Meet the Cast of A Christmas Carol's Past: Adam Carpenter
/Meet Adam Carpenter
From 1989 - 1998, I performed every male child role in A Christmas Carol except for Matthew Cratchit. I never got to say “The potatoes are bubbling! The potatoes are bubbling!” It is one of my greatest regrets. However, I did get to say “Not BLOODY likely!” at the top of my lungs at age 4. So you win some, you lose some. I grew up backstage at Meadow Brook Theatre with my father Terry Carpenter as head stage manager and my mother Linda working in the costume shop. I was, I hope, a very cute and constant presence on and offstage during my childhood, hanging out with actors in their greenroom, in the rehearsal room, and outside while they chain smoked. Or inside while they chain smoked. It was the late 80s and 90s. But those 9 fall/winters of performing in A Christmas Carol alongside Booth Colman, Mary Benson, Paul Hopper, Tom Mahard, and countless others who came through year after year cemented my love for the theatre and the direction of my life and career.
From 2003 - 2007, I attended Hope College in Holland, MI where I received a BA in Theatre with a dual focus in Acting and Lighting Design. Upon graduating, I returned to Meadow Brook Theatre as an acting intern for the season and performed in my 10th year of A Christmas Carol, this time as an adult. So still no bubbling potatoes for me.
In 2008, I was accepted to the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in Sarasota, FL. In three years I received my MFA in Acting. I had also met my to-be wife Alicia. We were in the same class of 11 people and saw each other for roughly 16 hours a day. So really it was a lack of options and time to see other people. We graduated and got married in the spring of 2011, and moved to New York City that summer.
Since moving to NYC, Alicia and I have worked with several different theatre companies including Project: Theatre, Smith Street Stage, High-Five Productions, Titan Theatre Company, and the Pearl Theater both on and offstage. I do lights. Alicia takes care of props. We love when we get to work together.
For the past 7 years Alicia and I have been part of Our Bar (www.ourbarnyc.com) as writers, performers, and directors. Our Bar is Dive-Theatre - original site-specific theatre for less than a shot and a beer. This November Our Bar celebrates its 10th Anniversary. If you live in NYC, come check us out and/or like us on Facebook and Instagram @OurBarNYC. Our Bar performs the first Wednesday of every month, tickets are $10. And you get a beer. It’s been the same price, same deal for 10 years. Not many companies in NYC can say that.
In 2018, Alicia and I welcomed our first son Kieran to the world. He is a charmer, but not yet destined for the stage. He only says, “Hi!” “Bye!” and “Car!” so we’re still a couple years away from “Not BLOODY likely!” on command.
Meadow Brook Theatre and “A Christmas Carol” will always hold a special place in my heart. And my nightmares. The only “actor’s nightmare” I ever have takes place on the set of “A Christmas Carol,” ...and I can never remember the line, “The potatoes are bubbling! The potatoes are bubbling!”
