Trinity Rep is celebrating its 35th year of presenting Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Adrian Hall and Richard Cumming, presented by Cardi's Furniture with supporting sponsor Amica Insurance. Performances begin on November 18 and run through December 30 in the Chace Theater. A timeless tale of forgiveness and hope enjoyed by generations of Rhode Island families, this classic earns earns rave reviews from audiences and critics year after year - "...there is no better Carol than the one that Trinity Repertory Company puts on every Christmas season," lauded The Boston Globe.
This annual New England holiday tradition will be reimagined for local audiences by director Christopher Windom, a 2010 graduate of the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs. This year's production features Brian McEleney in the role of Scrooge, who will be joined by an ensemble of many Trinity Rep acting company favorites.
Trinity Repertory Company's artistic staff takes great measures each year to present the show as a fresh vision while staying true to its beautiful message. In his Carol, Director Christopher Windom says he plans to adhere to the timeless classic's text - but has chosen to move away from the traditional Dickensian setting. "Our production will be set in 1959. By setting the story in the 50s, it will allow us to watch Scrooge grow up during some iconic historical events in the first half of the 20th century. We will see Scrooge revisit the freshness and optimism of his youth at the turn of the new century, through the buoyancy of the roaring twenties, the sobriety of the Great Depression, and the booming hope at the end of World War II," said Windom.
"The goal is to have these specific eras illuminate Scrooge's choice in life in a new way. Also, by setting this in a mid-century motif, we can still keep a sense of the once-upon-a-time feeling that the traditional Dickensian style offers," he added.
Tickets may be purchased by phone at (401) 351-4242, online at
www.trinityrep.com, or in person at the theater's box office. Adult ticket prices for A Christmas Carol are $26-$68, with best prices available for all November performances. Children's tickets (age 2-14) are only $15-$18. The first performance on November 19 at 7:30pm is Pay What You Can (PWYC). PWYC tickets go on sale in the box office at 6:30pm that evening with a limit of one ticket per person. Trinity Rep continues to offer affordable $15 seats on the Chace Theater's 12th row bench for all performances. Additional discounted and rush tickets are also available; call box office for details. For information on group rates (parties of 20 or more) contact Group Sales at (401) 351-4242.
Appealing to young and old alike, this heartwarming story of the power of forgiveness shows us that anything is possible - and hope is always just around the corner. Ebenezer Scrooge is confronted on Christmas Eve by the eerie apparition of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. The ghost bears a stern warning that he has one last chance to mend the errors of his ways. Three spirits visit him that Christmas Eve - the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Through their magical travels that night, Scrooge greets Christmas morning with newfound joy and seizes the chance to redeem his ways.
Trinity Rep has assembled a talented design team to create the exciting period settings for this year's Carol. The production team includes Michael McGarty (Set Designer), William Lane (Costume Designer), John Eckert (Lighting Designer), Peter Sasha Hurowitz (Sound Designer) and Jeremy Fenn-Smith (Music Director).
Following in last year's footsteps - and to allow for the remount of last year's sold-out It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play in the Dowling theater downstairs - this year's features many Trinity Rep resident acting company favorites. Brian McEleney will take a turn in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, and the cast includes company members Janice Duclos (Solicitor, Ghost of Christmas Past, Mrs. Dilber), Barbara Meek (Mrs. Partlet, Mrs. Fezziwig), Fred Sullivan, Jr. (Fezziwig, Old Joe), and Stephen Thorne (Bob Cratchit) alongside guest artists Peter Matthew Connelly (Fred, Young Scrooge, Undertaker's Man), D'Arcy Dersham (Solicitor, Poor Wife, Sister- in- law), and Richard Donnely (Jacob Marley).
Joining the resident company onstage are Brown/Trinity MFA program actors Ruth Coughlin (Fan, Mrs. Cratchit), Kevaughn Harvey (Poor Husband, Belle's Husband, Topper), Lauren Lubow (Belle, Lucy), and Ricky Oliver (School Master, Ghost of Christmas Present).
Trinity Rep is also proud to welcome ten talented local children to the stage as they join in the magic and wonder of A Christmas Carol. Out of 200 children that auditioned, the following were chosen for the rotating children's cast: Barrington resident Faith Buckley, 9, as Belinda; Cranston residents Benjamin Thornton, 10, as Turkey Boy and Young Scrooge and Maggie Rock, 11, as Young Fan; Cumberland resident Johnny Spinelli, 8, as Tiny Tim and Young Scrooge; North Providence resident Nigel Richards, 12, as Peter and Young Marley; Providence residents Lily Clurman, 11, as Martha; Phineas Peters, 8, as Tiny Tim and Young Scrooge; Elliot Peters, 11, as Peter and Young Marley; Smithfield resident E. Grace Viveiros, 12, as Martha; Warwick residents Eva Senerchia, 8, as Belinda and Kate Fitzgerald, 11, as Young Fan; and Somerset, Mass. resident Drew Parker, 11, as Turkey Boy and Young Scrooge.
Director Christopher Windom's directing credits include: (at Brown/Trinity Rep) Our Country's Good; Mo' Reece and the Girls; The Tempest; Woyzeck; TOT!. His directing credits at other theaters include Central Avenue Breakdown, NYMF; The Three Times She Knocked, FringeNYC; Church Basement Ladies, Clue: the Musical, Maples Rep; Big River, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre; Chicago, Festival 56. His choreography credits include A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep; Dessa Rose, Crowns, Ragtime, TheatreWorks; Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Maples Rep; Chicago, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre; Swing!, Stage One; Parade, NYU; Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery, Temple University. He has performed on Broadway, national tours, West End: Fosse, Damn Yankees; and at many regional theaters. He holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Webster University and an MFA in Directing from the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs.
Trinity Rep's A Christmas Carol is presented by Cardi's Furniture along with supporting sponsor Amica Insurance and media partner B101.5 FM. Trinity Rep's 48th season is sponsored by NBC 10, with supporting sponsors Cox Media, Rhode Island Monthly and RISCA.
"Cardi's Furniture has a strong commitment to the Southeastern New England community," said Nick, Ron and Pete Cardi, NIROPE of Cardi's Furniture & Cardi's Furniture Mattresses, "That is why we are so proud to continue our tradition of sponsoring Trinity Rep's classic production of A Christmas Carol for all local families to enjoy this holiday season."
"Amica Insurance is pleased to once again sponsor Trinity' Rep's annual production of A Christmas Carol," said Robert A. DiMuccio, chairman, president and CEO of supporting sponsor Amica Insurance. "We are proud to help make this spirited show a beloved holiday tradition for all local families to enjoy."
This Trinity Rep production is dedicated to Stephen Hamblett and his love for the story of A Christmas Carol.
TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY
Since its founding in 1963, Trinity Repertory Company has been one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. Featuring the last permanent resident acting company in America, Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works for an estimated annual audience of approximately 120,000. In its 47-year history, the theater has produced 58 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its MFA program, trained hundreds of new actors and directors. This season marks the 45th year of Project Discovery, Trinity Rep's pioneering educational outreach program. Last season, Trinity Rep's educational programs reached nearly 15,000 Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut students through matinees as well as in-school residencies and workshops. Brown University/Trinity Rep offers professional training for actors and directors in a three-year MFA program. Trinity Rep's 48th Season will present seven subscription productions alongside holiday productions of A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. The 2011-2012 Season continues with The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare; the world premieres of Sparrow Grass by Curt Columbus, Love Alone by Deborah Salem Smith, and The Mourners' Bench by George Brant and closes with Marc Camoletti's Boeing-Boeing, translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans. For more information or to subscribe, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.trinityrep.com.
