A Christmas Carol - Enhanced Edition: A Full Cast Audio Drama

By Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol is Charles Dickens's classic tale of the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge. This enhanced iBookstore edition contains the classic text as well as an all-new full-cast dramatization. In this classic tale, we re-live the iconic story where the mean old businessman is visited by the spirits of Christmases past, present and future. With a cast of eleven actors performing the well-known roles of everyone from Jacob Marley to Tiny Tim, this fresh production breathes new life into a much-loved seasonal favourite.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Digital Media Factory
• Release date: Oct 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781782344025

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. Regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Dickens had a prolific collection of works including fifteen novels, five novellas, and hundreds of short stories and articles. The term “cliffhanger endings” was created because of his practice of ending his serial short stories with drama and suspense. Dickens’ political and social beliefs heavily shaped his literary work. He argued against capitalist beliefs, and advocated for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens advocacy for such causes is apparent in his empathetic portrayal of lower classes in his famous works, such as The Christmas Carol and Hard Times.

Book preview

Factory

Introduction

The Digital Media Factory is proud to present its vibrant, new, full cast production of Charles Dickens’s beloved classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’.

It is Christmas Eve in Victorian London and the seasonal spirit spreads across the city. But it does not find a home in the heart of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, an isolated and bitter man who finds little to cheer him.

However, he is about to be given a hope of redemption by the visits of his deceased partner Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Will Scrooge heed their warnings and listen to their tuition, or is he doomed to the path that fate sees him following?

Audio Presentation

Cast Biographies

(in order of appearance)

Donna Combe

as The Narrator

Trained at Goldsmiths’ College & Webber Douglas, Donnas’ Theatre credits include; ‘Shirley Valentine’, Lady Capulet in ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and Sadie in ‘The Rise & Fall of Little Voice & Monica’. Donna has toured with various Theatre Companies both nationally & in Europe for several years and as a member of a Street Theatre Company has gigged in many exciting locations including Shanghai at The World Expo for The British Council.

Her Film and TV projects have varied from Birgit in ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’, as a Lunatic for Pie’N’Mash Films, & most recently as the Midwife in ‘Frankie’ aired on BBC1.

Adam Diggle

as Ebenezer Scrooge, Belles’ Husband and Tiny Tim

Originally from Bolton, Lancashire, Adam graduated from The Liverpool Institute for the performing Arts BA Acting programme in 2009. Since graduating Adam has worked in a variety of areas, from corporate theatre and Theatre in Education to outdoor Shakespeare, voiceovers and film. Recent credits include Nick Bottom in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Launcelot in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ , Lennie Small in ‘Of Mice and Men’ and Happy Loman in ‘Death of a Salesman’. Adam has been involved in voice acting for just over a year and this is just his second audio-book project. Being a proud owner of four different film versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ as well as the novel he was thrilled to be involved!

Ralph Stickley

as the Caroler

Ralph recently graduated with a BA in Acting from Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen, having played (among other things) a stalker, a god of prophecy and a living clock (as he points out, ‘it was a very varied and thorough course’). His most enjoyable role to date was playing the Major General in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’, and finds it ridiculous that you can get paid for something that fun. This is his first voice-acting role, and it’s a field he relished being involved in. Ralph lives with his partner in Streatham and enjoys paleontological illustration, Batman and chicken and chorizo paella.

David Hemstead

as Bob Cratchit

David has appeared in feature films, such as the soon-to-be-released ‘PULP’ and many short works including Iris Prize Winner Eldar Rapaport’s ‘Little Man’. His Theatre Credits include ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’ (The Seagull), ‘The Big Ask’ (Riverside Studios) and ‘Jack The Ripper’s London’ (Crow Theatre).

