The Episcopal Actors' Guild and the House of the Redeemer Present A CHRISTMAS CAROL

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From: Jamie Soltis <jamie@actorsguild.org>
Date: Thu, Dec 3, 2020 at 4:57 PM
Subject: Press Release SPECIAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS: EAG and House of the Redeemer present A CHRISTMAS CAROL on December 14 at 6:00 PM EST
To:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Special for the holidays: The Episcopal Actors' Guild and the House of the Redeemer will present an online holiday party featuring carols and a benefit reading of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol on December 14 at 6:00 P.M. EST.

When:  Monday, December 14, at 6:00 P.M. (EST)

Where: Online via Zoom

Tickets: Free (donations accepted) available at www.ticketstripe.com/holidayparty2020

Event Contact: Rebecca Lovett - (212) 685-2927, rebecca@actorsguild.org

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(New York, NY – December 1, 2020) The Episcopal Actors' Guild (EAG) and the House of the Redeemer are proud to present a joint holiday party with music and a reading of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, followed by the singing of carols and a virtual reception.

Directed by EAG president Anthony Newfield (Broadway: 1984),  the evening is led by Alan Coates (Broadway: Dracula) as Ebeneezer Scrooge and features Chris Chinn (EAG Councilmember; Off-Broadway: Confesión en El Barrio Chino), Bernadette Fiorella (EAG Recording Secretary; New York City Opera),  Jennifer Fouché (EAG Vice-President; Broadway National Tour: Chicago), Jill Larson (TV: All My Children), Rachel Leslie (Broadway: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child),  Heather Mac Rae (Broadway: Hair), Nancy McCall McGraw (Broadway: Nine), Jamie Soltis (EAG Office Manager), and Craig Wichman (founder of Quicksilver Radio Theater; author of Standing in the Spirit at Your Elbow: The History of Dickens' A Christmas Carol as Radio/Audio Drama). Holiday songs and carols will feature Jennifer Fouché, Heather Mac Rae, and Nancy McCall McGraw, with musical accomplishment by Mat Eisenstein.

"I first presented this adaptation of A Christmas Carol at a holiday party in the beautiful library at the House of the Redeemer in 1995," Newfield says. "I asked then EAG president Barnard Hughes to read Scrooge. It snowed that night, and outside it looked like Dickens's London. We read the story and sang a few carols with everyone in the audience joining in. It was a magical evening. We've been doing a reading there ever since. This is our twenty-fifth anniversary, and we can't do the reading in the library this year. So we've joined forces with EAG and are doing it over Zoom."

The party begins at 6:00 P.M. (EST), December 14. The event is free to all, but, if possible, a donation is requested. The link to access the live Zoom event will be emailed to all ticketholders. Only 100 tickets are available for this exclusive online event. All proceeds will be shared between the charitable programs of the Episcopal Actors' Guild and the House of the Redeemer.

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THE EPISCOPAL ACTORS' GUILD (EAG) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that has, since 1923, offered emergency financial assistance and career support to NYC's performing artists of all faiths. The primary program of EAG is its Emergency Aid & Relief Program (EARP). Through the EARP, EAG provides critical aid, addressing such crucial issues as eviction, utility shutoffs, emergency medical and dental costs, and sustenance needs. Throughout the year, EAG hosts workshops, plays, concerts, and other exciting benefit performances (currently all online) to raise financial support and community awareness. Learn more at www.actorsguild.org. 

HOUSE OF THE REDEEMER, a 501(c)(3), is a unique setting in New York City for reflection, study, fellowship, and prayer. Affiliated with the Episcopal Church, House of the Redeemer is "a place apart for all faiths." It is a resource to the Episcopal Church, a cultural and historical treasure to the neighborhood in the Upper East Side of New York City, and host to a wide range of visitors, both national and international. www.houseoftheredeemer.org

CHRIS CHINN (Fred, Young Ebeneezer, Bob Cratchit) has been a member of EAG since 2015. Professional highlights: Acting opposite Rachel Brosnahan in the short film Care, Timothy Hutton in Kidnapped and Carrie Snodgress in the West Coast premiere of The Manchurian Candidate in LA. Also, performing his dream role of Song Liling in M. Butterfly in Monterey, California, to rave reviews, the Latin ACE Award for Confesión en El Barrio Chino off-Bway at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre Co., and the world premiere of Tennessee Williams's The Day on Which a Man Dies at the legendary White Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut. Other TV/Film: The Departed, Angels in America, One Life to Live, Saved by the Bell.

Alan Coates (Scrooge) Broadway credits include the Tony Award–winning original production of Dracula, the Tony Award–nominated original production of Scapino, the Royal Shakespeare Company's Sherlock Holmes and Nobel Prize–winning author Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman at Lincoln Center.  Regional experience includes the Oregon and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festivals, Goodman Theater, Hartford Stage Company, the Old Globe, and Actors Theater of Louisville. He has worked with film directors ranging from William Friedkin to Michael Bay and has recorded VO documentaries for National Geographic and the PBS series Nature.

