GeNarrations

ABOUT GENARRATIONS

GeNarrations is a FREE storytelling program for adults ages 55+. Through writing and performance workshops, participants develop and share personal stories, build community and nurture their creativity. During each seven-week session, participants work with a professional Goodman Teaching Artist to create personal stories inspired by themes from productions on the Goodman stage. Classes are offered in person at locations throughout Chicago and online through Zoom.

No previous writing or performance experience is required. Whether you are a longtime storyteller or trying something new, GeNarrations is a space to create, connect and share

GeNarrations Stories

This Fall, GeNarrations participants will create personal stories inspired by themes from the Goodman’s production of The Attic: Things I’ve Seen While Lying on My Back written, directed, and choreographed by Shana Carroll, cofounding Artistic Director of 7 Fingers.

What do our bodies remember? How has our relationship to our physical selves changed over time?

What does it mean to move through the world with different abilities—and how do ability, disability, health and change shape the stories we tell about ourselves?

Where does courage live? It might be in the moments we speak up, the moments we adapt, the moments we ask for help or the moments we simply keep going.

Participants will explore our changing relationships with our bodies, our experiences of health and ability, the ways we communicate beyond words, and the quiet, everyday and sometimes unspoken acts of bravery that shape our lives.

GENARRATIONS REGISTRATION

Registration for the Fall 2026 will open on Tuesday, September 1 at 10:00am CT.

View step-by-step registration instructions.

Please note:

• You will need a Goodman Theatre account to register.
• Registration is similar to acquiring tickets for a Goodman performance or event.
• Class sizes are limited, so we recommend identifying a second- and third-choice class in case your first choice is full.

Classes will begin the week of September 21st and will conclude with final performances starting the week of November 2nd. 

Need help registering? Please contact genarrations@goodmantheatre.org.

In-Person Classes

These classes take place exclusively in-person at sites around the city and are open to all participants. 

Mondays at 9:00am with Shanta Nurullah – REGISTER
Location: Portage Park Satellite (4100 N Long Ave) 

Mondays at 1:00pm with Melisha Mitchell – REGISTER
Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.) 

Tuesdays at 10:00am with Zahra Baker – REGISTER
Location: Willye B. White Park (1610 W Howard St.) 

Tuesdays at 3:00pm with Geneva Norman – REGISTER
Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.) 

Wednesdays at 10:00am with Zahra Baker – REGISTER
Location: Willye B. White Park (1610 W Howard St.) 

Wednesdays at 10:00am with Julie Ganey – REGISTER
Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.) 

Wednesdays at 11:00am with Geneva Norman – REGISTER
Location: Englewood Senior Satellite Center (653 W 63rd St.) 

Wednesdays at 1:00pm with Julie Ganey – REGISTER
Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.) 

Wednesdays from 11:00am – 1:00pm with Willa Taylor – REGISTER
Location: Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S Cornell Ave)

Thursdays at 11:00am with Sharon Evans – REGISTER
Location: Homan Square Community Center (3517 W Arthington St.) 

Thursdays at 1:00pm with Melisha Mitchell – REGISTER
Location: Norwood Park Senior Center (5801 N Natoma Ave) 

VIRTUAL Classes

(These classes take place exclusively online and are open to newcomers and returning participants.)

Mondays at 11:30am with Cynthia Cornelius – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Mondays at 12:00pm with Willa Taylor – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Mondays at 5:30pm with Deb Lewis – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Tuesdays at 1:00pm with Barbara McBee – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Tuesdays at 3:30pm with Deb Lewis – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
NOTE: This class centers Queer and gender non-conforming storytellers and is intended for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies.

Wednesdays at 11:30am with Cynthia Cornelius – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Wednesdays at 2:00pm with Barbara McBee – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Thursdays at 3:00pm with Julie Ganey – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Fridays at 1:30pm with Deb Lewis – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom 

Saturdays at 10:00am with Paul Michael Thomson – REGISTER
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom