Coming Soon in the Owen

In just two and a half weeks, Danai Gurira’s sharp new historical drama, The Convert, will open in the Owen. This world premiere by Ms. Gurira, who Goodman audiences may remember as the author and star of In the Continuum, which played in the Owen five years ago, takes place in 1895 in the country that would one day become Zimbabwe as it’s in the midst of British colonism. There, we meet Jekesai, a headstrong teenage girl who escapes a forced marriage by becoming the protégé of a black Catholic catechist, Childford. (Buy tickets here.)

The Convert as a co-production between the Goodman, McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, and Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, which means the production will have three runs—one at the McCarter, where it is currently playing, one here, which starts on February 25, and one in Los Angeles, which begins on April 17. For a preview of what’s in store, check out the show’s review in The New York Times.



Top: Pascale Armand in The Convert. Bottom: Pascale Armand and Warner Joseph Miller in The Convert. Photos by T. Charles Erickson.

Conversations on Race

By Nazihah Adil, Institutional Giving Assistant

On January 18, Goodman Theatre hosted an Artist Encounter featuring Race. Through intimate conversations about the process of creating theater, the Artist Encounter series connects audiences with theater artists who bring productions to life on stage. The Race event engaged attendees in a conversation that both illuminated the production and acted as a catalyst for deeper exploration into its themes. With the Chicago Sun-Times’ Laura Washington as moderator of the conversation, Goodman Resident Director and director of Race Chuck Smith took to the stage alongside a distinguished group of theater artists to discuss the role of artists in advancing dialogue about race in America.

Mission: Homefront

By Willa J. Taylor, Director of Education and Community Engagement

The transition from war zone to home front can often be difficult for the troops returning, their families and their communities. In recognition of the official withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Goodman Theatre, in collaboration with partners across the city, presents a series of events for military personnel, their families and our community to foster conversations and spark dialogue about the price of freedom.

Our Mission: Homefront events kicked off with Community Day on December 31, 2011 and was followed by the first presentation of Theater of War on January 18. Just this morning, Aaron Hughes, of the Warrior Writers Project, and Rachael Hudak, of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance, led a public reflective writing workshop exploring “Radical Vulnerability” (hosted at the National Veterans Art Museum). Check out our upcoming events—we'd love to see you there!

Photo: Elizabeth Laidlaw as Ajax in a reading of Sophocles' Ajax. Photo by Teresa Rende.

Discovering Mamet's Race

By Charlie O'Malley, Literary Intern

“When a white person asks a black person a question such as, ‘What is it like to be black?’ the black person knows that it is not a question as a means of inquiry and discovery, but a test for which the white person perceives a right or wrong answer of which that white person is presumed to be the judge. This it seems to me is the role that David Mamet has assumed as the author of Race, and his authority, ability and means to do so is not because of any scholarship or social practice that may give him any particular insights into issues of race, but because he is an entitled, privileged white male in contemporary American society whose name is David Mamet.”

Race Starts Next Week!

Now that the festive Christmas Carol season is behind us we're looking forward to our next play, David Mamet's Race. Race, a swift 90-minute drama, chronicles what happens when a pair of lawyers—one black, one white—are called to defend a wealthy white client accused of raping a young African American woman. As in most Mamet plays (and in life), the evidence at hand isn't as straightforward as it seems.

Performances of Race start next Saturday, January 14; buy tickets here if you haven't already!

Photo: Geoffrey Owens (Henry), Marc Grapey (Jack) and Patrick Clear (Charles) in rehearsal for Race. Photo by Chuck Osgood.

A First Meeting With A Christmas Carol

By Ilene Sørbøe, Artistic Intern and Assistant to the Director of A Christmas Carol

I was born and raised in Norway. This August, I moved to Chicago to be an artistic intern at Goodman Theatre for the fall season. I was informed beforehand that I would be working on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I had an idea of the story—its plot, characters and message. What I did not know was the production’s deeply rooted tradition in American theater. It didn’t take me long to realize just how much this Christmas tale means to the Goodman’s audiences.

The holidays are a time of traditions. Year after year, we hang up the same Christmas decorations, eat the same food and listen to the same Christmas music. These actions are more than a routine or a habit. We do them because they are necessary steps towards finding our Christmas spirit. These steps worked last year, and the year before last year—why fix something if it isn’t broken?

Photo: Larry Yando (Ebenezer Scrooge) in A Christmas Carol. Photo by Eric Y. Exit.

Christmas in the Owen

By Liz Rice, Education and Community Engagement Intern

With Christmas just a few weeks away, the sights, sounds, and spirits (both literal and theoretical) of the holiday have taken over the Goodman. A Christmas Carol is in full swing in the Albert Theatre, but the Dickensian classic isn’t the only holiday show up and running—on December 5, Congo Square Theatre Company opened their holiday show, an interpretation of the birth of Jesus, The Nativity, in the Owen. Adapted from Langston Hughes’ gospel musical, Black Nativity, The Nativity features not only gospel, but soul, blues and R & B music with extraordinary dance numbers by the cast and soloists Kathleen Purcell Turner (Mary) and Kevin Dirckson (Joseph), who execute the passion and emotion of Mary and Joseph through choreographed modern dance routines.

