A Christmas Carol
a virtual benefit performance
Join us for our second-annual
virtual benefit reading of
A Christmas Carol
Premiere Sunday, December 20th
Now Streaming Through Christmas!
Our wonderful cast will bring Dickens' timeless tale of the true spirit of Christmas to life. Make Merry with the Fezziwigs, sympathize with poor Bob Cratchit who works so hard with a sick child at home, and witness the transformation of the human spirit, as Ebeneezer Scrooge finds his heart can grow. It's never too late to find compassion and love for others.
This Christmas classic is the perfect way to close out 2020.
Directed by Claire Shannon Kelly
Director of Photography Nick Ranieri
Stage Manager Margot Weiss
With a $25 donation, you will receive a link to A Christmas Carol to view through 12/25!
Graham Stevens* as Scrooge
Graham Stevens is so happy to be joining his friends at Shakespeare on the Sound for this season’s production of “A Christmas Carol”! May your days be merry and bright! CREDITS: Off-Broadway: One Thousand Nights and One Day, The Robber Bridegroom, Peter and the Starcatcher, In Transit, The Lightning Thief, Skippyjon Jones. Regional: CLUE (Cleveland Play House), Up Here (La Jolla Playhouse), Found (Philadelphia Theater Co.). Television: Gotham, Search Party. Training: BA in Theater Studies, Yale University. www.GrahamStevens.com
Winsome Brown* as Narrator
Winsome Brown is a writer, director, and Obie-award winning actor. She plays Agna Leonberger in the upcoming Tom Hanks/Paul Greengrass film News of the World (coming out on Christmas Day!), and is a recurring Guest Star on Supergirl. She narrated the audiobook for the award winning best-selling novel Sarah by JT LeRoy and her film The Violinist has just been released on youtube. Winsome loves working with SOTS and has played Lady Macbeth and Titania in recent productions. God bless us, everyone!
Nicholas Urda* as Bob Cratchit
Nick Udra is the Director of Educational Outreach for SOS and has been running the apprentice program for the last 3 years. He continues those duties in addition to his directorial and acting work. Nick co-directed the educational tour of R+J4EVR, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. He also directed the 2019 tour of Shakespeare in 30 Minutes: Twelfth Night and 2 of the plays for this fall’s short new play festival. As a performer, Nick has been acting professionally on stage and on screen for the past 16 years. Nick’s credits include Federico García Lorca in Olives and Blood (CT Rep) and The Off-BWay premiere of The Preacher and The Shrink, as well as working with such companies as Northern Stage, Two River Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Co, DC and The Royal Shakespeare Company. With Shakespeare on the Sound, he played Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Macduff in 2017’s production of Macbeth. In last year’s production of A Christmas Carol, he was the narrator. He holds a BFA from Marymount Manhattan College as well as completing the fellowship with The Shakespeare Theatre Co, DC.
Jasminn Johnson* Mrs. Cratchit
Jasminn Johnson recently made her Off-Broadway debut with the Keen Company in Blues for an Alabama Sky. Other Recent credits include Viola in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare on the Sound), "The Politician” (Netflix), and Ruby in Seven Guitars (The Juilliard School). She’s a graduate of The Juilliard School and currently lives in New York City.
Jacob Keith Watson* as Marley's Ghost & Others
Jacob Keith Watson
Broadway/NYC: Carousel (Enoch Snow), Hello, Dolly!, Violet, Amélie, A New Musical (u/s Nino), The Phantom of the Opera (Joseph Buquet/Monsieur Reyer), 1776 (Robert Livingston, Encores!), Mack & Mabel (Harry, Encores!) National tour: Chicago (Amos Hart). Regional credits include Shrek the Musical (Shrek, Broadway at Music Circus-Sacramento), Benny & Joon (Waldo, Paper Mill Playhouse), As You Like It (Corin), Twelfth Night (Feste).
Broadway/NYC: Carousel (Enoch Snow), Hello, Dolly!, Violet, Amélie, A New Musical (u/s Nino), The Phantom of the Opera (Joseph Buquet/Monsieur Reyer), 1776 (Robert Livingston, Encores!), Mack & Mabel (Harry, Encores!) National tour: Chicago (Amos Hart). Regional credits include Shrek the Musical (Shrek, Broadway at Music Circus-Sacramento), Benny & Joon (Waldo, Paper Mill Playhouse), As You Like It (Corin), Twelfth Night (Feste).
