December 7 - 23, 2012
A Christmas Carol
This original adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is rich with exciting ensemble music, alive with color and movement, and is created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages.  Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic right here in Redmond.
Tickets: $27 adults/$22 students/seniors/educators

THE CAST

Erica Neils (Beth/Rose) is beyond thrilled, and grateful to be returning to SSR and be reunited with her cast mates John, Jalyn and Kris, having appeared with them in the 2011 production of Much Ado About Nothing. Erica has worked with local theaters:  Seattle Shakespeare Company, GreenStage, Open Circle, Red Curtain Foundation, Centerstage, Backwards Theatre Ensemble, Eclectic Theatre Company, and Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society. She is a 2008 Graduate of Cornish College of the Arts (where she went to school with Brynne, who she's tickled to be working with).  Favorite Roles include: Madam Arcati in Blithe Spirit, Rosalind in As You Like It, Margaret in Much Ado, Mrs. Grogan in Cider House Rules, Anitra in Peer Gynt and Miss Spider in James and the Giant Peach. Thanks to all the people she loves (they know who they are),  and special thanks to Jen and Mark for their vision, hard work and invitation to be a part of this lovely show, and last but not least, to you dear reader for coming to support SecondStory Rep. Blessings for a joyous holiday season.

Victoria Crowser (Martha Cratchit) is a junior at The Center School. She has been acting since second grade and is ecstatic to be part of this wonderful cast. Her previous roles include that of the Bird Seller in Sweeney Todd School Edition here at SecondStory Repertory, and an ensemble member in I Never Saw Another Butterfly at Studio East. 

Ethan Lech (Tiny Tim) is very excited to be making his acting debut in A Christmas Carol.  He was born in Redmond and is a kindergarten student at Rosa Parks Elementary.  He has been involved with SSR for the past two years, as a student of the education program, currently directed by Samantha Holsworth.  His most recent role was that of Prince Amphibian in SSR’s Budding Actors adaptation of The Frog Prince.

Jordan Harris (Peter/Young Scrooge) happily returns to SSR, having played Jamie in The Boy Who Cried Wolf. He is in 8th grade, loves God, theater, football, friends and food. Favorite Roles: Seattle Symphony's The Music Man as Winthrop, Joseph... Dreamcoat at The 5th Avenue and Tom/Young Arthur in Camelot at SMT. Thanks to SSR staff for casting me and M&D for, well, everything else.

Brynne Geiszler (Mrs. Cratchit / Quartet) is delighted to be returning to SecondStory Repertory immediately following her appearance as Miss Delilah Strict in Zombie Prom! Brynne was named “Person to Watch” by BroadwayWorld Seattle for 2011. Other favorite credits: Jo in Little Women, Linda in The Wedding Singer, Janet in The Rocky Horror Show. She says this every time, but it should never mean any less: “I have endless amounts of thanks to my family and friends for being so supportive. I love you all!” www.brynnegeiszler.com

Liya Land (Belinda) was born in Israel and moved with her family to Washington at the age of 3. An actress from birth Liya is growing in a family where Music and Art are part of the daily routine. Since an early age Liya was attracted to music, singing and playing instruments. Liya’s dream is to become a famous actress and singer. While Liya is only 11, she has already participated in several shows, an education movie and playing the violin in an orchestra. Liya is learning to act at SecondStory Repertory and she is really excited to take part of  A Christmas Carol.

Sean Mitchell (Bob Cratchit) Sean’s 15th show with SecondStory Rep finds him playing a role he wanted when he was in the ACT production of A Christmas Carol 10 years ago.  He thanks his family - Elizabeth, Grace, Grant and Gus for letting him take time out of the holiday season to play.

John Clark (Scrooge) is very excited and grateful for the chance to play this role, one he's been looking forward to for quite some time now. This is his forth show at SecondStory where he has been seen as the sometimes irascible Antonio in  Much Ado About Nothing, the misguided Orgon in Tartuffe, and the conniving Orsini-Rosenberg in Amadeus. Wait, is there a pattern here? Other favorite roles include Ellard in The Foreigner, The Old Man in Fool for Love, Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Dr. Chausible in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Clov in Samuel Beckett's Endgame. A great big thank you to Mark, Ken, and Jen for the chance to say Bah! Humbug! 

