We’re taking the Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young to New York City!
This December Gimme Please!, an original production created by Megan Alrutz and Samantha Provenzano will be staged at Lincoln Center as part of the Lincoln Center Presents series. Originally produced in the 2019/20 season, this highly visual work follows the journey of two friends from initial meeting to lasting connection as they pretend, provoke, and persist in getting what they want and need from the world and each other. Through the use of live music, as well as light and magic, this story draws audiences in with its deep sense of play and honest exploration of growing up and finding your path.
The December 1–3 performances are recommended for children ages 2-5 and their families; and performances on December 9–10 are especially adapted for neurodivergent audiences, designed to be inclusive for guests with a range of sensory needs.
College of Education & Human Development Announces 2023 Partnership Award Recipients
The College of Education & Human Development selected the Alliance Theatre Institute as a 2023 recipient of the CEHD Partnership Award.
This annual award honors the valuable partnerships that exist between the college and members of the community. It celebrates these joint efforts to address educational and community challenges and advance the public good through sustained and collaborative initiatives.
The Alliance Theatre Institute partners with school districts and schools to deliver professional learning for educators and arts-integrated or theater-based instruction for students. Associate Professor Michelle Zoss nominated the institute for its 10-year community partnership with the college’s Departments of Middle and Secondary Education and Early Childhood and Elementary Education.
The 2023 recipients were recognized at the college’s Partnership Award Luncheon on November 7th. Learn more about our partnership with Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development.
Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses
Uncover the impact of isolation, the power of community, and the boundless generosity that can shape a more loving world.
Why do we revisit this story every year? What is it about Scrooge’s journey that continually reveals something new about ourselves?
Every year about this time, we start to hunger to hear this story again. To make plain what we tend to forget or take for granted through much of the year. To remind ourselves that, no matter how isolated or cynical one has become, there is always the possibility for transformation — the chance to replace our stony hearts with generous, loving ones.
Gathering together to share in this story has become much more than simply tradition. It’s taken on the air of ritual, affording us the chance to reaffirm certain profound truths about our shared humanity. One of those truths is the most basic of all: we need each other. We cannot know who we are without knowing who we are in relationship to others. To this community. To our family. To our friends. To our neighbors. To you. Scrooge, like many of us, seems to have forgotten this most basic of truths: That it is in relationship with others where we find meaning. Not in isolation. Not in things. But in community.
Scrooge’s isolation impacts more than his own misery. It deprives his community of certain possibilities. Similarly, the boundless gratitude of Tiny Tim is not just an individual virtue but a gift that is freely given to all in his orbit. Tim generously shares with all of us a vision for a more selfless, loving world. Each day, we’re given the opportunity to choose generosity, to reflect back to each other our authentic selves, and to help create that version of the world.
Like Scrooge on Christmas morning, we “haven’t missed it!” We still have time. Thank you for joining us again this year, and for reminding us of that beautiful truth.
Learn more about A Christmas Carol.
“But I have a few papers, some old photographs. They have little value but are of infinite worth.” — Ebenezer Scrooge
In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is called upon to reckon with his fixation on worldly goods by otherworldly figures. Throughout his nighttime journey, he learns that his relationships with family, friends, and neighbors are more important than any of the expensive items that he owns.
That’s not to say that physical objects are not significant. Instead, an item’s worth is measured, not in monetary value, but in the way that it connects us to other people. The most important items have little to no financial value at all.
We asked the people involved in Alliance Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol to share stories of important items in their lives. Here are some of their responses:
Arthur the Traveling Teddy
“My childhood teddy bear: Arthur. My father caught me eyeing him in a toy store during a family vacation in California and later surprised me with him. Holding him for the first time is one of my earliest childhood memories of pure, unadulterated joy. Arthur represents to me the pure, selfless love of my family. Over the decades, he has traveled all over the world – from vacations, to college, to dozens of jobs across the country, Europe, India, Asia. He is quite worn and tattered, yet remains a beautiful symbol of my family. I am currently pregnant with my first child and I cannot wait to place Arthur in her hands for the first time – as my father did for me.”
—Rhyn McLemore, Ghost of Christmas Past/Ensemble
Nana’s Furry Legacy: The Tiger Striped Throw
“My nana was a Leo and loved anything leopard or tiger striped — anything big cat related. When she passed, my sister and I were given these king-sized fleece throws — I was given the tiger striped, my sister the leopard print…It’s been more than 20 years since her passing, and through all my moves — from college to LA to Memphis, back to San Diego, and then to Atlanta — I still have that throw, which I refer to as ‘my nana blanket.’”
