A CHRISTMAS CAROL Returns to Ford's Theatre This December

Ford's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault announced that acclaimed Washington actor Craig Wallace will return to Ford's to perform the role of Ebenezer Scrooge for the company's holiday production of A Christmas Carol. Performances of the classic Charles Dickens story begin November 15 and continue for a six-and-a-half-week engagement through December 30, 2018. This "musically high-spirited" and "infectiously jolly" (The Washington Post) production is adapted by Michael Wilson and directed by Michael Baron.

Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. The production captures the magic and joy of Dickens's Yuletide classic with abundant caroling, spooky stage tricks and cheerful dancing for the holiday season.

"The timeless message of A Christmas Carol-that every day is an opportunity to begin again, to open your heart and to show compassion-is an inspiration that our fast-paced world seems to need more and more. With each performance of this 175-year-old play, I am reinvigorated by remembering that there is a chance to provide goodwill in our everyday encounters," said Craig Wallace.

For the 10th year in a row, the company of A Christmas Carol will devote time and energy to raising money for a Washington charity dedicated to eradicating homelessness, hunger and poverty. Their efforts coupled with our audience's generous support have raised more than $735,822 for local charities including House of Ruth, N Street Village, Bread for the City, Covenant House Washington, Food and Friends, Martha's Table, Miriam's Kitchen, So Others Might Eat and Thrive DC. This year's Washington charity recipient will be announced by November 15.

A Christmas Carol is made possible by our 2018-2019 Season Sponsor: Chevron. This production also is made possible by the following Underwriters: AT&T, Charter Communications, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Liberty Mutual, National Retail Federation and United Parcel Service.

THE DIRECTOR

Michael Baron made his Ford's Theatre directorial debut with the 2009 production of A Christmas Carol. He also served as associate director of the 2008 Ford's production of The Civil War. Baron has directed more than 95 productions at theatres across the country. His D.C.-area directorial credits include The Little Dog Laughed for Signature Theatre and James and the Giant Peach and A Year with Frog and Toad (2012 Helen Hayes Award) for Adventure Theatre. Baron is currently Producing Artistic Director of the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma where he has directed Fun Home, Disney's When You Wish, I Am My Own Wife, Assassins, Fiddler on the Roof and Dreamgirls, among others. Baron holds an M.F.A. from Trinity Repertory and has taught at American University, Brown University and College of the Holy Cross. He is a board member for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre.

THE CAST

Craig Wallace was most recently featured at Ford's as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and in productions of The Guard, Driving Miss Daisy, Necessary Sacrifices and others. Additional recent credits include Mosaic Theater Company's Satchmo at the Waldorf, All the Way at Arena Stage and How I Learned to Drive at Round House Theatre, among others.

Several returning cast members of the Ford's production appear in new roles this season including Stephen F. Schmidt as Jacob Marley, Michael Bunce as Clock Vendor, Gregory Maheu as Bob Cratchit and Yesenia Iglesias as Mrs. Cratchit.

A Christmas Carol also features Michael Kevin Darnall as Fred and Young Scrooge, Rayanne Gonzales as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Justine "Icy" Moral as the Ghost of Christmas Past, with Hasani Allen, Jonathan Atkinson, Ryan Burke, Shannon Dorsey, Maria Egler, Kristen Garaffo, Rick Hammerly, Christopher Mueller, Melissa Victor and Emily Zickler.

The young cast of A Christmas Carol (roles rotate every other performance) includes Aidan Fuller and Chace Reaves as Tiny Tim, with Ainsley Deegan, Parker Ellis, Madison K. Fields, Hazel Hay, Samantha Hayes, Avery Nokes, Clare Carys O'Connell, Sawyer Andrew Makl, Kai Mansell, Vaughn Mussmon, Ariel Russell and Jack St. Pierre.

THE DESIGNERS

Designs for A Christmas Carol include Scenic Designer Lee Savage's striking iron work, which evokes London's Covent Garden marketplace. The cast is outfitted in Alejo Vietti's festive Victorian costumes. The design team also includes Lighting Design by Rui Rita, Original Music and Sound Design by Josh Schmidt, Choreography by Shea Sullivan, Wig Design by Charles G. LaPointe, Choral Direction by Jay Crowder, Dialects and Vocal Direction by Rachel Hirshorn-Johnston and Casting by Patrick Pearson.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS

Audio-described performances of A Christmas Carol are November 27, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. and December 29, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. A sign-interpreted performance is December 13, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. A captioned performance is scheduled December 22, 2018, at 2:00 p.m.

Free Tickets to First Performance

Ford's Theatre Partners with TodayTix to give out free tickets for the first performance of each mainstage production in our theatrical season. One-hundred and fifty tickets for the November 15 performance will be available via the TodayTix app lottery beginning November 8. The TodayTix app is available in Apple App Store, the Google Play or Amazon AppStore. Visit www.fords.org/free for lottery entry details.

Ford's Theatre Society

One of the most visited sites in the nation's capital, Ford's Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford's Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford's Theatre is the premier destination in the nation's capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln's ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression.

Ford's Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford's as a living, Working Theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford's for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the Tony-nominated Come From Away and the nationally acclaimed Big River, to the world premieres of Meet John Doe, The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Liberty Smith, Necessary Sacrifices, The Widow Lincoln and The Guard, Ford's Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the past decade, the mission of Ford's Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Under the current leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Phebe N. Novakovic and through the lens of Lincoln's leadership and legacy, Ford's today endeavors to advance Lincoln's "unfinished work" with programs and performances that cultivate empathy, encourage dialogue and bridge divides in our American life.

For more information on Ford's Theatre and the Ford's Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.

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