Be part of Chicago’s favorite holiday tradition! Goodman Theatre announces Young Performer Open Call auditions for five roles—including Tiny Tim—in A Christmas Carol, now in its 47th year. Chicagoland actors between the ages 5 - 17 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. 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. Young Performer Open-Call Auditions for A Christmas Carol take place on Saturday, September 21 from 9am – 2pm at Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn). Register in-person on the day of event, from 8:30 – 10:30am (sharp); auditioners will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org or email casting@GoodmanTheatre.org for more information. Parents/guardians: note commitment dates of October 22 – November 15 (rehearsals) and November 16 – December 30 (performances; opening night is November 24).
“Our Young Performer Open Call is one of the best days of the year,” said Casting Director Lauren Port, who joined the Goodman in 2019 after eleven years casting in New York City. “We’re searching for young performers who are comfortable being in front of a crowd, who can use big speaking voices to fill space, and who are game to play and be imaginative. We look forward to meeting all of Chicago’s new aspiring young actors—and to seeing some of our favorite familiar faces, as well!”
The perfect Chicago holiday tradition” (Chicago Parent), Dickens’ classic is a “beautiful, timeless message of generosity’s triumph over greed” (Chicago Tribune). Businessman Ebenezer Scrooge’s sizable bank account is only matched by his disdain for the holidays. But one fateful Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who take him on a spectacular adventure through his past, present and future, helping him on his discovery of kindness, compassion and redemption in a tale with a “first-rate cast and marvelous staging (that) shines merry and bright (Chicago Sun-Times). Now in its fifth decade, A Christmas Carol is “still the best Christmas story ever told” (Time Out Chicago) and a signature event of the Chicago holiday season with a star-studded history that includes stage and screen notables like Jessie Mueller, Joe Minoso, Del Close, Harry J. Lennix, Felicia P. Fields, Raul Esparza, Sally Murphy and Frank Galati.
The 47th annual production of Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol appears November 16 – December 30, 2024 in the 856-seat Albert Theatre. Tickets ($25 - $149; subject to change) are available 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
Groups@GoodmanTheatre.org or by phone at 312.443.3815. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of PNC, Major Corporate Sponsor and Abbott Fund, Corporate Sponsor Partner.
ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins , the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, among other accolades.
The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.
Using the tools of theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
Goodman Theatre was built on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten—and remains home to many Native peoples today. While we believe that our city’s vast diversity should be reflected on the stages of its largest theater, we acknowledge that our efforts have largely overlooked the voices of our Native peoples. This omission has added to the isolation, erasure and harm that Indigenous communities have faced for hundreds of years. We have begun a more deliberate journey towards celebrating Native American stories and welcoming Indigenous communities.
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 on the new Goodman center in 2000.
Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals
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