Isabelle Lund (Turkey Girl) is excited to be in her 2nd SSR production as the Turkey Girl! Last year she was a part of the children’s choir in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and loved it! She is 9 years old and enjoys acting, piano and writing her own songs. She also enjoys basketball, soccer, math, reading and theater at school. She dedicates her performance to her supportive family.

Serra Ozkeskin (Fan) is a 4th grader at Rosa Parks Elementary. She loves acting and is very excited to be a part of A Christmas Carol at SecondStory Rep. She has taken parts in her school plays since she was a first grader. Her credits include Seussical Jr (Gertrude McFuzz), Charlotte and Wilbur (Clown, Little spider), Annie Jr (Cook, Usherette), Broadway Magic (Ensemble), and Peter Pan (Pirate).

Joy Yaholkovsky (Christmas Past / Mrs. Dilber / Quartet) is honored to be part of another show at SecondStory and work with such a fun group of people. Some of her favorite past credits include: Chicago, Oklahoma! (Ado Annie), Little Women (Meg), The Miracle Worker (Annie Sullivan) & Nancy, Frank & Joe (Nancy Drew).

Jalyn Green (Fred) is delighted to be returning to SecondStory for this production.  Previously here at SSR you saw him in Born Yesterday (2008) and Much Ado about Nothing (2011).  A company member with Ghost Light Theatricals, some of his more recent work includes Noises Off (2010 Tacoma Little Theatre) The Odepial Duplex and The Misanthrope (2009 Ghost Light Theatricals) and The Taming of the Shrew (2012 Greenstage) Thanks to the cast and crew and many thanks to his Otter for her love and support.  Enjoy the Show.

Jennifer Makenas (Mary / Mrs. Fezziwig) Nothing brings Jennifer Christmas Joy like being back on the SSR stage.  Last season, you may have seen her in this very theater proving her true royal blood as Princess Hannah in The Princess and the Pea.  Other recent credits include Minnie Fay in Hello Dolly at NWS and Almost, Maine with Woodinville Rep.  When Jennifer is not at the theater, you can usually find her making snow angels or teaching reindeer how to fly. Wishing a very Merry Christmas to friends, family, and her favorite reindeer of all, Curtis.

Kris Hambrick (Johanna / Christmas Future) is delighted to join the cast in her second SecondStory show and third A Christmas Carol. As her secret identity Pepper, she performs laser shows at Pacific Science Center. A relative newcomer to Seattle, favorite roles include Puck and Captain Kirk with Hello Earth's Outdoor Trek.

Anthony Pallozzi (Solicitor 2 / Old Joe / Topper / Quartet) is excited to be performing on the SSR stage once again and with such a great group of people. Past credits at SSR include; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Chicago, Zombie Prom and the SSR 2012-2013 Season Sneak Peek. Favorite roles include; Frank-N-Furter (The Rocky Horror Show), Lucky (Dames at Sea), Harry Houdini (Ragtime), Linus (You're... Charlie Brown), and Mark (A Chorus Line). He would like to thank his friends and family for all of their love and support.

Joshua Downs (Marley / Christmas Present / Mr. Fezziwig) is a Seattle native who recently graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in Theater and Music. While there, he spent two years on the Pepperdine Improv Troupe and recently appeared in Final Fantasy: The Improvised Adventures with Unexpected Productions. Josh is thrilled to be working with SecondStory again after making his Seattle musical debut as Joey in Zombie Prom. Favorite roles include Horace Vandergelder (Hello, Dolly!), Lord Capulet (Romeo & Juliet), Frosh (Die Fledermaus), Beadle Bamford (Sweeney Todd), and Sorin (The Seagull). Hili-Ho to Mark and Jen for all their kindness and support!

