A Christmas Carol

Born and raised in Minnesota, Joel McKinnon Miller studied opera and theatre at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. After college, he moved to New York, joined John Houseman’s The Acting Company and spent 3 years touring the U.S. After returning to New York, Joel began performing Off-Broadway, which included working with Joseph Papp at The Public Theatre and in regional theatre.

Joel made his television debut in 1991 on Murphy Brown. His numerous television credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Everybody loves Raymond, The X-Files,  ER, Glee, Longmire, Bones, American Horror Story, Las Vegas and Station 19. Features include The Truman Show, Super 8, The Family Man, Friday After Next and Men In Black II.

Joel is best known for his roles as Detective Norm Scully on the NBC hit series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (8 seasons) and Don Embry on HBO’s Big Love (5 seasons). Recently, he starred in the HBO mini-series The Staircase.

Joel lives in Los Angeles with his wife Tamara of 39 years, has two grown children, one son-in-law and world-famous dog Elliot.

Alex Brightwell is delighted to be
back for another year with A Christmas Carol! Selected Theatre: The Tempest (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Three Sisters (Two River Theater), A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre, 2022), Chicken & Biscuits (Bristol Riverside Theatre), Every Brilliant Thing (Cleveland Play House), The Sea Lady (Metropolitan Playhouse), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, One Man Two Guvnors, As You Like It, An Octoroon, Untitled Russia Play (Chautauqua Theater Company), Golden Age (Guthrie Theater). Education: BFA: University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater; MFA: Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House.

Gisela Chípe, a multi-hyphenate Actor/Writer/Narrator/Producer
worked as Producer: anticipated series This Boy’s Vida by Joseph Castillo-
Midyett, award-winning Black?, ConDios, and The Graduate Series (Cowriter). Select Film/TV Acting credits: Good Burger 2, The Unholy, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, FBI, SVU, and Manifest. Spanish: Wasp Network, Bel Canto. Portuguese: The Olympic Games (Brazil). Gisela recently made her Broadway debut with the comedy POTUS… (d. Susan Stroman). Off-Broadway/Regional Theaters: Papermill, Actors Theatre, The Guthrie. Select Audiobooks: Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, THE TALK, Night Vision, among others, with awards for The Soul of a Woman by Allende, Velvet Was The Night, and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Moreno-Garcia. Gisela creates greater visibility for black and brown stories. University of Delaware—PTTP (M.F.A.) Thrilled to be returning to the McCarter Theatre! Feliz Navidad Familia! @giselachipe

Broadway: Gary; Amelie; She Loves Me; The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Bonnie & Clyde; Baby, It’s You!; A Tale of Two Cities. Off-Broadway/Regional favorites: Lady Capulet in Romeo & Juliet (Westport Country Playhouse); the Witch in Into the Woods (Fiasco/The Old Globe); Sally Cato in Mame (Kennedy Center); Madame Thenardier in Les Misérables (North Carolina Theater); John Guare’s 3 Kinds of Exile (Atlantic Theater Company); Preparedness (Bushwick Starr); My Wonderful Day (Two River Theater Company); Party Face (City Center II). Film/TV favorites: The Wrath of Becky, The Big Sick, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ray Donovan, Blacklist, Younger, Bull, Evil, Dickinson, Law & Order: SVU. Training: BA from Brown University (Weston Acting Award recipient); Upright Citizens Brigade; The Actors Center. Alison is the founder and artistic director of Bonfire Theatre Group (www.BonfireTheatreGroup.com) and is a resident company member of The Actors Center (www.theactorscenter.org). More at www.AlisonCimmet.com or follow @AlisonCimmet on Instagram. Love to David, Ella, and Gavin.

