Milwaukee Rep Announces Cast and Creative Team For 40th Anniversery Production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Milwaukee Repertory Theater announced casting today for the 40th Anniversary production of A Christmas Carol, presented by Wells Fargo, which runs in the Pabst Theater from December 1 – 24, 2015.
Milwaukee Rep Associate Artistic Director & Director of New Play Development Brent Hazelton will reprise Director Aaron Posner’s critically-acclaimed staging, featuring a powerhouse cast full-to-bursting with Milwaukee favorites. Enjoy the music, dancing, and timeless message of hope, peace, and love, as Dickens’ classic masterpiece celebrates its 40th Anniversary at Milwaukee Rep!
For a second year, Jonathan Smoots delivers Milwaukee’s yearly dose of hum-bug as Ebenezer Scrooge. Rep credits include Speaking in Tongues (Pete/Neal/John), The Seafarer (Mr. Lockhart), The Voysey Inheritance (Major Booth), and A Doll’s House (Torvald). Also returning for a second year, 8-year-old Amalia Cecsarini steals audience’s hearts all over again as Tiny Tim. Cornerstones of the Milwaukee arts community Ray Jivoff and Angela Iannone bring the grandiose Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig to life. Iannone, a Rep Associate Artist, returns after being seen in Cabaret (Fraulein Kost), Napoli Millionaria (Amalia), the World Premiere of Work Song (Oligivana), and the Regional Premiere of Lombardi (Marie Lombardi). Jivoff, Associate Artistic Director of Skylight Music Theatre, returns to The Rep after appearing in the 2012/13 production of Assassins (James Garfield). He has performed and directed extensively in Milwaukee for Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Sunset Playhouse. Rep Associate Artist Deborah Staples, recently seen at The Rep in the one-woman show The Amish Project, joins the cast of A Christmas Carol as the spritely Ghost of Christmas Past. Additional Rep credits include last season’s Harvey (Veta Louise Simmons), Noises Off (Belinda), and The Diary of Anne Frank (Mrs. Van Daan).
Returning to Milwaukee Repertory Theater are: Chiké Johnson, seen at The Rep in A Christmas Carol, A Raisin in the Sun, and King Lear, at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre in ‘Master Harold’… and the boys, and at First Stage in Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars; Malkia Stampley, 2005/06 Artistic Intern Ensemble Member and Producing Artistic Director of Bronzeville Arts Ensemble, previously seen at The Rep in Dreamgirls, The Color Purple, Intimate Apparel, and Sueño; Bethany Thomas, currently performing in Aaron Posner’s The Tempest with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, seen at The Rep in The Color Purple, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Ragtime; Jonathan Wainwright, seen at The Rep in A Christmas Carol and Othello, and at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre in The Good Father and Broken and Entered; Michael Doherty seen at The Rep in A Christmas Carol and in the 2013/14 production of Ragtime, off-Broadway in Dublin by Lamplight, and at Arden Theatre Company in Next to Normal and The History Boys; Beth Mulkerron, seen at The Rep in A Christmas Carol, Hula Hoop Sha-Boop, and Ragtime, and at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and Skylight Music Theatre; and Jennifer Latimore, 2014/15 Artistic Intern Ensemble Member, seen at The Rep in Dreamgirls and as Kate in last season’s Good People.
Chris Klopatek, recently seen in Jeeves Takes a Bow and The Complete Works of Shakespeare at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, is making his Milwaukee Rep debut in A Christmas Carol. Klopatek has performed extensively with American Players Theater, and has appeared at Utah Shakespeare Festival.
The Cast of A Christmas Carol in alphabetical order:
Michael Doherty* – Young Scrooge
Angela Iannone±- Mrs. Fezziwig
Ray Jivoff– Mr. Fezziwig
Chiké Johnson-Marley
Chris Klopatek– Fred
Jennifer Latimore – Belle
Beth Mulkerron*- Catherine
Jonathan Smoots* – Ebenezer Scrooge
Malkia Stampley* – Mrs. Cratchit
Deborah Staples* ± – Ghost of Christmas Past
Bethany Thomas– Ghost of Christmas Present
Jonathan Wainwright– Mr. Cratchit
A Christmas Carol Children’s Cast includes: Teddy Anagnostopoulos (Ensemble), Maya O’Day Biddle (Alice Cratchit), Ashley Bock (Want), Austin Bock (Ignorance), Luke Brotherhood (Boy Scrooge), Jack Burns (Ensemble), Amalia Cecsarini (Tiny Tim), Casey Dobson (Ensemble), Kai Liebenstein (Ensemble), Carlos Meyers (Peter Cratchit), Chantae Miller (Belinda Cratchit), Deyki Miller (Ensemble), Alayna Perry (Ensemble), Georgina Pink (Fan), Hannah Reynolds (Ensemble), Gabe Smith (Dick Wilkins), Jack Trettin (Smudge), Tory Trettin (Martha), Josie Trettin (Ensemble), and Ella Vitrano (Mary Cratchit)
A Christmas Carol features 2015/16 Emerging Professional Residents: Nabrashaa Nelson (Assistant Director); Miriam Michaels (Stage Management Resident); and Emerging Professional Resident Ensemble members Bridgid Abrams, Jared Davis, Martin Hanna, Di’Monte Henning, Arielle Leverett, Christian Magby, Riley James O’Toole, Hallie Peterson, and Kammeran Tyree
The creative team for A Christmas Carol includes: Brent Hazelton (Associate Director); Dan Kazemi (Music Director); Michael Pink (Stage Movement Director); Marjorie Bradley Kellogg (Scenic Designer); Martha Hally (Costumer Designer); Thom Weaver (Lighting Designer); Barry G. Funderburg (Sound Designer); John Tanner± (Music Supervisor); Jill Walmsley Zager (Dialect Coach); JC Clementz (Casting Director); Rebecca Lindsey* (Stage Manager); Kimberly Carolus* (Assistant Stage Manager); and Audra Kuchling (Stage Management Apprentice)
- Member of Actors’ Equity Association
± Rep Associate Artist
A Christmas Carol runs in the Pabst Theater from December 1 – 24 (Opening Night is December 2). Tickets (starting at $25 and subject to change) can be purchased online at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, by phone at 414-224-9490 or at the Ticket Office (108 E Wells Street). A Christmas Carol is presented by Wells Fargo.
Information
Tickets: www.MilwaukeeRep.com, by phone at 414-224-9490, or at the Ticket Office at 108 E Wells Street, Milwaukee.
Hours: 12noon – 6pm; on performance days, the office remains open until 15 minutes past curtain.
Student Discounts: Students 18 and under can purchase $20 tickets for select seating areas.
35 & Under: Select tickets available for $20 for patrons 35 & Under. (Select 35 & Under price at checkout online)
Group Sales: Discounted tickets for parties of 10+. Call 414-290-5340.
About Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Rep is a nationally-recognized company that presents compelling dramas, powerful classics, award-winning contemporary works, full-scale musicals, housed in its three unique performance venues – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret. The Rep
also produces an annual production of A Christmas Carol, celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2015, at the beautiful and historic Pabst Theater. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Managing Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity.