighbors who are at risk for or have a disability or illness receive delicious, nourishing meals made with their wellbeing in mind. Every meal is designed by our registered dietitian nutritionists to address specific health conditions, and meets or exceeds the most rigorous nutritional standards. We believe food is love, and food is medicine.

We’ve had the honor of partnering with Alliance Theatre, who has shown our neighbors in need overwhelming support by raising more than $205,000 over the past 20+ years. Thank you!

To learn more, simply visit www.OpenHandAtlanta.org, or follow us (@OpenHandAtlanta) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Matthew Pieper Executive Director Open Hand Atlanta

Pictured: Open Hand Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Aizya Ali-Mohammed, RDN, LD, demonstrates a safe, easy way to cut an onion during a cooking class for Open Hand clients. Photographer: Addison Hill.

synopsis

| 37

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 boss, 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 experience.

Share your comments and photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok with hashtags #AllianceTheatreChristmas 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 alliancetheatre

alliancetheatre

alliancetheatre

alliancetheatre

Ever wanted to be a part of the Alliance team? Here’s your chance!

Join our volunteer ushers!

Commit to 20 hours of ushering at the Alliance and receive: • Alliance Theatre swag!

• 15% off current ticket prices for all Alliance Theatre productions • 20% off Alliance Theatre Acting Classes • ONE complimentary ticket for ANY production in the current season

Visit alliancetheatre.org/usher for details.

38 | encore

aboutthealliance

| 39

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE THEATRE 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 Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses and 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, state-of-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 116 productions including nine 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.

40 | boardofdirectors OFFICERS Chair Jocelyn J. Hunter Immediate Past Chair Lila Hertz Secretary E. Kendrick Smith Treasurer Glenn Weiss 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 Helen Regenstein Bob Reiser Jane Shivers Ben White BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kristin Adams Norman Adkins Kimberly Ajy James Anderson Farideh Azadi Marc Balizer Deisha Barnett Alba Baylin Maggie Blake Bailey Kenny Blank Terri Bonoff Jennifer Boutte Jeff Cashdan Steve Chaddick Madeline Chadwick Miles Cook LeighAnn Costley Joe Crowley 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 Hala Moddelmog Phil Moïse Allison O’Kelly Victoria Palefsky Paul Pendergrass Jamal Powell Ali Rahimi Anne Rambaud Herren Stephanie Ray Patty Reid Margaret Reiser Matthew Richburg Robyn Roberts Maurice Rosenbaum Kerri Sauer Steve Selig Kim Sewell Mital Shah Bill Sleeper H. Bronson Smith E. Kendrick Smith Chandra Stephens-Albright Charlita Stephens Mark Swinton Julie Teer Benny Varzi Roxanne Varzi Rebekah Wasserman Dana Weeks Ugwonali Glenn Weiss Wai Wong Todd Zeldin

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

ADVISORY BOARD Advisory Board Co-Chair Laura Hardman Advisory Board Co-Chair Phil H. Moïse Joe Alterman Luis Andino Johanna Brookner Merry Hunter Caudle Elizabeth Cooper Mamie Dayan-Vogel Candice Dixon Malaika Dowdell Everett Flanigan Brandon Fleming Mary Beth Flournoy Les Flynn Natalia Garzón Martínez Lydia Glaize Emmanuel Glaze Meghan Gordon Tevin Goss Jeff Graham Dr. Eve Graves, Ph.D. Erica Greenblatt Shauna Grovell Della Guidry Campbell Hastings Elizabeth Hollister Zenith Houston Mallika Kallingal Jodi Kalson Jennifer Lee JoJasmin Lopez Theo Lowe Carlton Mackey Nelly Mauta Tre’Von McKay Monica McLary Juan Meija Caroline Moore Laura Murvartian Zach Nikonovich Kahn Amy Norton King Susan Sim Oh Kathy Palumbo Aixa Pascual Kisan Patel Marion Phillips Alexis Rainey Daniel Regenstein Michelle Robinson Wendy Schmitt Dr. Shenara Sexton

