Cast--A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

Our second annual musical production has been cast. Check out this all-star lineup for Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol below:

Bonny Burke as Adult Belle and the Charwoman--Bonny, is in her second Destination Theatre Company production having been seen in last summer's Charlotte's Web. She is also happy to be sharing the stage again with her son, Will. Bonny has performed in many shows over the past several years. She won a 2004 Arts For Life Award for her role as Mrs. Edward Rochester in Curtain Call Repertory Theatre's Jane Eyre. Other favorite shows include The Rocky Horror Show, Follies, Caberet and Jekyll and Hyde. Bonny thanks her family for their love, patience and support. She also remembers "Dennis" and his passion for theatre. He was a great influence.

Will Burke as Tiny Tim--This is Will's second production with Destination Theatre Company having also appeared last year in Charlotte's Web. He performed in Family Musical Theatre's The Music Man three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed being on stage. Will also plays the piano, is a Cub Scout and enjoys playing baseball with his friends. He will be in fifth grade at Linda Vista Catholic School. He would like to thank his family for their support and the other cast members for helping him learn throughout the production.

Elizabeth Carver as Belinda Cratchit--Elizabeth is a current member of Joymakers Children' Choir at Twin Oaks Presbyterian Church. This very energetic, seven-year-old is home-schooled and enjoys performing in front of a crowd: singing, dancing or storytelling; makes no difference to her.

John Christian as Charles Dickens, Mr. Fezziwig and the Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come is retired. Previous careers (in reverse order): Database administrator, computer programmer, social worker, carpenter. He now does a lot of reading and writing. He leads singing for a nursing home worship service every Sunday, and preaches there twice a month. While this is his third Destination Theatre show (having appeared earlier this year in Tilly and the One Act Competition), other acting experience includes high school plays his junior and senior years (many years ago) and a couple plays at West County Assembly of God. He sang a solo as Marcus in Who Will Call Him King of Kings three different years.

John has 7-year-old twin grandsons who live with his older son and daughter-in-law in the Seattle area. His younger son works for Google and lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Elliott Gathman as the Caroler and William is nine and in the 3rd grade. He likes cats, and baseball. His last plays were Broadway on the Driveway's The Four Freedoms and The Sound of Music and DTC's production of Charlotte's Web last summer.

Lauren Gathman as the Teacher and Martha Cratchit is 13 years old. She enjoys cats, riding her scooter and reading. She has been in Broadway on the Driveway's productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music and The Four Freedoms. She has also appeared previously in DTC's productions of Charlotte's Web and Tilly.

Bev Gregory as Mrs. Cratchit and the Laundress is a stay at home mother of three. She is a Girl Scout leader for both of her daughter's troops. Her first experience with DTC was working backstage on Winnie the Pooh followed by on stage work as the Caretaker in Tilly. Bev has performed as Bunny in The Desk Set, Agatha in Goodbye, My Fancy, and Raja in I Never Saw Another Butterfly. She has also appeared in David and Lisa, Here and Now, and J.B. She has enjoyed working with her brother, Charles, again, on this production, and with her daughter, Haley, and niece, Lauren.

Haley Gregory as the Spirit of Christmas Past and Sarah is in the 4th grade at Truman Elementary School. She has one brother and one sister. She was proud be a part of the Winnie the Pooh cast, her first stage experience, earlier this season as well as a child in the cast of Tilly. Haley enjoys doing gymnastics and she also loves to draw.

Lauren Harris as Young Belle and Mary is a 7th grader at Victory Christian School. She has been in several church plays including Joy Story as Raggedy Ann and The Tale of Three Trees as Happy Tree. With DTC, she has previously appeared as Wilbur in Charlotte's Web, Owl in Winnie the Pooh, the title character in Tilly and in the 2008 One Act Competition where she received best child actress honors.

Dan Hull as Jacob Marley is in his DTC debut this summer..

Ray Martin as Bob Cratchit has been doing dinner theatre and other plays at his church for ten years. The last 8 years, he has also been doing community theatre, mainly in Crestwood. He has been in over a dozen shows, many performing beside his son or daughter and occasionally his wife. Each part has been great but some of his favorites were Reuben in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jerry in George M! and the mysterious man in Into the Woods. Ray got his DTC debut as Mr. Bendix in Tilly earlier this year and also performed in the 2008 One Act Competition. He has enjoyed working with DTC because of the spiritual bond between he and the other actors. In real life, Ray has his own actuarial consulting practice and his hobbies include Scuba diving and raising seahorses. He gives thanks to the Lord for we can do all things through Him. He especially wants to thank his wife, Leah, for putting up with the crazy rehearsal schedules.

