By Charles Dickens Directed by Scott Denison

CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY
Michael Butler, Artistic Director
OF
WALNUT CREEK
Scott Denison, Managing Director
presents
By Charles Dickens
Adaptation by Cynthia Caywood and Richard L. James
Directed by Scott Denison
Music Director
Michael Wiles
Lighting Designer
John Earls
Scenic Designer
Kelly James Tighe
Costuming
Michael A. Berg
Stage Manager
Jeff Collister*
Hofmann Theatre
December 6 - 16, 2012
Lesher Center for the Arts
Season
Sponsor
Season Partner
Season Media Sponsor
Choreographer
Jennifer Perry
Sound Designer
Jeff Mockus
Production
Sponsor
Foundation Sponsor
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Center REP is a member of Theatre Bay Area and Theatre Communications Group (TCG), The National Organization for the American Theatre
The Sound Designer is a member of United Scenic Artists Union
CAST
Michael A. Berg................................................... Mr. Applebaum
Evan Boomer........................................................ Young Scrooge
Ryan Cowles.................................................Future/Dick Wilkins
Amanda Denison.......................................................Belle/Nancy
Max DeSantis.............................................Peter Cratchit/Georgie
Jeff Draper............................................... Marley/Topper/Old Joe
Trevor Gomez................................................Turkey Boy/Charlie
Nicole Helfer.................................................................. Catherine
Tim Homsley...........................................Mr. Boxer/Snuffbox/Pip
Andrew Humann..................................................... Thief//Bailey
Heather Kellogg.......................................................Anne/Cherry
Britt Lauer..................................................Dorit/Fauna Fezziwig
Maggie Mason......................................................... Mrs. Cratchit
Everett Meckler................................... Boy Scrooge/Beggar Boy
Robin Melnick.............................................. Mr. Bagstock - Bass
Victoria Morgan........................................ Flora Fezziwig/Sophy
R. Martin Newton.......................................................Rudge/Boz
Jeanine Perasso....................................Mrs. Fezziwig/Laundress
Grace Perry............................................................... Lizzie/Want
Vince Perry............................... Constable/Undertaker/Havisham
Mark Anderson Phillips*................................Ebenezer Scrooge
Barbara Reynolds...................................Miss Skiffins - Soprano
Tim Reynolds....................................................Mr. Tiffey - Tenor
Joel Roster.............................................................. Fred Hastings
Kristina Schoell................................................... Martha Cratchit
Kerri Shawn...................................................... Past/Charwoman
Claire Shepard............................................ Belinda Cratchit/Fan
Grant Strain....................................................................... Barkis
Scott Strain..................................Mr. Fezziwig/Nigel Woodward
Molly Thornton...........................................Miss Augustus - Alto
Kyle Valentine.......................................................................Silas
Ginny Wehrmeister.......................................................... Lavinia
Michael Wiles*......................................................... Bob Cratchit
Michael Ray Wisely*........................................................Present
Olivia Wisely.............................................................. Molly/Polly
Wendy Wisely.................................................................. Lucretia
Brady Wright.................................................Tiny Tim/Ignorance
Special thanks to Ken Ruta*, Narrator
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Michael A. Berg (Mr. Applebaum) is happy
to be included in this season’s production of
A Christmas Carol as Mr. Applebaum, one of
the solicitors. Michael is very pleased to be
working on the costumes as well. He works full
time for Center REP as a stitcher and sometime
actor and if he is lucky he gets to design as
well! Michael has been seen as the Usher in
Center REP’s production of Witness for the Prosecution and as
Starveling the tailor in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Michael
and Ophelia (his four legged significant other), wish all of you a
bountiful and peaceful holiday season!!
Evan Boomer (Young Scrooge) is so
grateful to be back with Center REP for this
production of A Christmas Carol. Recent
credits with Center REP include: “Klinglehoff”
- The Underpants, “Man #2” - Lucky Stiff,
“Terpsicore” – Xanadu, “Hanschen” – Spring
Awakening (Off Center), “The Waiter” –
She Loves Me. Other recent credits include:
“Jason” – Tales of Olympus [workshop] (Bay Area Children’s
Theater), “Peter Pinkerton” – Pinkalicious, the Musical (Bay Area
Children’s Theater), “Al DeLuca” – A Chorus Line (Contra Costa
Musical Theater). He holds a B.A. in Theater Arts from Cal State
East Bay, and is a proud member of the Fantasy Forum Actor’s
Ensemble. He wishes you a very merry holiday season, and hopes
you enjoy A Christmas Carol!
Ryan Cowles (Future/Dick Wilkins)
is
beyond words to be making his Center REP
debut with A Christmas Carol. He was last
seen on Broadway buying a hotdog. Broadway
National Tours: Monty Python’s: Spamalot, The
Drowsy Chaperone, and Hairspray. Bay Area
Credits include: Joseph… with CCMT, 9to5
with The Willows and Fantasy Forum Actors
Ensemble. Favorite regional credits include Zanna Don’t (Zanna),
La Cage aux Folles (Phaedra), All Shook Up (Dean Hyde),
Urinetown, Lippa’s The Wild Party and numerous shows and
parades at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL including
Fantasmic! and the The Hoop Dee Doo Revue (Johnny Ringo).
Lots of love and thanks to Jenny, Jose, Mom & Dad.
Amanda Denison (Belle/Nancy) is so excited
to be a part of such an amazing production.
