New York Classical Theatre Presents A {15-MIN!} CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/10-20

Downtown audiences will be able to enjoy a quick theater break in the midst of the holiday bustle next month with A {15-min!} Christmas Carol, a rollicking, fast-paced version of Dickens's beloved classic performed by just two actors.

From December 10th through 20th, New York Classical Theatre will team up with Arts Brookfield to bring the festive production to the World Financial Center Winter Garden and One Liberty Plaza. The free, fifteen-minute production featuring Scrooge, Marley, Cratchit, Fezziwig, Tiny Tim, and all of Dickens's best-loved characters will unfold among lunchtime crowds in the company’s signature staging style, Panoramic Theatre.

The 13-year-old New York Classical Theatre, described as “a moveable feast” by The New York Times, has won widespread praise for its roving productions of classical plays in Central Park, Battery Park, and the World Financial Center, where standing-room-only audiences were treated recently to a flight of short comedies by the iconic French playwright Molière. This past summer, the company presented Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in Central Park set against a backdrop of waterfalls, bridges, and shady groves, and Battery Park, featuring Castle Clinton and views of the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.

“The holidays are the busiest time of year, and what better way to enjoy a moment's reprieve than with a bite-sized version of an indispensable season classic," said Debra Simon, Vice President of Arts Brookfield. "We look forward to offering audiences an opportunity to catch some fun, festive, wildly inventive theater."

New York Classical Theatre founder and artistic director Stephen Burdman will direct the play. Scrooge will be played by John Michalski, a New York Classical Theatre veteran who appeared as Claudius in the company's acclaimed World Financial Center production of Hamlet. Tackling the role of Charles Dickens and the rest of the cast (thirteen roles) will be Brendan McMahon, who appeared in last season’s Playing Moliere in the Winter Garden as well as on on stages throughout New York, including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and St. Ann's Warehouse.