FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACTS:

CSC Communications Manager
Jalen Lee, 410-244-8571 x119
lee@chesapeakeshakespeare.com

CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PRESENTS
A NEW BALTIMORE-INSPIRED ADAPTATION OF
A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Baltimore, MD – Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC) continues its 20th anniversary season with a brand-new adaptation of the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. Featuring a vibrant mix of original music and holiday cheer, this will be the eighth staging of the production at the company’s historic theatre in downtown Baltimore. A Christmas Carol runs Nov. 30 - Dec. 23, with previews on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, and press night on Dec. 2.

The original novella by Charles Dickens was first adapted for the CSC stage by Founding Artistic Director Ian Gallanar in 2014. For 2022, CSC presents a brand-new adaptation by historian and CSC Company Member Laura Rocklyn. “Dickens' Christmas Carol is one of those transcendent stories that is just as captivating in our modern world as it was to the 19th century audience for whom it was written,” says Rocklyn. “While working with Dickens' original Christmas Carol text and with Dickens' account of visiting Baltimore in his American Notes, I kept an eye to highlighting the holiday magic that audiences expect, while keeping the mysterious, darker undercurrents that give Dickens' story its enduring power."

The CSC adaptation is set in Victorian Baltimore, a time when the city is one of the largest urban centers in the country. Company Member Gregory Burgess returns for the eighth time as Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly Baltimore businessman who must battle his ghostly past in an incredible journey from a lifetime of greed to a hope of redemption.

The production is an annual tradition for the company. “Our version has been a hugely popular audience pleaser, but we have always prized its role as a classic tale of atonement and a beloved ritual of the holiday season,” notes Producing Executive Director Lesley Malin. “With this exciting version of Christmas Carol, we are refreshing the production with new music and a fast-paced expressive style.”

Shanara Gabrielle directs a charming cast featuring local professional actors and children from area schools and acting programs, including The Studio at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. “I’m a newcomer to Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and I’m thrilled to direct in one of the most beautiful theatre spaces in the country,” says Gabrielle. “Reimagining the classics is a particular passion of mine, and this brand-new production does this in the best ways: virtuosic storytelling, joyfulness, and Baltimore lore infuse one of the best ghost stories ever told. With a fresh perspective and a diverse cast and creative team, our audiences will get to hear Dickens’s beautiful language as if for the first time.”

A Christmas Carol opens Friday, Dec. 2, with previews on Nov. 30 and Dec.1, and closes the Friday before Christmas, Dec. 23. Visit www.chesapeareshakespeare.com for more information or call the box office at 410-244-8570. Press night is Friday, Dec. 3.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION
A Christmas Carol
Adapted from the Charles Dickens novella by Laura Rocklyn
Directed by Shanara Gabrielle

CAST LIST (in alphabetical order)
Greta Boeringer** - Mrs. Dilber, Party Guest
J. Bradley Bowers - Jacob Marley, Nicholas
Gregory Burgess** - Ebenezer Scrooge
Ellen Cattle – Fiddler
Morganne Chu - Belle 
Lauren Davis** - Frances
Emilia Endy - Belinda Cratchit
Kate Forton** - Mrs. Pickersgill, Businessperson
Kyle Hermary - William, Peter
Troy Haines-Hopper - Christmas Present, Joshua
Lauren Erica Jackson - Christmas Past, Businessperson 
Alex Jones - Freddie, Belle’s Son, Boy
Jade Jones - Martha Cratchit, Betsy, Belle’s daughter
Molly Moores** - Mrs. O’Leary, Mrs. Fezziwig, Party Guest
Shaquan Pearson - Young Scrooge, Party Guest
Benny Pope - Party Guest, Businessperson
Samuel Richie - Bob Cratchit
River Robinson - Tiny Tim
Michael Salconi – Mr. Fezziwig
Emily Zinski - Mrs. Cratchit

Madalaina D’Angelo - Swing
Ryan MacDonald - Child Swing
Jake Stibbe - Swing

CREATIVE TEAM
Shanara Gabrielle - Director
Sarah Curnoles** - Production Manager
Sarah E. T.  Jackson - Production Stage Manager
Dan O'Brien** - Technical Director & Facilities Manager
Mollie Singer - Set Designer
Kristina Lambdin** - Costume Designer
Minjoo Kim - Lighting Designer
Sarah O'Halloran - Sound Designer
Caitlin Bouxsein - Props Designer
Chester Stacy** - Puppet Designer, Associate Technical Director
Grace Srinivasan - Music Director
Madalaina D'Angelo - Choreographer
Grace Santamaria - Costume Design Associate
Hannah Brill - Wardrobe Supervisor & Wig Consultant
Miles A. Lawlor - Assistant Stage Manager
Dawn Thomas Reidy** - Production Associate
Lloyd Ekpe - Production Assistant
Kris Ingle - Board Operator
Kris DiBastiani - Child Minder
Mandy Benedix** - COVID Safety Manager
Pam Forton** - Senior House Manager

Alexis Davis** - Backstage Swing

** Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Member

LOCATION:
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is located at 7 South Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, two blocks north of the Inner Harbor. Parking is available for the discounted rate of $5 at the Arrow Parking covered lot on 204 East Lombard Street. The theatre is also accessible using the FREE Charm City Circulator and is located on the Purple Route. For more detailed information about directions, parking, and public transportation, click here.

TICKETS:
Adult tickets start at $55, tickets for youth under 25 start at $29, and preview tickets are $28. To purchase tickets, visit ChesapeakeShakespeare.com, or contact the Box Office directly by calling 410-244-8570 or visiting in person at 7 South Calvert Street. Discounts are available for groups of ten or more and active-duty military. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

DATES AND TIMES:

• Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at 8:00 pm - PREVIEW
• Thursday, December 1, 2022, at 8:00 pm - PREVIEW
• Friday, December 2, 2022, at 8:00 pm - OPENING NIGHT
• Saturday, December 3, 2022, at 8:00 pm
• Sunday, December 4, 2022, at 2:00 pm
• Friday, December 9, 2022, at 8:00 pm
• Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 2:00 pm
• Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 8:00 pm
• Sunday, December 11, 2022, at 2:00 pm
• Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 7:30 pm
• Friday, December 16, 2022, at 8:00 pm
• Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 2:00 pm
• Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 8:00 pm
• Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 2:00 pm
• Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 7:30 pm
• Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 7:30 pm
• Thursday, December 22, 2022, at 7:30 pm
• Friday, December 23, 2022, at 2:00 pm

ABOUT CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY:

Founded in 2002 Chesapeake Shakespeare Company brings great classic theatre to Baltimore, Howard County, the state of Maryland, and beyond. The company offers performances of Shakespeare and other plays of classic stature that are unforgettable, challenging, and innovative. In 2012, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company acquired the Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust Company building in downtown Baltimore, renovating it into a modern Globe Theater for indoor performances, while continuing to produce outdoor Shakespeare every summer at the PFI Historic Park in Howard County. The organization regularly serves 30,000+ people annually through artistic projects and intentional community engagement. CSC’s vibrant education program includes an extensive matinee series, camps, classes, and in and out-of-school residencies. The company invites patrons, students, and neighbors to become part of the creative collaboration that generates powerful, magical theatre and a more purposeful, engaged, and connected community.