Great Lakes Theater Presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL at PlayhouseSquare

The stage of the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare will glow with good spirits and time-honored tradition when Great Lakes Theater (GLT) presents its annual production of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, running December 2 - 23, 2011. The production has delighted more than 570,000 people in its history, making it one of northeast Ohio's most-loved and best-attended holiday events.

Great Lakes Theater's twenty-third annual production of A Christmas Carol is sponsored by The John P. Murphy Foundation. The company's 2011-12 season is presented with support from The Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council. GLT is also generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. A Christmas Carol's media sponsors are The Plain Dealer and WMJI-Majic 105.7 FM. GLT's season media sponsors are The FORM Group, Scene, WCLV 104.9 FM, WCPN 90.3 FM and WKSU 89.7 FM.

Longtime GLT artistic company member Sara Bruner, will stage former Artistic Director Gerald Freedman's heartwarming adaptation of A Christmas Carol. The production features a multi-generational cast of actors, singers and dancers led by actor Aled Davies, returning for his fourth season in the role of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge.

"The combination of Gerald Freedman's inspired and moving adaptation, Sara Bruner's dynamic gifts as a director, our remarkable design team and our talented company are sure to delight audiences, whether they're attending for the first time or returning to experience this holiday tradition again with friends and family," said GLT's Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee.

Freedman's adaptation of A Christmas Carol is presented as a story within a story. The fictitious Cleaveland family gathers in its Victorian-era parlor on Christmas Eve to read Mr. Dickens' book. As Mrs. Cleaveland reads the story to her family, her youngest child, Master William, re-imagines familiar faces as characters in the story: the Cleaveland's crotchety manservant becomes Scrooge; Father becomes Bob Cratchit; Mother becomes Belle, and the Cleaveland children become the Cratchits, with Master William becoming the beloved Tiny Tim. In all, more than 60 Dickens characters are brought to life on stage.

Great Lakes Theater's production incorporates theatrical special effects to retain a strong sense of the supernatural, emphasizing the novel's origins in folk tales and myth. Designers for the GLT production blend exceptional stagecraft with dramatic effects that evoke the magical and mysterious aspects of a classic ghost story.

Great Lakes Theater's twenty-third annual production of A Christmas Carol commences on Friday, December 2nd at 7:30 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday, Thursday and Friday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. An audio-described and sign interpreted performance is scheduled for Sunday, December 4th at 3:00 p.m.

Single tickets for Great Lakes Theater's production of A Christmas Carol range in price from $28-$60 (student tickets $26 - any performance / any seat) and are available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at www.greatlakestheater.org or by visiting The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Groups of ten or more receive discounts and should call (216) 241-5490 x302 to make reservations.

Great Lakes Theater, the first resident company of PlayhouseSquare, has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. The company celebrates its 50th anniversary season in 2011-12. GLT programming reaches 85,000 adults and students annually.

 

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