The Christmas Collection

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) was an English Victorian writer, responsible for creating some of the world's best-known and loved fictional characters. A prolific author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction, and nonfiction, during his lifetime Dickens became known throughout the world for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose, and his depictions of the social classes, mores, and values of his times. Among his most famous works are Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, and A Tale of Two Cities.

Charles Evered took his undergraduate degree from Rutgers-Newark and an MFA from Yale University, where he studied with director George Roy Hill. Mr. Evered has won several awards for his writing including The Berrilla Kerr Award, The Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship at The Manhattan Theatre Club, The Chesterfield/Amblin Fellowship, The Edward F. Albee Foundation Fellowship, The Bert Linder Fellowship, The Lucas Artist Fellowship and The Crawford Playwriting Award. His plays include: RUNNING FUNNY (premiere featured Paul Giamatti), THE SIZE OF THE WORLD (premiere featured Liev Schreiber), THE SHOREHAM (premiere featured Eric Stoltz), ADOPT A SAILOR (premiere featured Sam Waterston and Eli Wallach,) and CELADINE (premiere featured Amy Irving). Additional plays include: BRIDEWELL, WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS, TEDS HEAD, CLOUDS HILL, TEN, CLASS and LOOKING AGAIN. He has written screenplays and teleplays for studios such as: Universal Pictures, NBC, Dreamworks and Paramount Pictures. His produced film and television credits include an episode of MONK entitled "Mr. Monk and the Leper" for USA Network, starring Tony Shalhoub and co-writing the screenplay for the feature RUNNING FUNNY. Mr. Evered also wrote and directed the feature film ADOPT A SAILOR, starring Peter Coyote and Bebe Neuwirth. ADOPT A SAILOR was an official selection at more than 20 national and international film festivals and premiered on Showtime. His short film VISITING premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. His second feature as a director, A THOUSAND CUTS, starred Academy Award nominee Michael O'Keefe and was nominated for a Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. It was distributed by Kino Lorber. Mr. Evered's most recent film, OUT, starred Gloria LeRoy and had its world premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival. A new short play, KNOCK KNOCK, premiered in London at Theatre503. Mr. Evered's work has been profiled in The New York Times, BBC World and on NPR, among other outlets. He is a former officer in the United States Navy Reserve, having gained the rank of Lieutenant. In 2010 he formed a production company called Ordinance 14.

Jerry Patch is Director of Artistic Development at Manhattan Theatre Club. Prior to that, he was Resident Artistic Director of The Old Globe. During his time at the Old Globe he brought to the theatre works by such renowned playwrights as Amy Freed, Howard Korder, Richard Greenberg, and Donald Margulies. In the Globe's past three seasons, eleven world premieres and two second productions of new works have been presented, including A BODY OF WATER, winner of the 2006 Best New American Play Award. He previously served as the Dramaturg and a member of the longstanding artistic team at Southern California's Tony Award – winning South Coast Repertory (SCR), where he coordinated the development of 150 new plays, including two Pulitzer Prize winners and numerous other Pulitzer finalists. Patch became the top choice for this new role at the Globe due to his many years of artistic accomplishments, his exceptional relationships with the nation's leading directors and playwrights, and his enthusiastic commitment to new work. While at SCR, Patch worked as Dramaturg on numerous new works, including Donald Margulies' SIGHT UNSEEN and BROOKLYN BOY, which just opened to critical acclaim on Broadway, Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize – winning WIT, Howard Korder's SEARCH AND DESTROY, Amy Freed's THE BEARD OF AVON, as well as INTIMATE APPAREL, FREEDOMLAND and world premieres of several plays by Richard Greenberg, including THREE DAYS OF RAIN, HURRAH AT LAST!, THE VIOLET HOUR and EVERETT BEEKIN. In addition, he co-conceived THE EDUCATION OF RANDY NEWMAN with Michael Roth and Mr. Newman. Patch also served as the founding project director of SCR's Pacific Playwrights Festival, which annually introduces seven new plays to Orange County audiences and national theatre leaders. Typically, more than 75% of the festival plays presented receive multiple productions in theatres across the country. During his tenure at SCR, Patch also held the position of Artistic Director (1990 – 1997) of The Sundance Theatre Program, which included the Sundance Playwrights Laboratory, one of the nation's leading new play development programs. Additionally, he ran the Sundance Summer Theatre, a repertory of 2 – 3 productions staged outdoors for Utah audiences and The Sundance Children's Theatre, which is dedicated to the development and presentation of new works for family audiences by leading American playwrights.

