Scrooge walking down a Victorian street
Scrooge walking down a Victorian street

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A Christmas Carol

Octagon theatre bolton presents Based on the novel by Charles Dickens
A new musical adaptation by KATE FERGUSON & SUSANNAH PEARSE –

About A Christmas Carol

A joyful stage adaptation of the festive classic
 

Whilst Christmas cheer and goodwill thrive across Victorian England, tight-fisted Ebenezer Scrooge goes to bed on Christmas Eve with no compassion or love in his heart. However, that night he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley and is taken on a mystical journey through yuletides past, present and future – will he be able to see the error of his ways before it’s too late?

This joyful stage adaptation features toe-tapping music, festive fun and a good splash of magic. This heart-warming and uplifting tale of redemption is the perfect festive treat for the whole family.
 
Official festive show sponsor:

4 Stars

unforgettable, upbeat, joy-filled adaptation

- Manchester Theatres
5 Stars

An absolute festive delight from start to finish

- Bolton FM

Just when I thought I had seen the best theatrical versions of A Christmas Carol, and I have seen a few, the production staged at Bolton’s Octagon hit me for six

- Tameside Correspondent

Cast

  • David Birrell

    Scrooge

    Theatre includes:Educating Rita, Talking Heads, An Enemy of the People - Best Supporting Actor Manchester Theatre Awards, The Threepenny Opera, The Family Way, Journey's End - Best Supporting Actor Manchester Theatre Awards (Bolton Octagon),  Witness for the Prosecution (West End), 1984 (Bath Theatre Royal & National Tour), The Whip, A Museum In Baghdad, King John, The Venetian Twins, Love's Labour's Lost, Moby Dick, The Jewess of Toledo, The Tempest, Murder in the Cathedral, Hamlet, Columbus, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night (RSC), South Pacific (Chichester Festival Theatre & National Tour), Wendy and Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse), Describe The Night (Hampstead Theatre), The Shadow Factory (MAST Southampton), Sweeney Todd - Best Actor Nominee - Manchester Theatre Awards, Best Performance in a Musical - Theatre Awards UK, Best Actor - Scottish Critics Awards (Leeds Playhouse/Royal Exchange/Welsh National Opera/Dundee Rep/National Theatre of Scotland), Peter Pan, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ragtime (Regent's Park), The Last Days of Troy, The Death of King Arthur (Shakespeare's Globe), A Little Night Music (Guildford/West End), Company (Sheffield Crucible), Passion, Grand Hotel (Donmar), The Secret Garden, Hapgood, Peter Pan, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Birmingham Rep/Leeds Playhouse), Oh! What A Lovely War (National Theatre), Henry V (Propeller).

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  • Hannah Brown

    Fan / Christmas Past

    Training: ArtsEd 

    Theatre includes:Don't Rock The Boat ( Mill at Sonning), Greatest Days ( UK Tour), Rapunzel and Camp Albion ( The Watermill), The Magicians Elephant (RSC), The Astonishing Times Of Timothy Cratchit (Hope Mill Theatre), Preludes ( Southwark Playhouse), Hansel & Gretel (Regents Park) Katherine Plumber in Disneys Newsies (whilst in training).

    Film includes: On Hostile Ground 

    Voice includes:  Doctor Who Ninth Adventure, V Uk: Visitation, V Uk: Occupation ( Big Finish Radio Drama),  the voice behind multiple children’s books series and novels on audible

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  • William Donaldson

    Bob Cratchit / Jacob Marley

    Training: LAMDA 

    William’s career has taken him around the world working on Shakespeare, physical theatre, comedy musicals and Agatha Christie. 

    Theatre includes: Witness for the Prosecution (London County Hall), ‘Stage Awards’ award winning production of Prom Kween (Edinburgh Festival) Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, Romeo & Juliet (AFTLS, US Tours), British Council Showcase selected production Testosterone (Kit Redstone & Rhum & Clay Theatre Co.), Snow White (Old Vic Theatre). 