Beverly Brown Shaw Brian Stoltz Maria Storts Alicia Thompson Ana Urrego Emily Washburn Melinda Weekes-Laidlaw Angie Weiss Stuart Wilkinson Joni Williams VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP President, STARS Andjela Kessler Chairman, Theater Advocates Patricia Walsh Chairman, Theater Ushers Edwina Sellan Chairman, Hospitality Susan Stiefel

sponsors

| 41

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 AT&T Foundation The Coca-Cola Company Helen Gurley Brown Foundation WestRock

$100,000+ Accenture Georgia Power The Home Depot Foundation Invesco QQQ John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Fund King & Spalding Norfolk Southern PNC The Rich’s Foundation Shubert Foundation Warner Bros. Discovery Zeist Foundation

$50,000+ Bank of America ACTivate Awards Cadence Bank

City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Georgia Council for the Arts Google Jones Day Kaiser Permanente Kendeda Fund Liz Blake Giving Fund Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation National Endowment for the Arts National Vision Theatre Forward Wellstar Foundation

$25,000+ Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition, powered

by AIDS Healthcare Foundation Comcast Fulton County Board of Commissioners Georgia Natural Gas Graphic Packaging The Imlay Foundation, Inc. Johnny Mercer Foundation Newell Brands Peach State Health Plan Southwire

Alston & Bird Do a Good Day Foundation Edgerton Foundation Eversheds Sutherland George M. Brown Trust of Atlanta Georgia-Pacific John & Mary Franklin Foundation Northern Trust SCANA Energy South Arts

$5,000+ Anonymous Camp Younts Foundation Frances Wood Wilson Foundation Osiason Educational Foundation Publix Super Market Charities

$10,000+ AEC Trust Alexander Babbage

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.

Presenting Sponsor

Family Series Sponsor

Alliance Series Sponsor

Additional Support Provided By

Official Hotel

Official Research Partner

government

Major funding for this organization is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners

This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency the National Endowment for the Arts.

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

Major support is provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

annualfund

| 43

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 from June 1, 2022 — October 18, 2023.

PREMIERE SUPPORT Spotlight $100,000+ The SKK Foundation Spotlight $50,000+ Ms. Stephanie Blank Chairman’s Circle $25,000+ The Antinori Foundation Around the Table Foundation Brian & Jennifer Boutté Ann & Jeff Cramer Katie & Reade Fahs David & Carolyn Gould Jocelyn J. Hunter Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Ivester Jane Jordan Casavant Jesse Killings Starr Moore & the James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation Daniel Marks & Keri Powell Mr. & Mrs. E. Kendrick Smith Rosemarie & David Thurston Leadership Circle $15,000+ Ali and Farideh Azadi Maggie Blake Bailey & Andrew Bailey Roxanne & Jeffrey Cashdan Barbara & Steve Chaddick Ellen & Howard Feinsand Heidi & David Geller Doris & Matthew Geller Marsha & Richard Goerss Doug & Lila Hertz Mary Jane & David Kirkpatrick Jane & J. Hicks Lanier Kristie L. Madara Mr. & Mrs. Barry McCarthy Phil & Caroline Moïse Allison & Shane O’Kelly Victoria & Howard Palefsky Wade Rakes & Nicholas Miller Patty & Doug Reid Bob & Margaret Reiser

Linda & Steve Selig Mr. & Mrs. David B. Sewell William & Margarita Sleeper Dean DuBose & Bronson Smith Mark Swinton Tim & Maria Tassopoulos Benny & Roxanne Varzi Amy & Todd Zeldin Director’s Circle $10,000+ Ms. Kristin Adams James Anderson The Balloun Family Deborah L. Bannworth & Joy Lynn Fields 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 Mr. Fredric M. Ehlers & Mr. David Lile Mr. Wayne S. Hyatt Malvika Jhangiani John C. Keller Mr. James Kieffer James & Lori Kilberg Allegra J. Lawrence-Hardy & Valerie Haughton Ms. Evelyn Ashley & Mr. Alan B. McKeon Dori & Jack Miller Paul Pendergrass & Margaret Baldwin Jamal & Tiffany Powell Mr. & Mrs. Asif Ramji Matt Richburg Robyn Roberts & Kevin Greiner Patricia & Maurice Rosenbaum Ms. Mital Shah Dr. & Mrs. Dennis Lee Spangler Lynne & Steve Steindel Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund Dana & Obi Ugwonali Waffle House Ms. Kathy Waller & Mr. Kenny Goggins Mark & Rebekah Wasserman

