Press Information: David Elzer, DEMAND PR (818) 508-1754 elzerd@aol.com
Michele Hunter, Rubicon Theatre (805) 667-2912 ext. 225 michelehunter@gmail.com
For Immediate Release: November 25, 2015
Rubicon Theatre Company Presents a World Premiere Adaptation of
Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Written by Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns and
Directed by Brian McDonald
Cast Includes Broadway Veterans Peter Van Norden, Joe Spano,
Jennifer Leigh Warren and Teri Bibb; Rubicon Favorite Alyson Schuster Melling
and the Largest Cast for a Play in Rubicon’s History
November 25, 2015 (Ventura, CA) – Rubicon Theatre celebrates the holidays with the company’s first
presentation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, a World Premiere adaptation written by
Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns and directed by Brian McDonald. Rubicon’s A Christmas
Carol features a 24-member cast (the largest ensemble since the company’s production of Fiddler
on the Roof and the largest ever for a play).
This timeless tale of redemption and hope follows the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Peter Van Norden),
who is visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley (Joe Spano) and three spirits, who show
him the error of his ways.
Director Brian McDonald describes Rubicon’s version of the holiday tale as, “a dynamic actor-driven,
ensemble-devised production, full of surprises. The story is told in an imaginative, narrative style, with
actors directly addressing the audience at various moments,” says McDonald. “The artists portray
multiple characters, dogs, food – even dressing gowns and doors,” he continues.
“It’s a little in the style of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s landmark production of The Life and
Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, only shorter” says McDonald. “We hope our audiences will find the
approach playful, engaging and impactful.”
According to McDonald, Burns’ adaptation also provides an intimate glimpse into Scrooge’s past.
“The script provides a revealing portrait of the lost and lonely child who became the miserly man,”
says McDonald. Elijah Graham, a thirteen-year-old resident of Santa Paula plays the Boy Scrooge
and sings “Veni, Veni, Emanuel” in both the Prologue and the Epilogue.
“As I have watched rehearsals,” says Burns, “I have been deeply touched by the healing aspects of
the story. In the performances of Eli and Peter we ache for the hurt, abandoned child who has
become cold-hearted and closed-minded man in order to steel himself against his own
vulnerability.” “Eli’s opening song,” says Burns, “is a beckoning from the Boy Scrooge and the Boy
Dickens – a call to all of the spirits – the observers, the ancestors, the angels, the uncommitted, the
outcasts – within and without – to bring healing to a broken world and rejoice, knowing God is
come.”
“Whatever one’s belief system,” continues Burns, “we hope attendees will find A Christmas Carol
both entertaining and moving. Whatever hurts we have experienced, whatever wrong turns we have
made,” says Burns, “it is never too late to change. We can honor the past, present and future. Like
Ebenezer Scrooge, we can become a child again and be reborn.”
Low-priced previews for A Christmas Carol begin this Wednesday, December 2 at 7 p.m. Opening
night is Saturday December 5 at 7 p.m., and is followed by an after-party hosted by Watermark on
Main with the artists and local dignitaries. A Christmas Carol continues through December 20, with
performances Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2
p.m. and 8 p.m. (except opening night), and Sundays at 2 p.m. Rubicon Theatre is located 1006 E.
Main in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District, For tickets and information, call (805) 667-2900 or go
to www.rubicontheatre.org.
More on Van Norden and Spano as Scrooge and Marley
No stranger to the role of Scrooge, Peter Van Norden portrayed the crotchety character for two
seasons at San Diego Rep. Stepping into the role again, he finds this version refreshing in its approach
as compared to traditional productions. “Scrooge has been dear to my heart since I was a boy,”
says Van Norden. “When you do the play right, Scrooge finds the meaning and joy in life again. It’s a
great role to play. What I love Karyl Lynn’s astonishing adaptation is the constant theatricality. It gives
the story vibrancy and clarity.”
Van Norden is a New York native whose Broadway credits include Hamlet with Kevin Kline and Sam
Waterston, Jungle of Cities with Al Pacino, Henry V with Meryl Streep, and Saint Joan with Lynn
Redgrave. He has worked at many of the nation’s most prestigious rep companies, including The
Globe Theatre, San Diego Rep, San Jose Rep (Bay Area Theatre Critics Award for Andrew Undershaft
in Major Barbara), Center Stage, Seattle Rep, Intiman Theatre, and Berkeley Rep. His dozens of film
and TV roles include leads opposite Jodie Foster in “The Accused,” as Steve Guttenberg’s partner in
“Police Academy 2,” and as Ralph Brentner in the Stephen King mini-series “The Stand.”
