A.C.T. to Present A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/6-28

Featuring a lively cast of dozens, delightful music, gorgeous costumes, and those deliciously spooky ghosts, the Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition returns with American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)'s celebrated production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Now in its 37th year, this version of A Christmas Carol, adapted by Paul Walsh and Carey Perloff, stays true to the heart of Dickens's timeless story of redemption and brings a playful sensibility to his rich language. A Christmas Carol runs December 6-28, 2013, at A.C.T.'s Geary Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco). Press night is Wednesday, December 11 at 7 p.m. VIP seating is available for all performances. VIP ticket holders enjoy the best seats in the house and complimentary drinks during intermission. Tickets (ranging in price from $20-$95), are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org. Groups of 15 or more save up to 50% and enjoy free tickets for group leaders. For group sales, call 415.439.2373.

Hailed as "the best Christmas Carol ever!" by KCBS Radio's Jan Wahl, A Christmas Carol is a cornerstone of the A.C.T. repertory and has become a holiday tradition for families all around the San Francisco Bay Area. Since it began performances at A.C.T. 37 years ago (and continuing in its second adaptation, which premiered in 2005), A Christmas Carol has been performed more than 1,000 times to date to a collective audience of more than 800,000 and has employed nearly 1,000 actors and 600 backstage staff members.

Says Perloff: "We always await this time of year, and this beautiful story, with great anticipation, as it gives us the opportunity to put multiple generations of the A.C.T. family onstage together to celebrate the transformative power of empathy; something we desperately need to foster and celebrate right now! We look forward to welcoming back the thousands of people who have made A.C.T.'s A Christmas Carol their holiday tradition, and to inviting new audiences and their children into the fold."

A.C.T.'s A Christmas Carol features a multigenerational cast of performers led by James Carpenter as Ebenezer Scrooge. Joining Carpenter are legendary Bay Area actor Ken Ruta (who originated this role in the 2005 production) as the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's nightmarish late-night visitor; Liam Vincent as Bob Cratchit; and Delia MacDougall as his wife, Anne Cratchit; Jarion Monroe and Sharon Lockwood as the ever-festive Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig, along with A.C.T. core Acting Company member Omozé Idehenre, who reprises her role as the jovial Ghost of Christmas Present. The adult cast also includes Cindy Goldfield, Sharon Lockwood, Delia MacDougall, and Howard Swain.

Rounding out the cast are a record 29 young actors from the A.C.T. Young Conservatory (YC) as well as ten students from the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program. The M.F.A. Program performers-many of whom traditionally receive their Actors' Equity cards as a result of their participation in A Christmas Carol-are: Blair Busbee, Nemuna Cessay, Philip Estrera, Asher Grodman, Dillon Heape, Lateefah Holder, Lisa Kitchens, Aaron Moreland, Elyse Price, and York Walker. The YC actors for the 2013 production hail from all around the Bay Area. They are: Summer Alinaeem, Alex Bires, Colin Bires, Julia Caldwell, Calista Cesewski, Ian DeVayne, Ella Dovey, Chloe Durham, Dashiell Ferrero, Maria Gross, Tommy Huebner, Rafael Karpa-Wilson, Elke Janssen, Isabella LaFarre, Roxanne LaFarre, Blake Levinson, Timothy Marston, Saoirse McMahon, Anna Neuman-Loreck, Evelyn Ongpin, Carmen Steele, Sasha Steiner, Samuel Sutton, Ariel Tenenbaum, Carmel Tenenbaum, Nina Teracca, Seth Weinfield, Clara Wolff, and Campbell Zeigler.

Directed by Dominique Lozano, the creative team for A Christmas Carol includes Tony Award-winning scenic designer John Arnone (The Who's Tommy and The Full Monty on Broadway) and period costumes by Beaver Bauer. With original songs and score by composer Karl Lundeberg and choreography by Val Caniparoli of San Francisco Ballet, A Christmas Carol also features lighting design by Nancy Schertler, sound design by Jake Rodriguez, and musical direction by Robert Rutt.

A.C.T. would like to acknowledge its 2013-14 company sponsors Frannie Fleishhacker; Priscilla and Keith Geeslin; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon P. Getty; Mr. and Mrs. John Goldman; Ambassador James C. Hormel and Michael P. Nguyen; Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation; Burt and Deedee McMurtry; Toni Rembe and Arthur Rock; Patti and Rusty Rueff; Ms. Kathleen Scutchfield; Mary and Steven Swig; Jeff and Laurie Ubben.

A.C.T.'s 2013-14 season continues with a sumptuous production of George Bernard Shaw's political comedy Major Barbara; a hilarious new translation of Eduardo De Filippo's hilarious and poignant Italian comedy Napoli!; the Northern California premiere of David Ives's captivating cat-and-mouse drama, Venus in Fur; the West Coast premiere of Peter Brook's internationally acclaimed music-infused The Suit; and James Fenton's beautiful reinvention of The Orphan of Zhao, starring the inimitable stage and film star BD Wong.

A.C.T. subscribers enjoy incredible savings, unparalleled access, exclusive benefits, and personalized customer service. Subscriptions can be ordered via the A.C.T. subscriptions office by calling 415.749.2250 or online at www.act-sf.org/subscribe. Subscribers save as much as 33 percent off single-ticket prices. Full-time students, educators, and administrators with valid ID save up to 50% off select packages. Senior discounts are available for certain series. A.C.T.'s competitive subscriber benefits include free ticket exchanges up to the day of scheduled tickets, priority seating, ticket insurance, access to convenient prepaid parking one block away from the theater, and discounts for neighborhood restaurants.