Ramona & Ben White Suzy Wilner BENEFACTORS $5,000+ Anonymous Liz Armstrong Mr. & Mrs. Thomas* J. Asher Lisa & Joe Bankoff Mr. & Mrs. Roland L. Bates Ken Bernhardt & Cynthia Currence Natalie & Matthew Bernstein Mr. & Mrs. W. Kent Canipe Franklin & Dorothy Chandler Ann & Jim Curry Linda & Gene Davidson Diane Durgin Eve Joy Eckardt Kathy & Jason Evans Dr. Cynthia J. Fordyce & Sharon Hulette Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Goldstein Tad & Janin Hutcheson In honor of Carol Jones** Mr. Charles R. Kowal Dr. & Mrs. John Lee Burrelle Meeks Sam & Barbara Pettway Mr. & Mrs. Norman J. Radow Ms. Kristin L. Ray Paula Rosput Reynolds & Stephen Reynolds Mr. George Russell, Jr. & Mrs. Faye Sampson-Russell Brian Shively & Jim Jinhong Charlita Stephens & Delores Stephens Susan & Alan* Stiefel Maria-Ruth Storts Chuck Taylor & Lisa CannonTaylor Julie Teer Ms. Cathy Weil Marjan & Navid Yavari $2,500 Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Allen Anonymous Ellen Arnovitz Ariana L. Hargrave

44 | encore Ron & Lisa Brill Charitable Trust Candace Carson Marcia & John Donnell Mrs. Anuja Gagoomal & Dr. John Stites The Robert S. Elster Foundation Karen & Andrew Ghertner Mr. David F. Golden Dr. & Mrs. John B. Hardman David Heinsch Henry & Etta Raye Hirsch Heritage Foundation Mr. & Mrs. J. Michael Hostinsky Linda & Richard Hubert Jason & Laurie Jeffay Mr. & Mrs. Wyatt T. Johnson Leonard Lee Joan Netzel & John Gronwall Mr. & Mrs. Travis Newberry John & Helen Parker Peg Petersen Ali & Layla Rahimi, ALYKA Health Don & Rosalinda Ratajczak Dana Rice Mr. & Mrs. Mark Rosenberg Jane & Rein Saral Sharon & David Schachter Alan & Cyndy* Schreihofer Ms. Donna Schwartz Sam Schwartz & Lynn Goldowski Mallie Sharafat Mr. & Mrs.* Charles B. Shelton III Mr. & Mrs. S. Albert Sherrod Henry N. & Margaret P. Staats Judith & Mark Taylor Kathy & Ron* Tomajko William & Nancy Yang The Zaban Foundation $1,500+ Trent Anderson & Leandro Zaneti Anonymous Dr. Aubrey Bush & Dr. Carol Bush Karen and Harold Carney Melodie H. Clayton Susan & Ed Croft Celeste Davis-Lane Tim & Tina Eyerly Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. Flexner Brad and Marie Foster Sandeep Goyal & Taylor England Della & Theo Guidry Warren M. Gump Mrs. Elaine L. Hentschel Ashley & Elton James