She recently completed her B.A in Theatre
Arts with an emphasis in Acting at San
Francisco State University. Amanda has been
performing since she was seven years old and
has been a part of numerous productions at
the Lesher Center for the Arts. Whether she is
onstage acting or backstage working on a production she is happy
because she is doing exactly what she loves to do. Amanda was
last seen in Contra Costa Musical Theatre’s production of Joseph
and the Amazing… Amanda is proudly on the teaching staff for
The Ballet School Performing Arts and is Director of Performing
Arts Studio, a program of The Ballet School and Fantasy Forum
Actors Ensemble. Amanda is currently on the teaching staff for
Young REP, Center REP’s Theatre Training Program. She is also
a proud member of Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble. You will
next see Amanda in Center REP’s upcoming production of Sweet
Charity. She would like to dedicate this performance to her Nanny.
Thank you Nanny for sending me on the right path!
Max DeSantis (Peter Cratchit/Georgie)
feels very blessed to be back for the third
time in A Christmas Carol! Other favorite
roles: Ugly in Honk! and Oliver in Oliver!
(Sunnyvale Community Players), Kurt in The
Sound of Music (TVRT), Heavenly Friend in
Carousel (Lyric Theatre), Orphan Jack in Into
the Woods (Diablo Theatre Company), Choir
in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Ensemble
in Oklahoma, Fagin’s Gang in Oliver! (CCMT), Lost Boy in
Peter Pan (Woodminster), Ensemble in Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, Oklahoma, Cinderella, Seussical
(TVRT). Max is very excited to be playing Nathan in TVRT’s
The Full Monty opening in January 2013! Max studies ballet and
tap at The Ballet School in Walnut Creek and loves his summers
learning with Young REP. He he also studies piano and voice, and
in his free time Max likes to work in films.
Jeff Draper (Marley/Topper/Old Joe) has
been seen in many Center REP productions,
including Spring Awakening, Cabaret, How
the Other Half Loves, Around the World in
80 Days and Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Jeff
loves spending his summers with the students
of Young REP, where he is Co-Education
Director with Kerri Shawn. Jeff would like to
thank his Mom, Dad, and husband Dalon for supporting his crazy
love of acting and theater.
Trevor Gomez (Turkey Boy/Charlie) is very
excited to perform in A Christmas Carol
for his fourth year. Trevor is a 7th grader at
Pleasant Hill Middle School and participated
in the amazing Young Rep program for the frst
time this year. Recent performances include
Joseph (CCMT) and Bobby in A Doll’s House
(Willows). Other performances include City Mayor in Wizard of
Oz (DTC), Rooster in Annie, Jr. (CC Christian Theatre), David in
Rags the Musical (Willow’s Caberet), Malcolm in 13 The Musical
(Music Box Theatre). a member of Fagin’s Gang in Oliver!
(CCMT), Little Guido in Nine (CCCT), Billy in Nuncrackers
(Willow’s Caberet), and Billy in Honk! (CC Christian Theatre).
Trevor also performs with Pleasant Hill’s Star Quest, church choir
and enjoys baseball and flag football.
Nicole Helfer (Catherine) is a Bay Area
native and a graduate of San Francisco State
University. Performance credits include Betty
Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard (CCMT; Shellie
nomination), Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors
(CCMT), Velma Kelly in Chicago (Willows
Theatre Company; SFBATCC nominee),
Sarah in Harold Pinter’s The Lover (Off Broadway West), Val in A
Chorus Line (CCMT), Kate Monster/Lucy T. Slut in the National
Regional Premier of Avenue Q (Willows Theatre Company),
Miraid in Brimstone (Willows Theatre Company; SFBATCC and
Shellie nominee), and Sheila in Hair (Willows Theatre Company;
Shellie nominee). Choreography credits include RENT (Pacific
Coast Reperatory), Pinkalicious and Click Clack Moo (Bay Area
Children’s Theater); You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, 8 Track:
Sounds of the 70s, and Six Women With Brain Death (Willows
Theatre Company). She would like to thank her family, friends,
and her amazing boyfriend for their love and support.
Tim Homsley (Mr. Boxer/Snuffbox/Pip)
This will be Tim’s first time performing in A
Christmas Carol and he is happy to be taking
part in the tradition. Shows with Center REP
include Xanadu as Sonny Malone and Spring
Awakening as Melchior. Other companies:
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (CCMT), Chorus for both Pirates
of Penzance and Willful (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Chip
in Spelling Bee (Oregon Cabaret Theater), Percy in The Scarlet
Pimpernel (Camelot Theater), and Bobby Strong in Urinetown
(Southern Oregon University). Tim earned his BFA at Southern
Oregon University.
Andrew Humann (Thief/Bailey) is thrilled
to be working for Center REP again after
appearing
in last season’s OFF Center
production of Spring Awakening. Andrew
was last seen as a hillbilly brother in CCMT’s
Joseph and the Amazing… Other credits
include CB in Dog Sees God and Tommy
Gnosis in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Boxcar
Theater), Riff in West Side Story and Jesus in Jesus Christ
Superstar (YMTC), and a handful of other shows throughout
the Bay Area. After the holidays, Andrew can be seen as Mark
in Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre’s Rent and then again at the
Lesher Center in Fantasy Forum Actor’s Ensemble’s Jack and
the Beanstalk. Andrew would like to thank the Walnut Creek
theater community for welcoming him with open arms. HAPPY
HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!
Heather Kellogg (Anne/Cherry) is happy
to be back again with the Christmas Carol
family. Recent productions include Repro
Rights! with PCSF, staged reading of Three
Rebels (Veronica), The Cherry Orchard
(Anya), The Tempest (Prospero), Toyer
(Maude), Copenhagen (Margrethe), and Titus
Andronicus (Nurse/Beast). She is a graduate of UCLA’s School
of Theater, Film, and Television. During the summer she is lucky
to teach the brilliant young students at Center REP’s Young Rep
Conservatory. Love to mom and dad, always.
