A Note From the Director
The film A Christmas Story was released in 1983, and since its debut, watching it with family has become one of the quintessential holiday traditions of the season. As someone born in the same year as the movie, I have never known a world without the weekend marathons of Ralphie and his adventures, where my family and I would quote the dialogue verbatim. When I began directing this musical adaptation, it felt like coming home.
A Christmas Story depicts the dreams of a nine-year-
old boy yearning for his ideal Christmas present, and its themes resonate profoundly with all of us. It ignites the fires of hope and longing that we feel during the holiday season.
Miracles are possible… People can transform… We can all imagine our best selves and become heroes... This is dedicated to everyone’s special spark, to all the kids, and to the kids at heart.
Laurie Guajardo-Hoefelmeyer
Director
Administrative Staff
Mary Chapa, Owner & Executive Director
Dylan C. Rios, Director of Marketing
Christin Espinoza, Theatre Manager
Mariah Treadwell, Box Office Associate
Aurora Arts Theatre 5635 Everhart Road, Corpus Christi, TX 361-851-9700
info@auroraartstheatre.com
Presents
Book by Joseph Robinette
Music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Based on the motion picture A Christmas Story distributed by Warner Bros., written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, and upon In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash written by Jean Shepherd.
Produced with permission of Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Dalfie Entertainment.
Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illionois.
Stage Manager
Mariah Treadwell
Choreographer
Leila Hoefelmeyer
Director
Laurie Guajardo-Hoefelmeyer
Stage Manager
Michael Treadwell
Set Designer Dylan Mendoza
Lighting Op
Laurie Guajardo-Hoefelmeyer
Prop Master
Vocal Director
Musical Director Peter M. Lopez
June Vado
Scenic Artist Philip Ridley
Lighting Design Amber Badaldu
Sound Recording Peter Lopez Sound Op Amber Basaldu
Ernest Pruneda Tech Ezra Olmedo
Bass John Perez Synthesizer
Danae Moreno
Clarinet Monique Case
Trombone
Brandon Lowe
Antwon Carson
Drums
Trumpet 2
Trumpet 1 Juan Guerra
Drums Jordan Torres Bill Ricketts Drums
Victor Lara
Meet the Cast
Carter Plimper
Holly Braly
Drake Jackson
Liam Stewart
Paul Braly
Eric Delagarza
Everard Tran
Natalie Thigpen
Izzi Braly
Sabrina Delgado Jakk Yarbro Micah Maldonado
Kai O’Con
Ivy Garza
Ashley Lopez-Delagarza
Swayze Mclaughlin
Ailenis Trujillo Hunter Holloway Cameron Spencer
Mariah Simmons
Jacob Garcia
Hailie Salazar Liam Riddle
Emma Rae Jimenez Eamonn Salinas Maddox Cantu
Emily Rivero
Kellan Salinas
Dominic Cruz
Isabella Rodriquez Maricela Magnusson
Michael Gomez
Meet the Cast
Carter Plimper (Ralphie) is excited to portray Ralphie in this year’s A Christmas Story. This is Carter’s second appearance on the Aurora stage— the first time as younger brother Randy in the 2022 production. Carter thanks his mom and dad for their unwavering support in all he does. #LLL
Liam Stewart (Randy) is so excited to be back on stage for his second time in A Christmas Story! You may have previously seen him as Fat Sam in Bugsy Malone or a Bumpus Hound in the previous production of ACS! Additionally, he is beyond thrilled to be back on stage with his mother and uncle! Please enjoy this great show and all of the hard work we put into it. “Merry Christmas!”
Paul Braly (Jean Sheppard) is excited to be in his third community theater production. He is honored to be playing the part of Jean Sheppard. His previous performances were in James and the Giant Peach (Harbor) and A Christmas Story Musical ( AAT). He is thankful to his family and the production team.
Eric Delagarza (Old Man) is excited to be back on the Aurora stage for A Christmas Story for the third time. He would like to thank his family for all the continued love and support and is excited to be on stage with his family and friends!