—TeKeyia Amaru-Rice, IDEA Director
Broken Guitar, Unbroken Memories
“My wife gave me a guitar when we were in college. She engraved a quote from one of my favorite poets on it. Now it sits in our living room even though it’s broken and out of tune. It’s a reminder of when we were first together years ago.”
—Christopher Hampton, Mr. Cratchit/Mr. Pritchitt/Ensemble
A Mother’s Stitched Love
“I took ballet when I was 4 years old. My mother was very into handmade clothing, so she made me a ballet bag out of my favorite baby blanket. I still have it in my closet, holding pairs of abandoned dance shoes from high school and college. I’m sure a tattered and stained 80s blanket bag has little value in any market but the memory of my now-gone mother’s desire for me to have something comforting in my first extracurricular activity is worth quite a lot to me.”
—Liz Campbell, Stage Manager
My Father’s Wedding Band
“Certain objects that tie me to my past become almost magical, like a talisman. One of them is my father’s wedding band, which I started wearing after he and my mother were both gone. It carries history and significance that are unique to me. I saw it on my father’s hand for my entire life, and I now see it on my hand. It reminds me of who I come from and, to some extent, who I am.”
—Andrew Benator, Ebenezer Scrooge*
Captured Memories: Photographs and Handwritten Letters
“I have two photographs: one of just me at maybe 3 or 4 and one of my siblings and I as kids. Anytime I look at the girl in the first photo I’m struck by how wide her smile is. I’m reminded to keep my younger self with me as I journey on— especially her optimism and her lively spirit. The photo of my siblings and I is really meaningful to me because even though we don’t live in the same state anymore, they are incredibly important to me. We’ve been through a lot together and I’m so proud watching them grow. Finally, I have a little crate of cards and letters that my friends have sent me over the years. They serve as reminders of all the people I’ve been blessed to know. A handwritten letter with stickers and drawings carries so much love!! You know the sender put time into it.”
—Akasha Nelson, US Mrs. Cratchit/Mrs. Fezziwig/Missy Watkins/Bess/Mudge/Mrs. Dilber/Ensemble
My Mother’s Letter
“A letter from my mother that she wrote to me when I was 18. I was going through a tough time, & even though we talked freely all the time, there was something deeply meaningful about her written words reminding me how much she loved me & believed in me no matter what.”
—Ann Marie Gideon, Missy Watkins/Bess/Mudge/Ensemble
Daughter’s Drawings
“My daughter’s drawings. These are priceless to me and my husband, as they represent her development over the years, but have little traditional value (as in, not worth purchasing.)”
—Lindsay Ridgeway-Baierl, Manager of Individual Giving
Trinkets of Memories: A Collection of Moments
“I have a small bag of trinkets in my closet that I keep, rarely look at, and never throw out. It’s a collection of small items from my life that had some kind of impact on me at the time, or they represented a moment that meant a lot (most are from shows). There’s a tiny sewing kit, a magnet that says “Dumpster Fire Tour,” a bracelet with the letters WAWD (what are we doing) printed on it, the casing of a bullet from my first time shooting at a range which was in preparation for my first show which we had to use firearms in, a blue scarf that was Cordelia’s when I did “King Lear” for the first time (I was the Fool and I had decided I was in love with Cordelia), a note from a girl inviting me to a concert years ago (I found out shortly after that she had taken her own life and I never saw her again after she gave me that note), and a small ring purchased from an Old Navy that my now wife and I wore when we shot an adaptation of “Hamlet” in my home town (we played Hamlet & Ophelia). Connecting with those items physically can almost put me back to the time when I received them, and it’s one of the best ways I have to make sure I don’t forget the meaningful things that have happened to me, that were perhaps too quick or short for a photo or a big memory attached. I look forward to being 80 and looking back at all the trinkets I’ve collected from a life well lived, and boring my kids with all the stories that those items hold.”
—Caleb Clark, Young Scrooge/Peter/Ensemble and US Ebenezer Scrooge
A Blossoming Love: The Homemade Cherry Blossom
“A homemade cherry blossom. Made from tissue paper and a stick from a backyard. My now husband, Lowrey, mailed this to me at the very beginning of our dating time period while I was away working on a show. He knew that cherry blossoms are my favorite flower and sent it to me for opening night. It is literally a stick anyone could find in their backyard with paper glued to it, but it still sits proudly on the mantle over our fireplace. It has little value to anyone else, and would look like a childhood craft, BUT to me it showed just how much he cared by taking the time to make something very specifically for me.”
—Lyndsay Ricketson, Ghost of Christmas Future/Ensemble
Connected By Jewelry: The Friendship Necklace
“I have a necklace that I wear almost every day that matches one that my best friend also has and also wears every day. It didn’t cost a lot but seeing it in the Snapchat pictures we send each other every day is always a morale boost and connects us across the miles.”
