Sept 15 - Oct 21, 2018
In the
Albert
Approximate running time:
90 minutes, no intermission
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David Cale is "a spellbinding storyteller." – Los Angeles Times
Audiences React to David Cale's Musical Memoir
Exclusive Music Video: "The Feral Child"
David Cale & Matthew Dean Marsh | Music Workshop
Playwright & Performer David Cale | Season Preview
A musical memoir of hope, family and transcendence.
Growing up in an industrial English town, writer/performer David Cale escaped his parents’ fraught marriage by singing in his bedroom and tending to birds in the animal hospital he built in a garden shed—until a tragedy changed everything. Lushly arranged songs and an intimate portrait of his mother—a charismatic woman trapped by her circumstances—unite in Cale’s vivid testament of connecting to life when adversity is suddenly everywhere. With his “singular fusion of theater and performance art” (Chicago Tribune), Cale makes “reality and fantasy dissolve into stories as memorable as one's most vivid dreams” (The New York Times).
Discounted tickets for groups of 10+ available now! Call 312.443.3820 or email Groups@GoodmanTheatre.org for more information.
Photos
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Playwright and performer David Cale in his world premiere solo musical memoir "We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time", directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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Playwright and performer David Cale in his world premiere solo musical memoir "We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time", directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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Playwright and performer David Cale in his world premiere solo musical memoir "We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time", directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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Playwright and performer David Cale in his world premiere solo musical memoir "We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time", directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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David Cale (Floyd), Faryl Millet (Clea), Malcom Ruhl (musician), Dylan Schiavone (musician) and Jon Spiegel (musician) in 2005’s “Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky,” directed by Michael Wilson. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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David Cale in 1991’s “Deep Dream of You,” directed by David Petrarca. Photo by Erik Y. Exit.
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David Cale (Lillian) in 1997’s “Lillian,” directed by Joe Mantello. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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OnStage+
"The past beats inside me like a second heart," says Max Morden, the middle-aged widower in The Sea, a novel by Irish author John Banville. Chances are, we all feel that pulse from time to time. Sometimes it floods us with happy memories.
"As I sing [it's as if] birds are flying out of me. They infuse the orchestra with energy." In We're Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time, David Cale describes his experiences as a nascent entertainer.
Thirty years following his Goodman Theatre debut, David Cale-"a spellbinding storyteller and veteran solo artist who's made his name performing his own character studies" ( The Los Angeles Times) reveals the latest in his long line of theatrical triumphs.
Press & Reviews
David Cale Reaches New Heights in Autobiographical Interview We're Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time The author of Drama Desk-winning Harry Clarke discusses his latest work at Chicago's Goodman Theatre beginning September 15. "The past beats inside me like a second heart," says Max Morden, the middle-aged widower in The Sea, a novel by Irish author, John Banville.
Imagine the worst thing that could possibly happen to you as a child. Now, imagine something worse. For groundbreaking multi-hyphenate David Cale ( singer-composer-actor-writer ), there's no imagine in the exercise. Growing up in one of England's most crime-plagued towns, his childhood would be dismissed as an exploitive, Dickensian knockoff were it the stuff of fiction.
Talks & Events
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Friday, September 21 | Goodman Theatre
Join director Robert Falls in a pre-show reception with a complimentary glass of wine and light appetizers as he discusses bringing We're Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time, a unique musical memoir, to the stage. Afterwards, enjoy a performance of We're Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time. Tickets for the pre-show reception, discussion and performance are just $35. LEARN MORE>>
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Thursday, September 27 | Goodman Theatre
Join us for the first College Night of 2018! Enjoy a pre-show pizza reception where you’ll have the chance to meet fellow theater-loving college students and participate in a conversation with Goodman Theatre artists, before seeing David Cale’s We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time. Tickets are just $10 for current college students. LEARN MORE >>
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Throughout the run | Goodman Theatre
Enhance your theater-going experience with one of our Drinks & Discussion Series events! Stay after select performances for a Post-Show Discussion, arrive a bit early to select performances for a PlayTalk Session, or enjoy an Artist Encounter event. SEE DATES AND TIMES>>
Accessibility
Join us for any of the following accessible performances:
Questions? Please contact 312.443.3800 (voice), 312.443.3829 (TTY/TDD) or email Access@GoodmanTheatre.org.
More details regarding the full range of accessibility services at the Goodman can be found here >>
To reserve discounted tickets, enter promo code AUDIO online. Reservations for the touch tour are available at check-out for not additional charge. For more information, please call the Box Office or email Access@GoodmanTheatre.org.
To reserve discounted tickets, enter promo code SIGN.
To reserve discounted tickets, enter promo code OPEN.
For a full description of all the accessibility features for We're Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time, including information on large print and braille programs, assistive listening devices, accessible seating and further details on our accessible performances, please click below.
SEE ALL ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION FOR THIS PRODUCTION