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@NeptuneTheatre Neptune Theatre is located on sacred land that has been the site of human activity since time immemorial. We are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People, and we acknowledge them as the past, present and future caretakers of this land. As artists, we are grateful to work and build community here. As stewards of culture, we commit to continuing to improve our relations with Indigenous people and upholding values of collaboration and inclusivity in all that we do. We strongly recommend that masks be worn in our venues. As our theatres place the audience so close to the action on stage, masking helps protect not only audience members but also the actors, who cannot wear masks when performing. By keeping them safe, we all can help prevent COVID-related performance cancellations. Any videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. The use of cameras, cellular phones, paging devices and all other recording devices is strictly prohibited in the theatre. Please ensure all cellular phones and watch alarms are turned off. Neptune Theatre is a scent-free environment. Neptune Theatre is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and engages, under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Neptune Theatre engages professional technicians represented by IATSE Local 680.
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By Charles Dickens Featuring Rhys Bevan-John and Simon Henderson Adapted for the stage and directed by Jeremy Webb
The Company Holiday Message About the Play Cast Biographies Creative Team Biographies
Please note: this show contains fog, haze, and flashing lights. This show is approximately 90 minutes, including an intermission.
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THE COMPANY CAST Actor Guest Actor Puppeteer
Rhys Bevan-John Jeremy Webb Simon Henderson CREATIVE Jeremy Webb Scott Macmillan Jessica Lewis Julie Martell Belle movement
Director/Writer Composer Stage Manager/Lighting Designer Voice of Belle Julia Topple
We would like to acknowledge, thank and pay tribute to all of the people over the last 20 years that have worked on this show and helped make it what it is today. There is no doubt that this production is the result of many, many hours of effort and we are thoroughly grateful. We recognise many of those people here: PREVIOUS PUPPETEERS: Rhys Bevan-John, Bill Wood, Sarah English, Kristen Langille, Jamie Bradley & Jeff Schwager PREVIOUS STAGE MANAGERS: Sylvia Bell, Sarah English & Kristen Langille FORMER CREW: Justin Dakai, Andrew Rafuse, Jesse Matthews, Alison Muir, Dan Baldwin
DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL 9
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Alex MacDonald
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HOLIDAY MESSAGE Welcome to the 20th anniversary production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Written, conceived, and directed by our Artistic Director Jeremy Webb, this show has become a beloved multi-generational Holiday tradition. Celebrating 20 years of a production is an accomplishment and a testament to the creators. It is an unusual milestone to celebrate this year: a show that was created as a ‘make-work’ project two decades ago is still playing to soldout houses today. Alongside Symphony Nova Scotia’s The Nutcracker, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has become a holiday tradition. The show was created on the Scotiabank Stage in 2003. Jeremy Webb toured this show for many years, playing most school gymnasiums and theatres in Nova Scotia. The show also played theatres in New Brunswick, North Carolina & Georgia. After 750 performances, Webb handed the baton to Rhys Bevan-John in 2015. Every year this production helps employ local artists and technicians, supported by a dedicated administration team, box office, and front of house staff. However it is critical to note that the revenue from the box office only covers a fraction of our operating expenses. Thank you to all our donors who have helped support Neptune this year, your generosity truly makes a significant difference. If you haven’t had a chance to donate, there is still time before the end of the tax year. You can donate online at neptunetheatre. com/donate or call 902-429-7070. On behalf of Neptune’s Board of Directors and the theatre’s hundreds of employees: artists, directors, designers, production workers, front of house, box office, and administration staff, thank you for coming to the show. Your support means the world to us. Our season is only halfway through, and the gift of live theatre experience is a wonderful holiday surprise! Tickets for a loved one to the star studded Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, the stunning Rumour Has It: The Songbook of Adele, the quirky Last Show On Earth™!, the gripping Addicted, and the dazzling The Full Monty: the Broadway Musical will make a great gift. Details can be found at neptunetheatre.com. DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL 11
ABOUT THE PLAY Jeremy Webb’s adaptation is once again brought lovingly to life with this hilarious and haunted holiday experience. It’s a memorable story about the true spirit of Christmas. Whether read aloud with family and friends or in solitude on a chill winter evening to savour the story, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a very special holiday experience. Take a break from the holiday rush and settle in for this dramatic telling of this holiday classic. Often hilarious, sometimes spooky; Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been recreated for the whole family. This show is a longstanding holiday tradition on the theatre scene in Halifax since premiering in 2003. It has also been toured across the province and into the United States to critical acclaim. Webb originally starred in the production, playing the more than 20 roles with Rhys Bevan-John as the puppeteer. In 2015, Bevan-John stepped into the spotlight to play the beloved characters of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Also featuring Simon Henderson as the puppeteer and Jessica Lewis as the lighting designer and stage manager, this is a Neptune holiday classic for the whole family!
DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL 13
THE NEPTUNE THEATRE SCHOOL PRODUCTION OF
N E P T U N E T H E AT R E . C O M
THE CAST RHYS BEVAN-JOHN ROLE: Actor OTHER: Rhys Bevan-John is an award-winning actor and writer who proudly hails from Dartmouth. He trained at the Neptune Theatre School and has worked in the theatre for over 25 years. He has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, toured much of the world with Mermaid Theatre, and worked with most of the professional theatre companies in Nova Scotia, including Neptune Theatre and Shakespeare by the Sea. He once lived in the woods for six months with a mime and a ballerina. Rhys dedicates this performance to Dionysus. SIMON HENDERSON ROLE: Puppeteer NEPTUNE: Shakespeare in Love, The Comedy of Errors, The Devil’s Disciple, Frost/Nixon, Mourning Dove, A Few Good Men. OTHER THEATRE: The Hobbit (Festival Antigonish); Twelfth Night (Dauntless); Shakespeare on Trial (OTL); Wrong for Each Other (Live Bait); Julius Caesar (SBTS); Samaria (Das Letzte Kleinod); Uncle Oscar’s Experiment (Zuppa); A Loosely Veiled Allegory (Irondale). FILM/TV: How to Fall in Love by Christmas (W); Meet Me Next Christmas (Netflix); Unperfect Christmas Wish (SuperChannel); Mayday (Cineflix); The Boys (Amazon); All the Wrong Reasons (Strong Arm); Wake (CBC). OTHER: Love to Mum, Dad, Liv, Jay, Jonah, Jack and all the rest. To you: joy, goodwill, peace.
JEREMY WEBB ROLE: Writer/Director/Guest Actor (Dec 5-8, 2023) NEPTUNE: Murder For Two, The Play That Goes Wrong, Billy Elliot The Musical, Elf The Musical, Misery, The Rocky Horror Show, Alice in Pantoland, The Woman in Black, Fully Committed, Calendar Girls, Peter Pan, Little Thing, Big Thing, Noises Off, Cinderella, Shakespeare in Love, Mamma Mia!, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol UPCOMING: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead ACTOR: Beauty and the Beast, Great Expectations, Rexy!, The Comedy of Errors, The Wizard of Oz, Romeo & Juliet, The Producers, Beauty & The Beast (2007), Oliver, Annie, What The Butler Saw, Sylvia, Blood Brothers, Rumors, Sleeping Beauty OTHER THEATRE: The Hobbit, Stage Kiss, The Hound of The Baskervilles (Festival Antigonish,) 25 years of building a career in Nova Scotia theatre, including Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Fishing, Shakespeare On Trial, Broadway on Argyle St, Under Milk Wood (Off The Leash Creative.) OTHER: His BEST productions are his sons, Samuel & Dylan Offtheleashhfx.com
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CREATIVE TEAM
SCOTT MACMILLAN ROLE: Composer OTHER: Scott‘s passion propels him in all aspects of music making. Awards, appointments, commissions and critical reviews reflect Macmillan’s success. In 2019 Scott premiered two major compositions ‘12 & Change’ for Electric Guitar and Symphony NS and his experiential work ‘Woodland Revival’. Performing nationally and internationally including Carnegie Hall with his ode to our world’s oceans “Celtic Mass for the Sea”, with librettist Jennyfer Brickenden. He played an integral role in the success of Rita MacNeil, Rankin Family Band, NS Mass Choir, and led Symphony NS’s Maritime Pops for 10 years in the 1990’s. Scott teaches Guitar at the Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University. scott-macmillan.ca
JESSICA LEWIS ROLE: Stage Manager / Lighting Designer NEPTUNE: Lighting Designer: The Play That Goes Wrong, Billy Elliot The Musical, Ballad of the Motherland, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Alice in Pantoland, Fully Committed, The Last 5 Years, Shakespeare In Love, In A World Created By A Drunken God, Drowning Girls (w/ DMV Theatre) OTHER THEATRE: (selected works): As Lighting Designer: Fat Juliet (Eastern Front Theatre), WHODUNIT? (Votive Dance), The Movements, Tiny, Slowly I Turn, How Small How Far Away (Zuppa Works), Broadway on Argyle St, Under Milk Wood, Fishing (Off The Leash Productions Inc.), Pageant, The Ugly One (DMV Theatre).
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