From the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties, a small group of Chicago Improvisational actors formed a cabaret troupe, forged from the classes of The Second City and invaded a tiny pub on Fullerton Avenue called The Roxy. The result was a decade long love affair with critics and audiences alike. From the very first musical-comedy revue, NEAR NORTHSIDE STORY, the Illegitimate Players proved their staying power. After convincing The Roxy owners to share their back room, converting it into a black box theater, their first revue ran for over a year under the direction of Second City's own Don DePollo. The consistent sell-out audiences prompted Group W Cable to tape the revue for Midwest television broadcast. This endeavor wrangled a Chicago Emmy Award. This taste for telecast was soon followed by video pieces for Chicago WTTW's Image Union program. Also performing semi-regularly on radio's Q101. And thus it had begun. NEAR NORTHSIDE STORY was answered by two other well received revues, OUT ON A WHIM and ILLEGITIMATE PLAYERS LIVE. But already the "IllGits" were branching out. To better finance their endeavors, they incorporated as "The Comedy Option" to write, video, and perform for corporation's rollout and sales meetings. They became regular client's for many Fortune 500 corporations, including First Chicago Bank, Abbot Labs, Boston Mass Mutual ... Their Emmy award brought Group W Cable back to pitch a series for the tri-state area. That offer soon became The Illegitimate Players on TV. A 26-week sketch comedy lambasting the television industry. Along with the live revue, the television show, and the corporate shows, they took on weekly hosting at Chicago's "Catch a Rising Star" downtown. The Illegitimate Players started working in longer form pieces and soon abandoned revue comedy to embark on a string of literary parodies for the legitimate stage. From their first full-length play THE GLASS MENDACITY, it was clear that critics liked what they saw. Their works were published first by Chicago Plays Inc. and currently by Broadway Publishing Inc. These stories live on in productions all over the country and the UK.

Steven Banks is an Emmy–nominated writer of SpongeBob Squarepants. He wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed one-man play HOME ENTERTAINMENT CENTER which was filmed for Showtime, and won LA Weekly, Dramalouge and Bay Area Critic's Circle Awards. His books include King of the Creeps published by Knopf. Other plays include LOVE TAPES (co-written by Penn Jillette), HER LAST REQUEST, BILLY THE MIME, AMERICA LOVE SEX DEATH and PILOBOLUS'S SHADOWLAND.

Jeff Goode is the award-winning author of THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES and MARLEY'S GHOST and the creator of Disney's animated series American Dragon: Jake Long, as well as many other plays, musicals, and television shows. He is a founding member of the original No Shame Theatre and founding artistic director of No Shame Los Angeles.

Reed Martin co-created and performed in the original productions of THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AMERICA (ABRIDGED), THE BIBLE: THE COMPLETE WORD OF GOD (ABRIDGED), WESTERN CIVILIZATION: THE COMPLETE MUSICAL (ABRIDGED), ALL THE GREAT BOOKS (ABRIDGED), COMPLETELY HOLLYWOOD (ABRIDGED), THE COMPLETE WORLD OF SPORTS (ABRIDGED), THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS SHOW (ABRIDGED), AND THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF COMEDY (ABRIDGED). He also contributed additional material to THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED). Reed is a managing partner of the Reduced Shakespeare Company and has performed in London's West End, at Lincoln Center Theater, Kennedy Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, California Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The White House and Madison Square Garden, as well as in 11 foreign countries. Reed has performed at A.C.T. in San Francisco in Travesties by Tom Stoppard and The Government Inspector, as well as at the Magic Theatre in Moving Right Along, written and directed by Elaine May and featuring Marlo Thomas. He toured for two years as a clown/assistant ringmaster with Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus. His voice was heard in the animated feature film Balto,/i> and just about every other part of him was seen in the British film Carry On Columbus. Reed has written for the BBC, NPR, Britain's Channel Four, RTE Ireland, Public Radio International, The Washington Post and Vogue magazine. With Austin Tichenor he co-authored the book The Greatest Story Ever Sold, published by John Knox/Westminster Press, as well as Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide For The Attention-Impaired (abridged), published by Hyperion. His work has been nominated for an Olivier Award in London, a Helen Hayes Award in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critic's Circle Award. He has a BA in Political Science/Theatre from UC Berkeley, an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego and is a graduate of Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Clown College. A member of both the Dramatists Guild and The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Reed is also a former professional minor league baseball umpire. He lives in Northern California with his wife and two sons, all three of whom are much funnier than he is.

