On November 16, the Goodman Theater opened its doors for the first showing of its 47th annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” This year marked a new beginning for the show, as a new Scrooge has been cast after 16 years. However, not only is there a new Scrooge, there is also a new Johnston, Peter Cratchit, and Turkey Boy: all of whom are played by Parker junior Xavier Irons.
Irons has been performing for nearly 10 years, starting when he was just 6 years old doing acting camps at the Second City. His parents, also actors, have inspired him to pursue acting. He has performed in multiple shows and has even been a guest star on the Disney Channel series “Saturdays.” His casting in the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol,” was no easy journey, though.
The process started in late September when Irons’ father, who had been cast in the show as Bob Cratchit, heard that there was going to be an open call for youth roles in the show. Early the next morning, the two of them went to the Goodman Theater for Irons’ audition.
The audition was split into two segments: a monologue reading and a singing portion. “I actually messed up my monologue at the beginning of the audition,” Irons said. “I just got up there and totally blanked, but thankfully they let me restart.” A couple of days after the initial audition, Irons received a callback. He auditioned again, this time with lines from the actual show, and then a couple of days later, he received the final callback.
“There were only about 20 kids there, so it was definitely nerve wracking to know that I was amongst the best kids,” Irons said. Leaving the audition, Irons felt simultaneously confident and nervous. All of his nerves faded away when only two days later, he received an email from the Goodman Theater reading: Congratulations! You have been cast in “A Christmas Carol”!
“I’ve never been so happy,” Irons said. “Especially because I worked so hard, and I get to now act alongside my dad.”
On October 16, Irons attended the first of many rehearsals. Irons was concerned with balancing schoolwork with the show, as rehearsals were every other day. Since November 14, showtimes have been everyday except Mondays. “It was definitely the hardest part of the entire process,” Irons said. He was missing days of school for the show during the early rehearsal stages, so he was acting, catching up on classwork, and doing homework simultaneously.
“It was all worth it once I got on stage for the first time,” Irons said. “Seeing everybody cheer at the end of the performance is just an amazing feeling.” On November 20, 47 Parker students and faculty went to watch Irons in his production, spreading Parker spirit into the theater. “It was definitely more nerve wracking and a lot more pressure to know all these people came to see me,” Irons said. “But, it was worth it because when everyone surprised me outside the stage door and cheered. It was the highlight of my life.”
“A Christmas Carol” is not the extent of Irons’ performing career this season. On December 6, he, along with the other children in the play, sang at the tree lighting ceremony at Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville. On December 9, they sang the national anthem at the Chicago Bulls game.
Irons wants to pursue acting as an adult, not just because he loves it, but because he wants to make an impact. “I want to be known as a great actor and be able to influence people,” Irons said. “That’s why I am building my resumé and working now.” He also wants to carry on his family legacy of acting and make his parents proud.
“Acting is truly what I love,” Irons said. “I want to become an actor who can make an impact on the world, and this is just the beginning.”
