The Goodman is seeking to fill youth performer roles for its Centennial Season production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Children and teens ages 5-17 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 20 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 capella, 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.
The 48th annual production of A Christmas Carol will be onstage in the 856-seat Albert Theatre November 15 – December 31 (tickets ($33-$172), directed for the first time by Malkia Stampley with Christopher Donahue returning as Ebenezer Scrooge after a “historical standout” performance in his 2024 debut (WGNRadio.com). 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 5 at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Audio-Described: December 6 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:30pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset.
Spanish-Subtitled: December 7 at 7pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Open-Captioned: December 7 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
Sensory-Friendly: December 28 at 2pm – Lights and sounds are softened; sensory items available.
ABOUT THE GOODMAN
Since 1925, The Goodman has been more than a stage. A theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for community, it’s where stories come to life—bold in artistry and rich in history, deeply rooted in the city it serves.
Led by Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, The Goodman sparks conversation, connection and change through new plays, reimagined classics and large-scale musicals. With distinctions including nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman is proud to be the first theater to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” In addition, the theater frequently serves as a production partner—with national and international companies to Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify theatrical voices.
But The Goodman believes a more empathetic, more connected Chicago is created one story at a time, and counts as its greatest legacy the community it’s built. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime; from Theater for the Very Young (plays designed for ages 0-5) to the long-running annual A Christmas Carol, which has introduced new generations to theater over five decades, The Goodman is committed to being an asset for all of Chicago. Education and Engagement programs led by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot and housed in the Alice Rapoport Center use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging. Each year, these programs reach thousands of people (85% from underserved communities) as well as educators, artists and lifelong learners across the city.
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.
The Goodman was founded by William O. Goodman and his family to honor the memory of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman—a visionary playwright whose bold ideas helped shape Chicago’s early cultural renaissance. That spirit of creativity and generosity endures today. In 2000, through the commitment of Mr. Goodman’s descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—The Goodman opened the doors to its current home in the heart of the Loop.