Meet the Creative Team Bringing A Christmas Carol to Life

Meet the Creative Team Bringing
A Christmas Carol to Life

A brand-new adaptation of the Dickens classic, never before seen on any stage, brings together a stellar team of Broadway and regional theatre veterans as Southwest Florida’s leading professional theater creates a new holiday tradition.

There are some stories that become part of the fabric of the holiday season. A Christmas Carol is one of them. This fall, Gulfshore Playhouse invites Southwest Florida audiences to experience Charles Dickens’ beloved tale in an entirely new way.

Written and directed by Gulfshore Playhouse Founder, CEO and Producing Artistic Director Kristen Coury, this premiere adaptation of A Christmas Carol has never been seen on any stage. Created specifically for Gulfshore Playhouse’s Moran Mainstage, the production brings together an accomplished team of Broadway and regional theatre artists to build a Victorian London filled with warmth, wonder, ghosts and plenty of theatre magic.

For Kristen, the production represents both a new creative endeavor and a return to the work that has been at the heart of Gulfshore Playhouse since its founding. A prolific director, Coury has helmed nearly 50 productions for the company, including My Fair Lady, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Importance of Being Earnest, Anything Goes, and many others. 

Now, she is taking on one of the most enduring stories, crafting an adaptation where familiar characters, haunting moments and timeless themes are being reimagined through the artistry of the stage, giving this beloved story a fresh life.

“I think audiences come to A Christmas Carol with certain expectations, and I love the idea of giving them something they recognize while also showing them something they haven’t seen before,” said Kristen. “There is something about this story that gives us permission to be playful, mysterious, magical, and a little bit spooky, all while telling a deeply human story about generosity and change. Getting to create our own version of it with this extraordinary team has been incredibly gratifying.  This adaptation was written with our patrons in mind and I am eager for our audiences to experience it.”

Building Dickens’ London

At the center of the production is the work of Scenic Designer Robert Mark Morgan (The Mousetrap at Gulfshore Playhouse), whose designs will transform the Moran Mainstage into a richly detailed world inspired by Dickens’ London.

Morgan has designed for some of the country’s most respected regional theatres, including The Old Globe, Denver Center Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Play House, and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

For A Christmas Carol, Morgan’s scenic design creates a world that can shift seamlessly between the streets of London, to the intimacy of the Cratchit home, to Scrooge’s home as his visitors arrive. Layered architecture, atmospheric details and a sense of Victorian grandeur give the production a visual scale worthy of the Moran Mainstage.

Costume Designer Lisa Zinni brings another layer of detail to the production. A Broadway costume designer, Zinni’s credits include SIX: The Musical, Freestyle Love Supreme, School of Rock, the 2016 revival of CATS, An American in Paris, The Glass Menagerie starring Sally Field, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, A Christmas Story, Hair and Rent, along with more than two decades of Off-Broadway and regional theatre work.

Her costumes, which are completely original and being built in our costume shop exclusively for this production, will help bring Victorian London to life, from its bustling streets and warm Christmas gathering at the Cratchit home to the otherworldly spirits who visit Scrooge.

The production’s score will come from Lindsay Jones, who serves as Original Music and Sound Designer. A two-time Tony Award^Ⓡ nominee for Slave Play (Best Score and Best Sound Design) Jones’ Broadway credits also include The Nap, Bronx Bombers, and A Time to Kill. His work has been heard Off-Broadway and at theatres including the Guthrie Theater, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

For the Gulfshore Playhouse production of A Christmas Carol, Jones is creating original music and sound that will carry audiences from the chill of a winter London night to the joy of Scrooge’s transformation.

Rounding out the creative team are Choreographer Dann Dunn, Music Director Sarah Wussow, Wig Designer Bobbie Zlotnik, Lighting Designer James E. Lawlor III, Intimacy Director Erica Mansfield, and Dialects Coach Patrick Mulryan.

Together, this team is building A Christmas Carol from the ground up, with every element of the production created specifically for Gulfshore Playhouse audiences. From the scenic design and hand-crafted costumes to the original music, lighting, wigs and choreography, professional theatre artists and artisans are bringing Dickens’ world to life here in Naples. The result is a wholly original production, made just for Southwest Florida.

“This is a story audiences think they know, but no one has ever seen it told quite this way,” said Coury. “Getting to write this adaptation has been a gift, and it now becomes a gift from me to Naples.”

The Gulfshore Playhouse premiere of A Christmas Carol continues the theatre’s commitment to producing ambitious, professional theatre in Naples. With a new adaptation, an accomplished creative team and a spectacular new scenic world, the production is poised to become a new holiday tradition all its own.

A Christmas Carol runs November 20 – December 24, 2026. Get your tickets today at gulfshoreplayhouse.org or contact Patron Services at 239-261-7529.