Hartford, CT – November 5, 2018 – Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts today announced the cast and creative team for the 21^st season of A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas.

Hartford’s beloved family holiday classic will run Friday, November 23, through Saturday, December 29. Adapted and originally directed by Michael Wilson, A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas is directed by Hartford Stage Artistic Associate Rachel Alderman.

“As we enter our 21^st season of A Christmas Carol, I am thrilled and grateful to welcome back our entire adult ensemble, led by the incomparable Michael Preston,” Alderman said. “To reunite with this bold and beautiful team is a Christmas gift unto itself, but to get to share them with our audiences in Hartford night after night is a true joy.”

Michael Preston, who made his debut as Ebenezer Scrooge last year, will again play the miser who finds redemption on Christmas Eve with the help of three ghostly spirits.

Cast members reprising their roles from last year include Vanessa R Butler as Fred’s Wife and Belle; Robert Hannon Davis as Bob Cratchit; Kenneth De Abrew as First Solicitor, Undertaker and Fezziwig; Rebecka Jones as Bettye Pidgeon, the Spirit of Christmas Past and Old Josie; Sarah Killough as Ghostly Apparition, Weird Sister, and Fred’s Sister-in-Law; Shauna Miles as Mrs. Cratchit and Mrs. Fezziwig; John-Andrew Morrison as Mr. Marvel; Buzz Roddy as Second Solicitor; Alan Rust as Bert and the Spirit of Christmas Present; Noble Shropshire as Mrs. Dilber and Jacob Marley; and Terrell Donnell Sledge as Fred and Scrooge at 30.

Student actors from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford include: Christopher Bailey, Patrick Conaway, Austin Doughty, Karla Gallegos, Holly Hill, Aubrey Jowers, Mark Lawrence, Peter Mann, Rachel Moses, Ariana Ortmann, Haley Tyson, Leslie Blake Walker, Matthew Werner and Reid Williams.

The artistic team includes scenic designer Tony Straiges; costume designer Alejo Vietti; original costume designer Zack Brown; lighting designer Robert Wierzel; original music and sound designer John Gromada; choreographer Hope Clarke, assisted by Derric Harris; dance captain Sarah Killough; musical director Ken Clark; and vocal coach Ben Furey. 

Martin Lechner serves as stage manager for the production, assisted by Kelly Hardy. Shelby Demke is the youth director, assisted by Catherine Michaels. 

Information and Special Events

• Dates & Times – The production runs Friday, November 23, to Saturday, December 29. Weeknight and evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and select weekday matinees begin at 2 p.m.
• Press and Opening Night – Friday, November 30, at 7:30 p.m.
• Audio Described Performance – Sunday, December 16, at 2 p.m. For patrons who are deaf or have hearing loss — free service with admission.
• Open Captioned Performance – Sunday, December 16, at 2 p.m. For patrons who are blind or have low vision — free service with admission.
• Holiday Market Days –Saturday, December 8, matinee and evening performances; Sunday, December 9, matinee performance; Saturday, December 15, matinee and evening performances; and Sunday, December 16, matinee performance.

Local vendors will showcase unique items for purchase in our lobby. Doors will open before the show at 12:30 p.m. for matinee performances, and 6:30 p.m. for evening performances. Booths will be open during intermission and after the show.

Tickets start at $25. For show times and tickets, visit www.hartfordstage.org/christmas-carol or contact the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860-527-5151. Student seats are $15 off the full price, excluding SuperSaver tickets. For group discounts (10 or more), contact Group Sales at 860-520-7125. Group rates are limited to select performances and based on availability. 

HARTFORD STAGE

Now in our 55th season, Hartford Stage is under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts. One of the nation’s leading resident theatres, Hartford Stage is known for producing innovative revivals of classics and provocative new plays and musicals, including 73 world and American premieres, as well as offering a distinguished education program, which reaches close to 21,000 students annually.

Since Tresnjak’s appointment in 2011 the theatre has presented the world premieres of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway, winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical by Tresnjak; Rear Window with Kevin Bacon; the new musical Anastasia by Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens; Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; Breath & Imagination by Daniel Beaty; Big Dance Theatre’s Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov; and Reverberation by Matthew Lopez.

Hartford Stage has earned many of the nation’s most prestigious awards, including the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Other national honors include Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, OBIE, and New York Critics Circle awards. Hartford Stage has produced nationally renowned titles, including the New York transfers of Enchanted April; The Orphans' Home Cycle; Resurrection (later retitled Through the Night); The Carpetbagger's Children; and Tea at Five.

The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Hartford Stage’s offerings include student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses.    

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