Holly Braly (Mother) is thrilled to be in her second production at Aurora! Her last show was A Christmas Story 2022 as Mrs. Schwartz and ensemble and is beyond excited to be playing the role of Mother in this year’s production. She also was assistant vocal director under Peter Lopez for Cabaret and Little Shop of Horror at AAT. She would like to thank her daughter for introducing her parents to the exhilarating world of theatre, her husband for always supporting her and coming along for the ride as well, and to God above, for through Him, all things are possible!
Ashley Lopez-Delagarza (Miss Shields) is thrilled to be back on stage for the Christmas season since Godspell at the beginning of the year! You may have seen her as Sylvia in Sylvia or Columbia (or Magenta) in the Rocky Horror Show depending on the year! She is also so happy to be on stage with her brother (Old man) and her son (Randy). “Please sit back and enjoy this wonderful Christmas classic!”
Drake Jackson (Santa) is back for his second production here at Aurora. He recently portrayed Riff Raff in this year’s production of Rocky Horror Show. He would like to give a shoutout to his director Laurie for her amazing work and for being such an amazing director and friend!
Everard Tran (Shwartz) is back on the Aurora stage after recently being seen in Bugsy Malone. “Enjoy the Show!”
Natalie Thigpen (Flick) is excited to be returning to A Christmas Story as Flick. She has enjoyed summer camps at AAT and is in her third full production. One of the best things is the feeling of family with all the members of the Aurora community. “Merry Christmas and enjoy the show, I triple dog dare ya!”
Izzi Braly (Scut Farkus) is grateful to be in A Christmas Story at Aurora Arts Theatre for the third time. She was previously in A Christmas Story in 2019 and 2022. Her most recent show was Finding Nemo JR. at PACT. She is currently playing Miss Hannigan in her homeschool theater’s production of Annie JR. Izzi wants to thank the production team, and her friends and is very proud of her parents who are also in the show.
Ivy Garza (Grover Dill) is back for her second show at AAT. She was last seen in A Christmas Story in 2022 as part of the ensemble and had such an amazing time she couldn’t wait to do it again! She is currently in Advanced Theatre in middle school and has done a few commercials and a feature film. She would like to give a special thanks to her mom and dad for having to deal with her busy schedule and a HUGE thank you to the entire cast and Ms G for making this so much fun!
Swayze Mclaughlin (Esther Jane) is so excited to be returning to Aurora as Esther Jane in A Christmas Story. After her summer performance as Bangles in AAT’s Bugsy Malone production, she is ready to hit the stage again!
Kai O’Con (Mary Beth) is playing the role of Mary Beth. This is Kai’s first performance at Aurora and she is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful cast. She enjoys basketball and volleyball. She appreciates the support of her friends and family, especially her parents.
Meet the Cast
Sabrina Delgado (Mrs. Schwartz) is excited to be back on the Aurora stage. She has previously been on stage as Diana Morales in A Chorus Line, Columbia in Rocky Horror, and Flick’s mom in A Christmas Story. She would like to give a huge thank you to the production team for giving her this amazing opportunity.
Jakk Yarbro (Flick’s Mother) is overwhelmed with excitement to continue shows with Aurora, this being his second after The Rocky Horror Show 2024 (Phantom). He feels that being able to contribute to this wonderful production is a Major Award all on its own!
Micah Maldonado (Goggles) is excited to back to reprise his role in A Christmas Story! “Enjoy the show!”
Mariah Simmons (Kid Ensemble) is thrilled to perform at Aurora Arts Theatre. “I would like to express my gratitude to my friends and family for their unwavering support and encouragement! Thank you!”
Ailenis Trujillo (Adult Ensemble) is excited to join the Aurora Arts Theatre for the second time, previously in Bugsy Malone as Fizzy. She wishes her supporters a Merry Christmas and a happy visit to... Higbee’s!
Hunter Holloway (Adult Ensemble) is ecstatic to be returning to the Aurora stage! This will be his 15th show onstage and third musical at Aurora. Some past roles include Col. Mustard in Clue, and Scut Farkus in A Christmas Story 2022. Hunter thanks his family and friends for their support.
