GENARRATIONS

A storytelling performance workshop for adults 55+.

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

Registration for the spring 2025 session will open on April 14th, 2025 at 10:00am. The session will begin the week of April 28th and culminate with final performances the week of June 9th.

This session, Citywide will be split into two performances taking place on Tuesday, June 17th and Wednesday, June 18th.

GeNarrations Stories

This session, participants will craft personal narratives based themes in the Goodman’s production of BUST written by Zora Howard and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz.

We are excited to offer every registered participant (2) complimentary tickets to the Goodman’s production of BUST. Participants can call the box office or visit https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/bust/ using code GENS to secure their tickets. Participants have access to the entire run of the show, excluding weekend matinees.

You will only have access to tickets after successfully registering for a spring 2025 class. If you run into any trouble booking tickets, please reach out to carlozenner@goodmantheatre.org before continuing with box office staff.

How to Join a Class

Registration for the spring 2025 session will open on April 14th at 10:00am and close on April 21st at 10:00am.

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

Please note: You will not be able to signup for classes until registration opens. We recommend accessing your account (Step 1) before registration opens.

Here’s how it works!

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. After signing in, you may be taken to a calendar of our season or the main Goodman webpage. Don’t worry, you’ve been logged in and can move to the next step!
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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-12:00pm CST on April 14th 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

Spring 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 April 28th and meet once a week for seven weeks. Classes run approximately two hours.

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

VIRTUAL Classes

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

Mondays at 11:30am with Cynthia Cornelius
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Mondays at 12:00pm with Willa Taylor
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Mondays at 5:30pm with Deb Lewis
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Tuesdays at 1:00pm with Barbara McBee
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Tuesdays at 3:30pm with Deb Lewis
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
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Wednesdays at 2:00pm with Barbara McBee
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Thursdays at 3:00pm with Julie Ganey
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Fridays at 11:00am with Paul Michael Thomson
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Fridays at 1:30pm with Deb Lewis
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom
Fridays at 5:00pm with Liam Collier
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom – This class will start a week earlier on April 25th.
Saturdays at 10:00am with Laura Stempel
Location: This is an online class that takes place over Zoom