GUTHRIE THEATER CONTINUES HOLIDAY TRADITION OF PRESENTING CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL

The Guthrie’s 49th production of this time-honored tale will be directed by Addie Gorlin-Han, based on the original direction by Joseph Haj, with Matthew Saldivar reprising the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Previews begin Saturday, November 11; Opening on Friday, November 17 Playing through Sunday, December 30 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced the cast and creative team for its 49th production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Lavina Jadhwani and directed by Addie Gorlin-Han, based on the original direction by Joseph Haj. This festive tale of hope and inspiration has delighted Guthrie audiences for nearly five decades, becoming a charming holiday tradition that families love to enjoy. Previews for A Christmas Carol begin Saturday, November 11 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. The show opens on Friday, November 17 and will play through December 30. Single and group tickets are on sale now through the Box Office or online at guthrietheater.org. Accessibility services (ASL-interpreted, audio-described, open-captioned and relaxed performances) will also be available on select dates. 

Artistic Director Joseph Haj commented, “For nearly fifty years, A Christmas Carol has been one the most anticipated productions of every Guthrie season, welcoming a multitude of communities, both within and outside of the Twin Cities. This endearing story is one that continues to captivate the hearts of many, inviting us to become better versions of ourselves.”

Haj continued, “Addie Gorlin-Han is a tremendous director and colleague. Her deep experience with this production makes her an outstanding person to lead this cast of exceptional artists. Her direction will continue to carry on this heartfelt story.” 

The cast of the Guthrie’s 49th production of A Christmas Carol includes Stephanie Anne Bertumen (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol) as Belle, China Brickey (Guthrie: Murder on the Orient Express, A Christmas Carol) as Third Fezziwig Daughter/Fred’s Wife, John Catron (Guthrie: Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet) as Bob Cratchit, Isa Condo-Olvera (Guthrie: debut) as Fan, Paul de Cordova (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, The Cocoanuts, Once in a Lifetime) as Mr. Fezziwig/Townsperson 1, Andy Frye (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story) as Belle’s Husband/Ghost of Christmas Future, Nathaniel Fuller (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Dickens’ Holiday Classic, As You Like It) as Old Joe, Emjoy Gavino (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Vietgone) as Mrs. Cratchit, Sebastian Grim (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol) as Young Scrooge, Emily Gunyou Halaas (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Twelfth Night, BAD NEWS! i was there…) as Second Fezziwig Daughter/Charwoman, Summer Hagen (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Tales From Hollywood, The Birds) as First Fezziwig Daughter/Laundress/Poultress, Charity Jones (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Dickens’ Holiday Classic, Cyrano de Bergerac) as Marley/Townsperson 2, Kurt Kwan (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, The Great Leap, Othello) as Ghost of Christmas Past/Father, Tyler Michaels King (Guthrie: Murder on the Orient Express, A Christmas Carol, The Tempest) as Collector 1/Dick Wilkins, Matthew Saldivar (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, The Royal Family, The Canterbury Tales) as Ebenezer Scrooge, Eric Sharp (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Vietgone, As You Like It) as Fred, Regina Marie Williams (Guthrie: Into the Woods, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol) as Mrs. Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present and Olivia Wilusz (Guthrie: Into the Woods, A Christmas Carol, Sense and Sensibility) as Collector 2/Mother. 

The young actors who will alternate performances throughout the run include Ford Bradshaw, Bella Rose Glancy, Brock Heuring, Isaac Hoffman, Morgan Houser, Violet Johnstone, Jackson Jiaxuan Kruger, Cassidy O’Toole, Inara Roberts, Nicole Rush-Reese, Zoe Shusta and John Soneral.

The creative team includes Lavina Jadhwani (Adapter), Addie Gorlin-Han (Director), Joseph Haj (Original Direction), Regina Peluso (Choreographer), Jane Shaw (Composer), Mark Hartman (Music Director), Matt Saunders (Scenic Designer), Toni-Leslie James (Costume Designer), Emily Tappan (Recreated Costume Design), Yi Zhao (Lighting Designer), Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Designer), Cody Kour (Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Vocal Coach), Doug Scholz-Carlson (Intimacy), Jennifer Liestman (Resident Casting Director), Jason Clusman (Stage Manager), Laura Topham (Assistant Stage Manager), Rachael Rhoades (Assistant Stage Manager), Emma Lai (Assistant Director) and McCorkle Casting, Ltd. (NYC Casting Consultant). 

