A Christmas Carol, Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s Holiday Tradition, Returns on November 26
Favorites Mike Ryan and Julie James return to cast along with new actors
Nov. 10, 2025– Santa Cruz, CA – Santa Cruz Shakespeare (SCS), a nationally recognized professional repertory theatre company staging imaginative productions for more than a decade, today announced the full cast for its annual adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. The production runs from Wednesday, November 26, through Christmas Eve with 26 opportunities for audiences to experience this festive holiday tradition. The 90-minute performances are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Hall at 846 Front St. in Downtown Santa Cruz. Opening night is Sunday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m.
“I’m deeply grateful for my incredible collaborators in this annual holiday tradition,” said Charles Pasternak, artistic director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare. “I’m thrilled to welcome our amazing production manager, Alicia Gibson, as my co-director and to welcome back cast favorites Julie James, Charlotte Munson and Andrea Sweeney Blanco. And, of course, the great Mike Ryan returns as Ebenezer Scrooge.”
In addition to Mike Ryan, Julie James, Charlotte Munson and Andrea Sweeney Blanco, Eddie Lopez joins the cast as Bob Cratchit and other characters. Youth actors Lincoln Best, Joseph Pratt, Aria Atkinson and Sigrid Breidenthal round out the cast. Luke Shepherd provides music direction for the production.
“Whether this is the audience’s first time or their hundredth time seeing A Christmas Carol, I hope they will take away how an act of grace can change a human heart,” said Alicia Gibson, co-director of A Christmas Carol. “The magic of this story is that it keeps us coming back for old reminders and new discoveries. My goal is that audience members feel the warmth and hope that so many of us are searching for this time of year.”
View the full performance schedule at www.santacruzshakespeare.org/christmascarol.
Tickets are available at www.santacruzshakespeare.org or through the seasonal Box Office, 831-460-6399, open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
About Santa Cruz Shakespeare
Featuring professional actors from around the country and inspired by deep local roots that go back more than 40 years, Santa Cruz Shakespeare stages bold productions of the plays of Shakespeare and other great playwrights that stimulate audiences’ senses and spark their imagination. For more information about SCS, visit santacruzshakespeare.org, Facebook and Instagram.
