A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Tony Brown began his acting career in 1974 as Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet. (He was in high school at the time and turned in a truly mediocre performance!) He graduated from Berry College with a major in Theatre. He joined the Atlanta Shakespeare Company in 1992 and has been a regular member of that company since. At the ASC he has turned in over 3,000 performances in nearly 200 productions, including every play in Shakespeare's canon. He has been a director at The Shakespeare Tavern (ASC's theatre) since 2002, as well as directing for Art Within and The Aurora Theatre Company. Tony has been married to his wife, Sharon, for over 40 years. They make their home in Marietta, GA, along with their two cats.

I moved to the gorgeous North Carolina mountains from the desert in California to study musical theatre at Western Carolina University. I have fallen in love with this area and have loved experiencing the different seasons that Southern California does not have. I love performing, but also have a passion for social media marketing and music direction. I have had the honor to assist the music director on Into The Woods at WCU, while also performing in shows such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Translation of Likes, Opera Scenes, and more. Some of my favorite credits outside of college include Into The Woods (Florinda), The Tempest (Sound Design/Actor), A Christmas Carol (Belle/Martha Cratchit/Belinda Cratchit/Little Fan), Singin' In The Rain (Dancer/Lady In Waiting), and Cinderella (Cinderella). I am grateful to Ashlee and Calliope Stage for this amazing opportunity to work with so many talented people in the performing arts industry.

Coming to a small town from a large city is a culture shock, but I have loved experiencing some of the amazing cuisines in Sylva that remind me of home. Some of my favorite restaurants in the area include Dalaya, Jame, Guadalupe Cafe, and Sweet Onion.

Kristy Leigh Hall, Head of Costume Design, has worked in Chicago, Washington, DC, New York and regionally. She is the Design Director of Studio Mayday and Costume Director with Chicago’s Definition Theatre Company. Her previous designs include: An Octoroon (Goodman Theatre and Definition Theatre), The Play About My Dad (Raven Theatre), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Tosca and The Wizard of Oz (Skylight Music Theatre), The Who and the What and Pipeline (Victory Gardens), Byhalia, Mississippi, (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Stick Fly, This and Apartment 3A (Windy City Playhouse), Pygmalion (Joseph Jefferson Award Winner), Frankenstein (Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination) and Howards End (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company). Off-Broadway designs include: Woody Harrelson's Bullet for Adolf, Feather: A Musical Portrait and I Forgive You, Ronald Reagan at Theatre Row. In Washington, DC, she has designed: The Illusion (Forum Theatre), Minnie the Moocher (Pointless Theatre), Genesis Reboot (Synetic Theatre) and That Face with the Studio Theatre. Her designs have been seen internationally in the Czech Republic and Brazil. Kristy has been featured in American Theatre Magazine and holds degrees from both Northwestern University and the University of Maryland. www.kristyleighhall.com

I love the mountains because the terrain can change on a dime and even though you can follow a path, it's different every time. Christmas is my favorite time of year, so getting the chance to design the iconic Scrooge is a dream come true!

The mountain activities connect me to the mountains! Mountain biking, kayaking, and fishing really showed me how beautiful the mountains, rivers and lakes are, and experience all the fun peace and challenges, even I have not successfully caught any fish till this day. What I’m most excited about working on this project is to collaborate with so many talented people from the area. The local business is like to shout out is Motion Makers Bicycle Shop, grab a bike and let’s ride in the mountains!

André Megerdichian has worked with such companies and choreographers as the Limón Dance Company, Dance Kaleidoscope, The Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, Janis Brenner and Dancers, Seán Curran, and Daniel Charon, among others. As a choreographer his work has been presented by numerous Universities, festivals, and dance institutions throughout the United States and internationally in the Czech Republic, Austria, and China. As the Co-Founder and Director of New Works for the Resonance Collective – a Los Angeles based company dedicated to cross-pollinating the aesthetic, formalistic, creative, and performative aspects of multiple genres he is deeply drawn to creating interdisciplinary, collaborative works driven by narratives of transformation and discovery. His work is rooted in the deeply humanistic, highly physical, explorations of modern dance traditions while exploring the diverse tensions and curiosities of today. André is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina and has served as a faculty member at the Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague Czech, Republic, The Limón Institute in New York City, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He travels extensively, teaching masterclasses and workshops in the US and overseas at such institutions as the Xing Hai Conservatory of Music, Institutes of the Arts-Barcelona, The Beijing Dance Academy, Pole D’Enseignement Superior Music/Dance of Bordeaux, France, and as a Master Teacher for the 3rd Annual Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition. André started dancing during his senior year at Fishburne Military School and holds a BFA from Butler University and MFA in choreography from the California Institute of the Arts.

