Anastasia Scrooge

or, “A Christmas Carol” But Make It Trans

Staged Reading Digital Program

(Content Warnings at bottom of page)

Book, Music and Lyrics written by

REBECCA MCGLYNN

Directed by

LULENOXX

Starring

REBECCA MCGLYNN as Scrooge

JENNIFER MARTINA as Jacqueline Marley

ZAYAS LANIER as Bob Cratchit

IVY KARISSA NECHAMA MARTINEZ as the Ghost of Christmas Past

DAHLYA GLICK as the Ghost of Christmas Present

ZANDER RAPHAEL as Alastair Scrooge

VERITY VAN DAMS as Anastasia Scrooge

SOCKS WHITMORE as Tiny Tim Cratchit, Young Scrooge

VANESSA JOLIE as Emily Cratchit

ALYSSA FELIX GARCIA as Belle Marley

A note from the playwright

Thank you so much for attending the world premiere staged reading at the Joy Who Lived Trans/GNC Theatre and Comedy Festival! Since this is a work in development, I would greatly appreciate if you would fill out this extremely brief, anonymous feedback survey after the show—what you liked, what you didn’t, and what could be improved. We are looking to give this show a life beyond Joy Who Lived, and any thoughts you have are welcome so that I can make this show the best version of itself.

—Rebecca McGlynn, playwright and composer

This performance will run 120 minutes, including a 10-minute intermission.

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT I

Anastasia, Anastasia (Company, Alastair Scrooge, Anastasia Scrooge, Innkeeper)

Kindness & Forgiveness (Company)

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Bob Cratchit, Carolers)

They Call Me Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge, Carolers)

Late on Christmas Eve (Scrooge, Bob Cratchit)

Alone in the Dark (Scrooge)

Dead as a Doornail (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley)

The Ghost of Christmas Past (Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Past)

One Night in a Hotel Room (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley)

Getting in Your Head (Jacqueline Marley, Passersby)

She Still Left Me (Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Past)

A Gift for My Girlfriend (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley, The Ghost of Christmas Past, Shopkeeper)

Dear Santa (Alastair Scrooge, Young Scrooge)

Wishes on a Star (Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Past)

Kindness & Forgiveness (Reprise) (Company)

ACT II

Cooking the Books (Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Present)

Those Who Have Less (Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim Cratchit, Emily Cratchit)

He Knows, I Know (Bob Cratchit, Emily Cratchit)

Why Should I Care? (Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Present)

Love is Patient (Jacqueline Marley, Belle Marley, Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Present)

Nighttime Again (Scrooge)

The Circumstances Changed Montage:

  • The Ghost of Christmas Might Have Been (Anastasia Scrooge)

  • Dear Santa (Reprise) (Alastair Scrooge, Anastasia Scrooge, Young Scrooge)

  • Jingle Bell Rock/My Favorite Things (Company)

  • Getting in Your Head (Reprise) (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley)

  • Holly Jolly Christmas/Sleigh Ride/Winter Wonderland (Company)

  • All I Want for Christmas Is You (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley, Parson Brown)

  • Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Company)

  • My Sunday Best (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley, Bob Cratchit)

  • Love Is Patient (Reprise) (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley, Bob Cratchit, Alastair Scrooge, Anastasia Scrooge)

  • What Might Have Been (Scrooge)

  • Carol of the Bells (Company)

What Day Is This? (Scrooge, Urchin)

Christmas Bonus (Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim Cratchit, Emily Cratchit)

It’s You (Scrooge, Jacqueline Marley, Tiny Tim Cratchit, Belle Marley, Postman)

Kindness & Forgiveness (Finale) (Company)

Alyssa Felix Garcia (they/she) (Belle Marley) - you can just call them Felix! A multi-hyphenate with a performance degree from CSULB, previous credits include Tales of the Transcestors, Hedwig & the Angry Inch, RENT, Les Miserables, and many more. Felix is also a certified consent-forward artist with IDC Professionals and works as an intimacy director for theatre throughout the South Bay as well as a company member with The Garage Theatre in Long Beach. Many thanks to the folks behind The Joy Who Lived for making this opportunity possible and to Becca for truly writing the best version of A Christmas Carol since the muppets. IG: mx__garcia

Vanessa Jolie (she/her) (Emily Cratchit) is excited to join the cast of Anastasia Scrooge! She received her B.A. in Theatre and Film from the University of California Riverside and works as an actor and costume designer. In her free time, she likes to read and travel.