Boland & Andrea Lea Jones Randy & Connie Jones Mark Keiser Andjela & Michael Kessler Greg & Gillian Matteson Clair & Thomas Muller Mr. & Mrs. Armond Perkins Dr. Denise Raynor Lois & Don Reitzes Dr. & Mrs. Fredric Rosenberg Kashi Sehgal Ms. Amy Speas Chandra Stephens-Albright & Warren Albright Dr. & Mrs. Harry Strothers Stan & Velma Tilley Ms. Avril Vignos Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Weiss Penn & Sally Wells Kim Boldthen & Carolyn Wheeler PATRONS $1,000+ Reza Abree Valerie Adair Dawn & Michael Adamson Anonymous Mr. E. Scott Arnold Mr. George T. Baker Jay Bernath Jill Blair and Fay Twersky Robert Blondeau & Kristen Nantz, in memory of Betty Blondeau Russell Rob & Suzanne Boas Michelle Burdick David Cofrin & Christine Tryba-Cofrin Richard & Grecia Cox Gail Crowder Howard & Ellen Eisenberg Dr. Azy Esfandiari, City Springs Dental Studio Dr. Marla Franks & Rev. Susan Zoller Richard Goodjoin & Kelvin Davis Louise S. Gunn Ms. Jo Ann Haden-Miller Drs. Cathie & Hugh Hudson Ms. Floria Izadi Veronica Kessenich Amy & Jeremy King Ms. Lauren Linder & Mr. Jonathan Grunberg Judith Lyon & Ron Bloom Ms. Jaime McQuilkin Mr. & Mrs. Asghar Memarzadeh Anna & Hays Mershon Stacia Minton Mr. Kasra Naderi & Mrs. Arezoo Akhavan Debbie & Lon Neese Susan C. Puett Ryan Roemerman Deborah W. Royer Ms. Kerri Sauer Starane Shepherd

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

Jane E. Shivers Ann Starr & Kent Nelson Andrea Strickland & N. Jerold Cohen Nossi Taheri & Hope Vaziri Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor Adrienne Whitehead Lynne Winship $500+ Ms. Marjorie H. Anderson & Mr. Richard A. Oliver Dr. Evelyn R. Babey Dr. Deloris Bryant-Booker Mr. Brandon Bush Rebecca Carfagna Dr. & Mrs. S. Wright Caughman Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence R. Cowart Gray & Marge Crouse Mr. Derrick Doose Drs. Bryan & Norma Edwards Mrs. Eleanor H. Finley Brenda A. Fleming Les Flynn Homer S. French Christine & Andrew Fry Shelley & Bruce Gaynes Dale R.F. Goodman Katie Goodman Richard & Debbie Griffiths Mr. Alan H. Halpern Dr. & Mrs. David M. Hill Mr. & Mrs. Phillip S. Hodges Mr. Christopher Jones Jason Kahn Bill and Jennifer Kahnweiler Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Kalista Kira Lorsch Jenny and Kevin Lyman Susan Martin Mr. Brett McAdams & Ms. Nikki Phillips Ms. Theresa McCabe Raymond & Penelope McPhee Mr. William Morgan Denis & Leah Ng Mr. Mark A. Pallansch Lori & Jonathan Peterson Marc & Jean Pickard Mr. & Mrs. James Robson Barbara Schreiber Stephen & Eloise Shepherd Bob & Jeanne Shulman Mr. & Mrs. George M. Silver Michelle & Gary Simon Karen & Alex Stickney Lisa & David Switzer Wayne & Lee Vason Brooke & Winston Weinmann

THE WOODRUFF CIRCLE Woodruff Circle members have contributed more than $250,000 annually to support the arts and education work of the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art. We are deeply grateful to these partners who lead our efforts to help create opportunities for enhanced access to the work.

$1,000,000+

* A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

*

The Imlay Foundation*

$500,000+ Anonymous* A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Antinori Foundation Bank of America* Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda & Dan Cathy

The Home Depot Foundation Sarah & Jim Kennedy Patty & Doug Reid*

$250,000+ Accenture Elizabeth Armstrong* AT&T Foundation Farideh & Al Azadi Foundation The Molly Blank Fund The Halle Foundation Invesco QQQ Novelis, Inc.

