The Shaw Festival warmly greets the holiday season with two audience favourites: A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Artistic Director Tim Carroll, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas helmed by Kate Hennig. The seasonal celebrations begin at the Royal George Theatre on November 1 with the Charles Dickens perennial classic tale.

“The magic of the holiday season is close at hand, and we’re thrilled to welcome audiences back to Niagara-on-the-Lake to experience it,” said Artistic Director Tim Carroll. “Come join us and add more warmth, wonder and joy to your holidays with A Christmas Carol – the perfect annual reminder of what this season is truly about – and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – featuring dazzling performances, nostalgic charm and timeless songs that will put you in the festive spirit.”

Carroll added this year’s A Christmas Carol holds special significance for him personally.

“Things come full circle this holiday season,” he said. “I’ll be directing my adaptation of A Christmas Carol – the final show to be staged at the current Royal George Theatre – just as I did when The Shaw first presented it in 2017. Performances begin November 1, and you’ll have until December 21 to take in both much-loved shows – two heartwarming stories that are sure to spark lasting wintertime memories for all ages.”

The Royal George Theatre is scheduled to close for a rebuild after the 2025 holiday playbill concludes.

The 2025 Shaw Festival holiday playbill's cast and creative teams:

FESTIVAL THEATRE

Irving Berlin’s

WHITE CHRISTMAS

Based upon the Paramount Pictures Film

Written For the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

Book by David Ives and Paul Blake

Original Stage Production directed by Walter Bobbie

Directed by Kate Hennig

Music direction by Paul Sportelli

Choreographed by Allison Plamondon

Set and costumes designed by Judith Bowden

Lighting designed by Kevin Lamotte

Sound designed by Joanna Lynne Staub

November 7 - December 21

Bob Wallace (Jeff Irving) and Phil Davis (Kevin McLachlan), former soldiers turned successful song-and-dance duo, follow sister double-act Judy and Betty Haynes (Mary Antonini and Camille Eanga-Selenge) to Pine Tree, Vermont. Together they put on a Christmas spectacular to save the charming Columbia Inn, now owned by their retired commanding officer General Henry Waverly (David Keeley) and run by his wise-cracking housekeeper Martha Watson (Jenni Burke). A delightful holiday musical, complete with dazzling dance numbers and a festive, uplifting score featuring “Blue Skies”, “Sisters” and the iconic title song, “White Christmas”.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas also features Matt Alfano***, Vivienne Atwood, Alexander Batycki*, Jason Cadieux, Kristi Frank, Taylor Garwood, Élodie Gillett, Alexandra Gratton, Daniel Greenberg, Matthieu Handfield, Bryce Johnson, Julia Juhas, Celine Jung, Graeme Kitagawa, Shona Kiyama*, Allison McCaughey, Madelyn Miyashita**, André Morin, Kyla Musselman, Ruthie Nkut, Éamon Stocks**, Kelly Wong and Shawn Wright.

Allan Teichman leads the stage management team and is supported by assistant stage managers Annie McWhinnie and Becca Jorgensen.

This Shaw Festival production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is recommended for audience members 8+. 

ROYAL GEORGE THEATRE

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

By Charles Dickens

Adapted for the stage by Tim Carroll

Directed by Tim Carroll

Set and costume design by Christine Lohre

Lighting design by Kevin Lamotte

Original music and original music direction by Paul Sportelli

Music direction by Rachel O’Brien

Movement and puppetry direction by Alexis Milligan

November 1 - December 21

Sanjay Talwar returns as miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, the curmudgeon everyone loves to hate, in the final production of A Christmas Carol in the original Royal George Theatre. Quite comfortable constantly humbugging the holidays, he is taught the error of his ways over the course of one night by otherworldly visits from his deceased business partner Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past (Gabriella Sundar Singh***), Christmas Present (Kristopher Bowman) and Christmas Yet to Come.

The cast of this charming holiday classic also includes Allison Edwards-Crewe, Marlene Ginader, Patty Jamieson, Gryphyn Karimloo, Katie Ryerson, Travis Seetoo, Graeme Somerville, Jacqueline Thair and Jay Turvey.

This production’s stage management team is headed by Leigh McClymont and includes assistant stage manager Sang-Sang Lee and apprentice stage manager Jamie Anderson.

The Shaw Festival’s production of A Christmas Carol is recommended for patrons 6+. The 2025 production is sponsored by the Shaw Guild.

* Emerging Artists are sponsored by the RBC Foundation. ** The Baillie Cohort is generously supported by the Baillie Family Fund for Education. *** 2025 Christopher Newton Interns Matt Alfano and Gabriella Sundar Singh are generously supported by Marilyn & Charles Baillie.

For tickets visit www.shawfest.com.