Isaac Moore as Peter Cratchit and the Boy LOVES GARFIELD, PASTA and ANYTHING FUNNY. He is just like a fish when he's in the water and like a cheetah when he's on roller skates. He loves his WebKinz and his stuffed animals. Past play experience with DTC includes the 2008 One-Act Competition, Tilly, Charlotte's Web-The Musical, concession work on The Diary of Anne Frank and Winnie the Pooh and back stage work on the 2007 One-Act Competition. And HE LOVES COMEDY. He has a pet hamster named Teddy and two sisters named Rebekah and Rachel.

Kristy Moore as Solicitor 2 and Orchestra Member is married to Allen and a home-schooling mother of three: Isaac, 9 1/2; Rebekah, 6 1/2; and Rachel, 4. Growing up in Springfield IL, she was involved in several productions at school and church in elementary and high school, including The Music Man, where she was a gymnast and dancer. Since college at Evangel University, she has been in a lot of productions at church including Bethlehem Inn, A Christmas Carol, Putting the Christ Back in Easter, The Sounds of Christmas, the premier production of What's Your Favorite Part... and the direction of Sure Foundations, The Joy Story, The Tale of Three Trees, Kid's Praise: An Explosion of Happiness and Kid's Praise 2: The Joyfulliest Noise. Kristy's DTC experience includes the inaugural production of The Diary of Anne Frank in the role of Mr. Otto Frank, If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise as Maxine McAllister directorial and acting roles in the 2007 and 2008 One-Act Competitions, Sadie in Charlotte's Web, director of Winnie the Pooh, and Kathy in Tilly.

At church she directs the kids choir and leads the Missionettes Prims club. Kristy's hobbies include kids, music, kids, reading and kids.

Rachel Moore as a child is the 4-year-old daughter of Allen and Kristy Moore. She is excited to be in another production and is starting to build quite a long list of past productions including her role as the rotten egg in last summer's production of Charlotte's Web-The Musical.

Rebekah Moore as Debra is the six-year-old daughter of Allen and Kristy Moore. She is home-schooled in the first grade and is thrilled to be in another DTC production having been in Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, Tilly and the 2008 One Act Competition. She has also been in church children's choir productions of Sure Foundations, The Joy Story, The Tale of Three Trees, Kid's Praise: An Explosion of Happiness and Kid's Praise 2: The Joyfulliest Noise.

David Moreshead as the Pianist is a 17-year-old college sophomore. He attends Lindenwood University where he just finished his first year toward his triple major in Theatre, Accounting and Arts Administration. He works during the summer with his family company, GoodHeart Lawn and Land, mowing lawns and sending invoices. The last several years he has been in DaySpring’s productions of Only an Orphan Girl as Dick, Seussical as a Wickersham Brother and Much Ado About Nothing as Benedick. David's other DTC credits include Steve Renfro in If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, Best Director honors in the 2007 One Act Competition for his direction of Chew the Fat With Matt and he was also the pianist for last year's musical production of Charlotte's Web.

Anna Perry as a school child is in her DTC debut this summer.

Kim Perry as the Spirit of Christmas Present is in her DTC debut this summer. Kim has been performing off and on all her life. Past credits include appearances in Oklahoma!, The Music Man, a nun in The Sound of Music and the alternate for the Incomparable Rosalie in Carnival! Kim's favorite role is as wife and homeschooling mom to four children.

Rebekah Perry as a school child is in her DTC debut this summer.

Janet Smith as Solicitor 1, the Maid and the Costume Mistress is in her DTC debut this summer.

Forrest Thrasher as Patrick, the Poulterer and Dick has previously appeared in DTC's 2008 One Act Competition. Forrest is homeschooled and loves comedy.

Rebecca Tomblin as a townsperson is in her DTC debut this summer.

John Tupy as Fred and Young Adult Scrooge is in his DTC debut this summer. He is a fifth grader at Twin Oaks Christian School and a member of First Baptist Church, Arnold. The acting bug bit John while he was playing Hotrod Hanson in the church production of Race To Win. Since then he has been taking acting and group voice classes at Stages, St. Louis.