Kenneth De Abrew is thankful and excited to return to McCarter. He has
played several roles in A Christmas Carol at The Hartford Stage and the Hanover Theatre recently. Other credits include Off-Broadway: Measure for Measure (Theatre for a New Audience); Fuente Ovejuna (Theatre for a New Audience) As You Like It (Baruch PAC). Regional: Petrol Station (The Kennedy Center); Guards at the Taj (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company); Indian Ink (American Conservatory Theater); Cocktail (Swine Palace & Ping Chong and Company); Hair (Swine Palace); Romeo & Juliet (North Carolina Shakespeare); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tennessee Shakespeare). Television: New Amsterdam, Girls5Eva, Jessica Jones, Atlanta, The Detour, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Gotham, Orange is the New Black, Awakwafina is Nora from Queens, WeCrashed, Helpsters. Film: Someone Great, This Is Where I Leave You, Submission. Education: MFA in Acting from Louisiana State University; BA in Theater and Zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University; attended Trinity College, Kandy, Sri Lanka where he started acting as a child.
kennethdeabrew.com https://www.instagram.com/kennethdeabrew

Grayson is delighted to return to McCarter to share this wonderful story
again. THEATER Broadway: War Horse (first national tour); Regional: Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre) Hamlet, The Glass Menagerie (The Guthrie Theater) Zoey’s Perfect Wedding (Matthew Lopez world premiere, Denver Center for the Performing Arts); Jane Eyre (Hartford Stage, Geva Theatre); Pride and Prejudice, Lion In Winter (St. Louis Rep) Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Long Wharf Theatre); Native Gardens (Cleveland Play House);The Messenger, Lion in Winter (Pioneer Theater); The Lodger, Complete Works of Shakespeare (Northern Stage); The Tempest, Amadeus, The Winter’s Tale, King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, The Madness of George III, The Importance of Being Earnest (The Old Globe); Romeo and Juliet, All’s Well That Ends Well (Santa Cruz Shakespeare); All Is Bright, Winnemucca (Shelby Company) FILM Kate Can’t Swim, Thirdy, The Last Spin, Tasmania; TELEVISION Law & Order (NBC) High Maintenance, (HBO) Sneaky Pete, (Amazon Prime) Conviction, Forever. (ABC) TRAINING M.F.A., Acting, The Old Globe and University of San Diego. www.graysondejesus.com
Special love and thanks to Rebecca for her endless support and for holding down our fort.

Julie Ann Earls is an Irish-Filipino artist from Paramus, NJ. She is thrilled to return to this show and to this cast. Off-Broadway: originated the role of Megan Jones in Puffs, Or; Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic (Puffs: Filmed Live Off Broadway on Amazon Prime). Regional: Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol (The McCarter Theater), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Actors’ Shakespeare Project). New York: Mary Magdalene in The Mysteries (The Flea). Film: A Good Couple. She recently wrote, produced and starred in her first short film, Alpha, which is currently in the festival circuit. Education: BFA in Acting from Boston University, LAMDA. Love to Judy Bowman, her parents, and her husband,
Jonny. julieannearls.com @julieannearls

Jennie is thrilled to be making her McCarter Theatre debut! Off-Broadway: LuckyDuck (New Victory Theater) Select Regional: Sunday in the Park with George (Pasadena Playhouse); The Tempest; Twelfth Night (Ariel; Olivia, Santa Cruz Shakespeare), Into the Woods (Witch, PCPA Conservatory Theatre), Kate Hamill’s Little Women (Meg, Dallas Theater Center/Old Globe), Cyrano de Bergerac (Roxane, Guthrie Theater). In 5 years as a company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Jennie appeared as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Ophelia in Hamlet, and Marina in the tour of Pericles (Folger Theatre/ Guthrie Theater) among many other roles. Film: Cry Baby Hill. Catch her being a giant nerd on TikTok and IG @berriesofgreen. Wishing you all the
joy of the season!

