Ruth is an Edmonton-based actor originally from Scotland. Her career spans four decades in theatre and television including Once (Citadel Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Freewill Festival); The Children (The Roxy Theatre); TWO (Edmonton Fringe); Les Misérables (U.K. Tour); Sweeney Todd (Manchester); Blonde Bombshells of 1943 (London); Macbeth (Liverpool); and a recurring role on Coronation Street. Ruth has an exciting season ahead which includes music directing Uptown Girls (Citadel Theatre) and Nevermore (Catalyst Theatre) and performing her new one-woman musical Dead in the Water at The Varscona Theatre in April.
Julien Arnold is an Edmonton based actor and director. Previous Citadel Theatre credits include Clue, A Christmas Carol, Ring of Fire, Once, Sense and Sensibility, West Side Story, Spamalot, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, Servant of Two Masters, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other Edmonton credits include The Wrong People Have Money (Shadow Theatre); Two (Atlas Theatre); The Finest of Strangers (Teatro La Quindicina); The Taming of the Shrew (Freewill Shakespeare Festival); The Comedy Company (Shadow Theatre); Spelling Bee (Mayfield Dinner Theatre); A Skull in Connemara (Theatre Network); and Suburban Motel (Punctuate! Theatre).
Patricia Cerra is an award-winning artist with a multi-faceted national career as a producer, director & actor. She is the Associate Producer for Vita Brevis Arts & the National Arts Centre on the two-part production of the critically acclaimed national best-selling novel Fall On Your Knees heading to The NAC, The Grand Theatre, Canadian Stage & Neptune Theatre in 2023. Patricia is also the Artistic Programs Associate with Musical Stage Company in Toronto. Citadel credits: The Fiancée, A Christmas Carol, The Silver Arrow, Shakespeare in Love. Upcoming: The Royale (Assistant Director, Citadel).
Kevin is thrilled to be back at the Citadel for this wonderful re-imagining of ye olde Dickens yuletide classic! He has performed in theatres, concert halls, bars, and cars all across Canada and the United States. Kevin had fun in the studio this past summer playing the drums on an upcoming album by Christian Goutsis, entitled Anatomy of a Human Heart. Select theatre credits: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Neptune Theatre); The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Wedding Singer (Mayfield Dinner Theatre). Kevin feels so lucky to be working on this amazing production with such a talented group of humans! Enjoy!
Love to Jack, Madison, Christine, and all staff and students at Elmwood School!
Oscar Derkx is an actor and musician based here in Edmonton. Selected credits: Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Citadel Theatre/Arts Club), As You Like It (RMTC/Citadel Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher, Once, A Christmas Carol (Citadel Theatre); Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Winter’s Tale (Freewill Shakespeare Festival); Lost Lemoine (Teatro La Quindicina); Suburban Motel Series (Punctuate Theatre); The Antyssey (Concrete Theatre); Ride (Lunchbox Theatre); Evelyn Strange (Teatro La Quindicina).
Braydon is a theatre actor, director and dancer. Select theatre credits include: Burning Bluebeard (Edmonton Actor’s Theatre); Shakespeare’s R&J (Kill Your Television); To Be Moved, Scaramouche Jones, Subway Circus (Blarney Productions); The Salon of the Talking Turk (Teatro La Quindicina); Fortune Falls (Catalyst Theatre); Passion Play (Wild Side Productions); Network (Citadel Theatre/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Jane Eyre, The Tempest, The Pillowman (Citadel Theatre). Training: Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Training Program; University of Alberta BFA. He is the co-host and producer of three sports podcasts: Hattrick Sports, The Pitstop Podcast, and Backyard Basketball (The Ordinary Podcasting Network). Braydon can be seen later this season at the Citadel Theatre in Pride and Prejudice.
Sheldon’s credits include: Metis Mutt (One Little Indian Productions); Where The Blood Mixes, King Lear/Queen Goneril (Soulpepper Theatre); Ministry of Grace (Belfry Theatre); BEARS, After The Fire (Punctuate! Theatre); The Comedy Company (Shadow Theatre); Dear Rita, Stories From the Red Dirt Road, Martin Guerre (Charlotte Town Festival); Evangeline (Citadel Theatre/Charlotte Town Festival); Crazy For You (Citadel Theatre/Theatre Calgary); The Fiancée, A Christmas Carol, Alice Through The Looking Glass, One Man Two Guvnors, Julius Caesar, A Prairie Boy’s Winter, Vimy (Citadel Theatre); The Crackwalker (Kill Your Television); Tartuffe, Sound of Music, Enron (NAC); L’Homme de la Mancha (L’Unithéâtre); HROSES: An Affront to Reason (Maggie Tree); NEVERMORE (Catalyst Theatre); HAIR The Musical, Shear Madness, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, The Buddy Holly Story, The Full Monty (Mayfield Dinner Theatre).