Britt Lauer (Dorit/Fauna Fezziwig) is thrilled to
be working, once again, with this wonderful
cast and crew to present this holiday classic!
Britt received her BA in Theatre from
Willamette University where favorite roles
included: Antigone (Antigone), Maureen
(The Beauty Queen of Leenane), Crystal (The
Women), and Gwendolyn (The Importance of
Being Earnest) . A former Young REP student, Britt is delighted
to be spending her summers as a teacher on the Young REP staff.
She wishes you a Happy Holiday season and a joyful New Year!
Maggie Mason (Mrs. Cratchit) is very
excited to be a part of this wonderful
Christmas Carol and so happy to be back at
Center REP. She was last seen at Center REP
as Raina in Arms and the Man. New York
Credits: These Seven Sicknesses, and Arok of
Java (Exit, Pursued by a Bear), Right to the
Top (workshop and staged reading) written
and directed by Amy Freed. Bay Area Credits: Henry V (SF
Shakes) dir. Ken Kelleher; Period of Adjustment (SF Playhouse)
dir. Bill English; Why We Have A Body dir. Katie Pearl, and Or,
dir. Loretta Greco (Magic Theatre) for which she was nominated
‘Best Actress’ in the Bay Area Critics Circle Awards 2010;
You, Nero dir. Sharon Ott and Arabian Nights (understudy) dir.
Mary Zimmerman (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); Rock and Roll
(San Jose Stage); Possibilidad (San Francisco Mime Troupe);
Hamlet and As You Like It (Pacific Repertory Theatre); Future
Me (TheatreFIRST); Oskar the Bully (Theatreworks). Film and
television: Grange Hill (BBC) Gemma Lyons, 3 seasons; Mirad
a Boy From Bosnia, (BBC) dir. Jeremy Irons, starring Jeremy
Irons and Sinead Cusack.
Everett Meckler (Boy Scrooge/Beggar Boy)
a 5th grader at Cooper Elementary in
Vacaville, was first introduced to live theatre
as a member of the audience at Children’s
Musical Theater San Jose’s production of
Oliver in 2009. Upon leaving the theater he
exclaimed “I want to do that!”, and he has
been performing ever since. His favorite
roles include Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol at San Jose Rep as
well as Colin Craven in The Secret Garden and Tommy Pickles
in Rugrats! A Live Adventure at Children’s Musical Theater San
Jose. Everett is thrilled to join the cast of A Christmas Carol at
Center REP and he would like to thank his family, friends, fellow
cast members (past and present and future ;D) and the audience
for all their love and support!
Robin Melnick (Mr. Bagstock - Bass) is
delighted to be back sharing in the holiday
spirit with cast, crew, and audience of A
Christmas Carol. His favorite roles elsewhere
have included El Gallo in The Fantasticks,
Lancelot in Camelot, Rapunzel’s Prince
in Into the Woods, and Smudge in Forever
Plaid and Plaid Tidings. By day, Robin is a doctoral student in
linguistic and cognitive science, having decided that after 20
years in high-tech, what he really wants to be when he grows up
is a starving grad student. He is grateful as always to Mary and
Andrew for all of their love and support.
Victoria Morgan (Flora Fezziwig /Sophy) is
so happy to be working with Ceter REP on
A Christmas Carol. Recent credits include
Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (CCMT) where
she received the Shellie Award for Leading
Female in a Musical. Ronnette in Little Shop
of Horrors (BBBay) Tracy Turnblad (Musical
Theater West) where she received the Stage
Scene LA Spotlight for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in
a Musical, Gabby/Bobbi in City of Angels (Hillbarn Theatre),
Joanne in RENT (Palo Alto Players), TiMoune in Once on this
Island (Berkeley Playhouse) and Karaoke Host for California
Great America. State of Hawaii credits include Holly in The
Wedding Singer where she received the Hawaii State Po’okela
Award for Best Featured Female in a Musical. Love to her
family and friends for their endless support! Happy Holidays.
R. Martin Newton (Rudge/Boz) This year
marks Marty’s 6th year with A Christmas
Carol. It’s a production he looks forward
to every year! This year is especially
exciting with a Giants World Series win, a
49’ers Superbowl win (that’s on his list for
Santa) and getting to work with a bunch of
talented people he considers family! Marty
was recently featured in CCMT’s Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat after a two year break and he’s exciting
to be bursting out of the gates with another show already in
the works: The Full Monty a Tri-Valley Repertory Theater in
Pleasanton. Marty enjoys football, knitting and French Bull dog
puppies. He’s also a fan of the popular TV shows The Walking
Dead, American Horror Story and RuPaul’s Drag Race. Marty’s
a well-rounded guy!
Jeanine Louise Perasso (Mrs. Fezziwig/
Laundress) makes her 15th appearance in A
Christmas Carol with Center REP this year.
It’s always a pleasure to celebrate with her
2nd family! She was last seen as The Wicked
Witch in FFAE’s production of Snow White and
worked behind the scenes on CCMT’s Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Some of her favorite roles include Sr. Robert Anne in Nunsense,
Angel in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and The Wardrobe
in Beauty and the Beast. She is a proud member of FFAE and
is honored to be a member of the CCMT Board. As a certified
arborist, she enjoys exploring the outdoors and also likes traveling
to new and exciting places with her wonderful husband, Fred,
family and friends.
Grace Perry (Lizzie/Want) is a proud student of
Lareen Fender’s The Ballet School Performing
Arts, where she studies ballet and tap. She
takes Theatre classes with the Performing Arts
Studio all held at The Ballet School. Grace is
in the second grade and loves to take Kung-Fu
with her Dad at Concord Kung-Fu Academy. Grace has been seen
in CCMT shows such as Oklahoma!, and most recently Joseph and
the Amazing...Grace will next appear in Once Upon a Christmas.