— Ashley Elliott, Marketing Coordinator
Now, we turn it to you: What are some meaningful items in your life? What are the things you have been given by loved ones, and what do you hope to give in the future?
In the wise words of MR. FEZZIWIG, “At the end of your days one look at this photograph and you’ll be transported back to a time surrounded by good companionship. And good friends.”
When he was about one or two years old, Caleb Baumann attended his very first theater performance. New to Atlanta, his mother felt it important that her young sons be exposed to the arts.
“As a single mother,” Erika Baumann explained, “I knew it was important!”
She took them to a Theater for the Very Young production at the Alliance. The show? Goodnight Moon, directed by Rosemary Newcott. She still has pictures of him sitting in her lap in the lobby on the night they saw the show.
Over the years, whenever they could, she made sure to take them to a production. When Caleb was around four or five years old, she bought them tickets to see the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.
There is a picture of Caleb, all of about four or five years old, in the lobby of the Woodruff Arts Center Memorial Arts Building, outside of what is now the Coca-Cola Stage. It was the night he and his family saw A Christmas Carol for the first time. He came across it one day recently. In the picture, he is with Andrew Benator in costume as Jacob Marley. Benator played Marley for many years before assuming the role of Ebenezer Scrooge a few years ago.
“It’s kinda surreal,” said Caleb. “Here I am, roughly four or five or six, and I was lucky enough to meet some of the actors in the lobby and Andrew, in his full Jacob Marley garb, is one of them. And now I call him a friend.”
His mother calls the night serendipitous. “During the show, Caleb tugged me and asked, ‘Mom, how do I get to be one of those kids up there,’ pointing to the stage,” she remembers. “I said, ‘You don’t honey. We sit in the audience and clap. So be quiet cause the kids are gonna do their thing.’”
But Caleb was determined. Four years later (and after the continuous hounding of Caleb), his mother enrolled him in acting classes at the Alliance. Not long after, his dream came true when he was invited to audition for A Christmas Carol that year.
Now at 18, Caleb has appeared in countless productions at the Alliance Theatre. They include In My Granny’s Garden, The Jungle Book, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Shakespeare in Love. He has also done Where Butterflies Go in Winter as part of the Kendeda Festival. But nothing holds a candle to A Christmas Carol for Caleb. This year he will reprise the role of Matthew Watkins, a role he has held since the new adaptation premiered on the Coca-Cola stage in 2021. He will also understudy as Fred and Dick Wilkins.
“We’re a family. And I don’t exaggerate that at all. I grew up with these people. I mean Andrew and Brad [Raymond] and so many others have taught me [so much including] how to be a professional working actor,” he said. “I know how much joy it brings. I know how much tradition it is. So, to be able to be in it is… it’s surreal. It is. The first day of rehearsal is always like no time has passed, you know. We start right back where we left off. That’s a family, you know!”
This show, his mother said, has helped raise Caleb.
“For several months during the year he would spend 10 to 12 hours a day with these individuals, right? I didn’t go to rehearsals, right? I would just pick up my son. And at the beginning of the rehearsal process to the end he was a different person,” she said. “It was a completely different life experience, and we’ve been really grateful for the contribution that the Alliance has made to helping us, you know, raise our family, literally.”
Caleb is not the only beloved and familiar face returning to A Christmas Carol this year. Other members of the “family” include Benator as Scrooge and Raymond as the Ghost of Christmas Present, as well as other favorites including Asia Rogers as Alice and Fan, Rhyn McLemore as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Caleb Clark as Young Scrooge and Peter, and Thomas Neal Antwon Grant as Tom Watkins, Mr. Fezziwig, and Topper. There is also another beloved cast member returning this year, but in a different role.
This year, Caitlin Hargraves returns to the Alliance as director of A Christmas Carol.
“I’m really excited to be able to be directed by Caitlin,” said Caleb. “She’s an amazing person. And I know I know she’ll do amazing. In past productions, she has played my mother. I know she’ll take the reins and she’ll direct gracefully.”
Not only is she honored to be directing the production this year, but Hargraves also looks forward to what this opportunity means for her family. She was pregnant during last season’s production.
“This year, I’ll get to bring my baby daughter, Ophelia, to rehearsals with me. That alone fills me with hope and joy,” she said, “Knowing that she will get to take part of a theatrical tradition celebrated across the globe, with many of the artists and friends who have inspired and encouraged me since I moved to Atlanta in 2017. What a gift, and I’m beyond grateful that it continues to give.”
As someone who has probably seen the show more times than anyone else, Erika Baumann considers the show a unifier.
