Photo Flash: A.C.T. Rings In the Holiday Season with A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Featuring a lively cast of dozens, delightful music, gorgeous costumes, and those deliciously spooky ghosts, the Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition returns as American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) presents its celebrated production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Now in the theater's 42nd year of presenting the holiday classic, this version of A Christmas Carol-adapted by Paul Walsh and Carey Perloff-stays true to the heart of Dickens's timeless story of redemption and brings a playful sensibility to his rich language. A Christmas Carol runs December 6-29, 2018, at A.C.T.'s Geary Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco). Press night is Wednesday, December 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets (ranging in price from $10-$120) are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415-749-2228 or online at www.act-sf.org. Groups of 15 or more save up to 50% and enjoy free tickets for group leaders. For group sales, call 415-439-2424. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

A Christmas Carol is a cornerstone of the A.C.T. repertory and has become a holiday tradition for families all around the San Francisco Bay Area. Since it began performances at A.C.T. 42 years ago (and continuing in its second adaptation, which premiered in 2005), A Christmas Carol has been performed more than 1,200 times to a collective audience of over 1,180,000 and has employed more than 1,900 actors and 750 backstage staff members.

A.C.T.'s A Christmas Carol features a multigenerational cast of performers led byJames Carpenter and Anthony Fusco, alternating performances as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. Joining Carpenter and Fusco is legendary Bay Area actor Ken Ruta (who originated this role in the 2005 production) as the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's nightmarish late-night visitor; Jomar Tagatac as Bob Cratchit and Delia MacDougall as his wife, Anne Cratchit; Dan Hiatt and Sharon Lockwood as the festive Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig; along with Catherine Castellanos as the Ghost of Christmas Present. The adult cast also includes Cindy Goldfield and Howard Swain.

Twelve students from the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program-many of whom traditionally receive their Actors' Equity cards as a result of their participation in A Christmas Carol-are also featured in this year's production. They are (in alphabetical order): Carlos Andrickson, Belle Aykroyd, Afua Busia, Adam Donovan, William Hoeschler, Jerrie R. Johnson, Caleb Lewis, Ash Malloy, Göran Norquist, Charlie O'Rourke, Micah Peoples, and Avanthika Srinivasan.

Rounding out the cast are 29 talented young actors from the A.C.T. Young Conservatory (YC). Hailing from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, the young actors portray a range of characters, including the Cratchit children, Tiny Tim, Young Scrooge, and a delectable array of Spanish onions, Turkish figs, and French plums. They are (in alphabetical order): Jilliyn Acosta, Emma Berman, Leah Blomberg,Chloe Fong, Mattea Fountain, Autumn Galatti, Johanna Gormley, Dylan Elizabeth Hammond, Linden Koshland, Sophia Koshland, Oxford Lewis,Rebecca Louderback, Sunil Mukherjee Maurillo, Christophe Mitchell, Alana Moore, Sophia Morgan, Louise Morrissey, Evelyn Ongpin, Zoe Lee Osborn,Auden Pierce, Frankie Reichman, Pilar Rivas, Margalo Teich, Audrey Thacher,Maximilian Wix, Alejandra Zavala, and Cameron Zener.

Directed by Domenique Lozano, the creative team for A Christmas Carol includesPeter J. Kuo (Associate Director), John Arnone (Scenic Designer), Beaver Bauer(Costume Designer), Nancy Schertler (Lighting Designer), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design), Karl Lundeberg (Composer), Val Caniparoli (Choreography), Dan Feyer(Music Director), Nancy Dickson (Repetiteur), and Daniel O'Dea (Fight Director).

A.C.T. would like to acknowledge its 2018-19 season presenters: Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson; Priscilla and Keith Geeslin; James C. Hormel and Michael P. Nguyen; Toni Rembe and Arthur Rock; Robina Riccitiello; Jeff and Laurie Ubben; Kay Yun and Andre Neumann-Loreck.

A.C.T. would also like to acknowledge its 2018-­19 company sponsors Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund; Frannie Fleishhacker; Kevin and Celeste Ford; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon P. Getty; Jeri Lynn and Jeffrey W. Johnson; Mr. and Mrs. Robert McGrath; Burt and Deedee McMurtry; Patti and Rusty Rueff; Mary and Steven Swig; Jack and Susy Wadsworth; and Barry Williams and Lalita Tademy.

Additional support provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; PG&E; The Shubert Foundation; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; San Francisco Grants for the Arts; Wells Fargo; and Hilton Union Square and Parc 55San Francisco, A.C.T.'s Official Hotel Partner.

A.C.T.'s 2018-19 season continues with the wildly imaginative and satirical Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, Edward Albee's Seascape (January 23-February 17, 2019). Next, A.C.T. will present Mfoniso Udofia's achingly poignant drama Her Portmanteau (February 13-April 14, 2019), followed by Lauren Yee's exploration of cultural identity, global politics, and basketball, The Great Leap (March 6-31, 2019), featuring Tony Award-winner BD Wong. In April, A.C.T. will present Kate Hamill's rollicking new stage adaptation of William Thackeray's classic novel, Vanity Fair(April 17-May 12, 2019). Closing out the 2018-19 season, A.C.T. will present Eugène Ionesco's "seminal absurdist satire" (Los Angeles Times), Rhinoceros (May 29-June 23, 2019)-translated by Derek Prouse and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Frank Galati

Photo credit: Kevin Berne