Joe Spano is playing the role of Jacob Marley for the first time (whom he enjoys calling “the voice of
tough love”). For him, working on this adaption has been an exciting opportunity to, “discover the
beautiful language of the original novella and remember why A Christmas Carol is an enduring
holiday tradition.”
Spano has appeared in thirty feature films, including “Hart’s War,” “Primal Fear,” “Apollo 13,”
“American Graffiti,” “Hollywoodland,” “Fracture” and “Frost/Nixon.” Series TV credits include Special
FBI Agent T. C. Fornell on “NCIS” (now in its 13th year), Lt. Henry Goldblume on “Hill Street Blues,”
“Mercy Point,” “Amazing Grace,” “Murder One,” “NYPD Blue,” and “Midnight Blue,” for which we
won an Emmy Award. He made his Broadway debut in Arthur Miler’s The Price with Hector Elizondo.
West Coast stage credits include three shows at South Coast Rep; Bill Cain’s Equivocation at the
Geffen Playhouse; The Guys at Berkeley Rep, of which he is a founding member; and multiple shows
at Rubicon, including Sylvia, R. Buckminster Fuller…, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Sunset
Limited.
Presented as a play with music, Rubicon’s production also incorporates traditional carols sung a
cappella by cast members including Teri Bibb (Christine in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for
seven years); Jennifer Leigh Warren (Big River, Little Shop of Horrors and Marie Christine in New York);
Parker Harris (a Ventura resident making his mainstage debut who has grown up in Rubicon youth
productions of Urinetown and West Side Story); and Trevor Wheetman (a Nashville-based artist whose
credits include Lonesome Traveler at Rubicon and Off Broadway, and It Ain't Nothin’ but the Blues at
Seattle Rep). Wheetman and Bibb also plays fiddle and accordion, respectively, in the Fezziwig party
scene in A Christmas Carol.
Other Cast Members
The 24-member cast also includes Gary Clemmer as Mr. Cratchit; Zachary Andrews as Scrooge’s
amiable nephew Fred; Alyson (Schuster) Lindsay as Fred’s wife and Scrooge’s dowerless fiancé Belle;
Sophie Massey, Basil Augustine and David White as the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future;
Dan Call as the jovial Mr. Fezziwig; Sonje Fortag as the Charwoman; Jesse Graham as Peter and Dick
Wilkins, Rebecca Ann Graham as Fred’s Wife’s Sister, Jenaha McLearn as Caroline, Matt Bourne as
William, Michaela Watson as Fezziwig’s Daughter, Troy Braun as Turkey Boy, Maya Zohre Mouderres as
Fan, and 7-year-old Mason Rothermel as Tiny Tim.
Design Team includes Newly Appointed Resident Designer
Thomas S. Giamario has created a magical, multi-level open space for the setting of A Christmas
Carol. Acting as an extension of the character of Scrooge, the set is both a literal and figurative
representation of Scrooge’s mind as he travels with the Ghosts through space and time in order to
find himself. Giamario, whose recent sculptural set for Rubicon’s My Fair Lady received critical
acclaim, has just been appointed as Resident Scenic Designer for the 2015-2016 Season. Giamario’s
more than forty designs at Rubicon include The Man of La Mancha, Noises Off, Dancing at Lughnasa
and many others. Lighting for the production is by Ovation and LADCC award-winning Jeremy
Pivnick, sound by Tony nominee and Drama Desk Award-winner Cricket S. Myers (Bengal Tiger),
costumes by Abra Flores (A Rubicon Family Christmas, Murder in the First, The Rainmaker), props/set
dressing by T. Theresa Scarano, wig design by Danielle Irene White (Rubicon’s Lonesome Traveler,
Steel Magnolias, Gem of the Ocean) and dialect work by Tuffet Schmelzle. Jessie Vacchiano is
Production Stage Manager and Kathleen J. Parsons is Assistant Stage Manager.
About the Director
Over the past few seasons at Rubicon, Brian McDonald directed Other Desert Cities at Rubicon (5
Stage Scene LA Awards including Outstanding Direction and Production); A Tuna Christmas (in which
he also appeared); The Sunset Limited; Bus Stop (five Ovation nominations including Best Play);
“Master Harold”… and the boys (three Ovation nominations including Best Play, Indy Award and
Stage Scene LA Award for Direction); and the World Premiere musical Hello! My Baby, written and
conceived by Cheri Steinkellner. Regionally, McDonald has appeared on stage at Denver Center,
Theatre Virginia, The Lyric Stage, La Mirada Performing Arts Center, Ensemble Theatre Company, The
Pasadena Playhouse, Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center and the Ahmanson. He received the LA
Weekly Award for Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance as Gaveston in the Circle X
production of Edward II directed by Michael Michetti. He is a BFA graduate of Boston Conservatory.
