Full Cast Announced for A Christmas Carol to be Set in Hull This Christmas, Proudly Sponsored by Hull Trains
14 Oct 2022 | Press Release
This festive season, Charles Dickens classic Christmas ghost story A Christmas Carol will be magically brought to life by Hull Truck Theatre. As the bestselling show in the last 10 years, A Christmas Carol is the perfect production for the theatre in 2022 as it celebrates its 50th year, exploring past, present, and future. Set in Hull, the production also brings home the real struggle of hard-working families and the joy the festive season can bring, with community and kindness triumphing over greed and selfishness. The production will run from Friday 25 November - Saturday 31 December 2022. Hull Trains will once again sponsor the production after successfully partnering for Peter Pan (2019) and The Railway Children (2021). A continuation of this partnership is based on shared values and a commitment to the local community. Together, both organisations will ensure that more people are able to experience the joy of theatre this Christmas. One of the key aspirations of this years’ production is to increase engagement with the Deaf community through more British Sign Language (BSL) performances. Adam Bassett, a Hull-born Deaf actor will take to the stage to play the part of Bob Cratchit, who communicates using BSL. Emma Prendergast who is deaf and works in both BSL and spoken English will play the role of Mrs Cratchit. The casting of Adam and Emma will provide young audiences with two extremely positive role models. Jack Lord will appear as the famously cold-hearted and greedy bookkeeper, Ebenezer Scrooge. Jack trained at the Arden School of Theatre in his hometown of Manchester and played the lead role of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Leeds Playhouse. Other credits include The Book Thief (Bolton Octagon), War Horse (National Theatre/UK Tour), and Treasure Island (Hull Truck Theatre). Television/film roles include Red Rose (BBC3/Eleven Film); Waterloo Road (Shed Productions); The Street II (ITV Granada); Coronation Street (ITV Granada); Cold Feet (ITV Granada); Emmerdale (ITV Yorkshire) and North Square (Channel 4). Andrew Whitehead plays the part of Scrooge’s business partner, Jacob Marley. Andrew has worked extensively in theatre throughout his career most recently in The Book Thief (Bolton Octagon). His other credits include: Much Ado About Nothing, A Christmas Carol, Cyrano, The War Of The Roses (Northern Broadsides); Wind in The Willows, Witches Promise (Birmingham Rep); and Toast (Hull Truck Theatre) just to name a few. Television credits include: Brassic, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and The Big Chance. Scrooge’s long-suffering clerk, Bob Cratchit, is played by Adam Bassett who will be embedding BSL into his scenes. Most recently he performed in Macbeth (Leeds Playhouse), in 2012 starred in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Globe Theatre) and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for his lighting design work. Adam designs, directs and produces a wide range of lighting projects and was the Associate Lighting Designer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. Mrs Cratchit is played by Emma Prendergast who trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. They most recently worked with ZooCo on their new show BOSSY. Other recent theatre credits include Witchfinder’s Sister (Queens Theatre), Resisters (Yellow Arch Studios), Messy (ZooCo Theatre Company), Amelia (South Street Arts Centre), Winter Wonderland (Hull New Theatre), Cinderella and A Christmas Carol (Redbridge Drama centre). Cynthia Emeagi plays the part of the Ghost of Christmas Past and Lisa Howard plays the part of The Ghost of Christmas present. Cynthia graduated from Manchester School of Theatre with a BA (Hons) Acting in 2017 and has gone on to perform in The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice (Globe Theatre and International Tour). Lisa trained at East 15 and has previously appeared in Romeo and Juliet (Northern Broadsides), Flood (Slung Low and Hull UK City of Culture 2017) and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Torch Theatre). Mark Donald will appear as young Scrooge and also as Scrooge’s nephew, Fred. Mark also trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and theatre credits include The Comedy of Errors (London Touring Players), The Great Gatsby (London and tour) and Hamlet (Royal Theatre Bath). Finally, Jordan Castle joins the cast as Dick Wilkins / Topper. His credits include The Rocky Horror Show (European Tour), NHS: The Musical (Theatre Royal Plymouth) and St. Anne Comes Home (The Actors Church, Covent Garden). The professional cast will be supported by young performers who have been cast from Hull Truck’s Youth Theatre and children from St Charles Primary School. Playwright, Deborah McAndrew (Peter Pan and Oliver Twist) returns to Hull Truck Theatre to adapt this classic tale, making it accessible for audiences in 2022 whilst continuing to deliver a poignant and relevant message. Sameena Hussain is the director for the production. Sameena is one of the Associate Directors at Leeds Playhouse and has worked with various theatres, arts organisations and communities throughout her career. Her work is rooted in community and connection, which makes her the perfect fit for Hull Truck Theatre, who share a similar vision and ethos. Credits include I Wanna Be Yours and Decades (Leeds Playhouse). A Christmas Carol is produced in association with Leeds Playhouse, a pioneering accessible performances theatre, who will support Hull Truck Theatre on integrating BSL into parts of the production. John Biddle returns to Hull Truck Theatre as composer for this hauntingly classic and uplifting Christmas tale. Projects as Composer/Sound Designer includes Possible (National Theatre Wales); Dead Honest (winner British Podcast Award 2021) and Prince Charming’s Christmas Cracker, Peter Pan, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Treasure Island (Hull Truck Theatre). Mark Babych, Artistic Director at Hull Truck Theatre, said: “We’re thrilled and excited to announce a fantastic cast for this much-loved festive production. A Christmas Carol is one of the greatest Christmas stories of all time. We’re delighted to be able to re-present it to new audiences this year with the help and support of our sponsors, Hull Trains. Sameena Hussain is leading the production as guest director and we’re thrilled to be harnessing her creative interpretation and vision. Audiences are certainly in for a treat: Expect a breath-taking score, some fantastic special effects, an atmospheric set and some truly magnificent Dickensian costumes!” Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Hull Trains, said: "Hull Trains are delighted to be back on board with Hull Truck to bring some theatre magic to the local community this festive season. The show this year is a classic, with a stellar cast, and we can't wait to see it. The addition of British Sign Language in the performances is a fantastic way to make the show more accessible for others. I am sure this will be a hit with all audiences, and it will be a great way to get friends and loved ones together for the most magical time of the year.” Tickets are available now at www.hulltruck.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01482 323638.
A Christmas Carol at Hull Truck Theatre is sponsored by Hull Trains and presents in association with Leeds Playhouse.