The Rich's Foundation The Shubert Foundation Truist Trusteed Foundations: Walter H.and Marjory M. Rich Memorial Fund and Truist Trusteed Foundations: The Greene-Sawtell Foundation UPS WestRock

THE BENEFACTOR CIRCLE Benefactor Circle members have contributed more than $100,000 annually to support the arts and education work of the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art. We are deeply grateful to these partners who lead our efforts to help create opportunities for enhanced access to the work.

$100,000+ 1180 Peachtree A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra ACT Foundation Alston & Bird Around the Table Foundation* Atlantic Station The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation Cadence Bank City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Cousins Foundation Ann & Jeff Cramer* Sheila L. & Jonathan J. Davies Barney M. Franklin & Hugh W. Burke Charitable Fund Fulton County Board of Commissioners Georgia Council for the Arts Georgia-Pacific Estate of Burton M. Gold Google Graphic Packaging International, Inc. John H. & Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Hilton H. Howell, Jr. Jocelyn J. Hunter* Jones Day Foundation & Employees Kaiser Permanente Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation King & Spalding, Partners & Employees The Sartain Lanier Family Foundation* Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc. Lululemon The Marcus Foundation, Inc. The Sara Giles Moore Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Norfolk Southern Foundation Amy W. Norman Charitable Foundation Northside Hospital PNC Bob & Margaret Reiser* Southern Company Gas Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund Warner Bros. Discovery Kelly & Rod Westmoreland Ann Marie & John B. White, Jr. wish Foundation

*A portion or entirety designated to Capital and and/or Endowment

encoreatlanta.com

| 47

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 R. Babey Dr. Deloris Bryant-Booker Mr. Lee Burson & Mr. Dean Jordan Mr. Brandon Bush Karen & Harold Carney David Cashman Elizabeth Corrie Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence R. Cowart Mr. Christopher Cox Gray & Marge Crouse Nash Ditmetaroj Mr. & Mrs. David Felfoldi Eric & Leah Fisher Brenda Fleming Christine & Andrew Fry

Katie Goodman Bryant Gresham & Alexander Bossert Shauna Grovell Penn Hansa Ms. Jo Ann Haden-Miller & Mr. William Miller Lindsey E. Hardegree Ms. Linda L. Hare & Mr. Gerald Barth Dr. & Mrs. David M. Hill Becca Hogue Karen Jones Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Kalista Amy & Jeremy King Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Kraft Andrea W. Lawrence Karen Lightfoot Ms. Lauren Linder & Mr. Jonathan Grunberg

Christian & JoJasmin Lopez Ms. Alison Main Ms. Jaime McQuilkin Heather & Jim Michael Kelley J. Jordan-Monné Lori & Jonathan Peterson Ms. Kendrick Phillips Marc & Jean Pickard Dana & Jacqueline Powe Brenda Pruitt Barbara Schreiber Tom Slovak & Jeffery Jones Charles Thompson Ms. Stephanie Van Parys & Mr. Robert A. Cleveland Ben Warshaw Caitlin Way David & Amy Whitley Mr. & Mrs. Napoleon A. Williams

YOUR SUPPORT SPREADS JOY! Share the gifts of award-winning productions and world-class educational experiences with your community and deepen your connection with Atlanta’s national theatre.

MAKE IT MONTHLY Join the Sustainer Society with an easy monthly donation and receive a special welcome gift!

SCAN TO GIVE

alliancetheatre.org/annualfund

ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET Become a Top Billing subscriber with a gift of $1500 or more and join us for special events all year long.

48 | matchinggifts&legacysociety 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 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 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 SunTrust Foundation Thrivent Financial for Lutherns Veritiv Corporation Verizon Corporation The Walt Disney Company Wells Fargo Yahoo!

LEGACY SOCIETY 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 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

alliancetheatre.org | @alliancetheatre

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

Our audience is your audience.

Advertise with Encore and reach a targeted group of performing arts lovers.

