Calling all aspiring Tiny Tims! Goodman Theatre announces open call auditions on Saturday, September 8, from 9am – 2pm for six of the young performer roles in A Christmas Carol—now in its 41st 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.
Details:
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 23 – November 16 (rehearsals) and November 17 – December 30 (performances; opening night is November 25).
Prepare for auditions by taking a peek into the audition experience here. HD Broadcast quality video available for download here.
Nearly 1.5 million theatergoers have attended “the crown jewel of the holiday season” (Daily Herald) since the Goodman established it as an annual offering in 1978. The 41st production of A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre, features Chicago favorite actor Larry Yando in his 11th turn as Ebenezer Scrooge. Directed by Henry Wishcamper for the sixth year, A Christmas Carol follows Scrooge as he journeys through his past, present and future to discover the true meaning of hope, redemption and friendship—with plenty of music, costumes and “Bah, Humbugs!” along the way. Tickets to A Christmas Carol ($25 – $89; subject to change) go on sale to the general public on August 10 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 and The 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 ChristmasCarol, 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 three core values of 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 Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. David W. Fox, Jr. is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Cynthia K. Scholl is Women’s Board President and Justin A. Kulovsek is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.