Marguerite Stimpson* as The Ghost of Christmas Past & Others
Marguerite Stimpson has appeared in the Broadway and West End productions of The Elephant Man, starring Bradley Cooper, as well as the Broadway production of Butley. Other New York credits include Transfigures at the WP Theatre and Desperate Writers at the Union Square Theatre. Regionally she has appeared in The Elephant Man at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Tragedy: a Tragedy at Berkeley Rep, Pericles at both the Shakespeare Theatre D.C. and the Goodman Theatre, and Butley at the Huntington Theatre. Television and film credits include: Billions, Little America, the pilot Bream Gives Me Hiccups, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Blue Bloods, Law and Order: SVU, 30 Rock, The Onion, Delocated, Lipstick Jungle, Ed, Eighth Grade, Detours, Last Night at Angelo’s, Saint Janet, Blood Night, and Going Under. MFA: Institute for Advanced Theater Training A.R.T./ MXAT at Harvard University.
Kenny Toll* as Fred
Kenny is an LA native and a graduate of San Francisco State University. He originated the role of Mr Wickham in Lauren Gundersons “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberly”. Most recently he has been seen in Frost/Nixon at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Lobby Hero at Capital Rep in Albany, NY, Shakespeare in Love at Marin Theatre Company and Richard II at Kingsmen Shakespeare in Los Angeles. He is so very excited to join the SOS fam and to work my love, the fabulous Ms. Lucy Van Atta! He is a proud member of AEA.
Chris Silvestri as Young Marley & Others
Chris Silvestri was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. Upon graduation, Chris moved to Los Angeles, CA for a couple years before being accepted into The Juilliard School’s Drama Division. He has found a home in New York City and is excited to graduate this spring as a proud member of Group 50. Some of his favorite roles at Juilliard have included Trigorin in Chekhov’s The Seagull and most recently, Isidore, in Maria Irene Fornés’s Tango Palace directed by Orlando Pabotoy. He is grateful and excited to be working with Shakespeare on the Sound again after recently participating in their New Playwright’s Festival.
Aleca Piper as Ghost of Christmas Present & Others
Aleca Piper is originally from D.C. and is a proud graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts. She received her BFA in acting from SUNY Purchase. She is also a member of Story Pirates. She is passionate about creating new works and giving homage to the classics. Previous work includes: Veranka in Anna Karenina: a riff, Maria in Twelfth Night, Calianax in The Maid’s Tragedy, Official Lady of Missing You in Made To Dance To Dance In Burning Buildings, The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Lucius in Julius Caesar, Antipholus of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors, Bertha Holly in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Maid in Red Cross, and Beulah Binnings in Orpheus Descending.
Julian Robertson as Young Scrooge & Others
Julian is excited be back with Shakespeare On The Sound. An actor, playwright, director, and producer from Jacksonville,
Fl. A recent graduate of the Juilliard Drama Division, he has recently been in productions of Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Other Shore, The Forbidden City, Uncle Vanya, and Othello. A 2016 Young Arts Finalist.
Fl. A recent graduate of the Juilliard Drama Division, he has recently been in productions of Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Other Shore, The Forbidden City, Uncle Vanya, and Othello. A 2016 Young Arts Finalist.
Lucy van Atta* as Mrs. Fred & Others
Lucy Van Atta is an actress, director, and theater educator based in NYC. Past productions with Shakespeare on the Sound: A Christmas Carol (2019 Reading, Fred’s Wife), Macbeth (Lady Macduff), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Assistant Director), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Assistant Director), As You Like It (Assistant Director). Lucy has been a Teaching Artist with SOS since 2013 and is on the faculty at The Studio for Performing Arts (New Canaan, CT). Off-Broadway Credits (PTP/NYC Atlantic Stage 2): Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth; The After-Dinner Joke; Serious Money; Spatter Pattern. New York Credits: White History Workshop (Fault Line Theatre); Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (59E59 East to Edinburgh). Regional Credits: A Christmas Carol (Trinity Rep), Dark Room Workshops (Bridge Rep Boston). MFA: Brown University/Trinity Rep. BA: Middlebury College. Represented by Ann Steele Agency. AEA. www.lucyvanatta.com
Maria McConville* as Mrs. Fezziwig & Others
Maria McConville most recently performed, virtually, with the Tarrytown Music Hall and on the stage with Thrown Stone. Maria was featured in the indie films GAYBY, MEMORIAL DAY and in the web-series, SUBMISSIONS ONLY. In New York, Maria has performed with/at NYTW, EST, CSC, Woodshed Collective, SoHo Rep, and HERE to name a few. When not performing, Maria is a teaching artist and playwright. Maria is an alumnus of LaGuardia H.S. of Performing Arts and Fordham University.
