A Christmas Carol 2007 Study Guide - Goodman Theatre

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0 Years, 30 Carols A Goodman tradition remembered At the first rehearsal for Goodman Theatre’s 30th anniversary production of A Christmas Carol last month, Executive Director Roche Schulfer stood before the cast and staff of the theatre and said it is the most important thing the Goodman does every year. It brings people together — families, audiences, cast members. It proves it’s never too late for a person to change for the better. It reminds us we are the makers of our own fate. While it was initially chosen to financially support the theatre by bringing people in during the holidays, ironically, the reasons have moved far beyond money matters since then. Why is this play, this story, so important? What does A Christmas Carol mean to you? Below are a few answers past cast members have come up with. William J. Norris plays Ebenezer Scrooge at Goodman Theatre for the first time in 1978. He went on to play the role 12 consecutive times. In this year’s show, he is playing Mr. Ortle. “ A Christmas Carol is a very special thing for me in many ways. For one thing, I met my wife playing in a production of it, and the love I have for her makes me feel each year that I am Mr. Fezziwig. But even more than that, I think we all feel that the show is our present to Chicago. Our own Christmas present. ” - Dennis Kennedy (Mr. Fezziwig ‘78-’82) Pictures from www.victorianweb.org and www.goodmantheatre.org “ It feels good to give audiences the gift that is the essence of the play—the story of someone learning to share. As obvious as it sounds, the actor needs the audience, and many audiences need A Christmas Carol. For a few of them, it will be the only Christmas celebration they will have, and I’m glad that they will celebrate with us. - William Norris (Scrooge ‘78-’89) ” “ A Christmas Carol is really a two-way gift, a present that you give the audience and yourself every night. It reinforces all the good things about Christmas that you learned as a child, and it does that without being just simple, light-weight entertainment. […] It’s a privilege to make so many people so happy. “ ” - Belinda Bremner (Mrs. Cratchit ‘80-’82) I don’t know why I like it so much. ” 6 - Aaron Kramer (Tiny Tim ‘80-’81)
W illiam Brown The director The Director Formerly Known as “Scrooge” This is William Brown’s second year directing Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. However, he’s been involved with the production since the late 1980’s when he joined the cast as Scrooge’s nephew, Fred. Since then, he’s also played the ghost of Jacob Marley and the man himself—Ebenezer Scrooge—for four seasons. Brown first played Ebenezer Scrooge in Goodman Theatre’s 2002 A Christmas Carol. In an interview with CBS 2 - Chicago last year, Brown said his 15 years of experience in the show, particularly as Scrooge, helped him direct the cast members last season. He also noted that there are social issues in the story that still ring true today. “ It's a great role. It's an almost Shakespearean role.... this journey from the Scrooge we know and hate to someone who really finds a kind of peace and redemption at the end of the evening. We're all drawn to that. ” "What Scrooge learns with those three spirits is that he cannot avoid being a part of his world, whether it's his family or his employees or the world at - William Brown from an interview on cbs2chicago.com large where a lot of people go to bed hungry. All of that comes out.... Ignorance and Want turn into war and terrorism... It's [still] out there," Brown said. Above: William Brown as Scrooge and Bradley Mott as the Ghost of Christmas Present in Goodman Theatre’s 2005 production of A Christmas Carol. Below: Scenes from Goodman’s 2006 production of the show, directed by William Brown. His other directing credits include work with Northlight Theatre, Writers' Theatre, Time Line Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, Notre Dame Summer Shakespeare and Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, where he serves as Associate Artistic Director. 7 Pictures from www.goodmantheatre.org and www.steadstylechicago.com
Page 1 and 2: Goodman Theatre Student Subscriptio
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Welcome to the St
Page 5: Exploring the Production 5
Page 9 and 10: Before being elected president of S
Page 11 and 12: Exploring the Text 11
Page 13 and 14: ctivity Novel Match-Up Dickens publ
Page 15 and 16: V ocabulary It does a conversation
Page 17 and 18: G host Stories Who you gonna call?
Page 19 and 20: Exploring the Context 19
Page 21 and 22: D A divided city ickens’ London L
Page 23 and 24: ctivity OurNeighborhoods Most of Di
Page 25 and 26: W Humbug! Bah! Humbug! Bah Hum Bah!
Page 27 and 28: ctivity Scrooge’s Campaign for Ma
Page 29 and 30: Exploring the Social Issues 29
Page 31 and 32: There are still thousands of househ
Page 33 and 34: P overty in Chicago A city of homel
Page 35 and 36: ctivity Christmas Around the World
Page 37 and 38: T he Power of Art Can creativity ch
Page 39 and 40: Stocking Stuffers A little somethin
Page 41 and 42: cemetery where Tiny Tim is buried.
Page 43: W riting Your Response Letter After

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