Vince Perry (Constable/Undertaker/Havisham)
Some Favorite Roles include: Pharaoh (Joseph
and The Amazing..., CCMT), Cord Elam
(Oklahoma!, CCMT) Sir Evelyn (Anything
Goes, CCMT), Constable and Young Scrooge
(Center REP’s A Christmas Carol), Miles
(Funny Thing Happened, CCMT), Boatman
(Sunday in the Park with George, CCMT)
Harry (Once Upon A Mattress), George (High Society, DLOC)
Captain Sloop (Crimson Pirate, FFAE), Harry the Horse (Guys
and Dolls, CCMT). Vince is a proud member of Fantasy Forum
Actor’s Ensemble www.fantasyforum.org, and a multiple
Marty Award winner. Vince teaches Piano, Voice and Improv at
Performing Arts Studio at The Ballet School in Walnut Creek.
www.theballetschool.org
Mark Anderson Phillips* (Ebenezer Scrooge)
is pleased to be back at CenterREP, where
he was last seen in Rumors. Other REP
appearances include Noises Off, Witness for the
Prosecution, How the Other Half Loves, and
Around the World in 80 Days. Most recently,
Mark was seen in Clybourne Park at Repertory
Theatre of St. Louis, Time Stands Still at
TheatreWorks, and Salomania at Aurora Theatre. His work at
other theatres includes roles with American Conservatory Theatre,
Berkeley Repertory Theatre, ACT Theatre of Seattle, San Jose
Repertory Theatre, The Magic Theatre, The SF Playhouse, Marin
Theatre Company, California Shakespeare Theatre, San Francisco
Shakespeare Festival, Arizona Theatre Company, and Word for
Word. Mark has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Joan
Rivers - a work in progress by a life in progress) and the New York
International Fringe Festival (Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance
Party, which won Best of Fringe). He is the recipient of three Bay
Area Drama Critics’ Circle awards for best performance by a male
in a leading role. He plays Gideon T. Flummox in the children’s
video project, Flummox and Friends (flummoxandfriends.com).
For Bertie. www.markandersonphillips.com
Barbara Reynolds (Miss Skiffins - Soprano)
is enjoying her 16th season with Center REP’s
Christmas Carol family. She is a summa cum
laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in
music, and currently sings with the San Jose
Symphonic Choir. Favorite theatrical roles
include Ragtime (Mother), The Music Man
(Marian) and She Loves Me (Amalia) for
South Bay Musical Theatre; The Dollar Princess (Alice Conder)
and The Most Happy Fella (Rosabella) for Lyric Theatre; H.M.S.
Pinafore (Josephine) with the Lamplighters; A Little Night Music
(Mrs. Nordstrom) and Ragtime with TheatreWorks; and Show
Boat for Foothill Music Theatre (Dean Goodman Choice award
as Magnolia).
Tim Reynolds (Mr. Tiffey - Tenor) celebrates
his 16th year as part of the Christmas Carol
quartet. Recent credits include Anything Goes
(Lord Evelyn) and The Producers (Leo Bloom)
with Foothill Music Theatre; Urinetown
(Lockstock) with Sunnyvale Community
Players; Chicago (Billy Flynn), The Full Monty
(Harold) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate)
with City Lights Theatre Company of San Jose; and A Chorus
Line (Zach), Hairspray (Corny Collins) and Ragtime (Tateh) for
Broadway by the Bay; and The Story of My Life (Thomas Weaver)
for The Tabard Theatre Company where he will next appear in a
the musical revue I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony
Bennett. He holds a theater degree from Northwestern University.
Joel Roster (Fred Hastings) Back for his ninth
consecutive year with his Carol family, REP
audiences have seen Mr. Roster this season as
the Corpse in Lucky Stiff and as the Keyboard
Cat in Status Update. A two-time Shellie award
recipient for acting, Joel has been seen with
CCMT, Ray of Light Theatre, SHN, Town
Hall Theatre, Diablo Actors Ensemble and many, many others.
He currently serves as the Director of Education for Town Hall
Theatre in Lafayette, where he will be directing the Bay Area
premiere of Aaron Sorkin’s The Farnsworth Invention in February
2013. He wishes to dedicate this performance to Michael Wiles.
Kristina Schoell (Martha Cratchit) is honored
to return to Center REP’s A Christmas Carol
for the fourth year. Past productions include:
Joseph and the Amazing…, Evita (CCMT),
The Wizard of Oz, Annie, Into the Woods, Will
Roger’s Follies (Diablo Theatre Company),
Music Man (Tri-Valley Rep), and The Sound
of Music (Vagabond Players). Kristina has
enjoyed Young REP’s intensive theatre training program and
Musical Theatre Conservatory the past four summers. She studies
ballet, tap, and jazz at The Ballet School and voice with Lucia
Scardigno. Kristina wishes you and your family a joyous holiday
season. Enjoy the show!
Kerri Shawn (Past/Charwoman) is grateful
to be returning to Center REP’s wonderful A
Christmas Carol family! Most recently she had
the good fortune of playing Cookie in REP’s
Rumors and Ann Landers in REP’s Off Center
production of The Lady With All The Answers.
Kerri is a proud member of Fantasy Forum
Actor’s Ensemble and is looking forward to
performing in The Biggest Gift a few days before Christmas. She
serves as Co-Director of Education for Center REP, and along with
Jeffrey Draper is in the midst of planning for the 40th year of The
Young Rep Acting Training Program which begins June 18, 2013.
Claire Shepard (Belinda Cratchit/Fan) is
tickled pink to make her Center REP debut!
