Goodman Theater Announces Children's Auditions For A CHRISTMAS CAROL Held 8/31

Goodman Theatre welcomes children of all ethnicities to audition for this year's production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol adapted by Tom Creamer and directed by William Brown. Performers aged 5 to 17 are needed for several roles-including the role of Tiny Tim and the Cratchit children. Actors can register for audition times from 9:30am to 11:30am in the lobby of Goodman Theatre. Auditions will be held from 10am until 3pm. Please do not call Goodman Theatre to make audition appointments.

For the audition, young performers are asked to prepare:

A memorized poem or monologue (one minute or less in length).

One verse of a song, preferably a traditional holiday song or Christmas carol, sung without musical accompaniment.

A photo and resume including age, height, weight, previous theatrical and related experience/training, address and contact information.
Throughout its history at the Goodman, over 1 million people have experienced A Christmas Carol-"a joyous present for the entire family" (Chicago Sun-Times), "year after year...the crown jewel of the holiday season" (Daily Herald), "the best show to get at the true meaning of Christmas" (SouthtownStar) and "ideal family fare, both heartwarming and spectacular in its familiar tale" (Chicago Tribune). Over the years the show has hosted six directors, seven Scrooges, 27 Tiny Tims, and nearly 20,000 "Bah-Humbug!"s. A Christmas Carol is the tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who is opposed to holiday cheer and indifferent to the sufferings of the poor in Victorian London. Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who offer him the opportunity to sympathize with his fellow man. Dickens' famous characters include Scrooge's kind-hearted clerk, Bob Cratchit, and his family, including Tiny Tim; the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future; the merry-making Fezziwig couple; and the Ghost of Jacob Marley. Larry Yando reprises his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Goodman's Albert Theatre, November 20 - December 31.

Tickets to A Christmas Carol go on sale August 21 at GoodmanTheatre.org or by phone on August 24 at 312.443.3800.

The upcoming 2009/2010 season includes Animal Crackers, book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, music and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, directed by Henry Wishcamper (September 18 - October 25, 2009); Brian Dennehy in the Broadway-bound double-bill of Hughie by Eugene O'Neill, directed by Robert Falls and Krapp's Last Tape by Samuel Beckett, directed by Jennifer Tarver (January 16 - February 21, 2010); the world premiere of A True History of the Johnstown Flood by Rebecca Gilman, directed by Robert Falls (March 13 - April 18, 2010); The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith (May 1 - June 6, 2010); The Sins of Sor Juana by Karen Zacarías, directed by Henry Godinez (June 19 - July 25, 2010) which launches the Goodman's fifth Latino Theater Festival (offerings TBA). Offerings in the Owen Theatre include Stoop Stories written and performed by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Jo Bonney (September 12 - October 11, 2009); High Holidays by Alan Gross, directed by Steven Robman (October 31 - November 29, 2009) and The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman (February 13 - March 14, 2010).

Named the country's Best Regional Theatre by Time magazine (2003), Goodman Theatre is a leader in the American theater, internationally recognized for its artists, productions and educational programs since its founding in 1925. Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer's forward-thinking leadership has earned the Goodman unparalleled artistic distinction, garnered hundreds of awards-including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992) and Pulitzer Prizes for Ruined by Lynn Nottage and Glengarry GLen Ross by David Mamet-and moved dozens of plays from Chicago to stages in New York and abroad. Central to its commitment to the reinvestigation of classics and development of new plays and artists is the Goodman's Artistic Collective, including Brian Dennehy, Frank Galati, Henry Godinez, Chuck Smith, ReGina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman. The largest not-for-profit theater in Chicago, the Goodman moved in 2000 into a brand new state-of-the-art complex which houses two principal theaters: the 856-seat Albert Ivar Goodman Theatre and the 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Goodman Theatre. Board Chairman is Shawn M. Donnelley and Karen Pigott is president of the Women's Board. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.