Cameron Spencer (Adult Ensemble) is excited to make their debut in the ensemble of A Christmas Story. They’d like to thank their family and friends for their support. “Catch the Christmas spirit!” (He/They)
Jacob Garcia (Kid Ensemble) is excited to be apart of another show at Aurora! Recent projects he has worked on include Bugsy Malone (Louis), and Junie B. Jones Jr. (Tech), and CCISD Stagecraft Crew. He thanks his friends and family!
Emma Rae Jimenez (Kid Ensemble) is thrilled to return to the Aurora Arts Theatre for her second performance in A Christmas Story. With a deep love for singing and dancing, she can’t wait to hit the stage and share her passion with the audience. When she’s not performing, Emma enjoys playing
Club Volleyball and expressing her creativity through drawing and art projects. She cherishes time spent with family and friends, making every moment count. Emma looks forward to another exciting show and all the memories it will bring!
Eamonn Salinas (Kid Ensemble) is very excited to be making his debut on the Aurora Stage. He has previously appeared in three Christmas shows: The North Pole’s Got Talent, The ABCs of Christmas and A Night Full of Stars. We’ll make it through together cuz it all comes down to Christmas!
Maddox Cantu (Kid Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of his first show at Aurora. He has starred in Metro E School of Design’s productions of Little Mermaid Jr. (Chef Louis), Matilda Jr. (Bruce), and Shrek Jr. (Donkey). He would like to thank his family and friends for always supporting him.
Hailie Salazar (Ensemble) is back on the big stage. She was previously in Aurora Arts Theatre’s production of Bugsy Malone (Tillie). She’s in theater arts at Metro Elementary School of Design and has participated in the Young People’s Theatre Camp for the past three summers. In her spare time, she likes to play the guitar and viola. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support and the cast and crew for all their help. She would also like to say thank you to Laurie, Peter, Leila, Mary, Mariah, and the whole staff at Aurora for helping her to come out of her shell and pushing her to be her very best.
Kellan Salinas (Bumpus Hound/Kid Ensemble) is thrilled to be making his stage debut at the Aurora Arts Theatre. He would like to thank his favorite dog, Chewbacca for all the inspiration for this role. Yippie Kai-oh!
Liam Riddle (Bumpus Hound/Kid Ensemble) is thrilled to be making his debut at the Aurora Arts Theatre. You may have seen him last in A Christmas Carol at Harbor Playhouse as an Angel and in the children’s ensemble. He wants to thank God, his family, his friends, and his teachers for all their love and never-ending support!
Emily Rivero (Ensemble) is excited to make her debut at Aurora Arts Theatre. She is thankful for this opportunity and wants to thank her friends and family.
Meet the Cast
Dominic Cruz (Adult Ensemble) is thrilled to be in this musical for his second time! He’s happy to be reunited with some old friends again! This show is for his dad, cause he always liked the movie. Now, he’ll get to perform it for him! He wants to thank his theater family and, all his friends for always supporting him.
Michael Gomez (Swing) is so excited to spend his favorite time of the year with his theatre family! You may have recently seen him as a shark in CCISD’s Finding Nemo, as Cagey Joe in Bugsy Malone and he also had the honor of being a camp counselor during the summer. All he wants for Christmas is for you... to enjoy the show!
Isabella Rodriguez (Kid Ensemble) is excited to be in her first Christmas production. She has been in Frozen Jr. at HP, Little Shop of Horror at Aurora, and Raise Your Voice Jr. at HP. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support! “Have a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!”
Maricela Magnusson (Kid Ensemble) is excited to be back on the AAT stage! She previously appeared in the Bugsy Malone ensemble. She is happy to meet so many talented people, and to make new friends. She thanks her family and the production crew for taking care of her. “Enjoy the show!”
Continuing His Legacy
Ed Chapa was a fiercely passionate man with big aspirations and a love for the arts. What started as a simple thought shared with his wife, Mary, grew into a vision that was realized with the inception of the Aurora. The dream to open a quaint community theater on the Southside of Corpus Christi became a driving force in Ed’s life, and his dedication to the cause served as an inspiration to all he met.
The success of the Aurora lives on as a testament to the strength of his vision and of his faith in the many volunteers and community supporters who gave of their time and hearts as much as he gave of his.
