ACT Contemporary Theatre has unveiled the cast and creative crew for their 48th rendition of the cherished holiday tale, A Christmas Carol.
Originally adapted for the stage back in 1976 by the founder of ACT, Gregory Falls, this year’s production will feature the talented Seattle actor, Darragh Kennan, taking on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Guiding this perennial holiday tradition is R. Hamilton Wright, a familiar face in ACT and Seattle theatre, while the choreography is skillfully orchestrated by the renowned Donald Byrd, the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Company. The timeless enchantment of Charles Dickens’ work will come to life at ACT’s Allen Theatre from November 24 to December 24.
“Over the last 20 years I have played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol many times, and this is my fourth time directing it,” said Director R. Hamilton Wright. “Each time I come back to it I experience a revelation—something new, something unexpected, something that had never occurred to me. It’s amazing. A little like magic.”
New to 2023, ACT Contemporary Theatre is presenting a sensory-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol. In partnership with Sensory Access, the December 10 performance will be adapted with key sensory-friendly changes to create a calm and welcoming environment.
About the Cast
A Christmas Carol features Darragh Kennan (ACT: Oslo; Romeo & Juliet) in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge; Jon Lutyens (ACT: Mary Stuart) as Bob Cratchit; Josephine Keefe (Spokane Civic: The Humans) as Mrs. Cratchit; Ray Tagavilla (ACT: Sweat) as Marley; Mandy Rose Nichols (Reboot Theatre: Sweeney Todd) as Spirit 1; Arlando Smith (ACT: Choir Boy; Sweat) as Spirit 2; Anne Allgood (ACT: Mary Stuart; The Crucible) as Mrs. Fezziwig; Rob Burgess (ACT: A Christmas Carol) as Mr. Fezziwig; Rio Alberto (Spokane Ensemble Theater: Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Fred; Hazel Rose Gibson (Seattle Public Theater: Pipeline) as Belle and Niece; Morgan Gwilym Tso (ACT Theatre: Wolf Play) as Middle Scrooge; Evangeline OpongParry (Seattle Children’s Theatre: Corduroy) as Belinda Cratchit; Molly Aidlin (ACT: A Christmas Carol) as Elizabeth Cratchit; Leif Coomer as Street Urchin; Micah Hutchinson as Charles Cratchit; Isaiah Hyde as Peter and Young Scrooge; Liam Kuriatnyk as Tiny Tim; and Anneliese Ulmer-Schultz as Marth and Miss Fezziwig.
Understudies include Calder Jameson Schilling, Jennifer Ewing, and Shawn Belyea.
About The Creative Team
The creative team features R. Hamilton Wright (Director); Donald Byrd (Choreographer); R.J. Tancioco (Music Director); Alyssa Keene (Dialect Coach); Shelley Schermer (Scenic Design); Deb Trout (Costume Design); Andrew D. Smith (Lighting Design); and Brendan Patrick Hogan (Sound Design).
About R. Hamilton Wright (Director)
R. Hamilton Wright has appeared in over fifty productions at ACT Theatre, the first being Sam Shepard’s Buried Child in 1981 directed by Robert Loper and the latest being Reginald André Jackson’s History of Theatre in 2023 directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton. His original play Sherlock Holmes and The Vanishing Thimble premiered last spring at Vertigo Theatre in Calgary.
About Donald Byrd (Choreographer)
Donald Byrd is a Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer. He has been the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle since December 2002. Formerly, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York that toured both nationally and internationally. He has created dance works for many leading companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem, among others, and worked extensively in theater and opera.