Daniela Fernandez (she/her) is a Latin-Canadian actor, singer, dancer and emerging sound designer/producer. She is a graduate of the Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts program and inaugural recipient of the RBC Horizon Emerging Artist Mentorship Program for Sound Design at the Citadel Theatre. Recent credits include: The Wolves (The Maggie Tree – Performer); Mamma Mia! (Mayfield Dinner Theatre – Performer); and Smoke (Tiny Bear Jaws – Sound Designer). Daniela has also worked as a performer and sound designer for the Citadel Theatre, Bright Young Things, Concrete Theatre, Plain Jane Theatre, Catalyst Theatre, Carter-Ryan Productions and Workplays School Program. You can find Daniela performing next in Jersey Boys (Citadel Theatre). Feliz Navidad y un prospero año nuevo a todos!
Born and raised in Mohkínstsis (Calgary), and now proudly calling amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton) home, Steven (he/him) is a Jessie Award-winning music director, musician and actor, with credits that span over 90 productions across Canada. Credits include The Wrong People Have Money (Shadow); The Dreamer’s Cantata (Edmonton Fringe/Plain Jane); ‘Mr. Boddy’ in Clue, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, A Christmas Carol, Ring of Fire, Once (Citadel); ‘Jerry Lee Lewis’ in Million Dollar Quartet (Theatre Calgary); Tune to A (Expanse/Azimuth); Into the Woods (MacEwan); Children of God (Urban Ink/Citadel/WCT). Upcoming: Jersey Boys (Citadel). www.stevengreenfield.ca
Kristi (she/they) is a disabled actor, singer, producer, and budding technologist. Kristi is the co-Artistic Director/co-founder of the independent theatre company, The Maggie Tree, which is dedicated to presenting the work of women and people of underrepresented genders. Previous theatre credits include: The Silver Arrow, A Christmas Carol, and Alice Through the Looking Glass (Citadel Theatre); Dear Rita (Confed Centre); Candide (Edmonton Opera); The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Catalyst Theatre). www.kristihansen.ca
Mathew is a Toronto-based actor, last seen at the Citadel as Mr. Darcy in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and A Christmas Carol (2021). Other credits include Bed and Breakfast (Theatre Network), Margin of the Sky, A Lesson in Brio (Teatro La Quindicina), Witch Hunt at the Strand, (Workshop West), Deathtrap (Mayfield), What Gives (Lunchbox Theatre), Nevermore (Catalyst/Persephone Theatre), Our Man in Havana (Bright Young Things). Mathew is a five time Sterling Award nominee. He won for his performance in Concrete Theatre’s production of Smokescreen.
Past Citadel credits include A Christmas Carol, Matilda the Musical, The Penelopiad, and Legends of Carnegie Hall. Other favourite credits include She Loves Me, A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, The Marvelous Wonderettes (Thousand Islands Playhouse); The Sound of Music (Gateway Theatre); Seussical the Musical (Carousel); Little Women (Chemainus Theatre); Spelling Bee (Belfry Theatre). Alison is happy to be back sharing this beautiful story with Edmonton audiences. “Much love to my family and happy holidays to everyone!”
Graham is an Albertan actor, and graduate of the BFA in Acting program at the University of Alberta. Theatre credits include: A Christmas Carol (Citadel Theatre); Tune to A (Expanse Festival); A Christmas Carol, The Crucible, The Tempest (Theatre Calgary); Fortune Falls (Catalyst Theatre/ATP); until the next breath (Catalyst Theatre); CTRL – ALT – DEL, The Antyssey (Concrete Theatre); How to Leave, The Curing Room (Theatre Outré/Theatre BSMT); The Fall of the House of Atreus (Impossible Mongoose Productions). Film/television credits include: Wynona Earp, Like Right Now, Dive, King Crow. Happy Holidays Everyone!
Priya Narine (she/her) is a mixed-race actor, singer, and shameless Swiftie currently based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). She is delighted to return to this wonderful show once again. Select credits include: Measure For Measure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Freewill Shakespeare Festival); A Christmas Carol (Citadel); Slight of Mind (Citadel/Theatre Yes); Chrysothemis (Studio Theatre); Queen Lear is Dead (Fox Den Collective); Constellations (Ready Go, Edmonton Fringe 2019). Priya is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting program. Endless love and thanks to her friends and family for their support.