Zayas Lanier (Bob Cratchit, Innkeeper) is an Afro-Puerto Rican actor with a background in theatre, film, music, business, and graphic design. A classically trained tenor, Zayas has performed chorally at renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall. Prior to focusing on theatre and film, Zayas spent six years working in live entertainment before pursuing further training and mentorship with industry professionals. Alongside performance, Zayas works as a graphic designer and business consultant, collaborating with artists and creatives throughout the entertainment industry. With roots in chamber-style singing, contemporary a cappella, and sacred motet training, Zayas brings a unique perspective to musical theatre. Early familiarity with Broadway-style storytelling came primarily through the Renaissance era of Disney music. Outside of working, Zayas enjoys video games, Marvel, stargazing, and scientific theory, and looks forward to continued growth through new creative collaborations.

Lulenoxx (they/them) (director) is a queer, non-binary, writer, director and creator. Their work focuses on the liberation of queer characters and the celebration of all things strange. As someone who grew up with a severe lack of queer representation in the media, they write the stories they didn’t have as a child. They aim to be realistic about these experiences while still centering queer joy, community, found family, and the magic of self-discovery. They come to all stories with their identity at the forefront, determined to represent their community and the world they inhabit through the lens of human complexity and uniqueness. Their primary goal as a storyteller is to tell the truth in whatever form it manifests. Lulenoxx has won CineStory Foundation’s LGBTQIA+ Scholarship (Feature Retreat 2023), PANO’s Marilyn Horowitz Screenwriting Award, and has received development opportunities and fellowships from SeriesFest and Athena Film Festival’s Writers Lab (Finalist for the Chinonye Chukwu Emerging Writer Award). They are currently on the Film Festival circuit with their award-winning short film “Bed Death”, are a member of the She-Collective and a Lincoln Center Director’s Lab alum. They are excited to continue writing and directing work for both the stage and screen.

Jennifer Martina (she/her) (Jacqueline Marley) Jennifer is honored to be part of this meaningful and magical show. Hailing originally from the east coast, Jennifer spent many years as an actor, singer and producer of theater in New York City before relocating to LA where she now works as a voice actor and producer. She is thrilled to return to her spiritual home in live theater with the kindest and most supportive group of artists she could wish for. Favorite theater credits include King Lear with Paul Sorvino, Sylvia Plath in the London workshop of Sylvia & Ted, Verdi's Aida with The Tampa Opera, Chukwudi Iwuji's Ira & Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream Off-Broadway. Infinite thanks to my chosen family for their love and support. Let's go lesbians!!!

Ivy Karissa Nechama Martinez (they/she) (The Ghost of Christmas Past) is honored to be a part of the world premiere of Anastasia Scrooge! Making their return to scripted musical theatre, after a several year long sabbatical. They were never far from the stage as they have been studying improv and musical improv at UCB, working as a season Props Designer at NextStop Playhouse in Virginia, & co-hosting the Hear Us Out Show every 4th Saturday at the Pack Theatre. See them sometime soon with their indie team Sleepover Energy and be on the lookout for their upcoming actual play They/Dice. They would like to thank their family and friends for always supporting their wild endeavors! @_tiny.ivy_

Rebecca McGlynn (she/they) (playwright, composer, producer, “Ebenezer” Scrooge) is a transgender queer writer, actor, songwriter, and filmmaker working in film and TV production in Los Angeles. She is the writer and performer of the critically acclaimed Asexuality! The Solo Musical, an autobiographical musical comedy about toxic masculinity. Awards include the BBC Writersroom POPCORN AWARD LONGLIST (Edinburgh Fringe); the Hollywood Fringe Festival's TOP OF THE FRINGE, BEST MUSICAL, BEST WORLD PREMIERE, ENCORE PRODUCERS' AWARD, PICK OF THE FRINGE; LA Music Critic's BEST SOLO SHOW. Previous stage roles include: Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Spelling Bee), Trevor Graydon (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Caldwell B. Cladwell (Urinetown), Pooh-Bah (The Mikado), Mrs. Gloop (Willy Wonka), Rachel Brown (Inherit the Wind), and God (Spamalot!). Rebecca is also an Emmy-nominated photojournalist, editor/archivist of the 21-day-long Doctor Who fan film Stitches in Time, and founder of Denison University's first non-singing a cappella group, Talkapella. IG/TikTok/BlueSky @bexmcglex