She was last seen in CCMT’s, Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Claire’s
other mainstage credits include: Marta, The
Sound of Music (TVRT) and Molly, Annie
(Diablo Theatre Co.), where she was lucky
enough to perform alongside her sister and
Mom! She has appeared in over 10 shows with Barrett LindsaySteiner’s Standing Ovations children’s theatre program.
Grant Strain (Barkis) is extremely excited
to be back with the cast of Christmas Carol!
He is very grateful to be able to share the stage
with his father again, after appearing together
in CCMT’s Beauty and the Beast 10 years
ago. Grant is a Junior at Las Lomas High. He
is proud to be the resident lighting designer
at his school, and while he has not appeared
on stage in a few years, gives much of his time to behind the
scenes work with CCMT, Center REP, and the Las Lomas Drama
Department. On the very rare days that he’s not working in a
theatre of some kind, he sees shows with his friends, duck hunts
with his grandfather, and most importantly sleeps. Grant has been
a proud student of the Young REP theatre training program for the
past 5 years, and would like to thank Jenny, Michael, Scott, Jeff,
and Kerri, as well as all of his teachers for giving him such great
instruction. Enjoy the show!
Scott Strain (Mr. Fezziwig/Nigel Woodward)
is thrilled to be back once again in A
Christmas Carol, and sharing the stage with
such wonderful people! Scott has performed
throughout the Bay Area. Favorites include
42nd Street (Bert), Beauty and the Beast
(Cogsworth), Titanic (Charles), Annie
(Rooster) and Guys & Dolls (Nicely), for which he won a Shellie
Award for Supporting Actor. Scott was awarded the special Shellie
Award for his contributions to the arts by CCMT in 2010. His alltime favorite role is “Dad” to son Grant, and he is very excited to
share the stage with him in this production!
Molly Thornton (Miss Augustus - Alto) is
pleased to be making her fifth appearance this
year in this wonderful holiday tradition. Other
favorite credits include Grand Hotel (Raffaela/
SCP), Nine (La Fleur/CLTC), Urinetown
(Pennywise/SCP), The Who’s Tommy (Mrs.
Walker/CLTC), Chicago (Mama Morton/
SBMT), Man of La Mancha (Aldonza/SDG),
The Goodbye Girl (Paula / Bus Barn), Kiss Me Kate (Kate /
WVLOA / ERMA Award) and The Will Rogers Follies (Betty
Blake / CCMT / Shellie Award). Much love to James and Nicole
for their continued support of my theatrical passion.
Kyle Valentine (Silas) is thrilled to be back
with his Christmas Carol family. Most recently
he appeared in CCMT’s Joseph…Dreamcoat.
Other credits include Hairspray and Oklahoma!
(CCMT), and Big River (CCCT). Backstage
credits for Center REP include Lucky Stiff,
Xanadu, Spring Awakening (ASM), The
Storytelling Ability Of A Boy (ASM), Smokey Joe’s Café (A2), Lady
With All The Answers (ASM), Becoming Britney (ASM), and She
Loves Me. Kyle, a sophomore, will next appear in his high school’s
production of Gypsy and DTC’s Singin’ In The Rain. He trains with
Young REP, studies dance at Lareen Fender’s The Ballet School, and
studies voice with Ahmed Elgasseir. He thanks his family for all their
love and support.
CENTER REP THANKS :
Massimo’s Ristorante
Waters Moving and Storage
Associated Services-Alta Water
Contra Costa Musical Theatre
Diablo Theatre Company
Shannon and Mike Demers
Michael Wiles* (Bob Cratchit / Music Director)
returns for his 11th production of A Christmas
Carol at Center REP, where he was also seen
in Dracula, and The Glass Menagerie. Other
stage credits include work with the American
Conservatory Theater (Edward 2, A Christmas
Carol, The Glass Menagerie), American
Musical Theater (Big River), Aurora Theatre
Company (The Persians), Berkeley Repertory Theater (Master
Class, The Oresteia, Metamorphoses), California Shakespeare
Theatre (Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Scapin, Edward II),
Capital Stage Company (Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Master
Class, Fat Pig), Marin Shakespeare Company (King Lear, Macbeth,
Much Ado), Pacific Alliance Stage Company (Doubt, Betrayal, All
My Sons), Pacific Repertory Theater (Julius Caesar, A Number,
Much Ado, Eurydice), San Francisco Shakespeare Festival (Pericles,
Love’s Labours Lost), and Tacoma Actor’s Guild (Twelfth Night). He
is the resident music director for Fantasy Forum Actor’s Ensemble
and the Young Actor’s Studio, and is the Co-Founder/Co-Director
and Musical Director for Center REP’s Young Rep Musical Theater
Conservatory. BFA in Acting, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle.
Ginny Wehrmeister (Lavinia) is overjoyed
to be joining the Christmas Carol family after
enjoying it as a holiday tradition for years!
Ginny is a two-time East Bay “Shellie” award
winner, honored for Best Actress in Role Player
Ensemble’s Bus Stop (Cherie) and Diablo Actors
Ensemble’s Same Time, Next Year (Doris).
She’s performed with CCMT, Diablo Theatre
Company, Town Hall Theatre, and many others. She holds a BFA in
Theatre from University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and is honored
to be part of such a magnificent production. She’d like to dedicate
this performance to her family for their continuous love and support,
Happy Holidays!
