Dear Friend,

A who’s who in the history of PBD will be participating in our live reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on Monday evening, December 21 at 7:30pm. In the tradition of Dickens reading his own work, this presentation will showcase PBD luminaries reading the 1843 novella, with each artist separately performing a portion of the book before handing off to the next actor.

Among the 19 artists taking part are Estelle Parsons, who appeared at PBD in My Old Lady, and Terry Teachout, who made his directorial debut with the company’s production of his acclaimed Satchmo at the Waldorf, and who wrote the commissioned Billy and Me, which received its world premiere here in 2017. They will appear alongside Artistic Director William Hayes and Managing Director Sue Ellen Beryl, returning to their performing roots for the evening, as well as (in alphabetical order) Gary Cadwallader (PBD director of education and community engagement), Caitlin Cohn, Dennis Creaghan, Elizabeth Dimon, Rob Donohoe, Patti Gardner, J. Barry Lewis (resident director), Bruce Linser (The Dramaworkshop manager), Kathy McCafferty, Colin McPhillamy, Lester Purry, Angie Radosh, Karen Stephens, John Leonard Thompson, and Laura Turnbull. Lewis directs. Tickets are free, but reservations are required.  

The presentation will also include drawings by acclaimed contemporary artist Roberto Innocenti, who illustrated A Christmas Carol in 1990. 

It was Lewis’ idea to do a reading of the novella, rather than one of the many play adaptations, and Hayes, a huge Dickens fan, was immediately on board. “No play captures the words quite the way Dickens did,” says Hayes. “He was a master at creating vivid characters and setting the mood. As we’re doing a reading, without sets and costumes, the words are everything. So, we felt we couldn’t do better than to go to the source. We also liked the idea that we were following in Dickens’ footsteps, in the sense that he was known for doing readings of his work.”

When we first made the announcement about the reading, the plan was to prerecord the performance because the large cast and liberal use of illustrations promised to be a logistical challenge. But Bill and Barry soon changed their minds. “Being together with family and loved ones is a big part of the spirit of Christmas,” says Hayes. “Obviously, we are unable to be in a theatre, to be in a shared space. The closest we can get to that shared space is watching the performance on Zoom at the same time as the actors are doing it live. It creates a sense of community, of togetherness. Ultimately, that became more important than whatever technical challenges we face.”

It was Rob Donohoe, a veteran Scrooge and something of A Christmas Carol fanatic, who recommended Innocenti’s illustrations to Lewis. (You can read about Rob’s fascination and history with A Christmas Carol by clicking here.) “If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Innocenti’s illustrations are priceless,” says Lewis. “His drawings visually bring Dickens’ words to life. Each one brilliantly captures the narrative or a particular mood. The illustrations are sepia toned with muted color, and just draw you right into Dickens’ world in a way that speaks to a modern audience. We’re using about 25 of them throughout the reading.”

Please join us as well for Dramalogue: Talking Theatre! this Friday, December 18, at 7:30pm, when the guest will be Mark Perlberg, former chairman of PBD’s board, lecturer for the Master Playwrights series, and executive producer of the New Year/New Plays Festival

Penny Bank is the executive producer of the Home for the Holidays series. Dramalogue is sponsored by Marlene and Martin Silver. PBDonline is sponsored by Louise and Barry Snyder. Tickets to all programs are free, but reservations are required. Visit palmbeachdramaworks.org or call the box office at 561.514.4042, x2. And donations to PBD are always welcome.

Stay safe!
GUEST:
MARK PERLBERG

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 AT 7:30PM

HOSTED BY: WILLIAM HAYES, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Mark Perlberg has been on the board of PBD for more than 15 years, and served as chairman for six years. He is the executive producer of the New Year/New Plays Festival, and was the executive producer of the Master Playwright series and Dramalogue: Talking Theatre! For those two series, he prepared and delivered more than a dozen programs on playwrights including Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, and Tennessee Williams. He also directed the first play produced in the Studio Theatre. Mark is currently a managing director at Nautic Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Providence, RI and Palm Beach Gardens. Previously, he served for 15 years as CEO of Oasis Outsourcing which, prior to its sale to Paychex in 2018, was the nation’s largest privately-held professional employer organization. He and his wife Diane reside in Palm Beach Gardens. They have three children and three grandchildren.
To view the past Dramalogue: Talking Theatre! programs including recent guests

Bruce Linser
John Leonard Thompson
Michael Amico
Patti Gardner
Dennis Creaghan
Terry Teachout
Lynn Nottage
Gary Cadwallader
Brian O'Keefe