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.   

April 1, 2025 – SANTA CRUZ, CA – Santa Cruz Shakespeare announced today that it has launched Shakes On The Move, its traveling troupe that features a 45-minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Currently running now through May 3 as an innovative component of the ShakesEDU education program, this high-energy, adaptation brings music, humor and heart of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy directly into schools, libraries, retirement communities and other venues. Bookings are open until April 15. A fall schedule will also be offered, which will add a bilingual version of Romeo and Juliet.

“We are thrilled to launch Shakes on the Move, enabling us to bring Shakespeare out into our community,” said Charles Pasternak, artistic director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare. “Shakes on the Move includes a raucous performance, followed by a Q&A or post-show workshop. We cannot wait for the community to get to enjoy the magic of Shakespeare at their own venues and help us inspire our future generation of storytellers and dreamers.”

Shakes on the Move returns in the fall beginning Sept. 1 with productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a bilingual Romeo and Juliet. The dynamic, 45-minute adaptation of Romeo and Juliet infuses Shakespeare’s original language with a multicultural twist, celebrating the beauty of diverse storytelling. By blending languages and cultural influences, this production makes Shakespeare accessible, relevant and deeply engaging for modern audiences.

Bookings are open for spring and fall. Learn more about booking Shakes on the Move visit https://old.santacruzshakespeare.org/tour/ or email education@santacruzshakespeare.org.

About “ShakesEDU”

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s “ShakesEDU” education program is dedicated to educating the community about Shakespeare and the art of theatre. The education program offers a variety of programs for learned of all ages, from touring productions, classes and in-school workshops to Book Clubs, professional development workshops and Weekend with Shakespeare. Learn more: https://old.santacruzshakespeare.org/educators/.

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.