For Immediate Release

More than 80 collaborators help bring Hartford Stage’s A Community Carol to Life
December 17-21, 2020

Tickets are free with suggested donation to
Hartford Stage’s Raise the Curtain campaign

Hartford, CT, December 8, 2020 – The community spirit involved in creating the new Hartford Stage digital holiday offering, A Community Carol, is a beacon of light at the end of a very dark and difficult 2020. More than 80 collaborators including artists, students and community partners have come together virtually to participate in this new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Opening on Thursday, December 17 at 7:30 pm on Zoom, A Community Carol is specifically created for this moment in time as a celebration of light and magic and will be available to watch on demand following the opening night presentation through December 21.

Tickets for A Community Carol are free (registration required) with a suggested donation to Hartford Stage’s ongoing Raise the Curtain fundraising campaign. Thanks to a generous friend of Hartford Stage, donations for A Community Carol will be matched up to $10,000! To register for A Community Carol or for additional information, visit www.hartfordstage.org/community-carol.

“This production is a true collaboration among many of our most loved artists and our most loved friends in the Hartford community. It continues to emphasize the three aspects of our work that most matter to us: art, community and education,” said Artistic Director Melia Bensussen.

“As we’ve continued to develop A Community Carol over the past few weeks, many new collaborators have joined the production, said Artistic Producer Rachel Alderman, “I am so grateful to all of the participants who have lent their artistry and holiday spirit to this collective creation.

Contributing creators include our beloved returning Christmas Carol cast members—Vanessa R Butler, Robert Hannon Davis, Kenneth De Abrew, Rebecka Jones, Sarah Killough, Shauna Miles, John-Andrew Morrison, Michael Preston, Buzz Roddy, Alan Rust, Noble Shropshire and Terrell Donnell Sledge; 25 members of our A Christmas Carol Youth Ensemble; 4 cast members from Breakdancing Shakespeare; 5 students from Capital Community College, 15 students from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford; the Hartford Gay Men’s Chorus; The Very Rev. Migeulina Howell and Jorge Pallares of Christ Church Cathedral; Rabbi Donna Berman of Charter Oak Cultural Center; Revs. Heather & Cathy Rion Star from the Unitarian Society of Hartford; and artists Dejé Bennett, Devé-Ann Bennett, Anne Cubberly, Pedro Cirilo Coral, Marcelino Diaz Jr., Marcelino Diaz III, Julio Diaz, Malena Gordo, Barbara Karger, Katherine Lambert, Alejandro Mena, Nelson Mena, Robert Reader, Julia Rosenblatt and Destini Stewart.

A Community Carol is adapted and directed by Rachel Alderman. The creative team includes Video Designer Rasean Davonte Johnson, Sound Designer Pornchanok Kanchanabanca, Assistant Director Zoë Golub-Sass, Dramaturg Sally Lobel, Videographer Alonzo L. Beckett of NE Video and Audio/Visual Coordinator Lucas Clopton. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• Dates & Times –  The Opening Night presentation will be Thursday, December 17 at 7:30 pm. A streaming version will be available to view through December 21.
• Community Candle Lighting - As a special Opening Night prelude to the program on Thursday December 17 at 7 pm, there will be a communal candle lighting. All are welcome to attend.     
• Tickets for A Community Carol are free (registration required), with a suggested donation to Hartford Stage’s ongoing Raise the Curtain fundraising campaign.
• To register for A Community Carol or for additional information, visit www.hartfordstage.org/community-carol.

Raytheon Technologies is the Exclusive Presenting Sponsor of A Community Carol.

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