Abraham Ward as Young Boy Scrooge and Topper is 10-years-old and in the sixth grade at LaSalle Middle school in Wildwood. He really likes acting and performing. He has done several musicals at school and has had roles in several short films, including the award-winning The Two Sons and Their Crogzookles. He appeared in Completing Kaden, a Christian 30-minute drama/comedy that airs on Trinity Broadcast Network. He is very excited to be a part of this, his third DTC production, having appeared in last summer's Charlotte's Web-The Musical and the 2008 One Act Play Competition. He has also been studying the drums and percussion and gets the privilege to play Sundays with his dad in the Living Water Worship Team at church. He has a brown belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and loves to write. Oh, and most important, in his own words, "I LOVE JESUS!"

Dale Ward as Ebenezer Scrooge is appearing in his second DTC production, having been in the second annual One-Act Play Competition earlier this year. He has also appeared on the big screen in the films Meet Bill, Alice Upside Down, and The Lucky Ones, as well as the national television programs Completing Kaden and On Main Street. He also produces and directs short films, videos for his church, and his day job is at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he is responsible for all the video content on their website and iTunesU. His work has won numerous awards, including 3 regional Emmys, and most recently a Telly award for "Servants for Jesus' Sake," and an Aurora Award for The Two Sons and Their Crogzookles. He has been happily married to his beautiful wife Suzanne for 23 years, and has two fantastic sons: Abraham (10) and Elijah (4). He loves life and hopes that he keeps Christmas well - all year long.

Sheryl Watts as Mrs. Fezziwig and Mrs. Cobbler is in her DTC debut here in A Christmas Carol. Sheryl has appeared in dinner theatre productions at Washington Park Fellowship for over 10 years including Noah and the German Whale, Peaches, Peck O’ Peaches, The Six O’clock Supper Club, Every Little Crook and Nanny, and If the Good Lord’s Willing & the Creek Don’t Rise. She has directed both adult and children’s choirs and plays, and has been a leader of WPF’s and the Hill Fellowship’s worship teams for over 30 years. She has taught piano, tap, and ballet, and also coached young people in voice. Sheryl’s “real” job is as a Communications Development Professional for a Human Resources company; but her real loves are first, and most importantly, the Lord, closely followed by music, acting, reading, beading, and new-found love, gardening.

Allen Moore as the Pawnbroker and the Director is the president and founder of Destination Theatre Company. He is excited to direct yet another production with DTC...his...um...fourth...no...um...fifth so far...and to direct another play in general...he's started to lose count. Allen got involved in theatre in high school (well, actually, in church, it was MUCH younger), playing Winthrop in The Music Man, Admiral von Schreiber in The Sound of Music, Mr. Kirby in You Can't Take it With You, roles in several one acts and playing viola for Mame and Fiddler on the Roof. In college, he continued with on stage roles as Mendel in Fiddler on the Roof, Andrew age 64 in Why Do We Laugh?, and Gonzalo in The Tempest as well as back stage roles in The Lion in Winter, Doll's House, A View From the Bridge, Charley's Aunt and several other plays, one acts and studio scenes.

Since graduating from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, Allen has done much more directorial and performance work through teaching at the middle school level and through church. Some of those plays include This is a Test (directing), Mame (directing), The Fantasticks (directing and performing), Rumors (directing), Happy Daze (co-directing), The Music Man Jr. (co-directing), Fools (directing), The Living Last Supper (directing and performing), Who Will Call Him King of Kings (directing and performing), The Sounds of Christmas (directing, designing and performing), What's Your Favorite Part... (writing, directing and performing), Kid's Praise: An Explosion of Happiness (performing), Kid's Praise 2: The Joyfulliest Noise (performing) and many, many more.

Allen recently received his Master of Arts in Theatre Arts Management from Lindenwood University.

Allen is married to Kristy and has three kids: Isaac, 9; Rebekah, 6 and Rachel, 4. At West County Assembly of God he is involved in the adult choir and helping Kristy with the kids choir. His hobbies include reading (mostly plays), music and, of course, drama.

Jonathan Gathman as the Music Director earned a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Wheaton Conservatory where he won several competitions and scholarships. Jonathan prefers to give his talents to sacred and Christian affiliated efforts. Most recently, he has performed for Broadway on the Driveway in Fiddler on the Roof and started building an orchestra for The Sound of Music. Since then he has conducted and been orchestra director for The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, The Four Freedoms and Singing in the Rain. For The Four Freedoms, an original musical by Emily and Lacy Miller, Jonathan played a large role in orchestrating as well as including original material.

Jonathan's other credits with DTC include Music Direction for last summer's Charlotte's Web and composing the wonderful original score for last winter's production of Tilly.