    Film & TV includes: Inside Dolly Lane, Captain Webb 

    William is an Associate Director with Actors from the London Stage (AFTLS), and alongside his acting career William is a professional Communications Coach, a Shakespeare Tutor at the British American Drama Academy (BADA) in London, and an aspiring poet. He is over the moon to be stepping into Bob Cratchit’s well-worn boots for this festive classic!

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  • Lucy Keirl

    Belle / Christmas Present

    Theatre includes:Murder For Two (Uk Tour), The 39 Steps, Cinderella (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Beatrice In Much Ado About Nothing (Hope Mill/Shakespeare North Playhouse), The Comedy Of Errors (Colchester Mercury), Henri Baskerville In The Great Murder Mystery (The Lost Estate), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth (Uk Tour/The Watermill), The Hired Man (Uk Tour), The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Swallows & Amazons (Storyhouse/Grosvenor Park Open Air Chester), Abigail Williams In The Crucible (Uk Tour), A Little Night Music, Frankenstein, Juliet In Romeo & Juliet (The Watermill).

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  • Conor Neaves

    Fred / Peter / Mr Fezziwig

    Training: The National Youth Theatre and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Conor gained his PG Cert (HE) in Performance Teaching at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and holds Fellowship (FHEA) from Advance HE. Specialising in Virtual Environments, over several academic years he has gone on to prepare students for work in Motion & Performance Capture at a number of the UK’s leading Drama Schools.

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  • Mark Paterson

    Understudy

    Training: The Arts Educational Schools, London (ArtsEd).

    Theatre includes:Spaced Out, The King’s New Kecks, Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations, The Team, She’s Not The Queen, Air (The Edge Theatre, Chorlton), Jack and the Beanstalk (The Atkinson, Southport), Cinderella (The Floral Pavilion, New Brighton), We Wish You Long Life (King’s Arms, Salford), The Lost Crystal (Rusticus Theatre), Pantomonium, Cinderella (The Grand Theatre, Blackpool), Aladdin (Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth), Aliens Love Underpants (Underbelly, Southbank London/ Malaysia), Powerhouse Town (53Two), Yank! (Hope Mill Theatre/ Charing Cross Theatre), Under The Market Roof R&D (Junction 8), Dick Whittington (Bolton Macron Stadium), NewsRevue (Canal Café Theatre), Horrible Histories – The Ruthless Romans (Middle East Tour/ Rose Theatre, Kingston), Horrible Histories – The Terrible Tudors/The Awful Egyptians (Far East Tour), The Lost Dragon (Harlow Playhouse), Peter Pan (Manchester Opera House/ New Victoria Woking), Edges (The Landor), Panto’s on Strike (Manchester Opera House).

    Film and TV includes: Lost in Limboland, UKIP – The First 100 Days, Match of the Day (BBC), and The Find Out Line.

    Commercials includes: The Department for Education – Early Years, Oxygen Activeplay, Slimming World, and Elves Behaving Badly.

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  • Harriet Waters

    Understudy

    Training: Mountview. 

    Theatre includes:SHEWOLVES (Edinburgh fringe, UK tour), The Gruffalo’s Child (UK/ International tour, West End). 

    TV includes: Scott and Bailey, Uncanny.

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Credits

  • Kate Ferguson

    Writer

    KATE FERGUSON (Book) and SUSANNAH PEARSE (Music & Lyrics) have been writing musicals together for many years and are excited to be back at the Octagon with A Christmas Carol. 

    Joint credits include: Treasure Island,  Around The World In 80 Days (Octagon Theatre Bolton), A Christmas Carol (Octagon Theatre Bolton, Duke’s Theatre Lancaster), Sherlock Holmes: The Early Years (New York Musical Theatre Festival, winner of Theatre for the American Musical Award) and The Devil’s Disciple (RADA and the Royal Central  School of Speech and Drama).

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  • Susannah Pearse

    Music and Lyrics

    KATE FERGUSON (Book) and SUSANNAH PEARSE (Music & Lyrics) have been writing musicals together for many years and are excited to be back at the Octagon with A Christmas Carol.

