The magic of Charles Dickens’ classic tale will come to life this year in an all-new radio-style audio play! Imagine Scrooge, Marley and all of the characters you’ve come to love so well… all in the comfort of your home. Click here to view this year’s animated trailer starring the voice of Scrooge, Jeff Steitzer.
“This year is our 45th anniversary of ACT’s much beloved version of A Christmas Carol and like everything else in 2020, it will be delivered to you in a brand-new way,” says John Langs, ACT’s Artistic Director. Langs also helmed this year’s production. “The hard-working team at ACT, after converting the Falls Theatre into a safety-compliant recording studio, embarked on the adventure of turning our stage production into a lovingly rendered audio production that we know will be a movie for your mind.”
Audiences will be magically transported to that famously chilly Christmas Eve night in our enchanting adaptation with an all-star cast on hand to bring Charles Dickens’ tale to life.
Jeff Steitzer returns to A Christmas Carol – this time, as Ebenezer Scrooge. Kurt Beattie takes a new turn as Marley. We are delighted that Leslie Law (Spirit #2), Arlando Smith (Fred), Rob Burgess (Mr. Fezziwig) and Piper Harden (Tiny Tim) are reprising their beloved roles this year. Our cast of favorites also includes ACT Core Company members Anne Allgood, Chip Sherman, Rachel Guyer-Mafune and Jasmine Jean Sim, as well as many other familiar faces (and some new ones) as these beloved characters.
John continues, “Sitting in the isolation of the control booth at the back of the Falls Theatre, I was wonderfully struck listening to this story come alive through the voices of this tremendously talented cast who have brought their whole heart to the telling of this story.”
Check out this first look at this year’s production of A Christmas Carol. Comfort and Joy – recorded in whisper booths at The 5th Avenue Theatre featuring Anne Allgood, Leslie Law, Nathaniel Tenenbaum and Eric Jensen.
About this year’s production and recording of A Christmas Carol
We are proud to present a fully cast and professionally produced audio version of A Christmas Carol this year. This year’s audio play represents ACT’s 45th year of delighting audiences with Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption and charity. And even though we can’t, because of COVID restrictions, produce this holiday favorite for the live stage as we have done traditionally, we can, in this new digital space, give the gift of A Christmas Carol to many more families in Seattle and across the country than we could ever have reached solely from our stage. Think of this year’s production as a “movie for your mind.”
Our recording was completed over the course of six days in October. Seven recording booths were set up on ACT’s Falls stage with professional sound recording equipment. Singing was captured by using recording booths at The 5th Avenue Theatre. It was essential that our cast could work and create in the safest of conditions.
Prior to recording, all actors rehearsed remotely together over Zoom.
“Like the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, our sound engineer Sharath Patel has a gift for transporting you through time and space and landing you right alongside Ebenezer Scrooge on his transformative journey,” John goes on to say.
“The cast was tested for COVID every 72 hours to keep one another safe so they could make something beautiful. In this year where we have lost so much, this story glows with the promise of a better world. A world that offers such a generous rendering of humanity and the possibility that it is never too late to make better choices. Having lived with this story at ACT over the past few years its message only grows stronger the more adversity we face. We cannot wait to share it with you.”
Our Cast and Crew
Meet the cast of A Christmas Carol. We bet you’ll recognize many familiar names and faces:
Anne Allgood* | Mrs. Fezziwig, Mrs. Dilber, Laundress
Kurt Beattie | Marley, Old Joe
Rob Burgess | Mr. Fezziwig, Topper, Solicitor #2
Gwen Cable | Belinda/Elizabeth, Fan
Alban Dennis | Bob Cratchit, Grocer
Rachel Guyer-Mafune* | Martha, Guest, Charwoman
Piper Harden | Tiny Tim
Ty Ho | Charles, Turkey Boy/Undertaker’s Assistant, Master Fezziwig
Tracy Hyland | Mrs. Cratchit, Sugar Plum Seller
Eric Jensen | Caroler
Apollo Jones | Peter, Young Scrooge, Singing Thief
Josh Kenji | Middle Scrooge, Robin Crusoe
Leslie Law | Ghost of Christmas Present
Galen Osier | Solicitor #1, Party Guest, Businessman
Chip Sherman* | Ghost of Christmas Past
Jasmine Jean Sim* | Belle, Niece
Arlando Smith | Fred, Dick Wilkins, Businessman
Jeff Steitzer | Ebenezer Scrooge
Nathaniel Tenenbaum | Narrator
John Langs – Director
*ACT Core Company
Sharath Patel – Sound Designer and Master Engineer
Gin Hammond – Dialect Coach
R.J. Tancioco – Music Director
Stina Lotti – Stage Manager
Cricket Myers – Audio Editor
Erin Zatloka – Covid Compliance Officer