South Coast Repertory to Present Audio A CHRISTMAS CAROL

South Coast Repertory has the perfect cure for the holiday humbugs: A Christmas Carol, in a new adaptation from Charles Dickens' novella about a miserly man's miraculous transformation. Actor Richard Doyle, one of SCR's founding members, stars in this free audio performance that includes a vibrant soundscape by composer and audio designer David R. Molina.

The performance is directed by Hisa Takakuwa, who was to direct the stage version of A Christmas Carol this year, using a script adapted by John Glore, the theatre's associate artistic director. The audio performance will be available on scr.org, Dec. 15-31. Reservations may be made at scr.org or by calling the Box Office at (714) 708-5555.

This audio performance is part of SCR commUNITY, the theatre's new digital platform dedicated to amplifying the artists and narratives of the region by producing stories inspired by or about the rich diversity of people living in Southern California.

"A Christmas Carol has been a rich tradition for South Coast Repertory and Orange County for four decades," said Artistic Director David Ivers. "In this year without live, in-person performances, we couldn't let the holidays go by without celebrating it through Ebenezer Scrooge's transformational story. 2020 was to be the year that SCR Founding Member Richard Doyle stepped in to portray Scrooge in our stage production of A Christmas Carol. But with COVID-19, we will watch now him take that step in 2021. This year's audio performance is the perfect way to bridge our past to our future, celebrate Richard's extraordinary talents and connect at this holiday time with the Orange County community."

Glore adapted the script from Dickens' own edited performance version of the novella, used by Dickens when touring abroad and performing as a solo actor.

More than a dozen Orange County arts organizations will also share the audio performance with their constituents: Arts Orange County; Bowers Museum; Chance Theater; Festival of the Arts of Laguna Beach; Laguna Playhouse; Muckenthaler Cultural Center; OC Theatre Guild; Pacific Chorale; Pacific Symphony; Philharmonic Society of Orange County; Segerstrom Center for the Arts; Soka Performing Arts Center; and the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Claire Trevor School of the Arts.

"We can't wait to share this Christmas Carol with the entire Orange County community and are very grateful to the arts organizations who are partnering with us to spread the cheer," said Managing Director Paula Tomei.

For Hisa Takakuwa, who is directing the audio performance, there was only one person in her mind to cast. "We crafted this performance with Richard Doyle in mind-as SCR audiences know, he is a masterful actor and storyteller," she said.

A Christmas Carol has deep, personal connections for Richard Doyle: it was the first "real" play he saw as a child and he has been a part of SCR's holiday production of A Christmas Carol for 37 years, taking on a variety of roles including The Ghost of Christmas Past.

"I was so looking forward to stepping into the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol this year," said Doyle. "Although not 'onstage,' in this audio performance I am able to be the storyteller, Scrooge, and the voices of several other characters. I hope our audience enjoys hearing this production as much as I have enjoyed telling it. I look forward to seeing everyone next season onstage at SCR for the 2021 production of A Christmas Carol."