Cast Announced for SC & Goodman's "Twist Your Dickens"

In an unprecedented partnership, Goodman Theatre and The Second City join forces to present “comedy gold” (bePortland) with the holiday send-up Twist Your Dickens, Or Scrooge You by former The Colbert Report writers Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort.

Directed by Artistic Director of The Second City Training Center Matt Hovde, this “riotous havoc” (Los Angeles Times) finds Scrooge and Tiny Tim hopelessly mixed up with characters from the Peanuts holiday special, the island of misfit toys and even little orphan Annie, all in The Second City’s trademark improvisational style. Twist Your Dickens runs December 5 - 28 in the Owen Theatre (opening night is Thursday, December 11).

Tickets ($15 - $45; subject to change) are on sale online now or you can order by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn). The production complements the Goodman’s 37th annual production of A Christmas Carol, which is directed by Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper in the Albert (November 15 – December 28).

“We’re thrilled to partner with The Second City as part of our 90th Anniversary Season,” said Executive Director Roche Schulfer. “A Christmas Carol has been a longstanding tradition at the theater, and we look forward to the humor and surprises that come with The Second City’s irreverent interpretation.”

"Adding The Second City's Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens, or Scrooge You! to their holiday schedule alongside the time-honored production of A Christmas Carol is a perfect example of what makes the Goodman a forward thinking and innovative Chicago institution," states Andrew Alexander, CEO/Executive Producer of The Second City. "We're honored to partner with our friends at the Goodman this holiday season."

CAST
The seven-member cast includes:

• Francis Guinan (currently in The Night Alive at Steppenwolf Theatre Company) as Scrooge
• Frank Caeti (MADtv) as the Ghost of Christmas Past
• Writer Peter Gwinn as Jacob Marley
• Sayjal Joshi (The Second City’s Incomplete Guide to Everything) as Tiny Tim
• Beth Melewski (The Second City Guide to the Opera and Chicago’s Cash Cab) as the Ghost of Christmas Present
• Robyn Scott (Ask Aunt Susan) as Mrs. Cratchit
• Tim Stoltenberg (The Second City’s Incomplete Guide to Everything) as Bob Cratchit

Audiences can also expect some famous faces to drop by for surprise cameo appearances. The creative team includes TK. Headshots and bio information can be found in the Press Room.

Peter Gwinn (Writer) was one of the original writers for The Colbert Report, for which he received two Emmy Awards. Other written works include Moulin Scrooge! (WreckingBall Theater Lab and iO Chicago), Listen Kid! (UCB Theater and iO Chicago), PeterGwinn’s The Confidence Ladder (UCB Theater) and The Awesome Show (iO Chicago). He is a founding member of Baby Wants Candy, a troupe that improvises one-act musicals. Other performer credits include ASSSSCAT (UCB Theater), The Armando Diaz Experience (iO Chicago), The Second City Touring Company and Late Night With Conan O’Brien.

Bobby Mort (Writer) has won an Emmy Award for his work on The Colbert Report and performed as part of the ensemble People of Earth (iO Chicago) and sketch trio Maximum Party Zone (iO Chicago). He was also the screenwriter for Circle of Pain and Beatdown.

Matt Hovde (Director) is the Artistic Director of The Second City Training Center. His directing credits at The Second City include Let Them Eat Chaos, Sky’s The Limit (Weather Permitting), Second City’s Game Night, Studs Terkel’s Not Working (Jeff Award), America: All Better; Rod Blagojevich Superstar!; and Between Barack and a Hard Place. He has directed productions for The Second City in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Baltimore, Vienna, Brussels and others. He previously directed Twist Your Dickens at Portland Center Stage in 2013.