David de Vries Joins Cast of Alliance Theatre's A CHRISTMAS CAROL

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Alliance Theatre's annual holiday gift to Atlanta, returns for its 25th season, November 21 - December 24, 2014. The most heartwarming story of the season comes to life with holiday carols, stunning stage magic and your favorite Atlanta actors. Directed by Rosemary Newcott, the Sally G. Tomlinson Artistic Director of Theatre for Youth, A CHRISTMAS CAROL has become a tradition for many families around the southeast.

Joining the cast in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge is acclaimed Atlanta actor David de Vries. De Vries's credits include the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast (playing Lumiere) and the National Tour of Wicked (playing Dr. Dillamond). Some of his favorite Alliance Theatre credits include Lord Farquaad in Shrek, Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol, and the troubled dad in Carapace. On the screen, his recent film and television credits include Kill the Messenger, Reckless, Nashville, Devious Maids, Drop Dead Diva, and Necessary Roughness. His award-winning career in voiceover has included narrations of more than 100 children and adult audio books and thousands of commercials for radio and television. De Vries inherits the role of Scrooge from actor Chris Kayser, who announced his retirement at the end of last season after playing Scrooge for 16 of the last 20 seasons.

"Scrooge is a role that requires an actor to be 'a champion.' He rarely leaves the stage and while there, he relives a lifetime, transforming from a sad and bitter man to, in essence, a joyous, re-born baby, said Director Rosemary Newcott. "David de Vries is one of a very few actors who is absolutely ready for this challenge. He has proven his versatility by brilliantly playing both dramatic and comedic characters on nearly every stage in Atlanta as well as on national tours and on Broadway. Most importantly, David will bring great intelligence, wit and his own incredible and resilient spirit to Scrooge. I cannot wait to take this journey with him and watch the entire company, and the audience, interact with a new and exciting 'champion.'"

The Alliance is also pleased to announce that ten-year-old Jaden Robinson will return to the role of Tiny Tim for a second year. Other Christmas Carol favorites returning to reprise their roles include Thomas Neal Antwon Ghant as Bob Cratchit; Cynthia D. Barker as Mrs. Cratchit; Bart Hansard as Mr. Fezziwig/Christmas Present; Je Nie Fleming as Mrs. Fezziwig/Mrs. Dilber (who was in the production as a child); Elizabeth Diane Wells as Christmas Past; Andrew Benator as Jacob Marley; Joe Knezevich as Fred, Ivy Catherine Rogers as Belinda; Laurie Williamson as Bess; Brad Raymond as Topper, and Lowrey Brown as Young Scrooge. After a few years away, Courtney Patterson returns to the production in the role of Belle.

In this tale of redemption, Ebenezer Scrooge goes to sleep on Christmas Eve as a miserly, stone-hearted man and awakens on Christmas Day with a compassionate and benevolent heart after his encounter with three ghosts. Celebrate this magnificent staging of Charles Dickens's classic Christmas tale and Ebenezer Scrooge's eye-opening Christmas Eve journey.

Performances are Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., Nov. 21 - Dec. 24, 2014. Additional performances will be added Sunday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 2:30 & 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 2:30 & 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, Dec. 24, at 2:30 p.m. There will be no performance on Wednesday, Nov. 26 or Wednesday, Dec. 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Performances are also available for school groups and home-school groups Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays, December 1 - 17, at 10:30 a.m. Appropriate for grades K-12, and apply to Curriculum Standards: CCSL.2; CCRL.3; CCRR.3; CCRR.4; CC6-12RH.2; TAE/MS.1/TAHSFTI.1; TAE/MS.8/TAHSFTI.8; TAE/MS.11/TAHSFTI.11. Tickets for school groups are deeply discounted. To book your school group, call 404.733.4661 or email allianceschoolday@woodruffcenter.org. Learn more about all field trip opportunities at http://alliancetheatre.org/content/field-trips.

Opening Night for A CHRISTMAS CAROL is Wednesday, December 3, 7:30pm.

Tickets start at $25 ($17.50 for children) and are available at The Woodruff Arts Center Box Office by calling 404.733.5000 or visiting www.alliancetheatre.org/christmas. Discount rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 404.733.4690. Discount rates are also available for members of the military, seniors and students. The Alliance Theatre is located at The Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 - at the corner of Peachtree and 15th Street, in Midtown Atlanta.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL is part of the Delta Family Series on the Alliance Stage.

