"A Christmas Story" Is The Perfect Holiday Treat

Five Local Children Are Cast In Family Friendly Production

Jupiter, FL (December 20, 2006) - Join Ralphie and his quirky all American family in the holiday classic, A Christmas Story, set to open with previews on Tuesday, December 19 and runs through December 30.

Phil Grecian's stage adaptation of Jean Shepherd's fond and funny tribute to the original is a traditional 100% red-blooded Christmas. Join young Ralphie Parker in his quest for the "Holy Grail of Christmas presents" - a genuine Red Ryder 200 Shot Carbine Action Air Rifle, and gaze in wonder at his father's "major award." Based on the cult movie favorite, this classic holiday comedy is a funny and sweet tale of growing up in the 1940's.

Five local children will share the stage with professional Equity actors, playing the parts of Ralphie's friends and younger brother. Michael Risco, a Stuart resident, plays Schwartz; Jacob Stamm, a Jupiter resident, plays Flick - infamous for getting his tongue stuck to a flagpole; CJ Bogue, a West Palm Beach resident, plays Farkus - the bully; Sidney O'Gorman, a West Palm Beach resident, plays Randy - Ralphie's little brother and Brianna Scully, A Stuart resident plays Helen. All five attended the local casting call as part of the Christmas in July event at the theatre and were among the call backs who then auditioned for director BT McNicholl and Associate Director Steve Bebout. Of the 145 who auditioned locally; these five were selected for the children's roles. The lead role of Raphie went to professional child actor Sean Gilbert, who most recently performed in the national tour of Les Miserable. Local actor Gordon McConnell, Carbonnel Winner, who most recently played at the theatre in Barefoot In The Park, will star in the role of Raphie's father, made famous in the movie by the late Darren McGavin.

"We are happy that the theatre is offering a holiday alternative for families to enjoy. There are so many universal themes in this wonderful comedy to which we can all relate," said Andrew Kato, Artistic Director at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.

A Christmas Story runs December 19 through 30 with show times at 2:00 pm Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; 7:30 pm Tuesday through Friday and an 8:00 pm showing on Saturday. Tickets range from $27 to $45 and are available at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre Box Office, online at http://www.jupitertheatre.org/ or by phone 561-575-2223 or 800-445-1666. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre opened in February 2004 as a 550-seat, nonprofit community-based regional theater in the former Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre. The theater is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is located at 1001 Indiantown Road and State Road A1A in Jupiter.

Family with gun and cowboy hat: Jonathan Bustle, Kaitlin O'Neal and Sean Gilbert

Family without gun: Jonathan Bustle, Kaitlin O'Neal and Sean Gilbert

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CAST BIOS:

Sean Gilbert - Ralphie -Sean, 10, spent a year performing as Gavroche in the National Broadway Tour of Les Miserable. Sean has also appeared on As The World Turns, The Rachael Ray Show and is the voice of "Gil Guppy" in the Nickelodeon cartoon pilot Bubble Guppies.

Jacob Stamm- Flick- Jacob was born in West Palm Beach, Fl in 1993.  He has lived in the Jupiter area all of his life.  Jacob is a natural comedic performer, having been in front of local audiences for most of his life as both an actor and musician, through school, church and other venues.  He is a talented pianist and plays the French horn I the Jupiter Middle School Symphonic Band.  Jacob's most recent performance was on the piano, as part of the Palm Beach Idol Talent Contest at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.

Michael Risco - Schwartz - Michael is a seventh grader at Stuart Middle School.  He is making his debut at the Maltz Jupiter theatre in A Christmas Story and is thrilled to be here.  Michael is no novice to theatre though.  He has been acting and singing since the age of eight and has been in a number of stage productions.  Most recently starring as Oliver in the musical play Oliver at the Lyric Theatre.  He has performed in other musicals such as Big River, Bye Bye Birdie, King and I, Pippin and Annie Get Your Gun.  Michael has performed in many children's theatre musicals as well. 