Zander Raphael (they/he/she) (Alastair Scrooge) is a gender-fluid actor, singer, dancer, producer, clown, performance artist, and immersive experience designer known for creating playful, surreal encounters at the intersection of theater and audience participation. Their work spans live and virtual performance, including collaborations with Co-Reality Collective, The Caravan, Hollywood Fringe, Digital Burning Man, and regular performances with The Secret Circus: A Queer Punk Cabaret, as well as interactive experiences for Netflix and San Diego Comic-Con. Recent theater projects include Find Your Perfect by Jesse Pudles (Queen of Hearts); Cherries, Rare & Fair: A Quest for Orgasmic Rainbows by Suzie Bohannon (Apalala the Dragon); The Last Case of Dr. Watson by Micah Cover (Mycroft Holmes, Jack the Ripper, Moriarty); and Gilded Spindle by Shannon Reagan (Puppeteer & Voice of Rumpelstiltskin). TL;DR: Zander is in their villain era. Zander is featured in Transformation, an MTV documentary following transgender youth coming into their own through access to gender-affirming makeovers, where they represented gender-fluid identity as one of six participants. Zander is the creator of The Complaints Dept., an ongoing satire of corporate red tape in which they star as their Kafka-esque character “The Supervisor.” More at linktr.ee/zander_raphael

Carrie Wogaman (any pronouns) (The Ghost of Christmas Present) is a non-binary performer, writer, and game master and is truly thrilled to be making their Joy Who Lived debut. Favorite credits include the world premiere of W.A.S.P. (Pat Post), Legally Blonde at Disney's STAGE (Paulette), and ABC's Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash (Mary Sanderson). They are proud to have been a student of the Fullerton College Theatre Arts program and a member of the inaugural class of the Stage and Screen Combat program under Michael Mueller (SAFD). You can catch them on future episodes of Side Quest with DM Zach DeLaune and Roll for Recall with GM Alan Linic.

Verity Van Dams (they/she) (Anastasia Scrooge) is also currently playing Rosaline in Shakespeare's Loves Labours Lost with Bardfly Theatre Co this month! They recently performed in the EPIC Player’s Disney cabaret featuring Josh Gadd and Kristen Bell and will be playing Molly in the delightfully farcical Peter and the Starcatcher at The Odyssey Theatre in May! (EP Talent Mgmt // DDO Artists)

Socks Whitmore (they/them) (Tiny Tim Cratchit, swing, Young Scrooge) is a neuroqueer performer, creative, educator, producer, and otherwise professional overachiever. As a crossdisciplinary artist rooted in voice and text, their work spans from live performance to digital media to print — including theater, film, music, VO, games, poetry, essays, & more. Notable credits include the documentary FLUID with Mae Martin, Narwhal of the Penguin Random House Narwhal & Jelly audiobook series, the titular lead in the serial audio drama Georgie Romero Is Done For, and the cast albums of contemporary musicals like The Bully Problem & their full-length show We Are Here (New Voices Project winner 2019). Their writing has been produced by New Musicals Inc., Overtone Industries, & Feminist Fairytales, and published by American Composers Forum, Translash Media, & Queer Quarterly magazine, among others. Socks is also a co-founder & company manager of 8TPS (an all-trans polystylistic professional vocal collective) and the 2024 recipient of Celebration Theatre's Vibrant Voice Award.  For those who are curious, they hold a BFA Performer-Composer degree from the California Institute of the Arts with minors in Digital Arts and Creative Writing. Learn more on their website, sockswhitmore.com, or follow them on socials @SocksWhitmore for their latest adventures in being a professional overachiever.

Content Warnings (may contain spoilers)

  • Transphobic/homophobic characters

  • Transphobic/homophobic language

  • Mention of suicidal ideation