Christian West, (Ebby) has enjoyed watching several past SSR's Theater for Young Audiences shows and is delighted to be making his SSR debut as Ebby in A Christmas Carol. He has most recently appeared in Sleeping Beauty as Stench the Goon (The Hi-Liners), Cinderella in the Children's Ensemble (The 5th Avenue Theatre), and dancing around town with the Spotlight Dance Center's Petite Performing Company. Christian takes to heart the whole world is a stage, and he is always in production. He thanks Mom, Dad, Olivia, and all his family for their love and support.

CJ Conrad (Solicitor 1 / Dick Wilkins / Quartet ) is excited to be performing in his first show here at SSR with such a wonderful cast. CJ has been performing in Seattle for the last 2 years. Outside of theater, CJ is a licensed massage practitioner and an active crossfit coach. Other notable performances in the area include Big River (male swing), The Who's Tommy (featured dancer), What the Butler Saw (Nick Becket), and A Chorus Line (Mike Costa). CJ would like to thank SSR for this opportunity, the cast & crew for all their hard work, and his friends and family for their endless support. Up next CJ can be seen in the role of Mark in Altar Boyz.

THE PRODUCTION STAFF

Ken Michels (Director) is thrilled to be back at SecondStory. After having a blast assisting good friend Teresa Thuman on The 39 Steps, Ken jumped at the chance to work with Mark and Jen again. This last year Ken has directed The Full Monty for BPA, Footloose for Kitsap Forest Theatre and joined in the fun on The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged), The Foreigner, The Illusion and Disco Pigs for Sound Theatre and Tommy for BPA. Ken sends a loving thank you to wife Shawna and daughters Sofie and Amelia for letting him play.

Paul Linnes (Music Director/Arranger) is always happy to be working with the SecondStory family! Past shows include both the Theater for Young Audiences series and the MainStage series. He has performed extensively as a music director/pianist throughout the Puget Sound region in well over 50 productions, as well as being an orchestral programmer (creating entire soundtracks for shows solely inside his computer) for more than 6 years, a job which marries his love of music with his love of technology. He holds a MM degree in Vocal Performance (Opera) from the University of Southern California and in addition to concert appearances as a featured soloist throughout the west coast and Far East, has also sung in film soundtracks (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jurassic Park, and Ghost Rider) and video games (Halo and Age of Empires). Paul currently maintains a private voice studio and teaches voice as part of Roosevelt High School’s drama program. He was specifically selected to prepare a group of eight local high school students for an appearance with three of the stars from the recent Wicked touring company during a concert with the tour’s music director and members of its pit orchestra. He is also frequently asked to adjudicate vocal competitions and is a founding member of the UW’s Advisory Board in the Performing Arts. While performing on stage or in the studio is not something he has an opportunity to do much anymore, he loves the intersection of disciplines that music direction provides.

Anthony Pallozzi (Choreographer) is excited to be performing on the SSR stage once again and with such a great group of people. Past credits at SSR include; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Chicago, Zombie Prom and the SSR 2012-2013 Season Sneak Peek. Favorite roles include; Frank-N-Furter (The Rocky Horror Show), Lucky (Dames at Sea), Harry Houdini (Ragtime), Linus (You're... Charlie Brown), and Mark (A Chorus Line). He would like to thank his friends and family for all of their love and support.

Natasha Gier (Costume Designer) This is her first time working with the SecondStory Repertory. She has been costuming theater productions since 2009, quite by accident. She had pursued an education in Fashion Design but realized her passions lay more in costuming. After interning at Youth Theatre Northwest and being able to mentor under several amazing costumers, she assisted with multiple productions such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Bugsey Malone, and several other productions. Since then, she’s designed solo for The Adventures of Peter Rabbit and A Year in the Life of Frog and Toad. When not designing a show, she can still be found behind a sewing machine, making custom costumes, alterations and even the occasional bridal gown. Natasha would like to thank the cast and production team of A Christmas Carol for making this a highly enjoyable endeavor. Thanks everyone!