Colleen Broome - Understudy for Esther Jane/Helen - Colleen is nine years old and in the fourth grade at the Pine School in Stuart.  She was recently seen in Shiloh's productions of The Taffeta's, Oliver and The Jungle Book. Colleen performed in Mika Ray at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and is thrilled to be returning as a member of the A Christmas Story cast. For the past six years Colleen has performed in yearly dance and vocal showcases for Stuart Florida Arts & Dance Company, The Pine School and Starstruck Performing Arts Center.  Colleen is excited and thankful for this wonderful opportunity.  You may see her in the upcoming 2007 cast for Kidvision TV.

Brianna Scully- Helen- Brianna has been seen in the area as Tina in Ruthless, Jasmine in Aladdin, Baby June in Gypsy, Little Red in Into the Woods, and Gretel in The Sound of Music to name a few.  She was a finalist in the Palm Beach Idol and was Minka in the reading of Minka Ray at the Maltz.  She has been featured on National Public Radio's Young Artist Spotlight and in the opening number of the Macy's Day Parade. Most recently she performed in the Pink Tie Gala for Breast Cancer. 

Kaitlin O'Neal-Mother- Kaitlin proudly received her Master's Degree at the Professional Theatre Training Program now located at the University of Delaware and was most recently seen as the tragically misunderstood Milady de Winter in The Acting Company's The Three Musketeers.  She also played Lady McDuff and a Witch in Macbeth and Deb in a new dramatization of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery on that same 2005-2006 tour.  Previous credits include: Josie in A Moon for the Misbegotten at Madison Rep, LucyGale Scruggs in the world premiere of Doris Baizley's Shiloh Rules at Alabama Shakespeare Festival; Fragments (City Center) and Amy in A Magic Place...(45^th St. Theatre)-both in NYC; Kate in The Taming of the Shrew (Utah Shakespearean Festival tour); and Rosalind in As You Like It (Wisconsin Shakespeare).

Gordon McConnell-The Old Man- has been an actor, director, drama coach, and teacher for more than thirty years.  His work has taken him from L.A. to London to Amsterdam, and to NYC where he was a member of Geraldine Page's Mirror Repertory Theatre. Gordon has appeared locally at many theatres, including Florida Repertory Theatre, Florida Stage, Caldwell Theatre Company, Palm Beach Dramaworks, TheatreWest, Gable Stage, Actor's Playhouse and as the telephone repairman here at Maltz Jupiter in last season's Barefoot in the Park.  Gordon is very happy to be a member of Actors Equity Association, a Carbonell winner (2006 Best Actor, Frozen), a dad to Hunter, a husband to Nan Barnett, a lightening detection system installer and a connoisseur of single malts from his native Scotland. 

Blair Sams -Miss Shields- She has been seen on Broadway in Neil Simon's The Dinner Party, and regionally at such theatres as South Coast Rep, Yale Rep, American Repertory Theatre, The Huntington, Intiman Playhouse, Papermill Playhouse, Indiana Rep and most recently at Florida Stage.  She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and The Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University.  Blair is a member of Blue Roses Theatre Company in New York and proud wife of playwright John Yearley.

Jonthan Bustle-Ralph-Most recent theatre credits include God of Hell by Sam Shepard and a new play called Father Joy both at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Other regional theatre credits include ACT in San Francisco, Yale Rep., St. Louis Rep., Geva, Cleveland Playhouse, The Olney, Singapore Rep. and Florida State Theatre.  Off- Broadway credits include: CBS Live as Ed Norton from the Honeymooners and Bouncers.  Broadway credits include: A Few Good Men Broadway tour, Golden Child, The Plays the Thing, and Arms and the Man.  Film and Television: A Woman Named Jackie, All My Children, Loving and Saturday Night Live.

Sidney O'Gorman-Randy-Sidney is excited to be making his stage debut here at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. A six year old who loves cats and superheroes, Sidney also enjoys playing the piano, singing and dancing. Catching the theatre bug after seeing his sister perform in the Maltz Jupiter Theatre Summer Camp final production, Sidney is overjoyed that it's his turn to be on the stage!