Additional Sponsors: A Christmas Carol is sponsored by PNC Bank, Delta Air Lines - Official Airline of the Alliance Theatre; Marriott Residence Inn - Official Hotel of the Alliance Theatre; The Home Depot - Set Construction Sponsor of the Alliance Theatre; and The Coca-Cola Company.

This production of A Christmas Carol is made possible with grants from the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, the Fulton County Arts Council, the Georgia Council for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Calendar Listing Synopsis:

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Alliance Stage

Written by Charles Dickens

Adapted by David H. Bell

Directed by Rosemary Newcott

Performance Dates: November 21 - December 24, 2014

Celebrate the Alliance's 25th anniversary staging of the beloved Dickens classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL with the all-Atlanta cast you've come to treasure. The Alliance is also pleased to welcome acclaimed actor David de Vries in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. On Christmas Eve, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts - the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, who help him see his life more clearly and teach him that it is never too late. A magical tradition for the whole family and a great way to celebrate the season. For tickets, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/christmas or call 404.733.5000.

A Christmas Carol Family Nights:

The Alliance will host several family nights during A Christmas Carol. Family packages include pre-paid parking, a family photo, pre-show choir performances, and four tickets to A Christmas Carol for $149* (including taxes and fees). Family Nights are - Friday, Nov. 21, 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 12, 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m., Use promo code FAMILY when you purchase your tickets online http://alliancetheatre.org/content/christmas-carol-family-nights or at the box office, 404.733.5000.

*Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets. Not to be combined with other offers. Based on availability.

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About the Alliance Theatre

Founded in 1968, the Alliance Theatre has become the leading producing theatre in the Southeast, creating the powerful experience of shared theatre for diverse people. The Alliance values excellence, pursued with integrity and creativity, and achieved through collaboration. Reaching more than 200,000 patrons annually, the Alliance delivers powerful programming that challenges adult and youth audiences to think critically and care deeply. Under the leadership of Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director, the Alliance Theatre received the Regional Theatre Tony Award in recognition of sustained excellence in programming, education and community engagement.

Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 80 original productions including Tony Award winners The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, Aida, by Elton John and Tim Rice, and Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo. The Alliance has a reputation for developing important American musicals with a strong track record of Broadway, touring, and subsequent productions, including the world premieres of Sister Act: The Musical, Come Fly Away, Bring It On: The Musical, Stephen King and John Mellencamp's Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the American premiere of Zorro, with music by the Gipsy Kings, and most recently, Harmony - A New Musical by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman. The Alliance also creates and nurtures the careers of playwrights through the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, producing a premiere for the competition winner as part of the regular season, and the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, providing developmental support and production resources for three performing arts projects each year. The work produced by the Alliance allows locally based artists the chance to create on a nationally watched stage, building and sustaining Atlanta's artistic community.

Each year the Alliance Theatre Acting Program and Education Department reaches close to 50,000 students through performances, acting classes, drama camps, and in-school initiatives. The Alliance creates and produces plays for young audiences at every age level: from the Collision Project, where high school artists create and perform new work based on a classic text, to the ground breaking Theatre for the Very Young, creating interactive shows for infants and toddlers. The Alliance also offers community education classes for all ages and abilities of theatre interest; and adult student productions of unproduced plays in development, working with local and national playwrights.

An active participant in Georgia classrooms, the Alliance has developed programs using theatrical techniques to aid in student learning through storytelling and problem solving. The Alliance's Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists equips teachers with theatrical techniques that link directly to school curriculum, align with the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards, and increase student learning. These programs include Georgia Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts, which focuses on literacy skills for children in Pre-K - 2nd Grade, and Dramaturgy

K-12, in which students create research material that informs Alliance productions and prepares peer audiences. Twice recognized by the U.S. Education Department as leaders in arts education, these programs reflect the Alliance's commitment to city wide arts access.

The Alliance delivers the finest talent, art and educational opportunities for Atlanta audiences-proving once again that the Alliance is where great theatre lives.

www.alliancetheatre.org or 404.733.4650

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