A Christmas Carol Study Guide.indd - Goodman Theatre

After 31 years of A Christmas Carol at the Goodman, the
production has become as much a tradition for the staff as it has
for the city! Every year brings new discoveries, reactions, and
anecdotes to an already booming collective memory bank. Check
out some of the most memorable moments from those who’ve
worked closest to Chicago’s favorite Christmas traditon!
“The first time Scrooge laughs, after his
journey and transformation, is always a
magical and sentimental moment for me.”
- Alden Vasquez, current Production Stage Manager of A Christmas Carol.
“In years past, the Ghost
of Christmas Present
and Scrooge would ride
on top of the ‘food float,’
with the operator sealed
inside the unit. The operator
could not see and
his hearing was limited.
Scrooge would tap his
foot to signal the operator
to move the float, following
coded glow tape
on the floor. The scary
times were when the float
got off track and headed
toward the front row!”
Pictured above is the ensemble of the 2007 production of A Christmas Carol. Photo courtesy of Goodman Theatre.
- Joe Drummond, Past Production Stage
Manager of A Christmas Carol.
“The second year I directed A Christmas Carol, I remember very distinctly the first
day I staged the opening sequence, which was a series of scenes celebrating the glories
of Christmas: caroling, gift-giving, reuniting with loved ones, and so on. Before we
actually started working on the scene, I addressed the company (rather eloquently, I
thought) about the importance of the scene, the beauty of this story that we were about
to tell, the life-changing experience that we would offer the audiences who would be
viewing our work. I went on and on, and when I finished, a hush fell over the room as
the cast drank in the beauty of what I had just described. Then, very quietly, a small
hand went up, from Patrick, the five-year-old who was that year’s Tiny Tim. Knowing
I had touched him deeply, I leaned over, and with my most benevolent director’s
smile, said, ‘Yes, Patrick, what do you want to say?’ He looked at me, then held out his
wallet, asking, ‘Can you hold this for me while I act?’ Of course the room exploded with
laughter and for the rest of rehearsal period every actor in the company would ask me
the same thing before they began a scene.
I learned two important things: (1) Never compete with the eloquence of Charles Dickens
and (2) Never bore a five-year-old.”
- Steve Scott, Goodman Associate Producer, past director of A Christmas Carol.
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