A Very Electric Christmas

Dramatis personae

The production runs 120 minutes including one intermission.
(But there are commercials)

This show contains flashing lights, and peanuts on stage

Is this show appropriate for children?
Sure, if your kids are into parody! It’s pretty PG - no real swearing; some double entendre. The most inappropriate character in the show is the 80-year-old.

Biographies

Ursula K Bowden (she/her) is a freelance set and properties designer and scenic charge in the Upper Midwest. A BFA Technical Theater and Theatrical Design degree holder from Drake University, Bowden has done about ~30 shows with nimbus. Her work has also been seen in various incarnations on the stages of History Theatre, Park Square Theater, Theatre Pro Rata, Swandive Theatre, Open Door Community Theatre, Freshwater Theatre, Theatre Unbound, Frank Theatre, Theatre Latte Da, the Guthrie Theater, among others. She also works as the properties coordinator for the University of Minnesota here in the Twin Cities, putting props in the mainstage shows and teaching Intro to Properties. Ursula’s eye for detail was featured in American Theatre Magazine in 2014 for her scenic design for Swandive Theatre’s An Outopia for Pigeons. She loves Northern Light hunting and making costumes with her spouse and kids.

Josh Cragun (he/him) is a writer who fell into the company of theater artists at a young and impressionable age, and fortunately, has never been quite the same. This led to a series of questionable decisions, one of which took place in 2001 when he formed nimbus with a fellow writer known as Cockroach. He has been creating new theater with the company ever since, with a focus on evolving the company’s approach to the collaborative creation of original work. In that time he has served as playwright for thirteen original works of theater for the company. In addition he has directed, as well as designed video, costumes, properties and sets for the company over the years. In one way or another, he has contributed to every one of the company’s productions.

Gaea Dill-D’Ascoli (she/her) is a freelance theater and teaching artist in the Twin Cities. She has been a Technical Director, Stage Manager, Production Manager, Carpenter, and Run Crew all around the Cities. In addition to theatrical arts, Gaea has hung several photography shows and has published creative nonfiction and fiction writing pieces. She holds a master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Management from St. Mary’s University and is working on a second degree in science writing. Her work can be found at GaeaDD.com.

Derek Dirlam (he/him) is thrilled to be retuning to nimbus and The Crane once more! Along with nimbus, Derek has performed with various Twin Cities theater companies including Park Square, Lakeshore Players, Theater in the Round, Green T, and Lex-Ham. Recently he played ‘The Hand’ in Mischief Tales’ The Hand that Washed Ashore as part of the Twin Cities Horror Festival, and John Proctor in Hang Fire Productions debut show The Crucible. Apart from acting, Derek also directs and manages Conundrum Collective, which specializes in producing radio theater.
Boom boom!

Jacob Davis is a freelance sound designer and engineer based in Minneapolis. His recent sound designs include: The Minotaur, Up: The Man in the Flying Chair (Theatre Pro Rata); Ludlow, The Kalevala (nimbus); Henry and Alice: Into the Wild, Nina Simone: Four Women, Flower Drum Song, The Soul of Gershwin (Park Square Theater); Sweeney Todd (Theatre Latté Da). His regional and international work includes companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Mark Taper Forum, Universal Studios, Ahmanson Theater, Pasadena Playhouse, Goodman Theater. Jacob holds a MFA in Sound Design from the California Institute of the Arts and a BFA in Theatre Design from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is a member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association and United Scenic Artists. He is also a member of the Theatre Pro Rata Artistic Company.

Mitchell Frazier (he/him) has been an independent lighting designer in the Twin Cities for three decades. He is the Co-Artistic Director for nimbus, Technical Director for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Technical Director at Roseville HS and resident lightning designer at St. Paul Academy, Youth Performance Company, and Morningside summer theater camp. Mitchell is also a martial artist, actor, and director. He enjoys painting scenic watercolors and has recently tried glass blowing. His favorite pasttime is painting with his granddaughter Maya.

Jeffery Goodson (he/him) has performed on stages in the Twin Cities including several shows at nimbus (The Balcony, Babel, In The Age of Paint and Bone, A Count Up to Christmas, A Very Electric Christmas) and at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, The Brave New Workshop, Park Square and Lyric Arts. Some of his favorite roles: Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Brad in Rocky Horror Show, Arthur P in Superior Donuts, Cromwell in A Man For All Seasons and his time as an improver-writer-cast member of the Brave New Workshop. He has a published play - Shakespeare Ate My Brain, writes and records his own songs and has co-created a science fiction storytelling podcast called “Space Croutons” which is in it’s third season. Find out more about him at jefferygoodson.com

Jane Hammill (she/her) first graced the nimbus stage in 2012, as Eileen in The Cripple of Inishmaan. She has three movies currently in post production, with more to come. When not starring on stage or screen, Jane is retired and enjoying life. She hopes you enjoy this little nugget we had a great time creating.

