A Christmas Carol begins November 15.
What an honor it is to step into the role of director of A Christmas Carol in its 48th year, especially within The Goodman’s Centennial Season!
Traditions, rituals and well-known stories like A Christmas Carol invite us to relish in the retelling—to give ourselves over emotionally to each moment with the wonder of a child. And although it’s a familiar story, you are not the same when you revisit A Christmas Carol—or when you experience it at The Goodman for the first time. Maybe this time you’re a new parent, a new partner, new to Chicago, embarking on a new career or celebrating the holidays without a loved one for the first time.
There are many lessons to pull from A Christmas Carol, and this year the one that resonates most is that we must take care of each other.
And so, in the spirit of our beloved, timeless tale, I leave you with four tasks (didn’t think you’d have homework, did you?):
Help someone. However you help, know that you’ll feel better when you do—and someone’s life may depend on it.
Ask for help. Whether it’s organizing your closet, learning how to shop for healthy food or looking for assistance to pay your bills, we need each other, so let’s lean on each other.
Apologize. You’ll feel better when you do. I promise.
Do something special in honor of someone you love who is no longer with you. I miss my grandmother. I’m going to buy a pack of Juicy Fruit gum (as a kid I always begged her for a piece!) and write “I love you, Grandma” on each stick, so when I share or eat one, I get to have a little moment with her.
May your family live in an abundance of love, joy and peace during this time. Take care of each other, and thank you for adding A Christmas Carol to your holiday tradition this year.
Malkia Stampley, A Christmas Carol Director and BOLD Artistic Producer