Maria is thrilled to return to McCarter Theatre Center! Recent credits include Wish You Were Here (Yale Repertory Theatre), the off Broadway premier of The Gospel According to Heather, The Wolves (McCarter Theatre Center) and Songs For A New World (Village Theatre). Maria has a BFA in Musical Theater from Syracuse University. She sends her love and gratitude to Rochel, Mom, Dad, Mikey, and Diego. Follow @little_optimist

Polly Lee is thrilled to return to the McCarter’s A Christmas Carol. Before bringing you her Mrs Dilber et al., last year, she was previously on the Matthews stage in 2004 when she made her professional debut as “Prossy” in Candida! Since then her regional credits include: Wilma Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, La Jolla Playhouse, ART, Yale Rep, Rep Theatre of St Louis and others. NY Theatre: New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, Lincoln Center, EST, The New Group and others. Polly’s TV and Film Credits include: L&O, SVU and Organized Crime, The Americans (3 seasons), Younger (2 seasons), The Looming Tower, The Blacklist, Chicago Med, Gotham, Things Heard and Seen, Give or Take, Butterflies of Bill Baker. Polly is an award winning audiobook narrator with over 200 titles to her name. She is a grateful lifetime member of the Actors Studio and proud member of SAG-Aftra and AEA.
 

Stephen Conrad Moore was most recently in Blues For An Alabama Sky at The McCarter and The Guthrie. He has also appeared on numerous theatrical stages in New York City and across the US (such as The Vineyard, American Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre in DC and Yale Rep) and has originated leading roles in plays by Thomas Bradshaw,  Ellen McLaughlin, and Colman Domingo, amongst others.   
 
He has appeared on television shows like Empire, The Path, The Good Fight, and the series finale of Better Call Saul (to name a few).  He recently completed 5 seasons of The Bold Type (Freeform), where he was a series regular playing Oliver Grayson, the fashion editor of Scarlet Magazine.  He studied theatre at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (Double BA in English and Theatre) and The Yale School of Drama (Master in Fine Arts in Acting) and currently lives in New York City.

Vilma is delighted to return to the McCarter Theatre Center to reprise
the role of Old Jo in A Christmas Carol. Most recently Vilma appeared at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in King John, an all-female and non-binary production in collaboration with the Upstart Crow Collective and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, directed by Rosa Joshi, as King Philip of France and Lord Salisbury. Other credits include Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Great Lakes Theater’s production of Kate Hamill’s Sense and Sensibility, Rogue Theater Company, American Repertory Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, TheatreWorks, Dallas Theater Center, American Conservatory Theater, El Teatro Campesino, among others. Vilma has been a company member of
the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for over 25 seasons, appearing in over 50 productions. Some of her favorites at OSF include Destiny of Desire, Mojada, The River Bride, Water By The Spoonful, King Lear, Henry VIII, A View From The Bridge, The Taming of the Shrew, Gibraltar, Pericles, Two Sisters and a Piano, The Three Musketeers, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, and The Magic Fire (OSF/Kennedy Center). Vilma represented OSF at Ten Chimneys as the 2011 recipient of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship.

Broadway: Clyde’s (u/s performed.) Off-Broadway: Julius Caesar at TFANA. Regional: 4 seasons as a company member at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, The A.R.T., Arena Stage, The Rep. at St. Louis, Great Lakes Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare, Cleveland Play House, Triad Stage, Ensemble Theatre Co, Chautauqua Theatre Co. International: The Heart of Robin Hood with Mirvish Productions in Canada. TV/ Film: FBI: Most Wanted (CBS), This Wild Abyss (winner of best student short at Savannah Film Fest ‘22) Education: BFA UNC-Greensboro, MFA Case Western Reserve/Cleveland Play House. Stream “stephenspencer” original music on all platforms. www.stephenmichaelspencer.com

Navistha Banerji is an energetic fourth-grader at Village Elementary School. She is truly passionate about music. She is learning to play the piano and sing Indian classical. She loves to perform in front of her family and friends. Her current favorites are How far I’ll go and Let it go. She is also an avid reader, with a fondness for adventure and mystery genres. She was intrigued about performing in theater after watching the 2022 production of A Christmas Carol. She had a lot of fun taking summer classes at McCarter Theater Center and is excited to be part of A Christmas Carol 2023 production.

