Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL to Open Center REP's Holiday Season
Performances will run December 9–23, 2026.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz
Center Repertory Company is ushering in the holiday season with the return of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, adapted by award-winning playwright Harrison David Rivers and directed by multimedia visionary Jared Mezzocchi, performing at Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts.
This adaptation sets young Tim Cratchit center stage as he makes a wish on a candle, invoking a series of ghostly visitors to the bedside of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. With a “humbug!” on his breath, the curmudgeon is whisked away on a journey of awakening. This tender retelling highlights the necessity of caring for the most vulnerable among us while delivering a profound love letter to Dickens' beloved story.
Immersing the audience in a dazzling digital design, OBIE Award-winning director Jared Mezzocchi brings Victorian London and its netherworld to vivid life in this time-honored tale that asks us to contemplate the value of empathy over financial profits. Presented in association with AXIS Dance Company—one of the nation's most acclaimed ensembles of disabled, non-disabled, and neurodiverse performers—this not-to-be-missed production brings Charles Dickens' beloved classic to life in a bold and spectacular reimagining.
Returning for his 11th season with Center REP as Scrooge is acclaimed Bay Area actor Michael Ray Wisely. Joining him are (in alphabetical order): Annika Bergman, Elizabeth Cowperthwaite, Alan Coyne, Sarah Dunnavant, Danny J. Gomez, JanpiStar, Catherine Luedtke, Jed Parsario, Salim Razawi, Skyler Sullivan, and Jomar Tagatac.
Completing the cast is an ensemble of gifted youth actors, including (in alphabetical order) Maeve Coyne, Annie Joan Dooling, Ray Khalili, Ronia Khalili, Dominic Moran, Keenan Moran, Layla Rachidi, Aislinn Robbins, Giovanna Romagnolo, Brayden Sinkay, Bea Toben, and Gus Toben.
The creative team for A Christmas Carol includes Jared Mezzocchi (Director), Harrison David Rivers (Playwright), Elizabeth Carter (Associate Director) Nadia Adame (Choreographer), Kenji Higashihama (Music Director), Brooke Kesler (Costume Designer), Nina Ball (Scenic Designer), Emily Haynes (Wigs Designer), Emily Summers (Props Designer), James Ard (Sound Designer), Kurt Landisman (Lighting Designer), Camilla Tassi (Projections Designer), Carl Erez (Associate Projections Designer), Nancy Carlin (Dialect Coach), Kathleen Parsons (Stage Manager), and Joe Coe (Assistant Stage Manager).
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