About the Adaptor
The book for A Christmas Carol is written by Rubicon’s Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns.
Burns founded Rubicon with husband James O’Neil in 1998 and has overseen more than 120
productions for the company, including the World Premieres of 23.5 Hours/Conviction by Carey Crim
(a co-production with Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor directed by Scott Schwartz; Daddy Long Legs
by John Caird and Paul Gordon (which has traveled to 15 U.S. cities and 4 countries); The Best is Yet
to Come: The Music of Cy Coleman (NY Drama Desk Award); Lonesome Traveler by James O’Neil
(Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations); and Hello! My Baby by Cheri Steinkellner. This past
season, Burns produced Tom Dugan’s Wiesenthal Off-Broadway at The Acorn Theatre with Daryl Roth,
directed by Jenny Sullivan (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations). She also produced the
West Coast BeckettFest, which brought international artists to Ventura for a month-long celebration
of the works of Samuel Beckett.
The Enduring Legacy of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Published as a novella by Charles Dickens in 1843, A Christmas Carol was met with instant acclaim
and has never been out of print. The story follows rancorous miser Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited
by his deceased business partner Jacob Marley and three apparitions: Ghosts of Christmas Past,
Present and Yet to Come. These encounters spur Scrooge to make a dramatic change for the good,
embracing mankind through a generous spirit of kindness and charity.
At the time of A Christmas Carol’s publication in England, resurgence in Christmas traditions had
sparked renewed interest in the holiday. A tireless champion for the poor, Dickens interlaced the
growing enthusiasm for Christmas into a cautionary parable against harsh treatment towards the less
fortunate -- a reoccurring theme in his seminal novels.
The first public reading Charles Dickens gave was of A Christmas Carol at Birmingham Town Hall to
the Industrial and Literary Institute in 1852. Subsequent readings only days later included audiences
comprised mainly of the working class. Until his death, Dickens continued editing A Christmas Carol
with an emphasis on its vocal linguistic qualities, adapting his prose to suit the ear rather than for silent
reading. Much like a song, the novella is divided into five staves (song stanzas), relating back to the
significance of the title. For over 160 years, this classic holiday tale has been adapted in more than
twenty film versions, hundreds of television shows and stage versions, eight recordings and four
operas.
Sponsors
Title Sponsors for A Christmas Carol are Loretta and Mike Merewether and Gloisten Family Foundation.
Mr. Spano’s appearance is underwritten by Elise and Bill Kearney. Sponsors for the 2015-2016 Season
are Diane and Peter Goldenring, Janet and Mark L. Goldenson, Sandra and Jordan Laby, Barbara
Meister and Anne and Michael Towbes.
Schedule, Special Performances and Ticket Info
Low-priced previews of A Christmas Carol begin Wednesday, December 2 at 7 p.m. continuing
Thursday, December 3 at 8 p.m. and Friday, December 4 at 8 p.m. The Opening Night is Saturday,
December 5 at 7 p.m. Regular performances are Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Thursdays and
Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (except opening) and Sundays at 2 p.m. Talkbacks
with the actors are scheduled after Wednesday 7 p.m. performances on December 9 and 16.
Tickets for A Christmas Carol range from $35 to $64 (opening night is $95 and includes the post-show
reception hosted by Watermark on Main). Tickets for students are $30, and student rush tickets are
available for $15. Discounts of 10% to 20% are available for groups of 10 or more, depending on the
size of the group. Tickets for A Christmas Carol may be purchased in person through the Rubicon
Theatre Company Box Office at the corner of Main and Laurel in Ventura (Laurel entrance and
downstairs) or online at www.rubicontheatre.org. To charge by phone, call 805.667.2900.
LINK TO ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT including release, calendar listing, extended bios and additional
photos
YOUTUBE VIDEO of rehearsal and interviews
---###---
CALENDAR LISTING
A Christmas Carol
Rubicon Theatre celebrates the holidays with the World Premiere of a new adaptation of Charles
Dickens’ timeless tale of redemption and hope, A Christmas Carol, written by the company’s
Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns and directed by Brian McDonald. This new production of
the great classic is told in a theatrical narrative style in the vein of the RSC’s Nicholas Nickleby, with
actors playing characters, animals and even inanimate objects! Starring Broadway veterans Peter
Van Norden (RTC’s Copenhagen) and Emmy award-winner Joe Spano (“NCIS,” RTC’s Bucky and
Sylvia). The 24-member cast also includes Zachary Andrews, Basil Augustine, Robert Beuth, Teri Bibb,
Matt Bourne, Troy Braun, Dan Call, Gary Clemmer, Sonje Fortag, Jesse Graham, Rebecca Anne
Graham, Parker Harris, Alyson Lindsay, Sophie Massey, Jenaha Mclearn, Maya Mouderres, Mason
Rothermel, Jennifer Leigh Warren, Michaela Watson, Trevor Wheetman and David White.