Tarini, a talented and energetic 10-year-old, who is ready and excited to be a part of Christmas Carol this year. With her passion for singing, dancing, and acting, Tarini has impressed us by her performance in various shows she performed at next step broadway theatre in jersey city. Her enthusiasm and commitment to her roles have always stood out. Tarini's devotion to the performing arts, her love for books, and her exceptional talent make her a standout performer who will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression. She along with the rest of the cast and crew are excited to bring the magic to audiences this Christmas.

Mariella Giordano (she/her) is an eleven-year-old with a love for performing. She began singing lessons at the age of five and has since become a powerful singer. Now in sixth grade, Mariella fills her free time with dance, vocal, acting, and voice-over classes, showcasing her diverse talents. She is a true triple threat! Mariella is passionate about animals, especially horses. She spends time at her local stable, where she enjoys riding and caring for them. Her theater experience includes roles in local productions such as Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, Anything Goes, and Once Upon a Mattress with the Pivot Theatre Company. She appeared on Sesame Street in its 54th season alongside Elmo and also participated in a short film for the Healing Tree organization. She is grateful for the support from her family, friends, her team at Take 3 Talent Agency, and her coaches Theresa Pittius, Taylor Kaplan, Elana Bohm, Kara Pizzolo, and Anne Brummel at The Prep, as well as Jody Joseph Music. Mariella is excited to debut at the McCarter Theatre and be part of the show. IG: @mariellagiordano_official

Brooke Ginsberg is thrilled to be making her McCarter theatre debut in this renowned production.  Brooke has been in numerous TV, short films, webisodes, and, theatre productions.  Most recently Brooke was featured in season 54 of Sesame Street and Gizmo Kids segments on The Christian Broadcasting Network.  Earlier this fall she was part of the Random Farms theater anti-bulllying production, Just Be You, that toured schools in the region.  Past theatre credits include the title role in Annie, Marta in The Sound of Music, and Camille in Junie B. Jones.  Brooke is currently a member of The Broadway Youth Ensemble, which performs in venues throughout the New York City area.  When Brooke is not performing, you can find her crocheting gifts for family and friends and enjoying the fifth grade.  Thank you to her Manager, Jennifer Buchanan, Vocal Coach, Amelia DeMayo, and Acting coaches, Sam Simone and Stacy Van Gorder at MN Acting Studio, and to the cast and crew of Christmas Carol.  Also, a big thank you to mom, dad, big brother Joshua, and all the friends and family members who have supported her in performing arts pursuits.  @brookeginsberg_
 

Adriella Goncalves (Fan/Young Ensemble) is so excited to be making her McCarter Theatre debut in A Christmas Carol! At the age of 8, Adriella discovered her love of the stage, and hasn't stopped since. Some of her favorite credits are: National Broadway Tour- Anastasia the Musical (Little Anastasia/Alexei Romanov). Regional Theatre- Annie (Molly, Surflight Theatre), Matilda (Amanda Thripp, Axelrod Performing Arts Center). Community Theatre- The Music Man (Amaryllis, Phoenix Productions), School of Rock the Musical (Summer Hathaway, Phoenix Productions), Matilda the Musical Jr. (Matilda, BCCT), Frozen Jr. (Young Anna, BCCT). Besides theatre, Adriella also dabbles in the world of voiceover. You can hear her as Sally in seasons 2 and 3 of the Peanuts PSAs, Sally in the Peanuts puppet show "All Systems a Go" at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Skye in various special projects for Paw Patrol. She would like to thank the entire production team at McCarter for this awesome opportunity that has allowed her to work with such a talented cast and crew. A huge thank you to her team: Take 3 Talent Agency, Moxie Artists (Sherry Kayne), Lauren Brancato (vocal coach), Michelle Aravena (acting coach), and Rance Wright (Mentor). A special thank you to her mom, dad, sister, family, and friends for always encouraging her to follow her dreams and never letting her give up. IG @adriellaann_official