A miserly and miserable man, Ebenezer Scrooge greets each Christmas with “Bah! Humbug!” until he is visited one Christmas Eve by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future. In Charles Dickens’ beloved classic, the three spirits show Scrooge happy memories from his past, difficult realities from the present and a grim future should he continue his closed-hearted ways. Throughout his journey, Scrooge is forced to reckon with the man he has become and contemplate the man he could be — but only if his restless night leads to a change of heart by morning.

Lavina Jadhwani (Playwright) is a Chicago-based director, adapter and activist. As a second generation immigrant, she constantly investigates the question “What does it mean to be an American?” and strives to expand the definition of American to include more minority voices. Her directing credits include work at Actors Theatre of Louisville, A.C.T., Asolo Repertory Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Teatro Vista and Rasaka Theatre Company, where she served as Artistic Director for six years. Jadhwani maintains relationships with Silk Road Rising (as Artistic Associate), Steppenwolf Theatre (as Artistic Engagement Associate) and the National New Play Network’s Affiliated Artists Council. Time Out Chicago named her the Best Next Generation Stage Director in 2013. She received her M.F.A. in Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and she received a B.F.A. in Scenic Design and an M.A. in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Addie Gorlin-Han (Director) is the Guthrie Theater’s Associate Producer, a position she formerly held at Mixed Blood Theatre. A director, producer and educator with an interest in the regional theater movement, new play development and theater for all ages, she has developed new work at Magic Theatre, Actor’s Express, Playwrights’ Center, The Lark, Mixed Blood Theatre, Hudson Stage Company, Riverside Theater and Ivoryton Playhouse. Directing credits include The Root Beer Lady, Into the Woods, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, The Song of Summer, Charm, According to Coyote, Strange Heart Beating, I and You and Five Tries. Gorlin-Han received her B.A. in English and Drama Teaching from Dartmouth College and an M.F.A. at Brown University/Trinity Rep. 

Joseph Haj (Original Direction) is the Artistic Director of the Guthrie Theater where he has directed Hamlet, A Christmas Carol (2021 world premiere), The Glass Menagerie, Cyrano de Bergerac (his own adaptation), Romeo and Juliet, Sunday in the Park With George, King Lear, South Pacific, Pericles and West Side Story, which was the highest-grossing production in Guthrie history. Prior to joining the Guthrie in 2015, he served as Producing Artistic Director at PlayMakers Repertory Company. As a director, Haj has worked at theaters across the U.S. and directed projects in a maximum-security prison, rural South Carolina, the West Bank and Gaza. He received an M.F.A. from The University of North Carolina before beginning a career in acting and working with many internationally known directors. He was named one of 25 theater artists who will have a significant impact on the field over the next quarter-century by American Theatre magazine, and he is the recipient of the 2000 NEA/White House Millennium Council Grant awarded to 50 American artists, 2014 Zelda Fichandler Award (SDCF) and 2017 Rosetta LeNoire Award (AEA).

Accessible Performances

Relaxed Performance – December 3 at 4 p.m.
A relaxed performance is intended to be sensitive to and accepting of any audience member who may benefit from a more relaxed environment. It is intentionally modified to accommodate patrons with sensory and vestibular sensitivities, anxiety, dementia, autism spectrum disorders learning differences and/or other challenges attending the theater.

ASL-Interpreted Performances – November 26 and December 2 at 1 p.m. and December 12 at 7:30 p.m.
American Sign Language Interpreters sign the performance as it plays out onstage.

Audio-Described Performances – December 2 at 1 p.m. and December 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Audio Describers provide live verbal descriptions of the action, costumes and scenery for people who are blind or have low vision. 

Open-Captioned Performances – November 26 at 1 p.m. and December 7 at 7:30 p.m.
LED screens display text simultaneously with the performance onstage.

The Guthrie also offers ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performances upon request. Requests must be received at least two weeks in advance.

Ticket Information
Single tickets start at $24 for previews (November 11–16). All other performances range from $34 to $134. Single and group tickets (minimum requirement of 15 per group) may be purchased through the Box Office at 612.377.2224 (single), 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free), 612.225.6244 (group) or online at guthrietheater.org.

Land Acknowledgment
The Guthrie Theater acknowledges that it resides on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honors with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations. 

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility; and Fiscal Responsibility. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org