Citadel: Network, The Candidate, The Party, A Christmas Carol, Peter and the Starcatcher, Death of a Salesman, One Man, Two Guvnors, and Beauty and the Beast. Glenn is delighted to be part of A Christmas Carol with these remarkable people. At Shadow Theatre: Outside Mullingar, Mistakes Were Made, The Odd Couple, Sexy Laundry and Flyfisher’s Companion.
Christina is a mixed race artist hailing from amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). She is thrilled to be back at the Citadel for the holidays! Selected credits include: Clue (Citadel Theatre); Alina, Michael Mysterious (Pyretic Productions); Much Ado About Nothing, Winter’s Tale (Freewill Players); Sprouts! (Concrete Theatre); Here There Be Night (Workshop West Theatre); and Chrysothemis, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (Studio Theatre). Christina is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program.
Troy is an Edmonton born actor, director, and Artistic Associate with the Freewill Shakespeare Festival. Previous Credits Include: A Christmas Carol, The Tempest, Hamlet (Citadel Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter’s Tale, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Freewill Shakespeare Festival); The 39 Steps (Mayfield); It’s a Wonderful Life, Ten Lost Years, A Christmas Carol (Theatre Northwest); The Umbrella (Quest Theatre); The Early Bloomer, Smokescreen (Concrete Theatre); Anxiety, Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat, The Righteous Woman (Theatre Yes); An Inspector Calls, The Diary of Anne Frank (Rosebud Theatre). Troy would like to honour Albert Lust, Ken Agrell-Smith, and Timothy F. Ryan. May they rest in peace.
John is very familiar to Citadel audiences. He was last seen as Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre. Favourite roles include Cabaret, Matilda (RMTC/Citadel/Arts Club); Beauty and the Beast (Citadel/Theatre Calgary); Rocky Horror Show, and Death of a Salesman. He has worked across the country in many theatres from The Segal Centre in Montreal to The Belfry Theatre in Victoria. He is a co-founder of Firefly Theatre and Circus and a notable street artist. Also, for the past two years, John has been a distiller at Lone Pine Distilling.
David is an Edmonton-based playwright whose works include The Highest Step in the World, Liberation Days, GIANT, Love is Magic (winner of the 2022 Gwen Pharis Ringwood prize) and The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst. David has been Writer-in-Residence for the Edmonton Public Library, Playwright-in-Residence at Alberta Theatre Projects, an ensemble member of One Yellow Rabbit and Co-Artistic Director of Ghost River Theatre. These days you’ll find him working at the Abbottsfield Library. A Christmas Carol couldn’t have been written without many wise and useful observations from his partner Vanessa Sabourin.
Thank you to Vanessa Sabourin, Wren and Zadie van Belle
Daryl is the Artistic Director of the Citadel. He has directed internationally in countries such as South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and across Canada, including: Shaw Festival, National Arts Centre, Theatre Calgary, Neptune Theatre (Halifax), Arts Club (Vancouver), Canadian Stage and Tarragon (Toronto). For the Citadel, Daryl has recently directed: Almost a Full Moon, Network, A Christmas Carol, Jane Eyre, The Fiancée, Shakespeare in Love, Matilda, The Silver Arrow, and The Candidate & The Party. Daryl’s award-winning, Beatles-infused adaptation of As You Like It has played at the Citadel, Bard on the Beach (Vancouver), RMTC (Winnipeg), Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
Cory is an award-winning designer whose set, costume, lighting, and video designs have received both national and international recognition. Cory earned a degree in Architectural Studies from Carleton University before studying design at Ryerson Theatre School. He also holds a MFA in Theatre Design from the University of Alberta. Previous designs for the Citadel include Almost a Full Moon, A Christmas Carol, Ring of Fire, Matilda, Once, Shakespeare in Love, Crazy for You, Million Dollar Quartet, Venus in Fur, Romeo and Juliet, Spamalot, The Rocky Horror Show, Evangeline, Mary Poppins, and Next to Normal.
Citadel: The Silver Arrow. Recent favourite projects include Hamlet 911, The Neverending Story (Stratford); Misery, The Rocky Horror Show, The Color Purple, (Neptune Theatre); The Secret Life of a Mother (Theatre Centre); Everybody Just C@lm The F#ck Down, Between Breaths, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (Artistic Fraud); The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum, Metamorphoses (National Arts Centre); What a Young Wife Ought to Know, and The God That Comes (2b theatre). Leigh Ann is the recipient of seven Merritt awards for design, and was nominated for the Siminovitch Prize. When not designing, she teaches at the National Theatre School of Canada.
