A Christmas Story, the Musical - Pioneer Theatre Company

December 9 – 24, 2022

Book by
Joseph Robinette

Music and Lyrics by
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Directed & Choreographed by
Karen Azenberg

The beloved holiday classic comes to magical, musical life on stage!

From the songwriting team behind the award-winning hits Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman, comes a magical musical adaptation of the beloved 1983 film! It’s Christmastime in 1940, and bespectacled 10-year-old Ralphie Parker desperately wants one very specific gift—but will Santa deliver? Join Ralphie, The Old Man, and the whole gang as they bring frozen flag poles, triple-dog-dares, MAJOR Awards, and pure holiday magic to life on stage like never before.

Please note: Mack Boyer and Soren Ray alternate in the role of Ralphie. Their scheduled performances are as follows. (Subject to change.)

Mack Boyer 12/9, 12/10 eve, 12/12, 12/14 mat, 12/15, 12/17 mat, 12/20, 12/21 eve, 12/23, 12/24 eve

Soren Ray 12/10 mat, 12/13, 12/14 eve, 12/16, 12/17 eve, 12/19, 12/21 mat, 12/22, 12/24 mat

Tickets are no longer available for this show.

Important Dates

December 9 – 23
Monday – Thursday , 7:00 PM
Friday & Saturday, 7:30 PM
Saturday, 2:00 PM

December 24:
12 PM & 5 PM

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m.
Please contact the Box Office at 801-581-6961 for more information.

Overview

Cast

*Members of the Actors’ Equity Association

Creative

KAREN AZENBERG (Director/Choreographer) This marks Karen Azenberg’s eleventh season as Artistic Director at PTC. Favorite projects include the world premieres of Alabama Story and “i”; the regional premieres of Sting’s The Last Ship and Les Misérables; and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Newsies, Sweet Charity, and The Play That Goes Wrong. Originally from New York, her work there includes Lyrics and Lyricists (92nd St. Y), Blocks (a collaboration with Jonathan Larson), Prom Queens Unchained, and choreography for Richard Greenberg’s The Dazzle (Roundabout Theatre Company). Among her other credits are National Tours of Carousel and Brigadoon, West Side Story (over 15 productions), and productions at Indiana Repertory, Geva Theatre Center, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Goodspeed, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. Karen is a past president of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). Her favorite productions are her son Alexander and her daughter Emelia.

JAMES NOONE (Scenic Designer) returns to PTC after designing 2016’s The Last Ship. Broadway: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Jekyll and Hyde, Class Act, The Persians, Judgment at Nuremberg, Night Must Fall, The Sunshine Boys, The Gin Game, A Bronx Tale, and Come Back Little Sheba. Off-Broadway: Terrance McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Edward Albee’s play Three Tall Women, Full Gallop and Fully Committed, Cowgirls and Breaking Legs, A Bronx Tale, Boys in the Band, and Ruthless!. He has designed national tours and at leading regional theatres across the country. TV: Designed The Tale of Sweeney Todd, Candide, Passion, Camelot, Stephen Sondheim’s 80th Birthday Concert for PBS, Company, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill for HBO.

K.L. ALBERTS (Costume Designer) This marks season 35 for K.L. and how fantastic to be designing this joyous holiday production after many dark months. Some favorite PTC designs include The Play That Goes Wrong, The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time, Les Misérables, Uncle Vanya, and Little Shop of Horrors. For the Utah Shakespeare Festival, he designed Ah! Wilderness, The Matchmaker, Big River, and Guys and Dolls, among others. While living in New York he worked on, off, and very far from Broadway, and also for the Ralph Lauren Studios.

DAWN CHIANG (Lighting Designer) Broadway: Zoot Suit; co-designer, Tango Pasión. Off Broadway: Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre: Encores! Concert Musicals, co-designer. Opera: Resident lighting designer, New York City Opera. Regional: Guthrie Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South CoastRepertory, Syracuse Stage, Denver Center Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, and many more. Awards: Two Syracuse Area Live Theatre Awards, two Drama-Logue Awards; Nominations: Maharam Design Award (from American Theatre Wing), Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Affiliations: Board of Directors for Theatre Communications Group, Themed Entertainment Association, and Behind the Scenes Foundation. Mentor for Theater Development Fund’s “Wendy Wasserstein Project” outreach program for New York City high school students.