Christy Johnson (she/her) is originally from Rochester, MN and received her MBA from the University of St Thomas. She's excited to be returning to nimbus to spend Christmas in Snowflake Falls! Christy is a freelance actor, singer, and sound designer and has appeared in several productions across the Twin Cities, including the Guthrie, Minnesota Opera, Minneapolis Musical Theatre, History Theatre, Theatre Pro Rata, 4CT Community Theatre, Lakeshore Players, Lyric Arts, and Theatre Unbound, among others. She would like to thank her husband, family, and friends for all their support and love.

Jon Kirchhofer (he/him) is a human and a lighting designer.

Tara Lucchino (she/her) is a theatre artist, vocalist and musician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tara graduated from Penn State University with a theatre degree and after various gigs found her way to the Twin Cities in 2009. This is Tara’s 7th production with nimbus and she’s thrilled to be back. Other local theatre credits include Sheep Theater, Special When Lit, Freshwater Theatre, 20% Theatre Company, Theatre Unbound, Theatre in the Round and Chameleon Theatre Circle. As a company member of Sheep Theater, Tara was a recipient of City Pages’ 2018 “Best Theater Troupe,” and has participated in many Fringe Festival productions including Michael Rogers’ Developers (2022) and Chorus (2019) and in the 2023 MN Fringe Festival, Tara was seen in Hey Rube’s Behemoth. Most recently, Tara played the role of Aurora in Special When Lit’s KIN at the 2023 Twin Cities Horror Festival. Tara cannot believe that we’re already at the end of 2023 and wishes everyone a very happy holiday season and happy New Year.

Liz Neerland (she/her) is a native of Minneapolis and a graduate of Grinnell College. Since 2002, she has had a hand in writing, directing, designing, or producing every nimbus show. In addition to her co-Artistic Director Duties, she also serves as the company's Managing Director. In her "spare time" she enjoys cooking, motorcycling, spending time on the North Shore, and managing her dog’s Instagram account.

Rubble&Ash is the name that captures the collaborative design and production work of Andrea M Gross and Barb Portinga. For the past dozen years they have challenged and supported one another as costume designers, pattern makers, and storytellers. As Rubble&Ash, their work has been seen at nimbus in A Life of Days, The Pathetic Life and Remarkable Afterlife of Elmer McCurdy the Worst Robber in the West, The River Becomes Sea, The Kalevala, and Nimbus Presents: A Count Up To Christmas; at Park Square Theatre in Jefferson Township Sparkling Junior Talent Pageant; at Interact Theater in We're Still Here and Hell is Empty and All the Devils are here…Again!; and the History Theater with Superman Becomes Lois Lane and The Boy Wonder.

Barb and Andrea are founding members of The Costume Collective in Northeast Minneapolis; a costume rental house supporting artists across the state and country with costumes compiled from some of the largest stocks in the Twin Cities. Three company is founded in the values of resource conservation, accessibility and inclusion. Rubble&Ash melds pieces from existing stocks of costumes; thrift, antique, and fabric stores; and purpose builds garments to combine elements in unexpected ways. The intention is always to support the story and creation of character with collaboration, skill and ingenuity.

Alex Stokes (He/They) is an artist native to Minneapolis. His past credits include: A Count Up to Christmas (nimbus); Something Rotten, The Wedding Singer, and The SpongeBob Musical (Lyric Arts); H.M.S. Pinafore (Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company); Rivertown Terror Tour (Stillwater Trolley Co.); and the upcoming scripted podcast Radio Cosmos. When he's not on stage, he stays plenty busy stage managing, writing, reading, and as a Teaching Artist at Lyric Arts Main Street Stage. His favorite holiday tradition is reciting The Muppet Christmas Carol by heart for his cat, Pippin.

Alyssa Thompson (she/her) has been working as a Stage Manager/ASM around the Twin Cities for many years. She is the Company Stage Manager for nimbus, and along with her trusty ASD (Assistant Stage Dog) Moose, loves the devising process and creating new work with this team. Her stage management credits include A Count Up to Christmas, The Red and the Bright, The Pathetic Life and Remarkable Afterlife of Elmer McCurdy, Ludlow, The Kalevala, and Storms of November with nimbus; Pioneer Suite and Mrs. Charles with Freshwater Theatre; and six years as a technician with the Minnesota Fringe Festival. She also fosters dogs through No Dog Left Behind Rescue.