C O N TAC T Hila Johnson 305-978-2922 hila@encorecharlotte.com

50 | staff ARTISTIC Artistic Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, Christopher Moses Producer & Casting Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jody Feldman Casting Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brant Adams Distinguished Artist in Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pearl Cleage Associate Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Watkins BOLD Producing Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kay Nilest Spelman Leadership Fellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assata Amankeechi, Jayla Dyas Spelman Leadership Interns . . . . . . . . . . . . Shaelyn Mullins, Kerrington Griffin, Asili Johnson Kenny Leon Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morgan Yhap Cristo Rey Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Diana Morales Joaquin Director of Community Partnerships & Engagement . . . . . Rita Kompelmakher Reiser Lab Artists Round 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Justen Ross aka Domino Juicy Balenciaga.

N’yomi Stewart aka Omi Juicy Balenciaga, Jade Maia Lambert, Ipek Eginli, Sara Ghazi Asadollahi, Juana Farfán, Anterior Leverett, Damian Lockhart, Jasmine Waters Production Management Director of Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lawrence Bennett Associate Directors of Production . . . . . . . . . . Courtney O’Neill, Haylee Scott Costumes Costume and Wardrobe Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laury Conley Associate Costume Shop & Wardrobe Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Melanie Green Design Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer Barnes Drapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tonja Petersen, Cindy Lou Who Crafts Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diana L. Thomas 1st Hands/Stitchers . . . . . . . Lyudmila Fesenko, Brett Parker, Margaret Tennant Wardrobe Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hauzia Conyers Wardrobe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monica Speaker Wig Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsey Ewing

Out of School Program Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robyn A. Rogers Artist in Residence & Teen Program Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Provenzano Resident Artist & Allyship Program Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maya Lawrence Head of Education Advancement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kristen Silton BIPOC TVY Stage Management Fellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Autumn Stephens Teaching Artists Jae Ahn, Jimez Alexander, Will Amato, Chase Anderson, Jasmine Anthony, Ricardo Aponte, Imani Banks, Kim Bowers-Rheay Baran, Olivia Aston Bosworth, Jared Brodie, Chelsea Brown, Lon Bumgarner, Sara Burris, Dan Caffrey, April Andrew Carswell, Katie Causey, Lina Chambers, Hannah Lake Chatham, Hannah Church, Megan Cramer, Kelly Criss, Nakeisha Daniel, Peyton McDaniel Davis, Theresa Davis, Shelli Delgado, Sarah Donnell, John Doyle, Laurin Dunleavy, Suehyla El-Attar, Amitria Fanae, Shelby Folks, Sharon Foote, Spencer Ford, Daryl Funn, Allison Gardner, Neeley Gossett, Ilasiea Gray, Meg Grey, Amber Hamilton, Meg Harkins, Robert Hindsman, Julissa Sabino Hobbs, Deja Holmes, Renita James, Meg Johns, Kendra Johnson, Carole Kaboya, Ashe Kazanjian, Chris Lane, Maya Lawrence, Antonia LeChe, Anja Lee, Kathleen Link, Amy Lucas, Ansley Lynn, Christian Magby, Barry Stewart Mann, Cara Mantella, Gloria Martin, Mari Martinez, Dalyla McGee, Candy McLellan, Karin Mervis, Erika Miranda, Mary Moccia, Courtney Moors-Hornick, Amanda Wansa Morgan, Jenna Jackson Morris, Kevin Moxley, Audrey Myers, JD Myers, Patrick Myers, Amor Owens, Mary Michael Patterson, Tafee Patterson, Sydney Patton, Zuri Petteway, Rebecca Pogue, Michelle Pokopac, Samantha Provenzano, V Reibel, Morgan Rysdon, Daniela Santiago, Riley Schatz, Erin Schaut, Avery Sharpe, Caitlin Slotnick, Alexandria Joy Smith, Lucy Smith, Taryn Spires, Destiny Stancil, Autumn Stephens, LeeAnna Lambert Sweatt, Megan Tabaque, Jasmine Thomas, Callie Timme, Sariel Toribio, Ebony Tucker, Julia VanderVeen, Jeremy Varner, José Miguel Vasquez, Rachel Wansker, Megan Wartell, Andrea Washington, Davia Weatherill, Ayana Williams, Jay Williams, Vallea Woodbury, Melissa Word

