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GOODMAN’S 47TH ANNUAL
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
STARRING CHRISTOPHER DONAHUE AS SCROOGE
NOW ON STAGE IN PREVIEW PERFORMANCES, OPENS NOVEMBER 24
***OPENING NIGHT PRE-SHOW EVENTS INCLUDES A TREE LIGHTING WITH TINY TIM (AVA ROSE DOTY) AND DIRECTOR JESSICA THEBUS, PLUS LIVE MUSIC BY BENET ACADEMY MADRIGALS AND WILLIAM BUCHHOLTZ (ALGONQUIN/METIS)***
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Goodman Theatre’s incomparable production of A Christmas Carol has been a beloved family tradition of ours for decades. This year my son, Dugan, is working the production on deck crew, so I’m even more excited than usual! It truly takes a village, on stage, behind the scenes, and in development, to make magic of this magnitude happen. I’ll be checking out the show on opening night, November 24th, so check back shortly after for my full review. We're excited to see Christopher Donahue in his first year as Ebenezer Scrooge, and every year Goodman changes up the production in creative ways, while keeping the tradition of their stunning set design. Goodman Theatre’s 47th annual A Christmas Carol, directed by Jessica Thebus, is sure to delight audience members of all ages. It's long been one of our top picks for making multigenerational memories. Experiential gifts, like theatre tickets, are an appreciated clutter buster.
Goodman Theatre’s 47th annual A Christmas Carol, directed by Jessica Thebus, starring Christopher Donahue in his first year as Ebenezer Scrooge, along with other local favorites new to the production—Kate Fry (Narrator), Anthony Irons (Bob Cratchit), Bri Sudia (Ghost of Christmas Present) and more, are now available now. As Alternate Scrooge, Austin Tichenor steps into the miserly businessman’s shoes for 10 performances. A new Tiny Tim this year—Ava Rose Doty (last seen as Young Tommy in The Who’s TOMMY) is joined by young performers Isabel Ackerman, Viva Boresi, Annabel Finch, Xavier Irons and Henry Lombardo. The production opens this Sunday, November 24, and runs through December 30.
Tickets ($25 - $159; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Carol or by phone at 312.443.3800. Visit the website for performance dates when Tichenor will appear as Scrooge. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of PNC (Major Corporate Sponsor) and Abbott Fund (Corporate Sponsor Partner).
Once again this year, Goodman Theatre welcomes special guests to enhance its opening night with pre-show festivities including madrigal singers from Benet Academy (Naperville) and artist William Buchholtz (Algonquin/Metis) on flute. Director Jessica Thebus and the young performers of the production will light the Goodman’s Christmas tree. Pre-show events begin at 6pm on Sunday, November 24th.
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.
Full Company of A Christmas Carol (in alphabetical order)
By Charles Dickens, Adapted by Tom Creamer, Directed by Jessica Thebus
Isabel Ackerman…Belinda Cratchit/School Child
Jazzlyn Luckett Aderele…Chestnut Seller/Philomena/Mrs. Dilber
Dee Dee Batteast…Frida
Hillary Bayley…Musician
Mark Bedard…Max Fezziwig/Abe
Viva Boresi…Child in Doorway/Pratt/Emily Cratchit/Ignorance
Amira Danan…Belle/Ghost of Christmas Future
William Dick…Marley/Topper/Old Joe
Tafadzwa Diener…Martha Cratchit/Fan/Catherine
Christopher Donahue…Ebenezer Scrooge
Ava Rose Doty…Tiny Tim/School Child
Arash Fakhrabadi…Poulterer/Stag Deer/Young Marley/Undertaker/Ensemble
Kate Fry…Narrator
Brian Goodwin…Musician
Jalbelly Guzmán…Dance Captain/Hat Seller/Doe Deer/Felicity/Young Woman/Ensemble
Gregory Hirte…Musician/Dick Wilkins/Young Man
Anthony Irons…Bob Cratchit/Wreath Seller
Xavier Irons…Johnston/Peter Cratchit/Turkey Child
Susaan Jamshidi…Mrs. Cratchit
Henry Lombardo…Newspaper Seller/Boy Scrooge/Gregory Cratchit
Daniel José Molina…Young Scrooge/Pie Seller
Malcolm Ruhl…Music Director/Musician
Robert Schleifer…Mr. Fezziwig
Lucky Stiff…Ghost of Christmas Past, Makeup Consultant for Ghost of Christmas Past
Bri Sudia…Charwoman/Ghost of Christmas Present
Austin Tichenor…Alternate Ebenezer Scrooge
Penelope Walker…Crumb/Mrs. Alice Fezziwig
Wai Yim…Ortle/Tree Seller/School Official
Creative Team
Associate Director….Tor Campbell
Set Designer…..Todd Rosenthal
Costume Designer ……Heidi Sue McMath
Puppet Designers & Creators….Jillian Gryzlak and Rachel Anne Healy
Lighting Designer…..Keith Parham
Associate Lighting Designer…Brian Elston
Sound Designer….. Pornchanok Kanchanabanca
Composer….Andrew Hansen
Music Director…..Malcolm Ruhl
Voice and Dialect Coach.....Sammi Grant
Choreographer….Tommy Rapley
Fly Director….Andrea Gentry
Understudies for this production include Tatiana Bustamante, Annabel Finch, Jordan Golding, Sam Hyson, Loren Jones and Anne Sheridan Smith.
Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA. Neena Arndt is the Dramaturg. Jennifer Gregory is the Production Stage Manager and Beth Koehler and Duncan McMillan are the Stage Managers. Flying effects are provided by ZFX Inc.
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AT GOODMAN THEATRE
ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, November 23 at 7:30 and Friday, December 13 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Touch Tour* and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, December 7, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.
Open-Captioned Performance: Sunday, December 15 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
Spanish-Subtitled Performance: Sunday, December 15 at 7pm – An LED sign presents Spanish-translated dialogue in sync with the performance.
Sensory-Friendly Performance: Saturday, December 29 at 2pm – Sensory-friendly/relaxed performances are designed to create a performing arts experience that is intended for patrons who have autism or other social, cognitive and physical challenges that create sensory sensitivities and their families.
Visit Goodman theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.
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 earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff 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.