CONTACT: IMAGERY: TWITTER: Denise Schneider/Kiana Harris/Ramsey Carey 312.443.5151 or Press@GoodmanTheatre.org PressRoom.GoodmanTheatre.org/PressArt @GoodmanTheatre │ #ChristmasCarolChi FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 20, 2015 GOODMAN THEATRE’S 38TH ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL RUNS THROUGH DECEMBER 27, STARRING CHICAGO FAVORITE LARRY YANDO AS EBENEZER SCROOGE (Chicago, IL) Goodman Theatre fills with cheerful holiday humbuggery as Charles Dickens’ enduring classic A Christmas Carol returns for its 38th year, directed for the third time by Henry Wishcamper with new and favorite faces, stage magic and scenic delights. For the 8th consecutive year, acclaimed Chicago actor Larry Yando delivers an “uncannily brilliant performance” (Chicago Sun-Times) as Ebenezer Scrooge—“from the bitterly unhappy codger to the transformed man, Yando plays all the emotional notes to perfection, with finely honed comic bits spicing up the proceedings” (Chicago Tribune). As Tiny Tim, eight-year-old Nathaniel Buescher returns for his second year. The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (set), Heidi Sue McMath (costumes), Andrew Hansen (composer), Richard Woodbury (sound), Keith Parham (Lighting), Malcolm Ruhl (music director) and Tommy Rapley (choreography). A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Adapted by Tom Creamer, runs November 14 – December 27 (Opening Night is November 22) in the Goodman’s Albert Theatre. Tickets ($25 - $102; subject to change) are available online at GoodmanTheatre.org/Joy, by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn). Fifth Third Bank is the Major Corporate Sponsor, PepsiCo is the Official Beverage Sponsor, Aon and KPMG LLP are the Corporate Sponsor Partners for A Christmas Carol. Past production photos can be found in the Goodman’s Press Room. Immediately following each performance, A Christmas Carol cast members appear in the lobby to collect monetary donations for Season of Concern, which provides care for those in the theater community battling catastrophic illness. Through the generosity of its audiences, the Goodman is proud to have raised more than $260,000 since 2000 to support this not-for-profit organization’s mission. More than 1.2 million theatergoers have attended Dickens’ iconic tale of greedy British businessman Ebenezer Scrooge, whose sizable bank account is only matched by his hatred of the holidays. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who take him on a spectacular adventure through his past, present and future, helping him rediscover the joys of life, love and friendship. The Goodman established A Christmas Carol as an annual offering in the 1977/1978 Season—a time when only a handful of U.S. theaters mounted the production. Throughout its 38 years, A Christmas Carol has hosted 10 directors, 32 Tiny Tims and eight Ebenezer Scrooges, who collectively have uttered 23,000 “Bah humbugs!” Wishcamper is the fourth member of the Goodman’s Artistic Collective to direct the production—preceded by Producer Steve Scott (19891992 and 2011, 2012), Resident Director Chuck Smith (1993-1995) and Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez (19962001). The Company of A Christmas Carol Unless a suburb is noted, all performers live in the City of Chicago Theo Allyn…………………………………………………….Miss Ortle/Mrs. Creakle Justin Amolsch……………………………………………..Musician, French Horn Kareem Bandealy…………………………………………Narrator/Young Scrooge Nathaniel Buescher………………………………………Tiny Tim Andrew Coil………………………………………………….Musician, Violin Paige Collins……………………………………………..…Martha/Fan/Young Woman Phillip Cusic…………………………………………….…..Peter Cratchit Lisa Gaye Dixon………………………………………..….Ghost of Christmas Present Joe Foust……………………………………………………..Jacob Marley/Young Marley/Old Joe Allen Gilmore………………………………………………..Alternate Scrooge Anish Jethmalani (Forest Park) …………………..…Fred -continued- Goodman Theatre’s 38th Annual Production of A Christmas Carol opens on November 22 Page 2 of 3 Travis A. Knight……………………………………………..Ghost of Christmas Past Aaron Lamm………………………………………………….Boy Scrooge J. Salome Martinez………………………………………..Dick Wilkins/Pie Seller/Future Larry Neumann Jr…………………………………………..Schoolmaster/Percy/Undertaker Ron E. Rains………………………………………………….Bob Cratchit Malcolm Ruhl (Evanston)……………………………….Musician, Accordion Madeline Ruhl (Evanston)………………………………Musician, Flute Amaris Sanchez (Bolingbrook)………………………..Emily Kim Schultz……………………………………………………Mrs. Fezziwig/Charwoman Skye Sparks (Naperville)………………………………..Belinda Bret Tuomi…………………………………………………….Mr. Fezziwig Kristina Valada-Viars……………………………………..Abby/Belle Penelope Walker……………………………………………Mrs. Cratchit Larry Yando…………………………………………………..Ebenezer Scrooge Alden Vasquez is the production stage manager. Flying effects provided by ZFX Inc. Performance Schedule and Ticket Information TICKETS AND DISCOUNTS Tickets ($25-$102) – GoodmanTheatre.org/Joy; 312.443.3800; Fax: 312.443.3825; TTY/TDD: 312.443.3829 MezzTix – Half-price day-of-performance mezzanine tickets available at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) $10Tix – Student $10 day-of-performance tickets; limit four, with valid student ID (promo code 10TIX) Group Sales – Discounted tickets for parties of 10+ – 312.443.3820 Gift Certificates – Available in any amount (GoodmanTheatre.org/GiftCertificates) Box Office Hours –12noon - 5pm; on performance days, the office remains open until 30 minutes past curtain. ACCESSIBILITY AT GOODMAN THEATRE November 28, Touch Tour Presentation – 12:30pm; a presentation detailing the set, costume and character elements; Audio Described Performance – 2pm; the action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset. Goodman Theatre’s 38th Annual Production of A Christmas Carol opens on November 22 Page 3 of 3 November 29, Sign Interpreted Performance – 7:30pm; professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played. December 5, Open Captioned Performance – 2pm; an LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance. Visit Goodman Theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts. About Goodman Theatre Called America’s “Best Regional Theatre” by Time magazine, Goodman Theatre has won international recognition for its artists, productions and programs, and is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago. Founded in 1925 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), Goodman Theatre has garnered hundreds of awards for artistic achievement and community engagement, including: two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards (including “Outstanding Regional Theatre” in 1992), nearly 160 Joseph Jefferson Awards and more. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the Goodman’s artistic priorities include new plays (more than 150 world or American premieres in the past 30 years), reimagined classics (including Falls’ nationally and internationally celebrated productions of Death of a Salesman, Long’s Day’s Journey into Night, King Lear and The Iceman Cometh, many in collaboration with actor Brian Dennehy), culturally specific work, musical theater (26 major productions in 20 years, including 10 world premieres) and international collaborations. Diversity and inclusion have been primary cornerstones of the Goodman’s mission for 30 years; over the past decade, 68% of the Goodman’s 35 world premieres were authored by women and/or playwrights of color, and the Goodman was the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Each year the Goodman’s education and community engagement programs serve thousands of students, teachers and life-long learners. In addition, for nearly four decades A Christmas Carol has led to the creation of a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. Goodman Theatre’s leadership includes the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. Joan Clifford is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Swati Mehta is Women’s Board President and Gordon C.C. Liao is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals. Visit the Goodman virtually at GoodmanTheatre.org—including OnStage+ for insider information—and on Twitter (@GoodmanTheatre), Facebook and Instagram. — 30 —