A Christmas Carol (In-person)

Anthony Rodriguez (Executive Director HUB404 Conservancy/Co-Founder/Former President & CEO-Aurora Theatre) ––HUB404 is an innovative 9 acre “cap park” that will soar above GA 400 and provide a direct connection to MARTA’s Buckhead rail station. HUB404 will create a dynamic, active, gathering place for Atlanta and the region and transform the core of Buckhead. 

Aurora Theatre opened in the summer of 1996 and Anthony Rodriguez and Ann-Carol Pence (Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director) established Aurora Theatre, Inc. as a non-profit organization in 1999. Under their leadership, the theatre grew from 120 season subscribers to the 5100 subscribers Aurora Theatre currently boasts. Mr. Rodriguez’s greatest accomplishment to date was the successful negotiation to relocate Aurora Theatre to downtown Lawrenceville Georgia where it serves as the cornerstone for their revitalization. This nearly $7.5 million complex houses 2 theatres, rehearsal space and offices and opened in the spring of 2007. This successful Partnership with the City of Lawrenceville has led to the opening of the 60,000 sq. ft. $40 million Lawrenceville Arts Center campus expansion.  Anthony is a Past Chair of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce (2016), he was the first Latino and Arts leader to serve in that position and is also past Chair of Partnership Gwinnett. Mr. Rodriguez is a member of Screen Actor’s Guild, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Board Member), Theatre Communications Group (Board Member), National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Vice-President) , and serves on the national steering committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons. Mr. Rodriguez is a graduate of Marist High School, the University of Georgia with a BFA in theatre, Leadership Atlanta (2022), the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures’ Leadership Institute and Advocacy Institute. Mr. Rodriguez is a Cancer Survivor and has been cancer free for over 30 years.

ANN-CAROL PENCE (Co-Founder/Producing Artistic Director) arranged the music for Aurora’s first Christmas Canteen in 1996 and was hired full-time in September of 1998 as Resident Musical Director. An education major at James Madison University, she used her background to develop Learning Library (or L2). As a musician, she created Aurora’s Musicals by Moonlight, and Aurora’s New Musical Initiative. She has performed as pianist and music director both nationally (Goodspeed Opera House, Pasadena Playhouse, The Cleveland Playhouse, The Kennedy Center) and locally (The Alliance, Theatrical Outfit, The Horizon, Georgia Ensemble Theatre,). As a proud citizen of Gwinnett, Ann-Carol is most proud of Aurora Theatre winning the first ever Pinnacle Award for Large Non-Profit, and the first ever Moxie Award (for woman-led businesses) for Aurora Theatre. These distinctions go well with her 5 Suzi Awards for Outstanding Music Direction. She was a participant in the 2016 Atlanta Regional Leadership Institute and member of the “Best Class Ever!”

JUSTIN ANDERSON (Associate Artistic Director) has served as Aurora Theatre's Associate Artistic Director since 2014. His directorial work has earned 13 Suzi Bass Award Nominations for Outstanding Direction (Winner for The Bridges of Madison County and Les Misérables at Aurora Theatre, in 2017 and 2013 respectively). He is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia where he directs and teaches courses in acting and musical theatre. He holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Campbell University and an M.A. in Theatre Studies from Regent University, with additional course study at Rutgers. Song and Dance marks his last project as a full time staff member at Aurora Theatre, having expanded his storytelling skillset and ability into real estate earlier this year. You can find out more about how he and his partner, Michael Crute, are using real estate to help write the next best chapter of people’s lives at www.welcomehomeatlanta.com. 

TONY BROWN (Adapter/Director) is honored to be a part of this annual Aurora holiday tradition. A member of Aurora’s Summer Concert Series (The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, and The Wizard of Oz), he has appeared on Aurora's mainstage as Merlin in Camelot, as well as the Interlocutor in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Colonel Mustard in Clue: The Musical. He directed the Suzi nominated Over the River and Through the Woods. Tony is a senior company member in his 27th consecutive season with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company. Directing: A Christmas Carol (in its 14th year), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, A Man for All Seasons, Our Town, Cymbeline, The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest and King Lear. Acting credits exceed 3,200 performances, and having completed Shakespeare’s canon. Favorite roles: King John of France in Edward III, Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Bellomy in The Fantasticks, Senex in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and every role Shakespeare wrote for Sir John Falstaff (Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor). He’s also acted for Georgia Ensemble Theatre and acted and directed for Art Within. Thanks to the good people of Gwinnett for placing this theatre at the heart of its social and cultural life, and Tony Rodriguez for this glorious 12 year partnership. Love to Sharon, Bradshaw and Nola. Non nobis, non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tuo da Gloriam!

ELLEN CURRY (Stage Manager)  has been stage managing in the Atlanta area for the past two years, and currently serves as Horizon’s Producing and Education Manager. Past Aurora stage management credits include  Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End,  Beat Bugs  (Tour),  Sleepy Hollow  (Tour), and a number of shows in the Musicals by Moonlight series including  Newsies,  In the Heights,  Hairspray,  and  The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  She  received her B.A. in Theatre from The University of Georgia. 

