Charles Dickens (Author) was born in Portsmouth, England, and spent most of his childhood in London and Kent. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers (1836-37), was published in monthly serial installments and became an instant hit. In 1843, he published A Christmas Carol, one of the most popular Christmas stories of all time. Dickens was a prolific writer, and critics regard his later works as his finest. Some of these include Bleak House (1852-53), Great Expectations (1860-61), Oliver Twist (1837-39), and A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Dickens is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Jerry Patch (Adapter) served as dramaturg on over 150 new plays, including the world premieres of Abundance, Freedomland, Golden Child, Intimate Apparel, Search and Destroy, Three Days of Rain, Ruined and Wit. He was the founding project director for South Coast Repertory’s Pacific Playwrights Festival and artistic director of the theatre program of Sundance Institute. A professor of theatre and film, he was consulting dramaturg for Roundabout Theatre Company (New York) for nearly a decade and resident artistic director at The Old Globe in San Diego. He is now artistic consultant for Manhattan Theatre Club, where he served more than a decade as Director of Artistic Development, and is resident dramaturg at SCR.