Production Bios:

BT McNicholl- Director-BT McNicholl is the proud recipient of a Drama League grant and currently represented with productions of Cabaret in Paris (at the Folies Bergere) and Spain (the longest running show in that country's history), as well as the European premiere of The Producers and a musical for Disney, Winnie the Pooh (now in the 3rd year of its international tour).  He has staged productions for The Goodspeed Opera House (Very Good Eddie, Best Musical 2004), Dorset Theatre Festival (The Cherry Orchard, Best Production), Walnut Street Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center (two seasons), and the York Theatre Co (Off-Broadway).  A BMI Award winning songwriter, he wrote the lyrics for the well-received musical The IT Girl (score published by Hal Leonard,Inc.).  McNicholl is a Development Consultant for MGM Onstage, for whom he has created a new version of Some Like It Hot, scheduled to open in the West End next year.  On Broadway, he has directed for the Roundabout Theatre Company, produced Sunday in the Park with George: In Concert with the original cast, and been the Associate Director for 10 other productions with Sam Mendes, Jerry Zaks, James Lapine and Rob Marshall.  Upcoming: working with director David Hare on Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking starring Vanessa Redgrave (Broadway, March 2007).

Steve Bebout -Associate Director. Steve has collaborated with BT before as an assistant on Cabaret (Broadway & National Tour), Epic Proportions (Broadway), The It Girl (Off-Broadway), Very Good Eddie (Goodspeed) and I Hear Music (Gorilla Theatre, Tampa).  New York directing credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Peking Duck, Two Rooms; Regional: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, The Night the Music Died (conceiver and writer), Almost Heaven. Steve is the Artistic Director of The Moonshine Project, a non-profit company in NYC. 

Martin E. Vreeland - Lighting Designer. Martin has designed seven BC/EFA Easter Bonnet shows and several benefit concerts for The Actors Fund.  He has designed shows at PS122, Cherry Lane Theatre, Stoneham Theatre, Ergo Theatre, Looking Glass Theatre, Milkcan Theatre, Wings Theatre, CAP21, American Theatre of Actors, Personal Space Theatrics, Worcester Foothills Theatre, River Rep, The Alley, Surflight, Tri-Arts, NJ State Repertory Opera, Grinnell College, PTTP Univ of Delaware, Ashland Univ and Troika.  Martin has also assisted on several Broadway productions including The Lion King, Voices in the Dark, Swing, How to Succeed, and Grease.  Other credits include: REGIONAL: Fiction, Around the World in 80 Days, The Play About The Baby, Ethel Waters: His Eye Is On The Sparrow (Florida Studio Theatre), Singin' in the Rain (Seminole Hard Rock Casino).  ELSEWHERE: Side by Side by Sondheim (New Harmony Theatre), Anything Goes, 42^nd Street (Trump Plaza in Atlantic City). Cinderella, Beauty & The Beast, and Smokey Joe's Café (North Shore Music Theatre). The Mystery of Irma Vep (7 Angels Theatre).

Fitz Patton - Sound Designer. Recent scores include: multiple productions of  I Am My Own Wife (ET Cincinatti, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Dallas Theare Center); Macbeth with Eve Shapiro (The Acting Company in NYC); The Wooden Breeks with Trip Cullman (MCC Theatre); Joe Egg and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, both with Richard Hamburger (Dallas Theatre Center); Some Men with Phillip Himburg (Philadelphia Theatre Company); Shift (Original Dance Score) for the HT Chen Dance Company; Julius Caesar with Sanford Robbins (American Players Theatre); Safe Harbor for Elizabeth Bishop with Amy Irving (Primary Stages), Warren Leight's James and Annie, James Lapine's Fran's Bed, Naomi Wallace's Things of Dry Hours, and Neil Labute's This Is How It Goes, with George Wolfe