GENARRATIONS

A storytelling performance workshop for adults 55+.

About the Program ▼

Program Dates ▼

GeNarrations Stories ▼

How to Join a Class ▼

CLASS LIST ▼

Teaching Artists ▼

GeNarrations is a FREE storytelling program that engages adults aged 55+ in writing and performance workshops that nurture the creative spirit. Over a seven-week session, across multiple in-person and virtual locations, participants create and share five to eight-minute personal narrative stories inspired by productions on the Goodman stage. With the support of Goodman Teaching Artists, the GeNarrations program empowers participants to share, connect, and support each other while envisioning and building a resilient community beyond the confines of theater.

Program Dates

Participants in GeNarrations meet once a week for two hours at the Goodman, online and at partner sites across Chicago.

Our upcoming session of GeNarrations will begin the week of February 3rd with final class performances the week of Monday, March 17. Our culminating Citywide performance will take place at Goodman Theatre on Monday, March 31st.

GeNarrations Stories

Participants in this session will craft stories inspired by themes in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, directed by Susan V. Booth.

How to Join a Class

Registration will open on Monday, January 13th at 10:00am CST and will close Tuesday, January 21st at 10:00am CST. 

We have shifted our registration process for the 24/25 season with the goal of providing a more streamlined and “in-house” signup experience.   

Here’s how it works! 

1. Access your Goodman Theatre account (this is the only step that can be done before registration opens!) To access your account, visit https://my.goodmantheatre.org/account/login If you already have an account with us (if you’ve registered before or seen a show on our stages, you most likely do!), enter your username and password. If you forgot your password, click “Forgot Password” and enter the email associated with your account to receive instructions to reset your password. If you don’t have an account with us, click “Create an Account” on the right side of the page.
2. Access the GeNarrations webpage by visiting https://www.goodmantheatre.org/engage-learn/for-community/genarrations/ Here, you can view session dates, theme, program descriptions, teaching artists and our class list.
3. Select ONE class. Scroll down and view our class list organize by day, time, Teaching Artist and location. You’ll notice the first half of classes are offered in-person while the second half are offered virtually. Once you decide on a class, click the “REGISTER NOW” button next to it.
4. Select Quantity. After selecting “REGISTER NOW,” you’ll be taken to a page that shows the “price” of your class. All of our GeNarrations classes are complimentary, so the price should say $0.00. Next to price, select the dropdown menu under “Quantity.” Please only select a quantity of one. If you select more or less than “1” at this step, it will block other students from registering and cancel your reservation. After setting quantity to “1,” click “Add to Cart.”
5. Check out. You’ll be taken to your checkout cart. Please make sure you only have one class in the cart before continuing. Select “Check out.”
6. Review order details. There is an option to add a donation to your order, but please skip if you are uninterested. Scroll to bottom of the page and check box that says “I understand that all transactions are final.” Then, select “Complete Order.”
7. Confirmation – you should see a big “THANK YOU” and information on parking at the top of this page along with information on your order. If you made it here, you are confirmed for your GeNarrations class! Congratulations and welcome to our program! You’ll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of registering.

A few reminders: 

1). Registration for this session will be open to all participants at the same time. 

2). Please only register for ONE class and enter a quantity of “1”. Any double registrations will lock other participants out of spots and will cause your reservation to be cancelled.  

3). Please reach out if you need assistance! The GeNarrations team will be setting aside “office hours” from 10:00am CST-12:00pm CST on January 13th to answer any questions regarding registration.  

You can email genarrations@goodmantheatre.org for direct help during these hours or call: 

Carlo Zenner: (312)-443-3811 ext. 119 

Demi Smith: (312)-443-5580 ext. 532 

Jared Bellot: (312)-443-5589 

Information on tickets for Betrayal: 

We are excited to offer every registered GeNarrations participant (2) complimentary tickets to the Goodman’s production of Betrayal this winter. Participants can call the box office or visit https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/betrayal/ using code GENS to secure their tickets.  

Here are the performances you’ll have access to after registering for Winter 2025 GeNarrations: 

Saturday, February 8th – 7:30pm 

Sunday, February 9th – 7:30pm 

Wednesday, February 12th – 7:30pm 

Thursday, February 13th -7:30pm 

Friday, February 14th – 7:30pm 

Saturday, February 15th – 2:00pm 

Saturday, February 15th – 7:30pm  

*Please note – participants will only have access to tickets AFTER registration. Please do not contact box office until successfully registering for a winter 2025 GeNarrations class.  

Winter 2025 Classes

In-PERSON ▼

VIRTUAL ▼

ADVANCED ▼

In-Person Classes

These classes take place exclusively in-person at sites around the city and are open to all participants. Unless otherwise noted, classes begin the week of February 3rd and meet once a week for seven weeks. Classes run approximately two hours.

• Mondays at 12:00pm with Melisha Mitchell – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.)
• Tuesdays at 2:00pm with Liam Collier – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Willye B. White Park (1610 W Howard St.)
• Tuesdays at 3:00pm with Geneva Norman – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.)
• Wednesdays at 10:00am with Liam Collier – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Willye B. White Park (1610 W Howard St.)
• Wednesdays at 10:00am with Julie Ganey – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.)
• Wednesdays at 11:00am with Geneva Norman – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Englewood Senior Satellite Center (653 W 63rd St.)
• Wednesdays at 1:00pm with Julie Ganey – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St.)
  
• Thursdays at 11:00am with Sharon Evans – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Homan Square Community Center (3517 W Arthington St.)
• Thursdays at 1:00pm with Melisha Mitchell – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Norwood Park Senior Center (5801 N Natoma Ave)
• Fridays at 12:30pm with Sharon Evans – REGISTER NOW
  Location: Portage Park Senior Center (4100 N Long Ave)