Michael Ray Wisely* (Present) 2012 marks
his 17th appearance with the company. REP’s
audiences may remember him as Petkoff in last
season’s Arms and the Man and as Mr. Gilmer
in 2010’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Well known to
Bay Area audiences, Michael Ray has performed
locally and at other West Coast theatres for over
20 years, most recently in Henry V for SF Shakespeare. Other credits
include: Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks, Aurora Theatre
Co., Magic Theatre, San Jose Stage, San Jose Repertory, American
Musical Theatre, Marin Shakespeare and many others. Michael
Ray has starred and guest-starred in television movies and series. A
Director and filmmaker, he also shares the helm of a new Bay Area
independent production company. www.3andahalfegos.com
Olivia DelRay Wisely (Molly/Polly) makes her
7th appearance with her father in A Christmas
Carol. She began her performing career in the
womb as “a sonogram” in a commercial for a
local hospital. 10 years young, her other credits
include: The Tempest and As You Like It, for
California’s Shakespeare Theatre’s conservatory,
Nickel and Dimed and The Imaginary Invalid at Los Positas College
in Livermore, as an M.C. for her schools’ talent show and a Video
for the San Jose Tech Museum. She is a 5th grader at Harding
Elementary in El Cerrito.
Wendy Wisely (Lucretia) Wendy’s previous
Center REP productions include The Diviners,
The Night Hank Williams Died, and Room
Service. Originally from Seattle, she has
acted and/or directed with San Jose Stage Co.,
City Lights, Willows, California Shakespeare
Theatre, Role Players, Townhall, Western Stage.
Wendy is a professor of theater and directs at Las Positas College
and Santa Rosa Junior College. Wendy was recently honored with
a Study Abroad Teaching position in London, 2011 and won best
supporting actor at the 2012 Indie Horror Film Festival in Chicago.
She has an MFA in directing from San Jose State. She is thrilled to be
joining her family for a 6th year in this production.
Brady Wright (Tiny Tim/Ignorance) This
is seven-year-old Brady Wright’s debut
performance as Tiny Tim in Center REP’s
production of A Christmas Carol. A Walnut
Creek native, Brady is in first grade at Walnut
Heights School. In addition to acting, he
loves skateboarding, baseball, and reading.
He is excited to be a part of this Walnut Creek
Christmas tradition.
THANK YOU TO OUR
OPENING NIGHT DINNER SPONSORS:
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Oi-C Bowl
Scott’s Seafood Grill and Restaurant
CITY COUNCIL
Robert Simmons, Mayor
Loella Haskew
Kristine Lawson
Cindy Silva
Justin Wedel
CITY MANAGER
Ken Nordhoff
DIRECTOR
Arts, Recreation and Community Services
Barry Gordon
ARTS COMMISSION
Carol Fowler, Chair
Joe Bologna, Vice Chair
Polly Bradbury
Glynnis Cowdery
Jane Emanuel
CREATIVE TEAM
Scott Denison (Director/Managing Director) has been a leader in the
Arts for 38 years for Walnut Creek and the surrounding communities.
Under Denison’s guidance for the last 21 years as General Manager
for the Lesher Center for the Arts, he oversees over 850 public events
each year. He coordinates performing arts activities with over 85
producers and producing organizations. He is also the Managing
Director of the Center REPertory Company producing 8 professional
productions each season; and is the director and co-founder of
Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble, an adult family performing arts
company which presents programs for the young and Young at Heart.
Scott directed CCMT’s hits Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Rodgers
and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Hairspray, and for the past 13
seasons Center REP’s A Christmas Carol. Denison has directed over
150 productions including most recently REP’s The Lady with All the
Answers starring Kerri Shawn. In 1979 he created the Shellie Awards,
which annually honors outstanding performing arts achievement
in Contra Costa county. In 2007 he created the Chevron Family
Theatre Festival bringing adult nationally acclaimed performances
together for one day performing to over 7,000 guests of all ages.
Kelly James Tighe (Scenic Designer) New York: Heat Wave;
The Jack Cole Project, The Fantasticks, Almost Heaven, Blanche
Survives Katrina In A Fema Trailer Named Desire, The Time
of Mendel’s Trouble. Vegas: Triumph at the Las Vegas Hilton.
National tours: Shear Madness, Cats, Movin’ Out, Almost
Heaven, Mooseltoe. Regional: Dreamgirls, My Way, Aida,
The Full Monty, Jesus Christ Superstar (Gateway Playhouse);
Beauty/Beast, Grease, Titanic, The Who’s Tommy, (Contra Costa
Musical Theatre); Annie, Kiss Me Kate, Joseph/ Dreamcoat
(Ohio’s Carousel Dinner Theater); West Side Story, The Scarlet
Pimpernel (Diablo Light Opera Co.); Around the World In 80
Days, The Pavilion, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, A Christmas Carol
(Center REPertory Co.). Mr. Tighe served as resident Scenic
designer for Michigan’s Cherry County Playhouse, and Center
REP. Television: Sunday Night Woah! (starring Mo Rocca) for
Animal Planet, several spots for Verizon, Kit Kat, Disney, and the
Oxygen network. Awards and recognitions: Northern California’s
“Shellie”, Drama-Logue, and the S.F. Bay Area’s Critic’s Circle.
Jennifer Perry (Choreographer/Swing/Dance Captain) has been
teaching Ballet and Theatre classes for over 20 years. She was
lucky to have studied and trained with her grandmother, Lareen
Fender at The Ballet School. Favorite roles include: Cassie (A
Chorus Line), Frenchy (Grease), Bonnie Jean (Brigadoon),
Louise (Carousel), Mary Warren (Crucible), Jennie Mae
(Diviners), Ghost of Christmas Past (A Christmas Carol) Shellie
Nominee, Suzy Hendrix (Wait Until Dark) and Bonnie (Anything
Goes) Choreography credits include: Joseph and the Amazing..,
Hairspray (BATCCA, Shellie Award), A Chorus Line (BATCCA),
Cinderella (Shellie Award Winner) Disney’s Beauty and The
Beast. Directing credits include: Joseph and the Amazing.., A
Chorus Line (BATCCA), OKLAHOMA! (Shellie Award), 42nd
Street, and Guys and Dolls all for Contra Costa Musical Theatre.