AARON HUBBARD (Sound Designer) is enjoying his 15th season with Pioneer Theatre Company in sound mix and design. His favorite productions have been Sting’s The Last Ship, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Next to Normal, and One Man, Two Guvnors. Aaron teaches sound production and recording at Weber State University, and in his spare time he records and produces music. His favorite star is his wife, Melissa, who puts up with all the late theatre nights.

SAMANTHA WOOTTEN (Hair & Makeup Designer) is excited to join PTC and the University of Utah as Wig Master. Previous career highlights include Wig Master for the Washington National Opera in D.C., Wig and Makeup Designer for Glimmerglass Opera in N.Y., Associate Wig Master for the Los Angeles Opera in CA, and Wig Master for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

TRACEY WOOLLEY* (Production Stage Manager) Some favorite credits include Blue Man Group, Cirque Du Soleil’s Mystere, Dragone’s Le Reve (Las Vegas); Off-Broadway: The Book of Merman (St Luke’s Theater), Verso (New World Stages), The Brobot Johnson Experience (Bushwick Starr); Heathers (New World Stages); Phoenix (Cherry Lane Theatre); 1st National Tour of The Lincoln Center Production of South Pacific, The HipHop Nutcracker; Regional: The Buddy Holly Story, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Grease, The Witches of Eastwick – National Premiere (The Ogunquit Playhouse), The Last of the Red Hot Lovers (The Cape Playhouse). Proud member of AEA, but even more proud to be a member of my family. Love you guys! CTR

HELEN GREGORY (Musical Director) After spending the past two years working various jobs -2020 decennial census taker, office administrative assistant, COVID vaccine (on-site) support staff, materials handler for the Durango Public Library, and 2020 election judge for La Plata County— Helen is ecstatic to be at the Pioneer Theatre Company doing what she loves most—live theatre. Thank you to all that make this production possible-staff, musicians, cast, crew and, you, our audience. It truly takes a village to make this work happen. Enjoy.

LENNY DANIEL* (Ensemble, Associate Director) Choreographed Mary Poppins (Utah Shakespeare Festival) and Spamalot (Geva Theatre Center and Arkansas Repertory Theatre). Directed and choreographed Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical (TexARTS); choreographed The Little Mermaid (Forestburgh Playhouse); assistant directed The Wizard of Oz National Tour starring Mickey Rooney and Eartha Kitt; assistant choreographed Gigi (Papermill Playhouse), assisted Ann Reinking and performed in Here Lies Jenny starring Bebe Neuwrith (NYC & SF). Performing credits include Broadway: Cats (final original company) and The Wizard of Oz. NYC: Sinatra (Radio City Music Hall), Wonderful Town (NYC Opera). Tours: Spamalot, Chicago, South Pacific, Camelot, Jekyll & Hyde. Favorite Regional: Something Rotten!, La Cage aux Folles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Newsies, Chess, Oliver!, The Last Ship (PTC), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Baltimore Center Stage), Mary Poppins, Peter Pan (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Gigi, and Evita (Paper Mill Playhouse).

EMILY NACRISSA GRIFFITH* (Stage Manager) has worked with Pioneer Theatre Company for six seasons. She graduated from UVU with multiple awards for her work, including the Kennedy Center’s Meritorious Achievement Award. She has also managed Sundance’s Summer Theatre for the past two seasons.

MASON TURTON (Assistant Stage Manager) This is Mason Turton’s second season with Pioneer Theatre Company! Previous PTC credits include: Ain’t Misbehavin’, Elf: The Musical, The Messenger, Something Rotten, Fireflies, Hello, Dolly!, Scapin, and Shucked. Other credits include: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Pace University), The Wolves (Pace University), and The Post Office (Plan B Theatre Company), among others.

BOB CLINE (Casting) is the founder of Bob Cline Casting in New York. He has cast film, TV, commercials, over 75 national tours, and numerous regional theaters across the country and has been associated with the casting for PTC for many years. Cline is currently a proud faculty member in Pace University’s theatre program, in charge of the senior BFA musical theatre majors. He is the Associate Director of Broadway Artists Alliance, enjoys working with The Open Jar Institute, and often teaches through The Growing Studio and The Actor’s Loft.

PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY (PTC) Now celebrating its 61st season, the award-winning PTC is Utah’s premiere professional theatre company and leading arts organization of the West. Led by Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Interim Managing Director Diane L. Parisi, PTC presents world-class productions that celebrate diversity in culture and society and serve as the connecting bridge between art and scholarship as an affiliate of the University of Utah.

ACTOR’S EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA) Founded in 1933, AEA represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers nationwide. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actor’s Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #equityworks