A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

Produced in Association with Jefferson Avenue Mission, December 2023

Production Photos by Nathaniel Roland

Director’s Note—

Dear Audience Member,

Thank you for coming to this evening’s production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. My fellow theatre makers and I started with this classic text and built a high-energy, whimsical production specifically geared for families and kids to enjoy. Just like our main character is plucked out of his every-day life and confronted by the dream-like events of the piece, you too may find yourself plucked out of your seat and thrust into the action of the play. We hope that, just like Scrooge, this type of theatrical interaction leaves you changed for the better and filled with holiday cheer.

I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation for Jefferson Avenue Mission for partnering with Brickworks Theatre Company and making this evening possible. And I would like to thank my entire creative team to whom I owe an artistic debt which can never be repaid. Without either, tonight’s performance would never have been possible.

Finally, a well-known storyteller once wrote, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." As our performance will prove, this is as true now as it was when it was written. So tonight, I ask you to please please sit back and allow yourself to get swept up into our interactive performance of Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol.

Matt Bender is a Midwest-based theatre maker and educator who cut his teeth in Chicago’s storefront theatre scene. He holds an M.F.A. in Theatre Performance from Western Illinois University, and has worked as an actor, director, movement/fight director, and educator in regional and educational theatre for over a dozen years. From calling pig races for farmers at county fairs to entertaining crowds in the Superdome, Matt has never lost his love of bringing joy to live audiences, no matter the size.

Meet the Cast and Crew of A Christmas Carol

Ed Burguiere (Narrator)

Ed enjoys acting and writing. Among his favorite roles are Johnathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, Doug Roberts in Mr. Roberts, and Banjo in The Man Who Came to Dinner. Through “Ed Burguiere: Ministry Through Drama”, he writes and performs monologues for churches and schools. He is also the co-host of “The Great Speckled Bird Hour”; an online radio show featuring contemporary Christian music and artists from the 60s, 70s and 80s. It airs Fridays at 1:00pm on www.ctsrradio.com. Ed and his wife, Cheryl, run an Airbnb in their South St. Louis city home.
Alison Call (Chorus)

Alison is very excited to be back on the stage! For the past 6 years she has worked on and off the stage in the greater Chicago area, St. Louis, and Colorado.
Mike DePope (Chorus)

Mike De Pope was last seen at Jefferson Avenue Mission in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Simon, Freud, Caiaphas). St. Louis Theatre: Radium Girls (Arthur Roeder), Absent Friends (John), The Mousetrap (Mr. Paravacini), Bandera, Texas (Dave), and The Gingerbread Lady. Commercials/Industrials: Budweiser, Edward Jones, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr, Dobb’s Tire & Auto, Jim Butler Chevrolet, Sea World San Diego and more. Mike is currently pursuing his MFA in Theatre Arts with a focus on Directing and Performance from the University of Idaho.
Brandon Ellis (Ebenezer Scrooge)

Brandon is a St. Louis based actor bringing his own spin to the role of Scrooge. With a resume ranging from commercial work for Budweiser and TDK Tech, out of state productions such as Tecumseh! or Macbeth, and local work in productions of The Ville: Avengance and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.
Anna Rimar (Chorus)

Anna Rimar was recently "pre-approved for a credit card", according to a piece of mail she found! She'll let you know if she follows through on it.
Deborah Roby (Chorus)

Deborah Roby’s Ghosts of Roles Past include The Wedding Singer, Think It Through, This is my 74th Cover Letter for the Love of God Please Hire Me, Seussical The Musical, and Anne of Green Gables.
Geordie Denholm (Producer)

With a long history in theatre, Geordie is excited to take on a producing role in this year’s production of A Christmas Carol! Favorite credits include Producer for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Cat's Cradle), Assistant Director for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Cat’s Cradle), "Maid" in Medea (Theatre Y), Assistant Director for Burning Bluebeard (The Ruffians), and "Romeo" in Romeo and Juliet (Artists of Concordia Theatre).
Faith Gorrell (Stage Manager)

Faith Gorrell is a recent graduate with a B.A. in theatre. This is her first time stage managing a show. Previously she has designed set, projections, hair and makeup, and costumes. Most recently, she designed costumes for Heirlooms.
Kara Grimm-Denholm (Lighting, Set, and Costume Design)

Kara Grimm-Denholm (she/her) is a St. Louis based theatrical designer. She holds a BA in theatre from Concordia University Chicago. She relocated from Chicago to St. Louis after completing a lighting design internship at Steppenwolf Theatre. She currently serves as a board member for Intersect Arts St. Louis and is a founding member of Cats Cradle Theatre, a project-based collective in Chicago. She lives in Benton Park West with her husband, two overexcited dogs, and approximately 500 house plants. Find out more about her work here.