Previews: Wednesday, December 2 at 7 p.m. ($35), Thursday, December 3 at 8 p.m. and Friday,
December 4 at 8 p.m. ($40)
Opening Night: Saturday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Closes: Sunday, December 20, 2015
Regular Performance Times and Prices:
Wednesdays at 2 p.m. ($54) and 7 p.m. ($59) (Talkbacks following Wednesday evening shows except
during previews)
Thursdays at 8 p.m. ($64)
Fridays at 8 p.m. ($54)
Saturdays at 2 p.m. ($64) and 8 p.m. ($64)
Sundays at 2 p.m. ($64)
Performance Schedule
Previews: Dec. 2-4
Performances: Dec. 5-20
Wednesday at 2 p.m.: Dec. 9, 16
Wednesday at 7 p.m.: Dec. 2 (preview), *9, *16
Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Dec. 3 (preview), 10, 17
Fridays at 8 p.m.: Dec. 4 (preview), 11, 18
Saturdays at 2 p.m.: Dec. 12, 19
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Dec. 5 (opening), 13, 19
Sundays at 2 p.m.: Dec. 6, 14, 20
*Post-show talkback with the director and cast follow every Wednesday evening performance
except the preview.
Rubicon Theatre Company
Ventura's Downtown Cultural District
1006 E. Main St. Ventura, CA 93001
Ticket Range: $35 - $64 ($95 for opening night including post-show reception)
Previews: $30
Prices above do not include a $4 ticket service fee
Discounts Available for Groups of 10+
Box Office (for single and group tickets): 805.667.2900
NOTE TO PRESS: For photos, press interviews, or press comps, please contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR
at (818) 508-1754 or at davidelzer@me.com or Rubicon’s Marketing Manager Michele Hunter at (805)
667-2912 ext. 225 or at mhunter@rubicontheatre.org
---###--ABOUT RUBICON THEATRE COMPANY
Rubicon Theatre Company has been described as, “the rising star of the Southern California cultural
constellation.” A not-for-profit professional regional theatre, Rubicon serves area residents and visitors
with innovative productions of classic and contemporary plays, as well as a wide array of
educational programs and events. Acclaimed by critics and industry professionals (the company has
received the L.A. Drama Critics Margaret Harford Special Award for “Sustained Excellence,” a Drama
Desk Award for the Off-Broadway production of The Best is Yet to Come, and has won more than 20
Ovation Awards from the L.A. Stage Alliance. During the 2014-2015 Season, three Rubicon shows
transferred to New York (Wiesenthal – Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations;
Lonesome Traveler – Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations; and Daddy Long Legs
– opened three weeks ago). Rubicon has welcomed a steady stream of high-profile actors and
directors. Ed Asner, David Birney, Susan Clark, Dana Delaney, Nancy Dussault, Conchata Ferrell,
Bonnie Franklin, Harold Gould, Joel Grey, Larry Hagman, Bill Irwin, Stacy Keach, Jack Lemmon, Donna
McKechnie, Amanda McBroom, Ted Neeley, Paul Provenza, Linda Purl, Rondi Reed, John Ritter, Joe
Spano, Bruce Weitz, JoBeth Williams, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Stephanie Zimbalist and other luminaries have
graced the Rubicon stage. Company members are George Ball, Joseph Fuqua and Jenny Sullivan.
Based in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, Rubicon performs
in a 185-seat historic church built in the 1920s. In this renovated historic landmark, audience members
are never further than 10 rows from the stage on the main floor. (The balcony, which seats twenty, is
an excellent setting for private parties or corporate groups.)
True to the company’s name and the vision of artistic directors Karyl Lynn Burns and James O’Neil,
Rubicon has created an environment where commitment and risk are encouraged, and where artists
are nurtured and respected. As a result, the company has gained a reputation for invigorating
interpretations of the classics and for supporting the development of new works. Rubicon presents at
least one World Premiere each season, as well as readings of works-in-progress.
Deeply rooted in the region it serves, Rubicon offers extensive outreach programs, including daytime
matinees for high school students, after-school and weekend programs for at-risk youth, and summer
musical theatre, drama and technical camps. More than 40,000 students have benefited.
A board of directors of prominent social and civic leaders governs Rubicon. The company is also
supported by an advisory group of regional ambassadors and a volunteer auxiliary with nearly 300
members. For more information, please call (805) 667-2900 or visit Rubicon online at
www.rubicontheatre.org.