Meet the Artists

Introducing Michael Preston as Ebenezer Scrooge, Kenneth De Abrew as Fezziwig, Shauna Miles as Mrs. Cratchit, and John-Andrew Morrison as Mr. Marvel!

By Theresa MacNaughton, Community Engagement Associate 

The 20th anniversary season of A Christmas Carol promises to provide extra snow, sparkle, and magic this year. Fans of the beloved holiday classic will also be introduced to several fresh new faces – and one current fan favorite stepping into a big role.

Michael Preston, well known to Hartford audiences from his six seasons with the company of A Christmas Carol playing the larger-than-life Mr. Marvel, will step into the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Preston follows in the footsteps of Bill Raymond, who retired last Christmas after 17 seasons in the role.

“Playing Scrooge is really a dream come true for me,” Preston said. “I get to pay homage to Bill but also make the role mine. I’m completely honored and humbled. A Christmas Carol is at the very generous heart of the Hartford community. With the 20th anniversary of A Christmas Carol, Michael Wilson’s adaptation is even more important in this particular world that we’re in – the idea that change is possible and that the spirit of humanity resides in even the most troubled being.”

Preston has performed on Broadway and internationally with the Flying Karamazov Brothers and is an Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance at Trinity College in Hartford. He served as co-director of Doug Elkins’ Fräulein Maria, a playful dance-imbued love letter to The Sound of Music, performed in New York, at Jacob’s Pillow, around the country and at Hartford Stage in June 2011. He also portrayed Egeus/Peter Quince in Darko Tresnjak’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in collaboration with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in January 2014.

New York-based actor Kenneth De Abrew is one of three new cast members making their debut at Hartford Stage. De Abrew will be playing Mr. Fezziwig – the kindly employer who Scrooge apprenticed for his in youth.

“This is the first time I get to work on the classic story of A Christmas Carol that I have read and watched many times,” he said. “It is particularly exciting to play the jolly role of Fezziwig!”

De Abrew graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, with a BA in Theatre and Zoology (Genetics). He received his MFA in Acting from Louisiana State University. He has appeared in a number of hit television shows including Gotham and Orange is the New Black. He’s also appeared in the films This is Where I Leave You and Submission. De Abrew’s theatre credits include New Feet Productions’ ARDEN/EVERYWHERE, a reimagining of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, for Measure for Measure at Theatre for a New Audience.

Actor Shauna Miles will play the feisty, optimistic Mrs. Cratchit, as well as Mrs. Fezziwig. Miles recalls one of her favorite childhood memories was watching the Disney animated version of A Christmas Carol at a pajama party with her second-grade classmates. It was her first introduction to the Dickens’ tale.

Speaking of her role as Mrs. Cratchit, Miles said, “I’m looking forward to playing a small part in telling a simple story about uncovering a love of, and becoming devoted to, people instead of things. I also hope to impart even the slightest bit of the delight and magic that I felt as a child onto another young person as they come out for what may be their first Christmas Carol experience.”

The New York-based Miles has appeared on several popular television series, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Good Wife. She’s appeared on Broadway in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and regionally in productions at New York Stage & Film, the Huntington Theatre Company, and the Boston Playwrights Theatre. Miles received a BFA in Acting from the Boston University School of the Arts and an MFA in Acting from National Theatre Conservatory in Denver.

“I had the opportunity to come to Hartford Stage for a costume fitting, and there was just so much excitement around A Christmas Carol,” said John-Andrew Morrison. “I’m looking forward to being in something that creates this much excitement and that people are so fond of.”

The Kingston, Jamaica-born actor is a graduate of Brandeis University (BA in Theatre Arts) and the University of California-San Diego (MFA in Acting). He portrayed Claudie Massop in the world premiere of Marley the Musical (based on the life and music of late reggae star Bob Marley) at Center Stage in Baltimore. He made his feature film debut in How to Make Movies at Home and appeared onstage in productions throughout the United States and internationally.

Morrison is ready to dive into the role of A Christmas Carol’s mysterious inventor, Mr. Marvel – previously played by Michael Preston for the past six seasons. He’s already developed a strong affinity for his character.

“Mr. Marvel is a bit of a mad scientist and visionary. I love how thrilled he is to create something new that will change the world,” Morrison said. “I love his spirit and his heart; he’s got spunk. It’s going to be fun playing him.”