Austin Tichenor is a playwright, lyricist, songwriter, director, and actor. He's the co-author of nine COMPLETE (abridged) stage comedies, which have been produced around the world, published in two countries, and translated into over a dozen languages; the beautifully illustrated (by Jennie Maizels) children's book for all ages Pop-Up Shakespeare; the irreverent reference book Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired (abridged); the comic memoir How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better) for all e-book platforms; the half-hour film The Ring Reduced for UK's Channel 4; the half-hour pilot The Week Reduced for TBS; and the six episode Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show for the BBC World Service. He also produces and hosts the weekly Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast, which was named one of Broadway World's Top Ten Podcasts for Theatre Fans. Austin is an alumnus of the BMI Musical Theatre workshop and has written over a dozen plays and musicals for young audiences. His full-length one-act DANCING ON THE CEILING (an adaptation of Kafka's "The Metamorphosis") and adaptation of FRANKENSTEIN are both published by Broadway Play Publishing, and he directed the world premiere of his adaptation of New York Times bestselling author Jasper Fforde's THE EYRE AFFAIR in 2016. As co-managing partner of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, he has performed with them around the world, Off-Broadway, in London's West End, in the PBS version of THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged), and at such theaters as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, American Repertory Theatre, the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. On TV, Austin played recurring roles on 24, Alias, Felicity, Ally McBeal, and The Practice, and guest starred as Guys In Ties on The West Wing, The X-Files, ER, The Mentalist, Nip/Tuck, Gilmore Girls, and on many other hours of episodic television. He's also performed his own material many times on NPR and the BBC, performed with both the Oakland Symphony and in Disney Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and acted in the midwest premiere of Lauren Gunderson's THE BOOK OF WILL at Chicago's Northlight Theatre, and in the world premiere of IN THE GARDEN: A DARWINIAN LOVE STORY with Chicago's Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company. Austin is a fifth-generation Californian who was born on the 54th anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake and the 185th anniversary of Paul Revere's Ride, which makes him older than he looks but short for his weight. Austin is a member of the Dramatists Guild, has a BA in History and Theatre from UC Berkeley and an MFA from Boston University, and currently lives in Chicago with his improviser and writer wife Dee Ryan, their two kids, and too many cats.

Scott Alan Evans is a director, writer, teacher, and the former Founding Executive Artistic Director of the award-winning Off-Broadway company TACT/The Actors Company Theatre. Since 1993, Evans has unearthed, produced, and/or directed over 200 plays for TACT, including rare or forgotten works as well as new plays. His writing includes: THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT (conceived, co-wrote, and directed the World Premiere Off-Broadway production); GOOSE! BEYOND THE NURSERY (book, lyrics, directed, Outer Critic Circle Award nominations for Best Lyrics and Best Off-Broadway Musical); CHARLOTTE & SHAW, OR ON THE MARRIAGE QUESTION (book and lyrics, Eugene O'Neill Theatre Conference finalist); and adaptations of SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER by Oliver Goldsmith; SALUTE TO THE BRAVE, SEMI-MONDE by Noel Coward; and A HANDSOME MAN by Aleksandr Ostrovsky. Off-Broadway directing credits include: Noël Coward's LONG ISLAND SOUND (US premiere, adapted and directed); HOME by David Storey; THE SEA by Edward Bond; INCIDENT AT VICHY by Arthur Miller; THE COCKTAIL PARTY by T.S. Eliot; THREE MEN ON A HORSE by John Cecil Holms & George Abbott; CHILDREN by A.R. Gurney; HAPPY BIRTHDAY by Anita Loos; BEYOND THERAPY by Christopher Durang; HARD LOVE by Motti Lerner; and SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER by Oliver Goldsmith. In 2010, Evans established newTACTics, a new play development program to discover and foster innovative voices in the theatre. Each June the newTACTics New Play Festival showcased four new works, many of which have gone on to professional productions across the country. Additionally, he has directed works regionally and in the university setting. For 10 years, Evans served as Artistic Director of the American Musicals Project, an educational program created by the New York Historical Society in conjunction with the NYC Board of Education. AMP created innovative curricula based on American Musical Master Works to help teach Social Studies and English Language Arts to middle school students and each year presented a concert series featuring top Broadway talent. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild and SDC.

