Pittsburgh CLO Announces Casting for A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL

Pittsburgh CLO's production of A Musical Christmas Carol will make musical memories once again at the Byham Theater from December 5 – 21. The talented cast will feature returning audience favorites as well as several new faces, including previously announcEd Pittsburgh native Tom Atkins as Scrooge. Mr. Atkins recently played the beloved late Steelers owner Art Rooney Sr. in Pittsburgh Public Theater's The Chief.

 About the Cast

(Listed in alphabetical order)

Laura Lee Brautigam (Fan/Alice) is making her Pittsburgh CLO debut in A Musical Christmas Carol, performing the multiple roles. Audiences will recognize her from Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater's Pride and Prejudice, Open Stage's Lydie Breeze, or Bricolage's Stroke. Ms. Brautigam also has starred as Astrid on the web-sitcom Something To Be Desired. Before moving to Pittsburgh two years ago, she graduated from Huntington University in Indiana, where she performed in Alice in Wonderland, Into the Woods, and 1940's Radio Hour, among others.

Christopher J. Cannon (Peter Cratchit) is also making his Pittsburgh CLO debut. His previous credits include Pittsburgh Public Theater's The Importance of Being Earnest, Point Park University's Can-Can (Bailiff/Second), Assassins (Gerald Ford/Ensemble), World Premiere of Streets of America (Elmer The Hick), Ragtime (Ensemble) and many others. He is currently a senior musical theatre major at Point Park University.

Paul Domencic (Young Scrooge/Ghost of Christmas Future) returns to A Musical Christmas Carol. A native Pittsburgher, he is a former CLO Mini Star and a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. He has performed with Steel City Theater, Pittsburgh's City Theater, St. Michael's Playhouse, Colonial Theater and The Depot Theatre.

Michael Greer (Topper) returns to Pittsburgh CLO to celebrate the holidays with A Musical Christmas Carol. His Favorite roles include The Full Monty (Keno) and A Musical Christmas Carol (Topper) with Pittsburgh CLO, West Side Story (Riff), Footloose (Willard), Beauty & the Beast (Gaston), & Fiddler on the Roof (Motel) with Pittsburgh Musical Theater, The Rocky Horror Show (Brad) with Stage Right! and Jesus Christ Superstar (Ensemble) with Kansas City Starlight Theatre.

Tim Hartman (Mr. Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present) is a veteran of many A Musical Christmas Carol productions.  He most recently performed on Broadway in A Tale of Two Cities and starred last spring in the CLO Cabaret production of The Big Bang. His favorite roles include Don Quixote in The Man of La Mancha, Daddy Warbucks in Annie, El Gallo in the Fantasticks and Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music. Mr. Hartman has also appeared as Merlin in Camelot, Ziegfeld in Funny Girl, FDR in Annie, and 24 characters in the one-man show The Cotton Patch Gospel. His movie credits include "Silence of the Lambs," "The Piano Lesson," "The Mothman Prophecies," and the soon-to-be released film "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh."

Jeff Howell (Bob Cratchit) returns to a role he created for the 1992 production. His other favorite productions at Pittsburgh CLO include Beauty and the Beast, Bells Are Ringing, Chess, Singing In the Rain and The Most Happy Fella. At City Theatre, he has appeared in Worksong, Red Herring and in the world premiere of Christopher Durang's Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge. At the Pittsburgh Public Theater, Mr. Howell was seen in Man of La Mancha and Oedipus the King. His television credits include "All My Children," "The Young and the Restless" and the ABC series "Equal Justice." His film credits include "Hoffa," "The Dark Half," "Two Evil Eyes," "The Cemetery Club" and "The Oksana Baiul Story."

Christina McCann (Missy Watkins/Martha Cratchit) returns to A Musical Christmas Carol.  Previously, she has enjoyed touring for the CLO in numerous productions of its Gallery of Heroes program.  Other favorite local credits include the title role in Gypsy, Chicago (Velma), Brigadoon (Fiona), The Secret Garden (Martha) and Songs for a New World. 

Joseph Serafini (Tiny Tim) is a fifth grader at Neil Armstrong Middle School in Bethel Park. He is returning for his fourth season as Tiny Tim. An avid piano student, Joseph is also a fourth-year student at the CLO Academy, where he studies Dance and Musical Theater. His other credits include Peter Pan (Michael Darling) and Oklahoma! (Ensemble) for Pittsburgh CLO, The Grapes of Wrath (Winfield Joad) for the Pittsburgh Opera and the St. Gabriel School production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator).