Mishelle is a composer, sound designer, and musician based in Vancouver. Past projects at the Citadel: The Herd, The Candidate, The Party, and Sweat. Other favourites include: Clean (Neworld); Made in Canada (rice & beans); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare in Love, Lysistrata, Done/Undone (Bard on the Beach); The Matchmaker (Arts Club); and Titus Bouffonius (Rumble). Next up: The Seventh Fire (Delinquent). Mishelle is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and of UBC Theatre. She is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. www.mishellecuttler.com
Choreography credits include Mamma Mia!, West Side Story, Spamalot, and Shakespeare in Love (Citadel Theatre); Next to Normal (Citadel/Theatre Calgary); Enron (National Arts Centre); Home is a Beautiful Word (Belfry/Persephone Theatre); Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, and Footloose (The Mayfield); Candide (Edmonton Opera); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Belfry/Arts Club); and new musicals RICH and Rapa Nui (MTYP). Laura has choreographed original musicals Vigilante, Nevermore, Frankenstein, Hunchback, Fortune Falls, and The Invisible for Catalyst Theatre. Laura has received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, five Sterling Awards, a Betty Mitchell and a Lucille Lortel nomination for her work on the Off-Broadway run of Nevermore.
Cynthia (she/her) is a Filipino-Canadian theatre artist from Amiskwaciwâskahikan. Cynthia has developed new Canadian Theatre with companies such as fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre, Stratford Festival, Studio 180, Bad Hats, Shakespeare in the Ruff, Nightwood and Factory. A graduate of NTS, performing highlights include: THEATRE: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Broadway, San Francisco companies); The Candidate, The Party, A Christmas Carol (Citadel); This London Life (Grand); Girls Like That (Tarragon); Boys Girls and Other Mythological Creatures (Carousel Players); FILM: Barbelle (KindaTV); Hudson & Rex (CityTV); In the Dark (CW); FROM (Epix). www.cynthiajimenezhicks.com
Lianna Makuch (she/her) is a second-generation Ukrainian Canadian theatre artist. She is a performer, playwright, director, and co-Artistic Producer of Pyretic Productions. Her play Barvinok (Pyretic/Punctuate!) toured Alberta in Fall 2022, and her play Alina premiered in Edmonton in May 2022. This upcoming spring 2023, Lianna will be directing First Métis Man of Odesa by Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova (Punctuate! Theatre) on a national tour, including as part of the Citadel Theatre’s Highwire Series. Lianna is thrilled to be a part of this incredible creative team! Happy Holidays!
Janine is an Edmonton-based Intimacy and a Sterling nominated Fight Director, as well as an Intimacy Coordinator and Stunt Performer. Previous Citadel and Young Company Credits Include: Almost a Full Moon, Network, The Fiancée, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, After Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bat-Boy: The Musical. Previous Theatre Credits Include: Simone el le Whole Shebang (L’uni theatre); MacBeth (The Malachite Theatre Collective). Film Credits Include: Under the Banner of Heaven (FXP, Imagine Television); Billy the Kid (MGM International); Black Summer (Netflix); The Ballad of Audrey Earnshaw (Gate 67 Films). She is the lucky mother of four.
Frank Donato is a lighting and projection designer based out of Toronto, ON. Recent credits as an assistant or associate designer include: Tell Tale Harbor (Confederation Centre); No Change in the Weather, Blindness (Mirvish); The Barber of Seville (Canadian Opera Company); The Neverending Story, Little Shop of Horrors (Stratford Festival). As a designer: The Golden Record (Soulpepper); Ride the Cyclone (Sudbury Theatre Centre); Ways of Being (Kick and Push Festival); Orestes (Tarragon Theatre); Daisy (GCTC). Frank is a graduate of the production program at the National Theatre School of Canada.
Frank would like to thank Leigh Ann Vardy for her continued support and mentorship.
Skye is a designer from Edmonton who explores design and costuming for the theatre as well as fine arts. Skye is a graduate from the University of Alberta’s Theatre Design undergrad program. They are passionate about creating work that is accessible for both audiences and artists. Select credits include: Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Citadel Theatre); Puppet Pub Crawl, Big Feelings, Small World (Found Festival); Dancefest (Nextfest). Catch Skye next doing a production design at Riser Theatre for the premier of Omisomawiw in January.
