Reinvigorated A CHRISTMAS CAROL to Play Northern Stage

A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens and adapted by renowned director Michael Wilson, runs live on stage at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction, VT, November 16 through December 24. For tickets and information, call 802-296-7000 or visit www.northernstage.org. Tickets start at $15 for students and $30 for adults.

This adaptation highlights the ghostly and ultimately uplifting nature of Dickens' classic tale. Beautiful music, whirling ghosts, and a tour-de-force performance by Broadway veteran Bill Kux (2016's The Hound of the Baskervilles) as Scrooge bring this powerful story of redemption to life. Directed by Peter Hackett,

Professor of Theater at Dartmouth College and Avalon Foundation Chair of the Humanities, the production features Susan Haefner (Broadway: State Fair, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and 42nd Street), Dorothy Stanley (Broadway: Sugar Babies, Show Boat, Follies, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy), Kurt Zischke, (reprising his role of the Ghost of Christmas Present from Northern Stage's 2014 A Christmas Carol production), Eric Love, Victoria Adams-Zischke, Eric Bunge, Irene Green, Danielle Cohen, Max Samuels, Paul West, and Christopher Rex Jacobs.

Dartmouth College students Claire Feuille, Virginia Ogden, Jaclyn Pageau, Lela Gannon, and Tess McGuinness join the cast through Northern Stage's new Experiential Learning Term program, made possible by the company's recent accreditation of Academic Theatre Status by the Actor's Equity Association.

Young performers Paige Falcone, Jakob Vedova, Ben Manning, Charlie Cloud, Nathanial Krawitt, Savannah Mills, Claire Falcone, Caroline Hamilton, Alicia Sanyal, Alexandra Zischke, Jackson Argenti, Theo Cook, Will Stedina, David Kasten, Ty Nolon, Marlena Farinas, Olivia Swayze, Julia Cook, and Lauren Pidgeon complete the Acting Company.

Director Peter Hackett comments on the piece, "Dickens described A Christmas Carol as a 'ghost story of Christmas,' thus reviving a Victorian tradition of gathering around a roaring fire and telling scary stories on Christmas Eve. In addition to writing a moving and transcendent story of redemption, in A Christmas Carol Dickens was addressing the plight of the poor in society, particularly children. He believed that it was every person's responsibility to watch out for his neighbor because in the end we are, as human beings, all on the same journey. As Frank L. Baum writes in The Wizard of Oz, 'A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.'"

Five designers join the creative staff to bring this story to spectacular holiday heights: David Esler (scenic design), Aaron Patrick DeClerk (costumes), Rob Pickens (wigs), Dan Kotlowitz (lighting and projections), and Ben Montmagmy (sound). The team is completed with Ford Evans as choreographer and Nick Wilders as music director. Producing Artistic Director Carol Dunne shares why the company chose to bring this story to life here and now: "Our new home, the Barrette Center for the Arts, gives us the opportunity to produce a newly stunning A Christmas Carol for our region. Our home at the crossroads of Vermont and New Hampshire propels us to offer world-class theater for our entire region. This is the only fully professional production of Dickens' story of redemption for hundreds and hundreds of miles, and we hope it will bring families and friends together for years to come."

Performances are sponsored by the Upper Valley Aquatic Center, Mascoma Savings Bank, and LaValley Building Supply, Inc. An optional post-show conversation with the company follows performances on Nov. 26 (evening), and December 4. $15 Anytime Student Tickets are available for every performance, and Northern Stage is launching a new Access for All $5 ticket program for patrons who hold an active EBT (Electronic Transfer Benefit) card. Adult ticket prices range from $30-$65. A complimentary post-show reception with the cast follows the opening night performance on Saturday, November 19.

In time for the holiday season, Northern Stage has received a matching gift challenge set forth by the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation. With an aim to grow annual fund support for the 2016-17 season, The Byrne Foundation has offered $50,000 in matching funds to be unlocked when the company raises $50,000 in gifts of less than $500 each. Payments on existing pledges, in-kind gifts of goods or services, or gifts of $500 or more do not apply towards the Byrne Challenge.

Northern Stage Director of Development Amanda Rafuse expresses her gratitude for this gift stating, "We are incredibly grateful for The Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation's partnership as we seek to broaden our base of support during our 20th Anniversary Season. Gifts of every size are vital to Northern Stage's ability achieve our mission of changing lives, one story at a time. With this challenge, The Byrne Foundation demonstrates a faith in the value of Northern Stage's work on stage and off. I hope this will provide an additional incentive for our patrons to recognize Northern Stage in their charitable giving this season."

Northern Stage is a regional non-profit LORT-D professional theater company with a mission to change lives, one story at a time. Based at the crossroads of New England -- the Upper Valley of the Connecticut River -- Northern Stage's intimate space sets the stage for actively involving its audiences with ambitious productions and expansive educational programs. Founded in 1997, Northern Stage has offered more than 115 high-quality, professional productions of new works, classics, and musicals. The company celebrates its 20th Anniversary Season this year and annual attendance is now over 30,000.

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