A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

Produced in Association with Jefferson Avenue Mission, December 2022

Production Photos by Nathaniel Roland

Director’s Note—

Dearest Audience Member,

It is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you to the performance this evening. Starting with the foundation of Dickens’ own text, my fellow theatre makers and I have built this high-energy and interactive performance from the ground up for kids and anyone who enjoys warm, whimsical child-like humor. In case that was a scary and/or confusing sentence to read as an audience member, let me share what ‘interactive’ means in this context. The performers will speak to you and with you during the show, and they might even ask you to join in the action of the play here or there with a line or to hold a prop. So while it may not be the type of performance you’re used to engaging with as an audience member, we hope that this fast-paced, farcical take on the old story provides an evening full of laughter and heart.

I would like to thank Jefferson Avenue Mission for partnering with Brickworks Theatre and for all they have done to make this evening possible. And I would like to thank my entire creative team to whom I am endlessly indebted. Without either, tonight’s performance would not be possible.

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, please sit back and allow yourself to get swept up into our interactive performance of Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol.

Matt Bender - Director

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 is an actor and writer. His favorite roles include Johnathan Brewster in "Arsenic and Old Lace", LT. Doug Roberts in "Mr. Roberts", Elwood P. Dowd in "Harvey" and Banjo in "The Man Who Came to Dinner". Through "Ed Burguiere: Ministry Through Drama", he performs monologues for churches and schools. He and his wife run an Airbnb in their home in South St. Louis city.
Geordie Denholm (Scrooge)

With a long history in theatre, Geordie is excited to return to the stage after many years away. 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).
Molly Perling (Chorus)

Molly Perling is excited to be back at Jefferson Avenue as 50% of the Chorus for A Christmas Carol. She’s especially thrilled to get to move around the space in this role, after staying behind the desk as The Bailiff for last year’s production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. She graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Acting from Illinois State University. Her favorite roles at college include Angustias in The House of Bernarda Alba, Goody Haskins in Vinegar Tom, and Jaya in Harvest. She served as fight captain for The House of Bernarda Alba, and fight director for Cabaret with Community Players Theatre (Normal, IL).
Alison Nichols (Costume Design, 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. She hopes that you enjoy the show!
Kara Grimm-Denholm (Lighting and Set 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.