Amanda Serra (Ghost of Christmas Past/Peg) reprises her favorite roles in A Musical Christmas Carol.  Her Pittsburgh CLO credits include Maude Dunlop (Music Man), Mrs. Rose (Hello, Dolly), and Lady Battersby (Me and My Girl). Her Regional credits include Widow Corney (Oliver!) and Mother (Evita) with West Virginia Public Theatre and Mabel (Pajama Game), Esther (Two By Two) and Sue (Bells Are Ringing) with Theatre Factory.

Amanda Slaughter (Belle/Bess) is returning to A Musical Christmas Carol in roles she has performed in the past. She is a graduate of Point Park University with a degree in musical theater. Ms. Slaughter has performed in CLO's Gallery of Heroes productions of First Lady and Pioneers of Flight.  Her other credits include the National Tour of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Brigadoon, Into the Woods, Quilters and Oklahoma!

Jennifer Veltre Smith (Mrs. Cratchit) is making her first appearance in A Musical Christmas Carol as Mrs. Cratchit. She was last seen in Shear Madness for the CLO Cabaret Theater. Her favorite credits include Miss Hannigan in Annie (Pittsburgh Musical Theater), Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Stage Right) and Lina Lamont in Singing in the Rain (West Virginia Public Theater). She has toured North America in the companies of Crazy for You, Funny Girl and Barry Manilow's Copacabana. She holds a degree in acting from Point Park University and is currently a faculty member of the Richard E. Rauh Conservatory.

Dereck Walton (Marley's Ghost/Young Marley) returns for a second stint in A Musical Christmas Carol. He has performed with many of the area's professional theatre companies, including Bricolage, Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Playhouse REP and St. Vincent Theatre.

Terry Wickline (Mrs. Fezziwig/Mrs. Dilber) returns to A Musical Christmas Carol for the ninth year. Her Pittsburgh CLO credits include The Music Man, Hello Dolly, Me and My Girl, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, Crazy For You, Bye Bye Birdie, and, most recently Always...Patsy Cline. Her other credits include Pittsburgh Public Theater's  The Importance of Being Earnest, Man of La Mancha, and Much Ado About Nothing, and productions for Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Starlight Productions, Quantum Theatre, St. Vincent Theatre, PICT, Unseam'd Shakespeare, West Virginia Public, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

The cast is rounded out by a host of carolers and party guests.

Greggory Brandt returns to the cast of A Musical Christmas Carol.  His favorite productions include The Secret Garden, Camelot, Beauty and the Beast and Carousel. He performed in both the Broadway and National Tour Productions of Les Miserables. Two years ago, he directed/vocal directed the musical, Damn Yankees, at Penn State Altoona, earning him the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Meritorious Directing Award. He also directed the musical workshop, Amazing Grace: The True Story, in New York City.  He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and is currently a musical theatre and voice instructor at Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh Musical Theatre and the Henry Mancini Arts Academy.

Brittany R. Graham is a native of Pittsburgh who was last seen as Mary Shelley in Dr. Shirley R. Barasch's new musical, Mary Shelley and Her Frankenstein. Her other professional credits include Red Hot and Cole (Linda Porter); Zombies from the Beyond (Mary); Beauty and the Beast (Enchantress). Point Park credits include: Frogs (Ariadne), Ragtime (New Rochelle), When Shakespeare's Ladies Meet (Desdemona). She is a graduate of Point Park University and North Hills High School.

Jodi Gage is pleased to return to A Musical Christmas Carol for the second year. Her past credits include Orpheus and the Underworld (Diana) at Oberlin Conservatory; Working (Housewife) in Hamilton, Scotland and Lion in Winter (Alice) with Hamilton Civic Theater.

Scott P. Sambuco is a Pittsburgh CLO veteran who has appeared in The Pirates of Penzance, Annie, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, She Loves Me, Guys and Dolls, Crazy For You, Grand Hotel and Bye, Bye, Birdie.

Several Pittsburgh CLO Academy students will also take part in the holiday production.