Jeffrey Couchman collaborated with Scott Alan Evans on the comedy THREE WISE GUYS, based on a pair of stories by Damon Runyon, which was produced Off-Broadway by TACT/The Actors Company Theatre. He has written the book and lyrics for the sung-through musicals BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (music by Eric Allaman) and BLOOD AND FIRE (music by Lisa Heffter). POTEMKIN has been staged Off-Broadway at the York Theatre, at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in New Jersey, the Hartt School in Hartford, as part of a Festival of New Works in Nashville, and at Gallissas Theaterverlag in Berlin (German translation), among other venues. BLOOD AND FIRE has been performed at the York Theatre, the Theater Resources Unlimited New Musicals Reading Series in New York City, and the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival in Auburn, New York. He translated the book and lyrics of a new German musical, ZEPPELIN (music by Ralph Siegel), into English. Couchman has worked in Hollywood, collaborating with Russell Louis Dvonch on screenplays for various studios. His fiction has been published in many literary journals, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times, American Cinematographer, and other magazines and essay anthologies. He is the author of the well-received book The Night of the Hunter: A Biography of a Film (selected by the Financial Times of London as one of its Best Books of the Year) and editor of an annotated edition of two film scripts by James Agee, The African Queen and The Night of the Hunter: First and Final Screenplays, part of The Works of James Agee, a series published by University of Tennessee Press. He has taught Textual Analysis at HB Studio and currently teaches Screenwriting at the College of Staten Island.

Damon Runyon (1880–1946) is best known today as the source for Nathan Detroit, Miss Adelaide, and the other New York characters of the musical GUYS AND DOLLS (1950). In his own time, however, Runyon was legendary as a sportswriter and feature columnist for the Hearst newspapers. He was also an author of short fiction and a prolific poet of often grimly humorous verse even before he wrote the tales of those Broadway guys and dolls that gave him lasting fame and considerable fortune. So distinctive is his style that his name has become a common adjective, "Runyonesque," which refers both to a character on the fringes of respectable society, who nevertheless lives by a strict code of outlaw honor, and to a highly distinctive argot. Runyon's work is still in print the world over and lives on as well in the many films made from his stories, including such classics as Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933), based on Runyon's touching "Madame La Gimp," and Little Miss Marker (1934), starring Shirley Temple as Runyon's diminutive charmer. When Runyon died of throat cancer in 1946, his friend Eddie Rickenbacker, the World War I flying ace and president of Eastern Airlines, fulfilled a request in Runyon's will, and from a plane above Times Square scattered the writer's ashes over the Broadway that Runyon loved and immortalized.

MATTHEW LOMBARDO (Playwright) Broadway: HIGH (w/ Kathleen Turner) at the Booth Theatre and LOOPED (w/ Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance) at the Lyceum Theatre. Off-Broadway: WHO'S HOLIDAY! at The Westside Theatre (Lucille Lortel Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Show); TEA AT FIVE (w/ Kate Mulgrew) at the Promenade Theatre (IRNE Award for Best Solo Play) MOTHER AND CHILD (w/ Ann Wedgeworth) at Second Stage and GUILTY INNOCENCE at The Actors' Playhouse. Television: "Another World" (WGA nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Writing). Regional: Hartford Stage, American Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Seattle Rep, and others. Upcoming: WHEN PLAYWRIGHTS KILL, and CONVERSATIONS WITH MOTHER.