Emmanuel L. Woods (he/him) is excited to be joining nimbus again! When he was just 13 years old he performed for the first time. Previous roles include The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet, CODE YOU (Exposed Brick Theatre), Ragtime The Musical (Morris Park Players), To Kill a Mockingbird (Guthrie Theatre), Christmas of Swing (History Theatre), The League (Sparkle Theatricals), and The Incarceration Play Project (Wonderlust Productions), Christmas With the Campbells (Smartmouth Comedy). He previously played the role of O.B. Mann in the MN Fringe Festival production Dreamland: Black Wall Street and nimbus’ The Burning of Greenwood. He also finished two upcoming films, The Prom and The Passenger. He is inspired by his mother, who always tells him to "never stop doing what you love and give it your all...100%"

Director’s notes

Last year, after many years of threatening to do a Christmas show, we jumped down the chimney and had a ton of fun creating Nimbus Presents: A Count Up to Christmas. That show included “trailers” for other silly holiday movie send-ups, and we decided to turn one of those into this year’s actual show. Enter A Very Electric Christmas.

It has been a joy getting the old crew together, with a few “new” faces. If you saw last year’s show, you’ll find some fun echoes, but this year we bring you a totally new original story. We’re still silly, we’re still irreverent, and we’re still skewering everyone’s favorite holiday movie tropes. So settle in and enjoy our journey to Snowflake Falls.

Will we do it again next year? Who knows! Tell us your favorite commercial and we’ll see what happens.

Special thanks

Walking Shadow Theatre Company, Lyric Arts, Next Stage Rentals, Sharon Dill

About nimbus

nim-bus, n.

1. a : A bright cloud, or cloudlike splendor, imagined as investing deities when they appeared on earth.
b : a cloud or atmosphere about a person or thing

2 : A bright or golden disk surrounding the head of a drawn or sculptured divinity, saint, or sovereign

3 : a rain cloud

nimbus has been creating original theater in the Twin Cities since 2001. Their unique process for the creation of playwright-led collaborative work combined with their passion for creating bold, eclectic theater has been dazzling audiences for over 15 years. A company founded and led by playwrights and run by the artists themselves, we are dedicated to creating theatre that crosses boundaries, promotes imagination, and ignites new conversations.

How we create our work

All of our work is created collaboratively using a process we have been refining since 2001. Our casts and design teams work with a director, dramaturg, and playwright to create original theater together. Often starting with a simple idea or concept, the entire team participates in researching and discussing the ideas, characters, and locations the play will focus on.

After several weeks of intensive research, the team enters a period we call ‘script work.’ During this time, the cast and director improvise and work with text provided by the playwright. Over time, a script takes form. After a staged reading as well as editing and finishing work by the playwright, rehearsal begins.

Unlike traditional American theater, our process allows the design concepts, characters, and narrative to develop together. Although our process is new, it is not extremely different from the way that Shakespeare or Moliere created their work. Our work is always evolving and changing, and we welcome your input in improving it.

The nimbus Company

Artistic Directors
Josh Cragun, Mitchell Frazier, Liz Neerland

Company Members
Andrea Gross, Brian Hesser, Jill Hoeft, Alex Meyer, Alyssa Thompson

We are looking for dedicated nimbus fans who would be interested in serving on our Board of Directors. For more info email Josh Cragun.

Thank you to all of our financial contributors:

FY 2024 DONORS

As of November 27, 2023

Cora Mae Berg
Josh Cragun & Liz Neerland
Karen Crouch
Matthew Everett
Meri Golden
Andrea Gross & Liam McNerney
Maryia Mamantava
Kathy Minkler
Scott Pakudaitis
Jill Schafer
Scott Strand
Andrew Troth
Marsha Wagner

FY 2023 DONORS

Anonymous
Sarah Asch & Evan Schnell
Katherine Bailey
John Beal & Barbara Brin
Cora Mae Berg
David & Suellen Buck
Ray & Mary Ann Campbell
Douglas Carlson
Carol Clarke
Patricia Connelly
Penny & Rodger Cragun
Merril K. "Dutch" Cragun
Josh Cragun & Liz Neerland
Karen Crouch
Catherine Dooley
Walt Duffy
Doran Edwards
Nancy Feldman
David & Mary Grace Flannery
Meri Golden
Doug & Susan Greenberg
Andrea Gross & Liam McNerney
Hartnett Family Foundation
Dianne & Steve Healy
Patricia Hepburn
Hunters Rock Inc
Illinois Tool Works
Shell Jiang
Pam Kaufman & Dennis Keierleber
Megan Kelly
Gordon Kepner
Warren & Carolyn Kime
Anthony Kiorpes
Michael F. Koch, M.D.
Andy & Karen Krenik
Julie & Maury Landsman
Midge Lange & Joel Nelson
Mat & Monique Lindquist
Carl Lundstrom
Laura Mays
Josh Cragun & Liz Neerland
Chuck Neerland & Maureen Kelly Neerland
Jay & Mary B Newcomb
Scott Pakudaitas
Bonnie Palmquist
Daniel Pinkerton
Robert Ries
David & Mary Sandberg
Mary & Peter Sandberg
Ralph Schnorr
Boo Segersin
Larissa Shea
I-Ming Shih
Tamra & Mike Thompson
Alyssa Thompson
Patricia A. Thorup
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Marsha & Mike Wagner
Donovan & Rachel Walsh