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  • Sarah Tipple

    Director

    Sarah is a freelance director and dramaturg working across theatre, musical theatre and opera. Sarah co-founded comedy Barbershop quartet Barbershopera and co-created and directed all their shows to date, two of which have been recorded for BBC Radio 4. 

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  • Hannah Wolfe

    Set & Costume Designer

  • Sam Sommerfeld

    Musical Director & Vocal Arrangements

    Sam studied at Leeds Conservatoire, where he graduated in 2014 with First Class Honours. He is a pianist, conductor, music director and arranger. 

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  • Gemma Payne

    Choreographer & Movement Director

    Gemma is a Choreographer and Movement Director working in theatre, opera, dance, television and film. She trained at The Royal Ballet Upper School and Central School of Ballet. She was a principal dancer with Matthew Bournes’ New Adventures & a soloist with Gothenburg Ballet. 

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  • Simeon Miller

    Lighting Designer

    Simeon has worked as a Lighting Designer since he graduated from Mountview Academy in 2010. He works across theatre, dance, musicals, ‘gig theatre’ and devised work. He enjoys contributing to new writing, especially socially and politically conscious work which amplifies oppressed and radical voices.

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  • Keegan Curran

    Sound Designer

    Keegan Curran has worked in theatre and live events for many years. Since graduating from The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School as a Composer & Sound Designer in 2014, Keegan has undertaken multiple Sound Designs, regionally, in The West End and Internationally as well as Production Management, Teaching and Production Sound Work across film, television and theatre.

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  • Rebecca Applin

    Arranger & Orchestrator

    Becky is an award-winning composer for theatre and media. She was the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer Award holder at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, and Mercury Theatre, Colchester. 

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  • Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG

    Casting Director

    Theatre includes:Witness for the Prosecution (London County Hall) Killer Joe (Trafalgar Studios), The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole – The Musical (Ambassadors), The Wider Earth (Natural History Museum), Romeo and Juliet (Liverpool Everyman), Death and the King’s Horseman and The Hypochondriac (Sheffield Crucible), Alice in Wonderland, Welfare and A Christmas Carol (Derby Theatre), This is a Love Story (Birmingham Hippodrome), Peter Pan and Hansel and Gretel (Rose Theatre Kingston), They Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! (Mercury Colchester), The Secret Garden (TBTL and York Theatre Royal), Little Women (York Theatre Royal), Ladies Day (Wolverhampton Grand), As You Like It, Miss Julie, Remarkable Invisible, After The Dance, William Wordsworth, Two Way Mirror (Theatre by the Lake), The Glass Menagerie (Nuffield Southampton), Dancing at Lughnasa (Lyric Belfast), Playhouse Creatures, Blue Remembered Hills, Fred’s Diner (Chichester Festival Theatre), The King and I & Wind in the Willows (London Palladium), Doctor Doolittle & Macbeth (UK Tours), Murder at Midnight, The Shark is Broken, And Then There Were None, Birdsong, Frankenstein, Macbeth, The Mirror Cracked, Handbagged, Arcadia, (the) Woman, The Swearing Jar, Dusty, The Good Enough Mums Club, The Croft, A Splinter of Ice, The Night Watch, Wait Until Dark, French without Tears, Night Must Fall (UK Tours)

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  • Dominique Reid

    Assistant Director

    Dominique Reid is the current Resident Assistant Director at the Octagon Theatre Bolton. He is also the recipient of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Scholarship and is now in the second half of his Directing MFA at Birkbeck University. He is honoured to be working on one of Dickens’ seminal works. 

    Previous credits include: Young Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Disney Theatrical Artist at Disney Theatrical Group, Resident Director on the MA Acting course at ArtsEd Drama School. 

    He is currently working towards the next R&D for his one-woman play, Possum

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  • Will Treasure

    Producer

  • Tabitha Rose Hughes

    Assistant Producer

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