Gately Freeman

as Charity Businessman, Fezziwig and the 2nd Businessman

Gately trained at Guildford School of Acting, and as well as being an actor is a Drama teacher with Licentiate Diplomas from LAMDA and Trinity Guildhall. He also has an MA in Modern English Literature from Birkbeck College, University of London, where he first began to take a serious interest in Charles Dickens. He is delighted to be part of the Digital Media Factory’s ‘A Christmas Carol’

Cameron McGarva

as Nephew Fred and Old Joe

Following several years working as a Hospital Social Worker back home in Scotland, Cameron studied at the Drama Centre London and he now works regularly as an actor and voice artist. Recent projects included two short films, ‘September 11th’ and ‘Lost Perception’ plus a nationwide commercial for Tesco. He has also voiced a series for the House of Lords and narrated a documentary for the Unilever Water Foundation. He is very pleased to be involved in this modern and thrilling adaptation of A Christmas Carol and joked that he ‘relished the roles of Nephew Fred and Old Joe just a little too much!’

Robert Rowe

as Jacob Marley and 1st Businessman

Robert trained with the Actors Company at the London Centre for Theatre Studies. His previous ghostly appearances in Dickens’ material include a haunted John Redlaw in ‘Grave Expectations’ and the troubled narrator of ‘The Signalman’. On stage in the UK and abroad he has been in plays as varied as Shakespeares’ ‘Macbeth’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, to ‘The Rivals, ‘The Cherry Orchard’ and ‘Gormenghast: Titus Groan’. He has also done performance art and presentations for the British Museum, the Tate, the Serpentine Gallery and the Arnolfini, and is in the recently released Scandinavian film of Kon-Tiki and many independent British and foreign short films on screen or as voiceover. Robert has been seen in commercials and promos for many household names but unlike Marley, the only places he haunts are cafés.

Kirra Young

as The Spirit of Xmas Past and Mrs Cratchit

Kirra is a versatile performer that has worked in the fields of acting, voiceover and singing since graduating from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2009. Theatre credits includes: Musetta’s Friend in ‘La Boheme’, Soho Theatre (Olivier Award winning, Best New Opera), Soloist in ‘Moving Being’ (Cinema Museum), Ensemble in Elegies for ‘Angels Punks and Raging Queen’ (Shaw Theatre), Helena in ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (Mountview Academy) and KC Downing in My Favorite Year (SEDOS). Her Voiceover work has ranged from ‘Mrs Biggs’ (ITV1), Podcast Narration and ‘Gutless Excuses’ (Pei Ying Studios). She has also enjoyed film roles such as Isabella in ‘Lament’ (CY Productions) and Miss Page in ‘The Manual’ (Manual Movie).

Rhia Coles

as Belle and Martha

A Christmas Carol was a firm favourite of Rhia’s growing up, and since graduating she has been lucky enough to have performed in two stage adaptations of this tale. She has recently toured in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (Quantum Theatre) and has also filmed for the BBC. Other credits include: ‘The Comedy Of Errors’ and ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ (Cambridge Shakespeare Festival), ‘Cranford At Christmas’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ (Chapterhouse Theatre Company). She would like you wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Tom Solomon

as The Spirit of Xmas Present

After a successful run at the Royal Opera House, Tom made his Broadway debut in the U.S. transfer of ‘The Enchanted Pig’. West End credits include leading roles in ‘Pleasure’s Progress’ (Royal Opera House); ‘Chicago’ (Cambridge Theatre); ‘Glamorous Nights, the Ivor Novello Celebration’ (Novello, Theatre); ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (Her Majesty’s Theatre) and ‘Les Miserables’ (Palace Theatre). Tom is a regular guest artist on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night, after winning the International BBC competition, The Voice of Musical Theatre 2005 (The New Theatre, Cardiff). He also recently narrated Kernowland - The Crystal Pool by best selling children’s author Jack Trelawny. This production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is not his first visit to the Dickens classic, having played opposite Tommy Steele in ‘Scrooge’ at the London Palladium.

The Story

Marley’s Ghost

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge’s name was good upon ‘Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country’s done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

Scrooge knew he was dead?