BERNADETTE FIORELLA (Peter, Businessman #1) is a native New Yorker. For the past several years she has been singing for seniors in Queens and Manhattan. She sang with New York City Opera for 22 years. Performances have also been with Chelsea Opera, the New York Repertory Orchestra, the New York Choral Society and the West Village Chorale. She has done recitals at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, the Donnell Library, the Church of the Transfiguration, and the Episcopal Actors' Guild where she is also a Council member and the Recording Secretary. Bernadette also teaches English as a Second Language. As a member of Quicksilver Radio Theater, she has done a bit of singing, a little acting, and a heck of a lot of live sound effects.

Jennifer Fouche (Mrs. Cratchit) a proud native of Detroit, is a member of New York's critically acclaimed Amoralists Theatre Company, a former member of the Flea Theatre's resident ensemble, The Bats, a member of the Tony Award-winning choir, The Broadway Inspirational Voices, and a teaching artist. She is best known for her role as Matron Mama Morton in the Broadway National Tour of Chicago and in Israel. She originated the role of Jess in Half Me, Half You, both off West End and in New York. She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the New York Fringe Festival, and in the Obie Award–winning 48 Hours in Harlem Play Festival. She is also known for her role as Roberta in the original off-Broadway SISTAS: The Musical. Work on TV/Film includes Wu Tang: An American Saga, Jessica Jones, Quantico, SMASH, The Mysteries of Laura, Person of Interest, White Pickett Fence, the Sundance Award–winning film, Crown Heights, and B Boy Blues. She is also the voice of Dame Stella Nostrella, a recurring character on the PBS animated series, Pinkalicious & Peterrific.

JILL LARSON (Spirit #1) was nominated for two daytime Emmy awards for her portrayal of All My Children's Opal Gardener Purdy Cortland, a character she was fortunate to play for over two decades. Film work includes White Squall with Jeff Bridges, Scorsese's Shutter Island, the title role in The Taking of Deborah Logan, and the upcoming Amazon project The Manor with Barbara Hershey.  She has appeared on Desperate Housewives, CSI, the ABC pilot Hallelujah, Vinyl, and The Hunters. In the theater, Jill has worked on and off Broadway as well as in regional theaters around the country. She is currently finishing the final edit of her memoir, The Birthing of a Mother.

Rachel Leslie (Fran, Girl) most recently appeared in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway and is hoping to return whenever we get back to live theatre! She has done numerous shows in New York City and regionally. Some of her television credits include Billions, Difficult People, Alpha, House, Law & Order, and Unforgettable. Rachel is a member of Quick Silver Theater Company, and The Actors Center.

Heather Mac Rae (Spirit #2) has been an accomplished actress and singer for over fifty years. She has performed on Broadway, and in many other theatrical productions. In 2017, she won an OBIE award for her portrayal of Lola in Transport Group's highly acclaimed production of Come Back, Little Sheba. She has also won awards for her critically acclaimed solo act, which she has performed in concert halls and cabarets. She has appeared in films and on TV, and just finished filming, The Sixth Reel, a film written and directed by Charles Busch and Carl Andress.

NANCY MCCALL MCGRAW (Martha, Mrs. Fezziwig) appeared in the original Broadway cast of the Tony Award-winning musical, Nine. She appeared in Godspell Off-Broadway and the National Tour, played Connie Boswell in The Heebie Jeebies, and played dozens of theatre legends in Forbidden Broadway. Nancy sang in the cabaret revues Noel and Cole and Hard Candy, the Songs of Carol Hall. She received The Bistro Award for her Johnny Mercer cabaret.

ANTHONY NEWFIELD (Narratror) B'way: 1984, The Father, The Winslow Boy, The Columnist, The Royal Family, Waiting for Godot, Tartuffe. He is the president of the Episcopal Actors' Guild and founder of I Fabbristi, artists in residence at the House of the Redeemer.

JAMIE SOLTIS (Tiny Tim) Theatre: Independence (Jo), Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Mindy), Cabaret (Fraulein Kost). TV: The Blacklist, Difficult People. Office Manager of The Episcopal Actors' Guild. www.Jamiesoltis.com  

CRAIG WICHMAN (Marley, Mr. Fezziwig) Training: Stella Adler. Audio: Quicksilver Radio Theater (Founder), The Twilight Zone. Off-Broadway: The Flashing Stream, Julius Caesar. Regional: Twelve Angry Men, Tecumseh! Film: The Devil You Know, The Adventures of Paul And Marian. TV: One Life to Live, Law & Order.  Author of Standing in the Spirit at Your Elbow: The History of Dickens' A Christmas Carol as Radio/Audio Drama. (AEA/SAG-AFTRA). Soli Deo Gloria. QuicksilverRT@aol.com

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Rebecca LovettAssistant DirectorEAG | Episcopal Actors' Guildactorsguild.org | 212-685-2927 | @actorsguildnycPronouns: she/her
  

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Jamie Soltis
Office ManagerEpiscopal Actors' Guild
212-685-2927 | actorsguild.org Pronouns: she/her
  
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