TOM CARSON, Director
Tom Carson’s directorial work has appeared on stages from  Montreal to Vancouver, winning the hearts of audiences and garnering critical acclaim throughout the country. Tom’s direction has brought to life a wide range of productions for both adults and children. His work has been nominated for a number of awards, including three times for “Outstanding Production – Theatre for Young Audiences” at  Toronto’s Dora Awards. Tom was a fixture at Brookstone Performing Arts and directed numerous other memorable productions there such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Big Picture, and Shell Game. For five years, Tom held the position of General and Artistic Manager of Smile Theatre in Toronto. Tom lives in Milton, Ontario where he runs Carson Academy. (www.carsonacademy.ca) Special thanks to his wife Stephanie, his son, Jonah and two daughters, Samantha and Isabella.
JEANINE NOYES, Musical Director, Composer/Arranger, and Performer
Nominated for a Dora Award in the category of Outstanding Musical Direction and Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Lead Role for her work in A Dixie Gospel (Brookstone Theatre), Jeanine also writes and performs her own music in Ontario, and just recently returned from her third tour in Germany. Her two solo releases are transparent and a Christmas CD called He's Here, which was nominated for a Shai Award. Jeanine also teaches music to children, conducts a high school choir, and is music director at her church in downtown Toronto. www.jeaninenoyes.com
RICHARD PETERS, Performer
Richard Peters is the founder of BrokenOpen Theatre; Canada's only professional actors specializing in acting training for Christians. You can find him most days teaching drama at Toronto District Christian High. As an actor he has worked for Chemainus Theatre on Vancouver Island, Stage Polaris in Edmonton, Brookstone Theatre in Toronto and Carson Productions in Montreal. He can be seen on the small screen with such actors as Jean Smart and Joe Mantegna. He is a member of ACTRA, Canadian Actor's Equity Association, and Christians in Theatre Arts. Look for him onstage this summer in the murder mystery, Thumbs (for Laugh Out Loud, Orillia), with his wife, actress Jane Miller. Richard is a graduate of the University of Alberta's BFA Acting Conservatory Program.
INS CHOI, Performer
Ins Choi is an actor and a playwright who was born in Korea, grew up in Scarborough and now resides in Toronto with his lovely wife and their two kids. His play Kim's Convenience, which won the Best New Play award and the Patron's Pick at this summer's Toronto Fringe festival will launch Soulpepper theatre company's 2012 season this January. Other theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Death of a Salesman, Window on Toronto, The Cherry Orchard, Oh What a Lovely War (Dora-nomination, Soulpepper); Lady in the Red Dress (fu-GEN: Dora nomination); Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew, The Odyssey (Stratford); Banana Boys (fu-GEN: Dora nomination); The Comedy of Errors (CanStage); Hongbu and Nolbu and the Magic Pumpkins (YPT). Upcoming: The KJV: The Bible Show (ArtsEngine/Young Centre), Enter the Shadow (Break it Down/Harbourfront), Kim's Convenience (soulpepper).
ANDREA CROSS, Performer
Andrea is thrilled to be working with such a talented group of people on such an incredible show! Film/television credits include the lead role in the feature film A Way From Here (Lofty Films), A film based on Grant Jeffery’s book, Shadow Government (Cloud Ten Productions), Following After (Moviola Channel), Zero Hour: Flight 93 (Discovery Channel). Lead dancer in The Sun, Moon and Waves (BRAVO) as well as numerous commercials. Theatre credits include The Big Picture (Brookstone), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Brookstone), Lead role in Fen (North York Performing Arts Centre). Andrea would like to thank her husband, Paul, for his undying support. Love ya, babe!
KAT MISZTAL-McCUBBING, Stage Manager
Kat is a stage manager and set/costume designer in Toronto. She is thrilled to be back for another Christmas season of 2000 Candles. Other Arts Engine credits include The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Fish Eyes and most recently The KJV: The Bible Show. Selected assistant design credits include The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Atelier), Don Giovanni (Opera Atelier), Shadow Cutter (Great Canadian Theatre Company), Spin (Buddies in Bad Times), War of the Worlds (Art of Time Ensemble), Yichud (Convergence Theatre) and set/costume design for Other People (The Mutual Friends) and stage management for The Big Picture (The Arts Engine). She would like thank her wonderful husband, Daniel, for his rock solid support.

What does Christmas mean to you?