Electrics Director of Lighting & Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachael N. Blackwell Associate Director of Lighting & Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Jordan Staff Electricians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Neil Anderson, Gabrielle Drum, Joy Diaz

Teen Ensemble Members Lily Erera, Jordyn Nelson, Malachi S Chaney, Ella Grace Pavlovsky, Simon Link, Helena Skylark Denton, Haley Smith, Sam Yates, Cordelia O’Bradovich, Minnah Dunlap, Abigail May Watson, Ella Dameron, August Marks, Caleb Vaughn, Kennedy O’Neil, Anna Schwartz, Julianna Grace Pillsbury, Caroline Chu, Tomi Fawehinmi, Sophia Sánchez, Adler Horstemeyer, Ronnie McCoy, Morgan Stamper, Bailey Rodgers, Aria Armstead

Properties Props Department Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suzanne Cooper Morris Props Artisans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kathryn Andries, Bruce Butkovich Props Artisan/Buyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimberly Townsend

Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Schleifer Company Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura Thruston

Scenery Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kyle Longwell Associate Technical Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rigel Powell, Luke Robinson Shop Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Conley Lead Welder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Seifert Carpenters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Dyson, Parker Ossmann, Marlon Wilson Charge Scenic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kat Conley Scenic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Nerby

Administration & Finance Director of Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Valerie Thomas IDEA Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TeKeyia Amaru Rice Controller & Head of Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elecia Crowley Accounting Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julie Hall Accounts Payable Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharette Driver Associate Director, Data Operations & Strategy . . . . . . . . . . Christina Dresser Management Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Quintana

Sound Sound Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clay Benning Assistant Sound Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aaron Vockley Sound Engineers . . . . Tamir Eplan-Frankel, Emma Mouledoux, Graham Schwartz

Development Director of Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trent Anderson Associate Director, Corporate Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Natalie Adams Manager, Board Relations & Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kailan Daugherty Associate Director, Strategic Institutional Advancement . . . . . Collins Desselle Coordinator, Development Operations & Institutional Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tanesha Ferguson Director of Individual Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward McCreary Manager, Individual Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsay Ridgeway-Baierl Manager of Annual Fund & Donor Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emma Seif

Stage Management Stage Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liz Campbell, Rodney Williams, Amanda J. Perez, Barbara O’Haley National Vision Stage Management Fellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaylee Mesa Stage Management Production Assistants . . . . . . . . . . Samantha Honeycutt, LaMarr White, Jr Stage Operations Stage Operations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Bowne Assistant Stage Operations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kate Lucibella Flyman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Willie Palmer Parks Automation Stagehand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Victor Mouledoux Jr. Crew Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryan Perez Properties Stagehand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skylar Burks

EDUCATION Dan Reardon Director of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Moses Naserian Foundation Head of Early Childhood Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hallie Angelella Head of Youth & Family Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Aston Bosworth Head of Secondary Curriculum & Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liz Davis Education Administration & Finance Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dacey Geary Education Accounting Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isabella Aguilar Irias Administrative & Adult Program Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Hindsman Camp Administrative Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jayson T. Waddell Head of Strategic Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aierelle Jacob Alliance@Work Creative Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. Noble Alliance@work Sales Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Prewitt Head of Elementary School Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rebecca Pogue

MANAGEMENT

Marketing & Patron Services Director of Marketing & Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathleen Covington Manager of Web & Digital Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anna Birtles Marketing & Promotions Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ashley Elliott Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Felicity Massa Marketing & Public Relations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mashaun D. Simon Social Media Manager & Content Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aniska Tonge Associate Director of Data & Ticketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danielle Hicks Patron Services Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Genesis Gates Patron Services Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . James McCune, Sydney Michelle, Zuri Petteway, Natalie Brown Patron Services Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andi Stanesic Box Office Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Posada Season Ticket Concierge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ken McNeil Education Sales Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Quintara Johnson Group Sales & Student Matinee Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jocelyn Rick Group Sales & Student Matinee Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Street Lead Front of House Managers . . . Lauren Alexandra, Robyn E. Sutton-Fernandez House Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara O’Haley, Brittany Mangham, Phillia Prior, Leah Thomas