“It is such a uniting message, right? It might be a tried-and-true story, but there’s a reason that it stands the test of time. And I think in these times, where things are so volatile and tumultuous, it’s even more important,” she adds. “The story, the show, and the cast have a very unique way of always of making it very alive and very relevant to what’s happening in the world.”
And no matter what is going on in his career (before the WGA and SAG AFTRA strike he was planning a move to Los Angeles), the Baumanns describe the Alliance’s production of A Christmas Carol as Caleb’s anchor back to Atlanta.
“Oh, I’m coming back every year,” he said. “Plus, playing Jacob Marley has always been the dream role since I was a kid. I look forward to that. I look forward to that for sure.”
Just like when he was four or five, he is determined. He has never been more determined.
Alliance Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol has been an Atlanta tradition for decades. Though many adaptations have been played at the Alliance, one thing remains true through their commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion; equitable casting. On stage, Alliance Theatre represents not only the diversity of modern day Atlanta, but also that of historical London. England has a long history of immigration that has brought many different people and cultures together in its capital city.
This story takes place during the Industrial Revolution, wherein England’s economy experienced rapid growth through shipping routes and the factory system. During the 1600s, London experienced increased growth and diversification in population due to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Many people from North America and the West Indies were brought to be household servants, work in cotton mills, or to be sold through slave ports. London, Bristol, and Liverpool were the main ports for slave trade. This continued to be the case even after emancipation was officially declared in England in 1838.
By the mid-1700s, the Industrial Revolution was well underway. England’s economy became dependent on international trade, and they needed cheap labor to support the shipping industry. Many job opportunities were created with the target workers being immigrants of color from the colonies in Africa, Malaysia, India, and the West Indies. These workers were hired as sailors and paid unfair wages to work in horrible conditions. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Somali, and Yemeni workers were often picked up to work on ships trading with Asia, while people from West Africa and the West Indies were typically picked up to work on ships on the Atlantic routes. Many of these workers hired in their native countries were abandoned upon arrival at the shipping ports in England, and so they had to settle in the cities near the coast, London being a major hub.
Other immigrants fled to England because of poverty and war. In the 1840’s, due to the Great Famine, a million people immigrated from Ireland to other places to find better resources, job opportunities, and relief. Many from the Scottish Highlands had to flee Scotland because of unsustainable rent prices, foreclosures, poor harvests, and a lack of jobs. There were also immigrants from the villages of southern Italy fleeing poverty and the civil war.
People came to London for many different reasons but many shared one thing in common: a desire for a better life. Through this massive immigration, England now has diverse communities throughout the country to be represented on stage. Oftentimes, newly arrived immigrants would settle within communities of people who shared their language and culture. This created pockets of different cultures throughout England. For example, Limehouse was a common city for people of Chinese descent, Italians who settled in the city settled in Clerkenwell, and many of the European Jewish community settled in Spitalfields. Black and African communities settled in London, Bristol, Liverpool, and Brixton.
As one can see, it is likely that a diverse and varied group of people populated Charles Dickens’ classic story. While this play represents the diversity in London, Alliance’s production presents the classic work for an Atlanta audience, representing our own city’s diversity through an entirely local cast of Atlanta actors. With a piece that has been done so many times before, and has typically excluded BIPOC people in its reiterations, the Alliance has taken this story and made it not only relatable, but accessible for audiences in Atlanta to enjoy
There’s nothing that so profoundly expresses the significance of generosity as A Christmas Carol. We see so clearly through Ebenezer and Mr. Cratchit how one small act of kindness can ripple outwards to form a tidal wave of positive change. That same spirit is what sparked Open Hand Atlanta: we are neighbors helping neighbors with love, compassion, and integrity.
In 1988, a group of friends gathered to cook meals for their neighbors disenfranchised by HIV/AIDS. Since then, Open Hand has expanded to meet the needs in the community to provide health-promoting food directly to the homes of those who need it. We provide all of our services free-of-charge to our clients, as over 90% of those we serve come from historically marginalized backgrounds, and 75% live at or below the federal poverty line.
Open Hand has grown to cook, package, and deliver 5,000 meals every day, ensuring our seniors, families, and our neighbors who are at risk for or have a disability or illness receive delicious, nourishing meals made with their wellbeing in mind. Every meal is designed by our registered dietitian nutritionists to address specific health conditions, and meets or exceeds the most rigorous nutritional standards. We believe food is love, and food is medicine.
We’ve had the honor of partnering with Alliance Theatre, who has shown our neighbors in need overwhelming support by raising more than $205,000 over the past 20+ years. Thank you!
To learn more, visit OpenHandAtlanta.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