Yoyo is an energetic fourth grader at Millstone River School. This is the second time Yoyo plays A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre. He is so excited to be back and incredibly grateful to the wonderful production team, as well as the lovely teachers at McCarter Education Department. Importantly, he’s proud to have grown from “Tiny Tim” of 2022 to “Peter” of 2023. Outside acting, Yoyo is also a trustable defender on the soccer field, a ping pong fan, a caring big brother of his sister Mingyu, and an avid reader of fact books.

Zayda Knowles, an emerging talent at the age of eight, showcases a burgeoning acting career, primarily in theatrical performances. Her foundation in the arts includes four years of dedicated dance training at the esteemed Watson Johnson Dance Studio in Trenton, NJ. Zayda has graced the stage in diverse productions, embodying roles in acclaimed performances like Hairspray, Lion King Jr., and Matilda. Her passion for the dramatic arts extends to her summertime engagements, where she immerses herself in theatrical experiences with the Tomato Patch at the Kelsey Theatre.

Rafaella is a creative 8-year-old with lots of passion for arts. This is her first time acting but she could not be more excited for the opportunity to be on stage and play Tiny Tim. Her kind and sweet nature shines through every day as she befriends strangers, asks about neighbors, supports friends, and plays with her little brother.  

She is currently a third grader at St. Paul’s School of Princeton and appreciates long walks down Nassau Street taking in all the sights and sounds of Princeton. She also enjoys visiting Art museums. She surprises grown-ups all the time as she asks questions and stops to marvel at paintings.  

Rafaella loves music and dance, she plays piano and for the past two Christmas seasons she has been part of American Repertory Ballet’s Nutcracker.  She is an avid Harry Potter fan, and her favorite character is Hermione Granger.

Nathaniel is excited to be making his McCarter Theater debut! Nate performed on stage in his first dance recital when he was 3 years old. Since then he has developed a passion for the performing arts. He enjoys singing in school choir and studying voice with Mr. Jeffrey Smith. Nate also danced in the Vision Dance Center Company.  He has enjoyed acting in various school, camp, and community theater productions.   

Nate has been honored to be accepted into the Paper Mill Musical Theater Conservatory and New Voices Concert 2022 and 2023. He looks forward to returning.   

Nate would like to thank the entire Christmas Carol team for this wonderful opportunity! He would also like to thank his Mom, sisters,  grandparents, and friends for all of their love and support.  Nathaniel would like to dedicate his performance to his Dad.

 

Leyla Ali was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. In 2017 she took a leap, relocating to the United States to follow her dreams, (and her wonderful husband). A Performing Arts graduate, she has tread the boards in various roles around the globe, including Japan, Singapore, Australia, and the high seas. Her first U.S. tour was the stunning, ‘Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella’, followed by the first National tour of ’Tootsie’ the Comedy Musical. Leyla is extremely grateful to have a career that aligns with her love and her passions. She is very excited to be joining the McCarter Theatre this year and help to tell this beautiful story.

MARCUS MONTGOMERY is an artist based in New Jersey. He began voice acting in 2020 and has since provided his voice for numerous projects. In late 2020, he penned an original animated series, “Bop, the Astronaut.” In 2022, Marcus began his theatre career understudying Mordy in The Burdens (Mile Square Theatre) and was later cast in A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre) as the understudy for four roles. In 2023, he appeared on stage numerous times as both George Beard and Harold Hutchins in Dog Man: The Musical (New World Stages). He also played Melvin in Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical (Lucille Lortel Theatre). Marcus has also recently played George Beard in the Australian touring production of Dog Man: The Musical (Brisbane, Perth). Marcus looks forward to further pursuing fulfillment in the arts!