Date: 
Sat, 09/21/2019 - 9:00am to 2:00pm

Calling all aspiring Tiny Tims! Goodman Theatre announces open call auditions on Saturday, September 21, from 9am – 2pm for six of the young performer roles in A Christmas Carol—now in its 42nd year. Chicagoland actors from ages 5 - 17 are invited to audition for the roles of Tiny Tim, Boy Scrooge, Peter Crachit, Emily Cratchit, Belinda Cratchit and Turkey Child. Performers should come prepared to deliver a memorized poem or monologue, one minute or less in length; sing one verse of a song a cappella, preferably a holiday song or Christmas carol; and bring a photo and résumé listing previous theatrical and related experience/training, address and contact information. Prior experience is not required; the Goodman welcomes actors of all races, ethnicity, national origin, religion, mental and physical abilities, sexual/affectional orientation, gender and its expression. Day-of, in-person registration takes place from 8:30 – 10:30am at the Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn; please note: this is an accessible facility) on a first-come, first-served basis; registration will end at 10:30am sharp. Visit goodmantheatre.org or call 312.443.5586 for more information. Parents/guardians: note commitment dates of October 22 – November 15 (rehearsals) and November 16 – December 29 (performances; opening night is November 24).

Prepare for auditions by taking a peek into the audition experience here. HD Broadcast quality video available for download here.

For more than four decades, nearly 1.5 million theatergoers have attended “the best Christmas story ever told” (Time Out Chicago) since the Goodman launched the annual Chicago tradition in 1978. The 42ndproduction of A Christmas Carol features acclaimed Chicago actor Larry Yando returning for his 12th turn as Ebenezer Scrooge. Directed by Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper for the seventh year, Charles Dickens’ classic tale follows Scrooge as he journeys through his past, present and future to rediscover the joys of kindness, compassion and redemption—with plenty of music, costumes, stage magic and “Bah, Humbugs!” along the way. Former cast members include stage and screen notables Jessie Mueller, Joe Minoso, Del Close, Harry J. Lennix, Felicia P. Fields, Raul Esparza, Sally Murphy and Frank Galati. Tickets to A Christmas Carol ($25 - $89; subject to change) go on sale to the general public on August 9 at GoodmanTheatre.org/Carol, by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn). Discounted Group Tickets for 15+ are available at 312.443.3820.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

AMERICA’S “BEST REGIONAL THEATRE” (Time magazine), Goodman Theatre is a premier not-for-profit organization distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics (celebrated revivals include Falls’ productions of Death of a Salesman andThe Iceman Cometh). Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, over 160 Jeff Awards and many more accolades. In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle” and its annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in the 2017-2018 season, has created a new generation of theatergoers. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production partner with local off-Loop theaters and national and international companies by providing financial support or physical space for a variety of artistic endeavors.

Committed to quality, diversity and community, the Goodman proactively makes inclusion the fabric of the institution and develops education and community engagement programs that support arts as education. This practice uses the process of artistic creation to inspire and empower youth, lifelong learners and audiences to find and/or enhance their voices, stories and abilities. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of such programming, most offered free of charge, and has vastly expanded the theater’s ability to touch the lives of Chicagoland citizens (with 85% of youth participants coming from underserved communities) since its 2016 opening.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian DennehyRebecca GilmanHenry GodinezDael Orlandersmith, Steve ScottKimberly SeniorChuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary ZimmermanDavid W. Fox, Jr. is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Denise Stefan Ginascol is Women’s Board President and Megan McCarthy Hayes is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.