The National Educational Telecommunications Association has renewed its agreement with EbzB Productions to distribute The Night Before Christmas Carol DVD through 2017.

Short Description:   Renowned Dickens scholar and author Dr. Eliot Engel crafts this entertaining study that complements every holiday schedule.  Filmed in the spirit of a classic BBC-style presentation, actor David zum Brunnen portrays Charles Dickens — and seventeen other familiar characters from the ghostly classic, A Christmas Carol. 

For more information, or to order the DVD of The Night Before Christmas Carol. visit www.EbzB.org ($20 + s/h)

Closed Captioned:                   Yes
Stereo:                                      Yes    
SAP:                                          No
Format/Version:                       HD Base                     
Aspect ratio:                             16:9    
Suggested TV Rating:             TV-G

Long Description:

History, humor and the holiday come to life in Dr. Elliot Engel’s The Night Before Christmas Carol. Renowned Dickens scholar and author Dr. Eliot Engel crafts this entertaining study that complements every holiday schedule.  Actor David zum Brunnen portrays Charles Dickens — and seventeen other familiar characters from the ghostly classic, A Christmas Carol.  Suitable for all audiences, this acclaimed one-man performance is filmed in the spirit of a classic BBC-style presentation.  As Cedric Charles Dickens, the great-grandson of the famed author, Charles Dickens, wrote, “David [zum Brunnen] … absolutely becomes my great-grandfather on stage!”

About Charles Dickens, the author of “A Christmas Carol”  –  Charles John Huffam Dickens (February 7, 1812 – June 9,  1870) was the  most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and he remains popular, responsible for some of English  literature’s most iconic characters. The continuing popularity of his novels and short stories is such that they have never gone out of print.   Novelists continue to be influenced by his books; current writers such as Anne Rice, Tom Wolfe, and John Irving evidence direct Dickensian connections. Dickens’s life has also been the subject of at least two TV miniseries, and his works have inspired numerous on-screen adaptations.

About Dr. Elliot Engel, the author of The Night Before Christmas Carol – Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Dr. Engel now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he has taught at the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and Duke University. While at UCLA he won that university’s Outstanding Teacher Award.  Dr. Engel has written ten books published in England, Japan, and the United States. His mini-lecture series on Charles Dickens ran on PBS television stations around the country. His articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and national magazines including Newsweek. He has lectured throughout the United States and on all the continents including Antarctica. Four of his plays have been produced during the last ten years.  For his scholarship and teaching, Dr. Engel has received North Carolina’s Adult Education Award, North Carolina State’s Alumni Professorship, and the Victorian Society’s Award of Merit. Most recently, for his thirty years of academic work and service in promoting Charles Dickens, he was nominated and inducted into the Royal Society of Arts in England.

About EbzB Productions –  EbzB Productions was founded as a professional touring theatrical company. Thousands of patrons have now experienced EbzB Productions’ on-stage work, coast to coast, in the United States.  The same company is estimated to have reached millions of viewers through public television with their national broadcast of War Bonds: The Songs & Letters of World War II (originally filmed by UNC-TV).  EbzB Productions’ work is created in the belief that theater influences and encourages a life to be positively transformed, through discoveries unveiled immediately, or over time.

Serena Ebhardt (Theatrical Director) and David zum Brunnen (Actor) founded EbzB Productions’ in 1998.  They have delighted audiences on their frequent tours from coast-to-coast throughout the United States. This award-winning husband-wife, actor-manager team bring nearly fifty years of experience to the stage and television. Their careers have taken them from off-Broadway and the U.S. to Canada and Europe.

Scott H. Davis (Television Director) –  A public television executive with more than twenty-five years experience as a writer, producer and director of documentaries and dramas, Scott has received six Emmy Awards, two Parents’ Choice awards and many other accolades for his work.

Warren Gentry (Editing  & Cinematography) began his work in film in the 1970’s with an NYU film workshop and then began working with Earl Owensby Studios in Shelby, NC. Since returning to Raleigh nearly 30 years ago, he has served as the lead principal in his production company, Warren Gentry & Associates, Inc.