ISABEL AND MORIAH CURLEY-CLAY (Scenic Designers) are thrilled to be back at Aurora Theatre! Favorite past Aurora designs: Native Gardens, Abigail 1702, and Clyborne  Park. Other recent designs include: Hands Up, 7 Testaments- Alliance Theatre, Reparations(AUDELCO Award Best Scenic Design, 2019-2020) Billie Holiday theatre, America in One Room, My Lord What a Night, and the Buddy Holly Story -Florida Studio Theatre, Downstairs, and Hometown Boy -Actor’s Express. In addition to designing scenery in the Atlanta area and around the country, Isabel and Moriah  teach scenography at Spelman College and are members or United Scenic Artists 829. 

Www. Axisstudiosdesign.com

MIKE MORIN is a lighting designer based out of Atlanta. He is excited to be returning to the Aurora after designing The Roommate in 2019 as well as the past three productions of  This Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. Off-Broadway design credits include Here I Sit Broken Hearted: A Bathroom Odyssey as well as Alcestis Ascending, which also performed in Havana, Cuba. Favorite design credits include The Phantom of The Opera, Parade, Urinetown, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. He is a graduate of The University of Alabama holding his MFA in Lighting Design and Technical Production. In 2014 he was selected to participate in USITT’s Young Designer Forum. Currently he serves as the Technical Director and Resident Designer at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. Website: www.MikeTMorin.com

ALAN YEONG** (he/him) is honored to be a part of Aurora's Christmas Canteen. Alan is lucky to be collaborating with an amazing production design team and acting company. Alan is a Professor of Costume Design at The University of West Georgia during the day, occasionally freelancing with metro Atlanta theatre companies for the past 17 years. He recently was honored with 2016 Broadway World Atlanta Regional Best Professional Costume Design for a Musical for Miss Saigon (Serenbe Playhouse). Several Suzi Bass Award nominations - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Aurora Theatre/Theatrical Outfit), Miss Saigon (Serenbe Playhouse), Les Misérables (Aurora Theatre), The Little Foxes (Theatre in the Square). Also a special thank you to Aurora Theatre for believing in my work. Special thanks to all of his friends, colleagues, students, and University of West Georgia Theatre Arts Department for allowing him to continually be part of the vibrant metro Atlanta theatre community. Alan is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 Come visit, alanyeong.com

Anna Lee is thrilled as always to be back designing at Aurora. She graduated from Kennesaw State University with a B.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies. Her credits include Zombie Prom (GGC), Spring Awakening (Oglethorpe), This Wonderful Life (Suzi Nominated), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Suzi Nominated), Christmas Canteen 2019, and Children of Eden (Aurora Theatre). Upcoming: Steel Magnolias (Serenbe Playhouse). Big thanks to Justin, her family, Jeffrey, CB, and all the Katies and Daniels she knows.

KATIE PELKEY (Managing Director) is celebrating twelve seasons with Aurora! In 2013, Katie transitioned to the role of Company Manager, having previously served as Resident Stage Manager. She also created the highly-successful Stage Management and Costume Apprentice programs that operates simultaneously with Aurora’s Acting Apprentice Company program. For five seasons, she worked as Aurora’s Educational Resources Associate developing educational curriculum for teachers to use in conjunction with Aurora’s TYA Learning Library offerings. And for over a decade, Katie served as Production Stage Manager for New Plays for Young Audiences, a prestigious TYA summer staged reading series based at New York University. She received her BA in Educational Theatre from New York University with a minor in Dramatic Literature. Many thanks to Michael, Maxwell, and Alexander for their love and support!

DANIEL POPE (Production Manager) is proud to be joining the great team at Aurora Theatre as Production Manager. Daniel has been a sound designer and engineer in the Atlanta area for the past seven years. He’s had the pleasure of designing sound for the Aurora Theatre on many occasions on shows such as: Into the Woods, Christmas Canteen, Sweep, and most recently The Bridges of Madison County. Additionally, he’s worked on countless other productions in the Atlanta theatre community including: Evita and A Streetcar Named Desire as Sound Designer and Production Manager at Serenbe Playhouse. Daniel received a Bachelors in Marketing with a specialization in sales and a minor in Music from The University of West Georgia in 2010.

JON SANDMAIER (he/him) is excited to return to the Aurora, the place he called home for his first four years in the state of Georgia.  He originally hails from Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he designed and built sets for a variety of venues and organizations around the area.  Over the past year he has been working in the television and film industry.  One of Jon's favorite projects was building the boat for Men With Money.

SARAH THOMSON (Scenic Painter) loves to paint and has been gracing the sets of Aurora Theatre for the last 11 seasons. A resident of Johns Creek, she brings her talents and her crew of Jack and Dylan to support her in her endeavors. Sarah designed and painted sets for many years while her daughter danced with Susan Chambers Theatre Dance. In a previous life, she was the scenic artist for Casa Mañana Theatre, Casa on the Square, Fort Worth Ballet, Dallas Shakespeare in the Park, Dallas Summer Musicals and Six Flags. She has worked with Southwest Studios and Stageworks where she served as scenic artist. Children of a Lesser God also featured Sarah’s original artwork. She is accompanied by her man of the North, Ian.