Jennifer is a proud member of Fantasy Forum Actor’s Ensemble
www.fantasyforum.org and is thrilled to be going into her 18th
year of teaching for Center REP’s Young REP Acting Training
Program, where she serves as co-director of the Musical Theatre
Program. Jennifer is the Casting Director for Center REPertory
Company. By day Jennifer is the owner and director of Lareen
Fender’s The Ballet School Performing Arts which is home to the
Performing Arts Studio. www.theballetschool.org
Jeff Mockus (Sound Designer) has produced music and sound
for Bay Area theatre for 25 years, including Center REP’s A
Christmas Carol, Marvelous Party, Cabaret, Ain’t Misbehavin’,
Musical of Musicals: The Musical!, Hank Williams Lost Highway,
Around the World In 80 Days, and The Marriage of Figaro.
Among his recent work are TheatreWorks’ Big River, Of Mice
and Men, The Secret Garden, Fly By Night, Superior Donuts
and [title of show], American Conservatory Theater’s Clybourne
Park, War Music, The Rainmaker, and The Circle, and California
Shakespeare Theatre’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Uncle Vanya,
Private Lives, An Ideal Husband, and Pericles. Mr. Mockus
contributed original music to the west coast premiere of Legacy of
Light, his 70th production for San Jose Repertory Theatre.
John Earls (Lighting Designer) Spring Awakening, The Lady
with All the Answers, A Christmas Carol (Off Center/Center
REP) Sunset Boulevard, Oklahoma!, 42nd Street-Shellie Award,
Cinderella- Shellie Award (CCMT); DRAA On Broadway/Lesher
Arts Center Anniversary; Lesher Speaker Series-Newsmakers;
Chevron Family Theatre Festival; ARF-Stars to the Rescue; The
Shellie Awards; Rocky Horror Show, Let’s Go To The Movies
(Town Hall). Thanks to the ACME Theatre Company.
Jeff Collister* (Production Stage Manager) is an avid San
Francisco Giants fan and is, once again, very proud of the boys
in black and orange! He has been Production Manager for Center
REP since 1995 and has stage managed more than 45 productions
since starting with the company in 1989. Favorites include BoeingBoeing, A Number, Almost Heaven – John Denver’s America,
Becoming Memories, Suds: The Rockin’ 60’s Musical Soap Opera,
Godspell, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood and numerous productions
of A Christmas Carol. Jeff directed Center REP’s Xanadu as well
as Urinetown, The Musical, and Grease for Contra Costa Musical
Theatre. He worked as Production Stage Manager for Dame Edna
– The Royal Tour in San Francisco. Jeff is a Shellie Award winning
actor and a member of Actors Equity Association.
Joe Coe (Assistant to the Production Manager) This is Joe’s fifth
season with Center REP and he couldn’t be happier to be a part of
such an amazing team of professionals and friends! Joe has had
the pleasure of working with such companies as Berkeley Repertory
Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, Summer Repertory
Theatre, Suicide Kings touring production of In Spite of Everything,
Boston Conservatory, SpeakEasy Stage Company, and Jose Mateo
Ballet Theatre. Joe would like to thank all of his colleagues here
at the LCA for a great season and for making it such a joy to work
here!
Alex Logemann (Deck Manager) is celebrating his 36th show
backstage with Center REP. Alex has been backstage for ten
seasons and is beyond pleased to be involved with such an amazing
group. Alex has also crewed shows for Contra Costa Musical
Theatre and with Diablo Theatre Company. Alex is a proud member
of the Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble. He is very thankful for
our community and the fun it provides. “A good conscience is a
continual Christmas.” Ben Franklin
Michael Butler (Artistic Director) This is Michael’s seventh
season as Artistic Director of Center REP, where his directing credits
include The Underpants, A Number, Dracula, Boeing-Boeing and
To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as the Shellie and BATCC Awardwinning productions of Around the World in 80 Days, Picasso at the
Lapin Agile, The Marriage of Figaro, How the Other Half Loves,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Enchanted April, and Witness For
The Prosecution. His directing work has also been seen at San Jose
Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Laguna Playhouse, ACT in
Seattle, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company, San Jose
Stage, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and The Juilliard School, of which he
is a graduate. As an actor, Michael has worked on Broadway and off,
in regional theatres, film and television, as well as REP’s productions
of The Mousetrap, Noises Off and Rumors. He is a published
songwriter and the co-writer and composer of numerous musictheatre pieces, which he has directed and performed in NY, LA, and
at festivals in India and Morocco. In his career as a performer he has
also danced with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, portrayed the
villainous Pierre LeChance on The Guiding Light, and played guitar
and harmonica in many rock, blues, and country western bands at all
the notable dives in NYC.
OUR SPONSORS
Chevron (Season Sponsor) has been the leading corporate
sponsor of Center REP and the Lesher Center for the Arts
for the past eight years. In fact, Chevron has been a partner of
the LCA since the beginning, providing funding for capital
improvements, event sponsorships and more. Chevron generously
supports every Center REP show throughout the season, and is
the primary sponsor for events including the Chevron Family
Theatre Festival in July. Chevron has proven itself not just
as a generous supporter, but also a valued friend of the arts.
