The Goodman is seeking to fill youth performer roles for the 49th annual production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Children and teens ages 8-17 of all races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, mental and physical abilities, orientations and genders are welcome to audition at a Youth Performer Open Call event on September 19 at The Goodman. Registration for audition times begins at 8:30am and ends at 10:30am sharp; auditioners will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis from 9am-2pm. Auditioning performers are asked to prepare a poem or monologue lasting one minute or less, one verse of a song—preferably a traditional holiday song or Christmas carol—to be performed a cappella, along with a photo and resume or list of previous theatrical experience and training. No theater experience is required. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org or email Casting@GoodmanTheatre.org for more information. Members of the media who wish to cover this event should email Press@GoodmanTheatre.org to coordinate.
A Christmas Carol appears onstage in the 856-seat Albert Theatre November 13 – December 31 (tickets $34-$178), directed for the second time by Malkia Stampley with Tim Hopper—a Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member “for whom a furrowed brow and serious visage comes easily” (Chicago Tribune)—making his debut as Ebenezer Scrooge. The timeless story of a bitter businessman’s disdain for the holidays being transformed on Christmas Eve has delighted audiences for generations, and The Goodman’s production has been a Chicago family holiday tradition for nearly five decades. For tickets, visit the Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), call 312.443.3800 or purchase online at GoodmanTheatre.Org/Carol. The Goodman is grateful for the support of PNC (Major Corporate Sponsor).
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Access for more information about The Goodman’s accessibility efforts.
ASL-Interpreted...December 4 at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Audio-Described...December 5 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:30pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset.
Spanish-Subtitled...December 6 at 7:30pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Open-Captioned...December 6 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
Sensory-Friendly...December 27 at 2pm – Lights and sounds are softened; sensory items available.
ABOUT THE GOODMAN
Since 1925, The Goodman has been a theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for Chicagoland, where bold stories spark connection, conversation and change. Now, as it enters its second century, The Goodman builds on that legacy with an eye toward the future. Under the leadership of Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater continues to champion new work—following hundreds of plays developed and a national reputation for commissioning and premiering original stories by living writers—while reimagining classics and produce large-scale musicals.
But The Goodman’s reach today extends beyond its home in the heart of the Loop. From the intimate magic of The Magic Parlour, now in its third year, to the boundary-pushing world of Theater of the Mind—an immersive experience that blurs the lines between science, storytelling and sensation—and from citywide initiatives like 100 Free Acts of Theater to partnerships with artists and companies across Chicago and around the world, The Goodman is expanding what theater can be, and where it can live.
At its core, The Goodman is driven by a belief that a more empathetic, more connected city is built one story at a time. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime—from babies and young children to teens, adults and seniors—including Theater for the Very Young (ages 0–5) and the beloved annual A Christmas Carol, which has welcomed audiences for five decades. Education and Engagement programs, led by Clifford Director Jared Bellot and based in the Alice Rapoport Center, use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging—reaching thousands each year, the majority from underserved communities.
With nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman remains a defining force in American theater—and the first to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle. The theater also frequently serves as a production partner—from national and international companies to Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify a wide range of theatrical voices.
Founded by William O. Goodman and his family in memory of playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, the theater carries forward a legacy of artistic ambition and civic generosity. With the help of Mr. Goodman’s descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—that spirit continues to shape its future as The Goodman expands its impact across Chicago and beyond. Marsha Cruzan is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees; Diane Landgren is Women’s Board President; and Kelli Garcia is president of the Scenemakers Board for Young Professionals.
The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.