A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the MERCHANT'S HOUSE
Keeps Spirits High and Christmas Merry Virtually
Again This Holiday Season
In-Person Performances Begin
Wednesday, November 23rd
Summoners Ensemble Theatre
in association with the Merchant’s House Museum
Now Through December 30 only!
Stream On Demand – Pay Per View
Adapted by John Kevin Jones & Rhonda Dodd
from Charles Dickens’ classic tale
Performed by John Kevin Jones
Directed by Dr. Rhonda Dodd
“Jones easily captivates the audience with his brightly hued voice. Portraying Dickens as narrator, his delight for sharing the story is tangible and intoxicating.”
Out.com, David Clarke
“This is masterful storytelling.”
Theatremania.com, Zachary Stewart
“Jones summons Charles Dickens’ classic characters seamlessly.”
New York Daily News, Joe Dziemianowicz
This December, as Summoners Ensemble Theatre’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL AT THE MERCHANT’S HOUSE resumes long-anticipated live performances for its 10th holiday season, we are delighted once again to offer performances virtually! For $35, join Mr. Dickens and watch online, from anywhere and on your schedule. Your pay-per-view ticket is good for three viewings of our holiday classic anytime between now and December 30, 2022.
“I have always thought of Christmas time —as a good time; |
All proceeds will help keep us thriving as we move through the continuing COVID crisis and beyond, ensuring that Summoners Ensemble Theatre can continue bringing classic literature to life and the landmark 1832 Merchant’s House Museum remains a pillar of education about life in 19th century in New York.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the MERCHANT’S HOUSE, Charles Dickens in New York, 1867, is presented online by Summoners Ensemble Theatre in association with the Merchant’s House Museum. Performances were filmed in the landmark 1832 Merchant’s House Museum, New York City’s only 19th-century family home preserved intact, inside and out.
BIOGRAPHIES:
JOHN KEVIN JONES (Actor, Co-Adapter): Kevin is a member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, and the Dramatists Guild of America. New York: Nothing But Trash, Theater for the New City; Jeffrey (starring Bryan Batt), Lincoln Center; The Winter’s Tale and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Hipgnosis Theatre. Regional: The Pavilion (American Stage), Othello (Arkansas Rep), The Rivals, All My Sons (Kentucky Rep), Angels in America, Gross Indecency (Playhouse on the Square). BA in Theatre Performance from the University of South Florida and MFA in Theatre Directing from the University of Memphis.
RHONDA DODD (Director, Co-Adapter): An award winning actor, technician and director, Rhonda arrived in New York with over 150 shows under her belt. Once here she made her Off-Broadway acting debut with Terese Hayden and Jacqueline Brookes’ Workshop in Tennessee Williams’ Period of Adjustment, finished her Ph.D., and spent 10 years working at Circle in the Square Theatre School. Dr. Dodd is the Artistic Director of Summoners Ensemble Theatre, a member of Actors Equity, and a participant in The Playground Experiment – a forum for theatre artists to explore, test, and showcase new work while finding inspiration and support from the community it creates.
CHARLES DICKENS (1812 – 1870): Considered the greatest English novelist of the Victorian era, Charles Dickens created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters. When destitution landed his family in debtor's prison, young Charles was forced to give up school and work in a blacking warehouse. This era of his life heavily influenced his writing, which later made him a much sought-after orator. After giving a speech to a group of working-class poor, Dickens found himself contemplating the plight of exploited child workers. Taking only six weeks to complete, in 1843, A Christmas Carol stripped away the mask from some of England’s most acute social evils. By speaking up for the poor and oppressed, Dickens directly confronted the apathy and callousness of his countrymen. But more than just a timely political screed, Dickens’ spirit-filled holiday story has become a timeless treatise about love, compassion, and the transformation of the human heart. He impelled his contemporaries then -- and now us today -- to care about everyone and to reach out and help if we see someone in need.
MERCHANT’S HOUSE MUSEUM: Built in 1832, the Merchant’s House is New York City’s only 19th century family home preserved virtually intact, with original family furnishings and personal belongings. A unique survivor of Old New York, the House offers an intimate glimpse of how a prosperous merchant family and their Irish servants lived in mid-19th century New York, as the city grew from a colonial seaport to thriving metropolis.
The Merchant’s House is a National Historic Landmark and in New York City is distinguished as one of only 120 buildings that have NYC landmark status for both its exterior and interior.
SUMMONERS ENSEMBLE THEATRE: Founded by a group of actors who studied together at Circle in the Square Theatre School’s Professional Acting Training program, Summoners Ensemble joined the ranks of New York nonprofit theatre companies in 1993. Created as a collaborative to allow the members to share in all of the functions needed in running a theatre company, Summoners remains a collective effort as we jointly produce theatrical events with other nonprofits or as we find ourselves acting and directing, writing and producing.
Visit www.summonersensemble.org for more information, on Twitter: @Summoners and on Facebook.
Follow www.merchantshouse.org on Twitter and Instagram @MerchantsHouse and on Facebook
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