Wells Fargo (Production Sponsor) is proud to be the production
sponsor of Center REPertory Company’s production of A Christmas
Carol. As the top corporate giver among financial institutions to
Bay Area nonprofits, we take pride in supporting programming
at the Lesher Center for the Arts through a season sponsorship
with the Diablo Regional Arts Association, the non-profit partner
of the Lesher Center. On behalf of our more than 18,000 Bay
Area team members, Wells Fargo recognizes the Diablo Regional
Arts Association for its leadership in making the arts accessible
to residents of Contra Costa County. As the oldest and largest
financial services company still headquartered in California, Wells
Fargo has top financial professionals providing business banking,
investments, brokerage, trust, mortgage, insurance, commercial
and consumer finance, and much more. Visit with a banker at any
of our 36 Wells Fargo stores in Contra Costa County to see how
we can help you become more financially successful.
Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) (Season Partner)
is both the primary fundraising organization of the Lesher
Center for the Arts (LCA) and the City of Walnut Creek’s
appointed curator for the LCA’s audience outreach. DRAA’s
role in the community is all about building partnerships with
the focused goal of enhancing artistic quality at the LCA and
providing opportunities for everyone to enjoy the arts. Through
partnerships with the LCA and its producers, individual donors,
corporate and foundation sponsors and the City of Walnut Creek,
DRAA plays a vital role in advancing the arts for the betterment
of the community. Please visit us online at www.draa.org.
Contra Costa Times (Season Media Sponsor) In the East Bay, the
largest newspaper of the Bay Area News Group is the Contra Costa
Times and its sister editions, the West County Times, Valley Times,
San Ramon Valley Times and East County Times. The Times,
was judged the best newspaper in its circulation category in the
state five times in a six-year period by the California Newspaper
Publishers Association. In 2005, it won the prestigious national
Freedom of Information Award from Associated Press Managing
Editors. And, in 2007, it was honored by the California Newspaper
Publishers Association for its leadership on public records.
Lesher Foundation (Foundation Sponsor) Since 1994, the
Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation has awarded grants
totaling more than $40 million and reaching citizens in all
parts of Contra Costa County. True to the original wishes of
Dean and Margaret Lesher, the Foundation continues to build
on the strengths of the community by supporting organizations
and programs that provide help and support to people in need;
enhance and enrich the lives of all citizens; and promote a healthy
and exciting future for the community. Established in 1989,
the Foundation received its principal assets from Dean Lesher’s
estate in 1993 and 1995. In 1997, an additional endowment
from Dean Lesher’s estate followed the death of Margaret
Lesher. A significant and final bequest from Mr. Lesher’s estate
was received in 2003. As a family foundation, support for the
Contra Costa community will be carried on by the next generation
of family members. Grant-making decisions are based on the
vision of Dean and Margaret Lesher who felt quality education,
diverse art programs, and healthy children and families are the
building blocks of a strong and vibrant community. The Leshers
defined the “spirit of giving” as “investing in the community
and its people.” By providing financial support and direction
in these critical areas, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation
is investing every day, every week and every year in the health
and well-being of this county that Dean and Margaret so loved.
ABOUT CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY
Center REP is the resident, professional theatre company of
the Lesher Center for the Arts. Our season consists of eight
productions a year – a variety of musicals, dramas and comedies,
both classic and contemporary, that continually strive to reach new
levels of artistic excellence and professional standards.
Our mission is to celebrate the power of the human imagination
by producing emotionally engaging, intellectually involving,
and visually astonishing live theatre, and through Outreach and
Education programs, to enrich and advance the cultural life of the
communities we serve.
What does it mean to be a producing theatre? We hire the
finest professional directors, actors and designers to create our
productions at Center REP. These are not touring productions –
they’re conceived and developed here, the sets and costumes are
built in our shops, and the actors rehearse in our rehearsal hall.
Whether the production is a Bay Area premiere or a Shakespearean
classic, each is devised to be a one of a kind, artistic creation that
will be a unique theatre experience for our audience.
What does it mean to be a professional theatre? It means that
all our artists and artisans are career theatre-practitioners. Many
of the actors in this production are members of Actors’ Equity
Association; many of our directors and designers are members of
professional unions. All do theatre because it is their profession
and their passion.
We are very proud to have the opportunity to produce professional
theatre for our community in the beautiful theatres here at the
Lesher Center for the Arts. Thank you for your support!
Center REPertory Company
Managing Director - Scott Denison
Artistic Director - Michael Butler
Audience Services
Audience Services
Coordinator
Courtney Egg
Ticket Office Staff
Jeremiah Vierling
Caitlin Downing
Hillary Pearsall
Kiersten Jones
Karla Kopfhammer
Britt Lauer
Sadé Robinson
Andrea Toney
Production Services
Production Services
Coordinator
Toni Kilcoyne
Technical Staff
Steve Pino
John Earls
Michael Arlen
Chris Currie
Scott Dare
Garrick Schuster
Stephen Spleiss
Josh Stouffer
Costumes
Costume Manager
Michael A. Berg
Assistant Costumers
Max Alenson
Matthew O’Connor
Marketing
Marketing Director
Gabe Marin
Marketing Assistant
Ariel Ford
Education
Education Directors
Jeff Draper
Kerri Shawn
Production
Production Manager
Jeff Collister
Technical
Technical Director
Joshua Lipps
Technical Supervisor
Gerald Frentz
Master Electrician
Ray Oppenheimer
Carpenters
Daniel Casini
Jordan Scott
Cameron Swartzell
Chris Swartzell
Casting Director
Jennifer Perry
Assistant Stage Manager/
Props Coordinator
Joe Coe
Deck Manager
Alex Logemann
Quartet Manager
Barbara Reynolds
Production Assistants
Lyle Barrere
Claire McMahon
Yelyzaveta Tashkevych
John Valentine
Administration
Asst. to the Managing Director
Gail Pfeifer
Program
Linda Nomura