Michelle is the resident stage manager at the Citadel Theatre and feels lucky to be working with the amazing team here for the last 21 seasons. Some of her favourite past Citadel Theatre credits include: Clue, 9 to 5: The Musical, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, A Christmas Carol, Every Brilliant Thing, Ring of Fire, Once, Shakespeare in Love, West Side Story, Avenue Q, One Man, Two Guvnors, Spamalot, Private Lives, Beauty and the Beast, A Few Good Men, The Sound of Music, The Rocky Horror Show, August: Osage County, The Forbidden Phoenix, Sweeney Todd, and Mary’s Wedding: A Métis Love Story.
Huge thanks to Molly, Lore and Frances! Merry Christmas to all!
Lore is thrilled to be back at the Citadel doing what she loves with such a great group of people. Selected credits include: A Christmas Carol, West Side Story, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Sense & Sensibility, Hadestown, Silver Arrow, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and Clue (Citadel Theatre); Timothy Findley’s The Wars, Mamma Mia! and Titanic: The Musical (Grand Theatre); Barvinok, Michael Mysterious and Alina (Pyretic Productions). Lore is the resident stage manager for Pyretic Productions and holds a BFA in stage management from the University of Alberta. Slava Ukraini!
Thank you to Patrick, Lianna, Diane & John.
Citadel: The Garneau Block, Made in Italy (Stage Manager); Children of God, Peter and the Starcatcher, and A Christmas Carol (Assistant Stage Manager); Freewill Shakespeare Festival: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Comedy of Errors, and The Merchant of Venice (Stage Manager); other stage management credits include Last Chance Leduc (Snowflake Productions); Shakespeare’s R&J (Kill Your Television); Bello (Concrete Theatre/l’UniTheatre); Bust (Theatre Network); The Passion of Narcisse Mondoux (Northern Light Theatre/l’UniTheatre); and assistant stage managing Mamma Mia! (Mayfield Dinner Theatre) and Vigilante (Catalyst Theatre).
Frances is a stage manager based in Edmonton where she also started ReadyGo Theatre Collective, for which she is the PM/TD. She is thrilled to be part of this stellar stage management team as her second year on A Christmas Carol! Previous credits include: The Wolves (The Maggie Tree – Citadel Highwire Series); Network (Citadel Theatre/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); 2022 Tour of The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Catalyst Theatre); Clue, A Christmas Carol (Citadel Theatre); Here There Be Night, Slight of Mind (Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre); Hacking and Slashing, Lemon, Brother Rat,
I, Animal, Monster (ReadyGo Theatre). She would like to thank her parents for instilling in her a passion for art and Erik for being her rock every day.
Adam has worked as a Child Supervisor, Wardrobe Maintenance/Dresser, Musical Theatre Instructor, and Performer for The Citadel Theatre. He also Is a Community Programming Outreach Assistant for the Edmonton Arts Council. Previous theatre credits include: The Bully Project, Are We There Yet? (Concrete Theatre); The Super Groovy ‘70s Show (The Mayfield Dinner Theatre); West Side Story (The Citadel Theatre /Theatre Calgary); Oliver!, Matilda, Mamma Mia!, A Christmas Carol (The Citadel Theatre); Onegin (The Arts Club /Catalyst Theatre); Boy Groove (Azimuth Theatre, Ribbit Productions).
Austin is thrilled to be joining the A Christmas Carol team for her first show at the Citadel. Theatre has been her truest love for as long as she can remember. She calls Fox Creek home and is currently enrolled in the Early Learning and Childcare program at Northern Lakes College. Previous Credits: Assistant Stage Manager: Alice in Wonderland Jr. (Pumpjack Players); Yellowhead Regional One-Acts (Alberta Drama Festival Association); Actor: Bedtime Stories (Pumpjack Players).
Thanks and love to her friends and family in Fox Creek and beyond.
Lucas Smart is so excited to work with the talented Youth Company as a Child Supervisor! This will be his first year working with the Citadel, and his first on A Christmas Carol! Lucas has been fortunate enough to have performed in many productions in his youth, most notably playing The Phantom in his high school production of The Phantom of the Opry (St. Francis Xavier High School). Lucas and his wife Katie have called Edmonton, Alberta, their home for the past 14 years, since receiving his degree in Education from the University of Alberta. When he’s not helping at the Citadel, Lucas tutors and works as a Child Care Supervisor in out of school care settings.
CHORUS
Back row, standing: Thalia Snelgrove, Lilla Solymos, Ben Hill, Liam Cloran, Spike Rubin, Emma Jespersen, Ivy DeGagné, Nicolas Melo, Ella Schaloske, Parker Malacad, Josh Plamondon
Front row, kneeling/sitting: Aysha Richards, Aubrey Malacad, Elias Martin, Neli Kastrinos
