"A Christmas Carol"
Returns For 32nd Annual Production
At Trinity Rep

Trinity Rep in Providence will present its 32nd annual production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" from November 21 - December 31. Adapted by Adrian Hall and Richard Cumming and directed by Liesl Tommy, the production has been dubbed, "The crowning jewel of holiday theatre here in Rhode Island" by EDGE Providence.

In the timeless tale, Ebenezer Scrooge is confronted on Christmas Eve by the eerie apparition of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. The ghost bears a stern warning that Scrooge has one last chance to mend the errors of his ways.

Three spirits subsequently appear that very night— the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Following an evening of magical travels and revelations, Scrooge greets Christmas morning with newfound hope and seizes the chance to redeem his ways.

Tommy commented, “I’m thrilled to be back in Providence as a guest director. Dickens is one of my favorite authors. I think the message of 'A Christmas Carol' has never had more relevance than in our current culture.”

She added “Scrooge this year is played by acting company members Mauro Hantman and Joe Wilson, Jr. We want to inject a different energy into Scrooge this year to make him a more dangerous, edgy bad guy. These two actors are the perfect choice to drive the play in that direction.”

Of the physical production itself, Tommy explained, “We’re going traditional all the way, but with a few surprises – we’re planning on a lot of flying special effects, and live music will be a huge part of this year’s show.”

This year’s production once again features two rotating casts. In addition to Mauro Hantman and Joe Wilson, Jr. as Scrooge, the show features Trinity Rep resident acting company members Phyllis Kay, Barbara Meek, Anne Scurria, Fred Sullivan, Jr. and Rachael Warren; associate artist Richard Donelly; guest artists Bob Casey, D’Arcy Dersham, Tom Gleadow, Nick Newell, Dean Robinson, Molly Schreiber and Angela Williams; and Brown/Trinity Consortium actors (Class of ’09) Parker Leventer, Nate Dendy, Craig Divino, Michael Propster, Joe Short, Paola Grande, Russ Salmon, Jimmy King and Patricia Lynn.

Returning this year is the lively accompaniment of Trinity Rep's "house musicians," Rachel Maloney, Chris Turner, Steve Jobe, Kevin Fallon and Chris Lussier. The children’s cast will be announced shortly.

Liesl Tommy’s regional theater credits include "In the Continuum" at Playmakers Rep; "The Stick Fly" at Contemporary American Theatre Festival; "Angela’s Mixtape" at Synchronicity Performance Group; "Flight" at City Theatre; "The Good Negro" at the Dallas Theater Center, Public Theatre and the Sundance Theatre Institute; "Small Tragedy" at NYU/Strasberg Institute; "Camino Real" at Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium; "Isaac and Ishmael" at Chautauqua Theatre Institute; "Uncle Vanya" at Juilliard; "Split Ends" at La MAMA; "Our Lady of 121st Street" at Juilliard; "Bus and Family Ties" by at the Play Company, "Romania;" "Hydriotaphia" at Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium; "Misterioso 119" at Berkshire Theatre Festival and Act French Festival/Lark Theatre; "Adventures of Barrio Grrrl" at SPF; and "A Stone’s Throw" at Women’s Project.

Through the generous support of their education funders, Trinity Rep's Project Discovery program offers 26 student matinee performances of "A Christmas Carol" at a reduced admission price. Thousands of elementary, middle and high school students from throughout Southeastern New England take advantage of these discounted matinees.

For information and tickets, call 401-351-4242 or visit www.trinityrep.com.

-- OnStage Boston