BREAKING: CHRISTMAS IS NOT CANCELLED!
“GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!” EXCLAIMS LOCAL BOY
TONY AWARD® WINNER JEFFERSON MAYS
REPRISES HIS ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE IN CHARLES DICKENS’ BELOVED HOLIDAY CLASSIC
“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”
TO BENEFIT IOWA STAGE THEATER COMPANY
DIRECTED BY TWO-TIME TONY AWARD NOMINEE MICHAEL ARDEN
ADAPTATION WRITTEN BY JEFFERSON MAYS, SUSAN LYONS, & MICHAEL ARDEN
PRODUCTION CONCEIVED BY MICHAEL ARDEN & DANE LAFFREY
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW AT https://www.onthestage.com/show/iowa-stage-theatre-company/a-christmas-carol-61580/tickets/5f973d9fb6d79300045d4879
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New York, NY (November 9, 2020) – Experience A Christmas Carol unlike any other – past, present or future. The timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge comes to thrilling new life as Jefferson Mays plays over 50 roles in a virtuosic, master class of a performance that must be seen to be believed. This theatrical achievement comes from the haunting vision of one of Broadway’s most imaginative directors, Michael Arden.
Staged exclusively for this film and captured live with breathtaking clarity, this must-watch streaming event conjures the powerful spirits of Christmas and brings all the magic of live theatre home for the holidays.
Iowa Stage Theatre Company and producer Hunter Arnold unofficially kicked off the holiday season early today, announcing that a special filmed version of Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol starring one of the finest stage actors of our time, Tony Award® winner Jefferson Mays, will be released worldwide on Saturday, November 28. This streaming video event will benefit Iowa Stage Theatre Company as well as other community, amateur, regional theaters across the country which have been devastated by the pandemic. Directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Michael Arden, adapted by Mays, Susan Lyons, and Arden, and conceived by Arden and Tony Award nominee Dane Laffrey, the filmed version is based on the wildly acclaimed 2018 production which made its world premiere at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse.
Starting today, tickets for A Christmas Carol are now available to purchase via https://www.onthestage.com/show/iowa-stage-theatre-company/a-christmas-carol-61580/tickets/5f973d9fb6d79300045d4879.
Production photos of the Geffen Playhouse production by photographer Chris Whitaker are available at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7blu5zuvgc9umyh/AABs4ZHSL9-FMwXl0TwtKPYOa?dl=0
Jefferson Mays said, “A Christmas Carol was my first experience of living theater. My mother and father would read it out loud every year. My father would tell the story with clarity and humanity, while my mother, eyes ablaze, would transform into the characters, from the tortured Jacob Marley, to little Fan and the entire Cratchit family. Both, in their ways, created magic. And now here we are, aspiring to bring this magic to people across the country during this challenging time.”
Michael Arden said, “My theater career began when I was a 10-year-old Texan playing Tiny Tim in the Midland Community Theatre production of A Christmas Carol. In a time when theaters and arts workers across the country are in great need, bringing a story that celebrates the power of creativity, community, and our shared humanity is humbling.”
Hunter Arnold said, “Due to COVID-19, the country’s theaters have lost over 80% of their income, a number that is devastating to our community. These theaters, the work they produce, and the artists and workers they support are a fundamental part of our society. We must fight for their survival.”
Iowa Stage Theatre Company is a partner through a joint project between Arnold's TBD Pictures, La Jolla Playhouse, and On The Stage. Other partner theaters currently include Actors' Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Sankofa Collective, Shea's Performing Arts Center, South Coast Repertory, Springfield Contemporary Theatre, Theatre Tallahassee, and Vermont Stage.
A Christmas Carol was filmed at New York’s United Palace, chosen to preserve the power of the theatrical storytelling Mays and Arden have created.
When it played the Geffen Playhouse in 2018, A Christmas Carol and was called “a stunning adaptation” by Jordan Riefe of The Hollywood Reporter, and “a tour-de-force performance by Jefferson Mays. Every bit of theater magic you can think of. You’ll find yourself transported – hanging on to every word and relishing every last image” by Anthony Byrnes of KCRW.
Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times raved that “Jefferson Mays not only got me to see A Christmas Carol, something I’ve vowed never to do again. But he got me to rave about it. For true theater lovers, there can be no better gift this season.”
The creative team for A Christmas Carol includes Dane Laffrey (scenic and costume design), Maceo Bishop (director of photography), Ben Stanton (lighting design), Lucy Mackinnon (projection design), Joshua D. Reid (sound design), Cookie Jordan (hair and makeup design), James Ortiz (puppet design), and Nikki M. James (assistant director).
A Christmas Carol is produced by Hunter Arnold with George Bamber, Kayla Greenspan, Carl Daikeler, Roberto Quiroz Mata, and Tom Kirdahy serving as Executive Producers for the film.
National Press Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Aaron Meier
212-695-7400
Iowa Stage Theatre Company Press Contact:
Laura Jordan
535-309-0251
Iowa Stage Theatre Company, founded in 2017, is a professionalntheater company in central Iowa that creates high-quality audience experiences of the greatest stories ever told onstage, from the classics to the cutting edge. Our Resident Artist Company works to transform Iowa, its citizens, and arts community by producing truthful, relevant, and intimate theatre that inspires, enlightens, and entertains. For Press Photos, please contact Laura Jordan at by email at ljordan@iowastage.org. For more information about Iowa Stage Theatre Company, visit us online at iowastage.org. # # # #