Alyssa Gephart (Belinda) rejoins the cast of A Musical Christmas Carol for her fifth year, and she is currently a 7th grader at Pleasant Hills Middle School. Alyssa was previously seen as Susan Waverly in CLO's 2007 production of White Christmas.

Rachel Mracna (Melinda) is a third-year Academy student who attends fourth grade at McKnight Elementary. In addition to last year's production of A Musical Christmas Carol, she has recently appeared in the CLO summer camp production of Cinderella.

Robert Murray (Cratchit Child) appeared in A Musical Christmas Carol in 2005 and 2006. He has also appeared in Billy Budd and The Grapes of Wrath for the Pittsburgh Opera and has been in school productions of The Music Man, The King and I, Oklahoma!, The Wizard of Oz and Seussical the Musical. He has been a student at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy for five years and attends J.E. Harrison Middle School in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.

Emma Baker (Turkey Girl) is making first appearance in A Musical Christmas Carol. She is an 8th grader at Eden Christian Academy and has been in productions of Narnia and Beauty and the Beast.

 
About the Creative Team

Tim Gregory (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of Provision Theater Company. He has directed A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., and also for Provision, earning a Jefferson Award nomination. His also directed the critically-acclaimed productions of CS Lewis On Stage, The Spitfire Grill, Beast on the Moon and Smoke on the Mountain. His other productions include The Comedy of Errors at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Welcome Yule for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Treasure Island and Alice in Wonderland at Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, The Twilight of the Golds, The Diary of Anne Frank and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry at the Apple Tree Theatre, Plaza Suite at the Lyric Theatre, Godspell at the Sorg Opera House and 'Dentity Crisis at the Studio Theatre.  Mr. Gregory's acting credits include numerous roles at Provision Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre, Next Theatre Company, the ALLIANCE THEATRE in Atlanta and Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. His television credits include "Cupid" on ABC, "DeClassified" on WGN and "Family Practice" on Lifetime. He can now be seen as the host of HGTV's "New Spaces."

Bruce Barnes (Musical Director) lives most of the year in New York City.  He recently served as Lead Keyboardist for the National Tour of Camelot, starring Lou Diamond Phillips. In the winter of 2007, he arranged and musically directed Stormy Weather, starring Leslie Uggams at the Prince Musical Theater in Philadelphia. He made his Broadway debut conducting Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby, and regularly substituted as Associate Conductor of the Sam Mendes production of Cabaret at Studio 54. Off-Broadway, he was Musical Director for Class Mothers '68 and served as Pianist/Conductor for Nunsense. Mr. Barnes' National Tour credits include Kiss Me, Kate, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, Peter Pan and the promotional tour of Nunsense 2, starring Rue McClanahan for the A&E Network. As a pianist, Mr. Barnes has accompanied a range of artists, including Penny Fuller, Ruthie Henshall, Patti LuPone, Beverly Sills, Billy Porter and Eartha Kitt.

Stage manager for this production will be Fredric Horner. This production features original scenery and lighting by D. Martyn Bookwalter.  This production features lighting by Scott Nelson. A Musical Christmas Carol is costumed by Costume World, Theatrical.

 More Merry Musical Information

In what has become A Musical Christmas Carol tradition, local choirs will perform prior to each performance. Musical groups from all over the Tri-state area have the opportunity to perform on the Byham Theater stage and take part in this special holiday celebration.

A Musical Christmas Carol will be presented at the Byham Theater (6th & Fort Duquesne Boulevard) December 5-21.  Tickets range from $26.50 - $44.50. Half-price tickets are available for children 3-14.  Tickets are now available by calling (412) 456-6666, online at pittsburghCLO.org or at the Theater Square Box Office.

Special events available for groups include A Renaissance Retreat, combining a ticket to the show with lunch or dinner at the adjacent Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, Royal Tea at the Omni William Penn as part of Mrs. Cratchit's Christmas Tea and A Very Merry Meal, which includes a festive pre-curtain feast in the Omni William Penn's Terrace Room. For more information on these and other group events and discounts, please call the Group Sales Hotline at (412) 325-1582.

If you aren't quite ready to call it a night after A Musical Christmas Carol or I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, then simply present the ticket stub from that day's CLO show to gain free admission to any Late Night at the Cabaret event. This offer is good after 10:15 pm and only while seats last.

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