PL AYBILL a christmas carol
a christmas carol charles dickens adapted by Michael Shamata }{
approximate running time: 2 hours there will be one 20 minute intermission
ARTIST NOTE: OLIVER DENNIS I’m growing my mutton chops (yipes). Wardrobe has MADE a costume for me (kudos to Geoff and Barb). Stage Management (Sarah, Emily and Ian) have been angels helping me review blocking and lines while our very busy stand-in director, Joseph Ziegler, is called into rehearsals for another Christmas offering at Soulpepper (Parfumerie – go see it. Gregory Prest and Michelle Monteith are stepping into the roles of George and Rosie and they’re going to be awesome). And in rehearsals: the new Cratchit children are settling in nicely; the rest of the cast (with one exception, but more on that later) are slipping into their characters seamlessly, practically all ready for performance; and the odd batch of cookies or birthday cupcakes make their way to a treat table. Everything is moving inexorably toward opening night with ease and confidence. Two of us, though, might belie that ease and confidence. We tend to come back from break early to sit, noses in scripts, or staring
into the middle distance. Jordan Pettle is replacing me as Bob Cratchit, a role I have played nine times. Goodness knows my Bob was not the definitive Bob, but it has to be daunting nonetheless. To feel like one’s performance is being judged against another’s. I know this because that is how I feel taking on a part that may actually be definitively performed by Joe Ziegler. Here, I have to say that Joe could not be more giving and generous with his notes, his encouragement, his insight into the character and his advice. Watching Jordan fills me with wonder. Wonder at his talent and his work and his generous spirit, yes, but I knew that already. Wonder at how the same story (in the case of A Christmas Carol – a very well known story) can be told in an infinite number of ways. Jordan’s uniqueness brings a whole new Bob Cratchit alive. Isn’t that wonderful? Now, about this Scrooge...
OLIVER DENNIS, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
CREATIVE TEAM
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Produc t ion
CAST Oliver Dennis Joseph Ziegler John Jarvis Daniel Chapman-Smith Tangara Jones Jordan Pettle Matthew Edison Kevin Bundy Maggie Huculak
Ebenezer Scrooge* Ebenezer Scrooge* Jacob Marley Spirit Spirit Bob Cratchit Mr. Fred A Charitable Gentleman Mrs. Dilber
John Jarvis Antonio Raine Pastore Zoë Brown Maggie Huculak Deborah Drakeford Daniel Chapman-Smith
Ghost of Christmas Past Ebenezer as a Boy Fan Mrs. Bingley Miss Hurst Ali Baba
Matthew Edison Jordan Pettle Kevin Bundy Maggie Huculak Deborah Drakeford Sarah Wilson
Ebenezer as a Young Man Dick Wilkins Mr. Fezziwig Mrs. Fezziwig Flora Belle
John Jarvis Deborah Drakeford Zoë Brown Alex Gallimore Eleanor Guy Antonio Raine Pastore Deborah Drakeford Jordan Pettle Maggie Huculak Kevin Bundy Sarah Wilson Matthew Edison
Ghost of Christmas Present Mrs. Cratchit Belinda Cratchit Peter Cratchit Martha Cratchit Tiny Tim Cratchit Mr. Fred’s Wife Mr. Clenham Miss Jane Topper Agnes Belle’s Husband
John Jarvis Jordan Pettle Matthew Edison Kevin Bundy Matthew Edison Sarah Wilson Antonio Raine Pastore Maggie Huculak
Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Come Businessman Businessman Joe Debtor Debtor’s Wife Boy Brigit
Michael Shamata
Original Director & Adaptor
Joseph Ziegler
Remount Director
John Ferguson
Set & Costume Designer
Julie Fox
Ghosts Costume Designer
Alan Brodie
Lighting Designer
Geordie Haley Composer
Lyon Smith
Sound Coordinator & Designer
Monica Dottor
Remount Choreographer
Timothy French
Original Choreographer
Arwen MacDonell
Production Stage Manager
Sarah Miller
Rehearsal Stage Manager
Emily Mewett
Assistant Stage Manager
Anne Cicci-Cassidy, Mercedes D’Almeida Child Supervisors
Kelly McEvenue Alexander Coach
Diane Pitblado Dialect Coach
Ian Michael Costello
Apprentice Stage Manager
soulpepper produc tion Jacqueline Robertson Cull Head of Hair & Makeup
Geoff Hughes Cutter
Gulay Cokgezen Sewer
Barbara Nowakowski First Hand
Natalie Swiercz Wigs Running
Kaz Maxine Milliner
Janet Pym, Emma Zulkoskey Dressers * In 2015, the role of Scrooge will be shared on alternating performances by Joseph Ziegler and Oliver Dennis.
Greg Chambers Props Builder
A Christmas Carol is staged by arrangement with Catalyst TCM, Toronto, ON. First produced at Theatre New Brunswick, December 1990.
jos e p h z i e gl e r . p hoto: s a n dy N ic hol son
BACKGROUND NOTES
I
t wouldn’t be holiday time at Soulpepper without Michael Shamata’s tender adaptation of this timeless classic. Arguably the most popular of Dickens’ works, it was born in 1843 during a time of turbulent uncertainty. With his early celebrity fading, Dickens feared a return to the grinding poverty of his youth. To stave off ruin, he wrote A Christmas Carol in a few sleepless weeks. Things were so desperate he had to pay for the first printing himself, but when it came out just before Christmas the acclaim was immediate. What the writer called a humble little book sold a stunning 6,000 copies in its first week.
The story still resonates. Its passionate sense of social justice and its sensitivity to the human casualties of consumer-driven society transcend the centuries. The vivid mix of horror, emotion, and humour cut right to what matters most: our families, our communities, our own fragile hearts. In charting the transformation of one man, the writer makes a powerful case for a society that values co-operation and engagement over isolation and self-absorption. We’re always delighted to welcome A Christmas Carol back, but this year is special. For the first time it will be directed by Joseph Ziegler, whose flinty interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge has been the heart of the show since the beginning. This time around half of the performances will feature Mr. Ziegler as Scrooge and half will showcase Oliver Dennis, one of our most treasured company members. A founding member at the helm who knows the tale so well, and two beloved actors as Scrooge: double the pleasure, double the joy.
Yes, this great old ghost story beckons us once again. Even when we know the ending, the journey is still rich, the familiar landmarks still stir the heart. From our hearts to yours: happy holidays.
play wright Biogr aphy Charles Dickens was born in 1812. His hardscrabble childhood ended at 12, when his father was thrown into debtor’s prison and Dickens had to work in a rat-infested shoe polish warehouse to support his family. He was a successful journalist by 1835, when his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, catapulted him to wealth and celebrity. A man of epic energy, Dickens wrote articles, gave readings and lectures internationally, campaigned against child labour and slavery (among other causes), wrote a slew of famous novels, and dabbled in theatre. He also found time to father eight children. In 1870, he suffered a massive stroke and died the same day. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
adap tor Biogr aphy Michael Shamata is nationally known for his precise, elegant productions. Soulpepper audiences know him for his nimble adaptations of A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations as well as for his delicate direction in shows like A Tender Thing. He is the Artistic Director of the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, B.C.
Background Notes by 2015 Soulpepper Resident Artist Paula Wing
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!
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