I am an actor, director, educator, and arts administrator. I am the Artistic Director of Destination Theatre as well as the Education & Community Lead at Calliope Stage. I have worked in these capacities in Atlanta where he lives, throughout the Southeast region, as well as New York City and South Africa. You may have seen my work at BroadwayCon, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Shakespeare Company, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Serenbe Playhouse, Theatre Burford, The Warehouse Theatre, The Lost Colony, and more. I have also been featured in several commercials and independent films. Cory received his BFA from Western Carolina University in Theatre Performance and is represented by JTA Talent in Charlotte. A special shoutout to my new wife, Amy Duffy and their dog, Cheeto!

I'm a lover and practitioner of the performing arts, dancing between directing, acting, choreographing, writing, and anything else that sounds like it could be exciting. After completing my MFA in 2010 and spending six subsequent years as a freelance artist and educator in Chicago, I moved to rural Western North Carolina to serve as the Program Director of Musical Theatre & Dance at Western Carolina University's School of Stage & Screen I have worked on projects with Broadway veterans, LORT leaders, emerging professionals, and 9-year-old budding North Carolina playwrights, and my work has found its way to NYC (including two upcoming Off-Broadway shows in 2022), New York state, Chicago, Milwaukee, the East Hamptons, Los Angeles, Arizona, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Austria, and the UK. I am most fulfilled when engaging as an Artistic Team member of new, devised, or innovative reimagined existing works. I am a proud Company Member with New Light Theater Project in NYC and the Founding Artistic Lead of Calliope Stage. And I love cheese just as much as the next guy.

Dustin Whitehead is an actor and filmmaker from Chicago IL. Dustin can be seen in numerous independent films as well as the nationally televised shows Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, and Your Worst Nightmare. His most recent feature film, Bruiser, in which he played the lead role, co-wrote, and co-produced was featured at the Sarasota Film Festival, The Spirit of Independence Film Festival in London, The Silent River Film Festival in LA (*Best Actor Award), and the Southeastern Film Festival. University theatre directing credits include Much Ado About Nothing, The Wolves, Angels in America, and This is our Youth. His Chicago theatre acting credits include The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Dramatists, American Theatre Company, Redtwist, The Inconvenience, Lakeside Shakespeare, and Congo Square. He teaches acting at UofSC. He received his BFA in Performance from Jacksonville University and MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. He also studied filmmaking in Singapore at NYU Tisch Asia.

Nakoa Zurlo is a performance artist from South Carolina. He began performing at an early age, from ballet theatre to playing music live across the state. Now a senior theatre major at the University of South Carolina, Nakoa’s creative work now includes playing Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus in the acclaimed Metamorphoses. Nakoa stage managed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at UofSC, as well as several other technical positions for UofSC. Off the stage, Nakoa is no stranger to the film world. In addition to acting in numerous student films, he recently had the honor of being 2nd Assistant Director and Covid Compliance Officer on the film, Holy Irresistible.

Marna Leigh Dodson is a Sophomore Music Education major in WCU’s Classical Piano Studio. She began studying music fifteen years ago in Waynesville, NC, and is now the principal pianist for the WCU Wind Ensemble, member of the WCU Concert Choir, and a percussionist in the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. Dodson also serves her community as the Musical Director at Clyde Central United Methodist Church in Clyde, NC, and as a Student Director of the Students Against Sexual Assault- an recognized advocacy group at WCU. Dodson also accompanies choirs, teaches piano, accompanies the Florida State University principal Oboist and performs at community events in Western North Carolina.

I am led to perform in the mountains because there is a strong community of people, performers, and support that is unlike any other place. I am happy to be a part of this holiday production and to see many talented performers share their gift with the community.