Colin Liander* as Fezziwig & Others
Colin has performed numerous roles in numerous productions across the USA and Europe. Favorites include Les Miserables, Phantom, Evita, some cool roles being Reuben in Joseph … Dreamcoat, Uncle Ernie in The Who's Tommy!, and Roger in the EU Tour of Grease Das Musical. Favorite TV appearance: NBC's 30 Rock, and proud to be part of the live broadcasts. Colin holds a BFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts; CAP21 Conservatory and is a native to New York City.
Rosie Yates as Belle & Sophia
Rosie Yates is currently in her fourth year of actor training as a BFA student at Juilliard. Training credits include: A Doll’s House, Part II (Nora), Antony and Cleopatra (Charmian/Menas), Macbeth (Macbeth), Fucking A (The First Lady), The Cherry Orchard (Dunyasha) & Bronte (Emily Bronte). Other theatre credits include: Little Women (Meg March, Hangar Theatre). Rosie is very excited to finally get to join the SOS family after this year’s production of The Tempest was cancelled. Fortunately, she spent lock-down watching endless BBC adaptations of Dickens’ novels with her Mum, and cannot wait to bring this classic to life.
Silas Hoffman as Child Scrooge & Simon
Silas is a Fifth grader at Parkway Elementary School in Greenwich, where he has acted in several school plays. Silas studies voice and guitar at School of Rock, New Canaan and sings in the choir at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stamford. Besides music and theater, Silas enjoys archery and travel. He is thrilled to reprise his role as Young Ebenezer again!
Julia Wayland as Fan & Belinda
Julia Grace Wayland is 13 years old and has been acting and singing since the age of 5. She has been in productions with the Crystal Theatre, Musical Theatre of CT and Theatre Workshop of Nantucket. She loved being a part of Shakespeare on the Sound’s Theater Summer Camp and was in the reading of A Christmas Carol last year. She has been a fan of SOS's plays from a very young age. She has always loved to act, sing and dance and would like to have a career as an actress someday. One of her biggest goals is to win a Tony or an Oscar.
Ellie Parkhill as Martha Cratchit
Ellie Parkhill is a sophomore at New Canaan High School. She has appeared in The Studio for Performing Arts' productions of Little Women (Amy March), 25th...Spelling Bee (Rona Lisa Peretti), and Mamma Mia (Ali), and locally in High School Musical, The Lion King, and Guys & Dolls.
Ellie is a songwriter who studies voice and acting at The Studio, and plays field hockey. She's thrilled to be joining SOS for this exciting production!
Ellie is a songwriter who studies voice and acting at The Studio, and plays field hockey. She's thrilled to be joining SOS for this exciting production!
Andrew Meli as Peter Cratchit
Andrew Meli is a 7th grader at Saxe Middle School. He has performed in The Studio For Performing Arts’ productions of The Drowsy Chaperone (Aldolpho), The Addams Family (Gomez), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Jimmy Smith) and locally in Saxe Middle schools productions of Frozen and Alice in Wonderland.
Andrew studies voice and piano at The Studio and is can't wait to be Peter Cratchit again!
Andrew studies voice and piano at The Studio and is can't wait to be Peter Cratchit again!
Momo Schoenemann as Tom Cratchit
Moritz "Momo“ Schoenemann is a fifth-grader at Hindley Elementary School in Darien. His love for (musical) theater started at the age of two. He has happily worked with The Studio for Performing Arts for many years and has appeared in The Drowsy Chaperone (George), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Gunther), and High School Musical (Troy) among others. Besides musical theater, he enjoys taking voice lessons, dancing Hip Hop, and studying Martial Arts. He speaks English and German fluently. Momo can’t wait to collaborate with SOS again this Christmas season!
Rose Kosofsky as Tiny Tim
Rose is 6 years old and is in first grade. Rose enjoys watching movies, baking shows and eating mint chocolate chip ice cream. She loves baking, being with friends, climbing trees, and getting muddy from a good day playing outside. She loves singing to her dog, Bowie! Rose takes acting classes at The Studio (with Miss Lucy!) and loves puppies and kitties.
*denotes a member of the Actors' Equity Association