In the swift two-hour show, the angel Gabriel narrates the birth of Jesus Christ through the gospels of Luke and Matthew. The story begins as Mary is called on by the angel and told that she is the mother of the son of God, and follows her and her betrothed, Joseph, as they travel to Bethlehem and later Egypt. The set calls to mind the arid desert of Israel under Roman rule, and Congo Square mixes in aspects of traditional African culture into the story through tribal dance, costumes, and the use of a stool, a symbol of royalty power for the Ashanti people and other African cultures. Musical numbers like “God is Good” gracefully demonstrate these multicultural mixtures in the pretext of modern music.

The Nativity’s story may be over 2000 years old, but the production is young and fresh, enlivened with pop culture references and memorable and “soul”-ful performances. The Nativity runs through December 31; don’t miss it while it’s here!

My First Christmas Carol

By Shanequa Beal, Fan and Belinda Cratchit in A Christmas Carol

Today we get a look inside the process of creating A Christmas Carol from one of its youngest cast members, Shanequa Beal.

This is my first time in A Christmas Carol and I love it! Actually, I just love the Goodman Theater! I was kind of nervous when I first walked in because I didn't know if I was going to get along with the adults and the rest of the young performers but they are all really nice. The adults help and comfort us when we really need it. I also really love working with the other young performers, surprisingly we all get along pretty well! I share a dressing room with Emma Gordon. In A Christmas Carol she plays Emily Cratchit and Want. Emma is an absolute sweetheart. We always have fun with each other. Emma is like a little sister that I always wanted.

A Christmas Carol was not a piece of cake. It required a lot of hours of work, memorizing and tons energy! At one point we worked a 50 hour week. Yes, I was really tired and missed school often but it was totally worth it. Honestly, my two favorite scenes are the Fezziwig scene and the last counting house scene. I feel the Fezziwig scene is when we let loose and enjoy ourselves the most. The last counting scene is so funny! Larry Yando is just awesome in general! I actually leave the dressing room early just so I can watch it!

It is an amazing experience to be in the show and I thank everyone, Steve Scott and the rest of the cast, for making me feel as comfortable as possible. If you haven't seen A Christmas Carol, I recommend you to come and see it. Just watch out for Jacob Marley :)

Love,
Shanequa Beal <3 :)

Photo: Emily Gordon (left) and Shanequa Beal (right) in rehearsal for A Christmas Carol. Photo by Eric Y. Exit.

Behind the Scenes of A Christmas Carol

Our annual production of A Christmas Carol has opened, officially, and is up and running in the Albert Theatre. Even though we’ve been working from the same script for several years (Tom Creamer’s adaptation), each production of A Christmas Carol is unique in its own way, and this year’s show is a particularly notable contrast from the last several seasons, as it marks the return of Steve Scott at the helm as director.

We spent several weeks in the rehearsal hall with the cast of A Christmas Carol as they worked hard to put together this extravagant production—which features ghosts, flying, choreographed dancing, and many actors slipping in and out of multiple roles—documenting their process. Check out our video, plus additional A Christmas Carol–related goodies, on the Goodman’s YouTube page.

Photo: Ebenezer Scrooge (Larry Yando) and the Ghost of Christmas Present (Penelope Walker) in A Christmas Carol. Photo by Eric Y. Exit.

Closing, Opening

New Stages Amplified closes this weekend, with the final few performances of Seth Bockley’s Ask Aunt Susan in the Owen. If you haven’t had a chance to see this irreverent new play—which was inspired by Nathanael West’s 1930s novella Miss Lonelyhearts—do so this weekend; Bockley’s modern spin on the dark and comic Depression-era book is original, fresh, visually dazzling and bound to return to the American stage at a later date, and New Stages Amplified offers you the opportunity to see it now while it’s still in development.

Meanwhile, as one show closes another one opens, and tonight marks the first preview performance of A Christmas Carol. We’ll have much more Carol coverage through the end of the year. For now, check out our interview with its director, Steve Scott, or experience behind-the-scenes videos of A Christmas Carols past on our website.

Go here for tickets to either show.

Photo: Andy Carey (Aunt Susan) in Ask Aunt Susan. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Revisiting the Past, Reanimating the Present

By Lesley Gibson, Publications Coordinator

The Goodman’s 34th annual production of A Christmas Carol opens this Friday, November 18. This year marks the return of director Steve Scott to the holiday classic after an almost 20-year hiatus at the helm—he last directed the 1989 – 1992 productions. Shortly before rehearsals began, he talked to us about his plans for the production, the ghosts, and the process of tucking surprises into a holiday tradition.

Tickets to A Christmas Carol always sell out quickly—don't miss out!

Photo: Steve Scott in rehearsal for A Christmas Carol. Photo by Eric Y. Exit.

Coming Soon...

Christmas is slowly taking over downtown Chicago. For weeks now, workers have been busy constructing the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza—a block from the Goodman—and since late October the sounds of the season have been wafting through the halls here at the Goodman, courtesy of the rehearsing cast of A Christmas Carol. This week, the set is being built on the Albert stage, and miscellaneous props—artificial gourds, a bed, faux brick buildings—are turning up left and right backstage.

Whether or not one celebrates, enjoys, or can barely tolerate the Christmas season, it’s hard not to look forward to A Christmas Carol. It is, after all, based on the work of Charles Dickens, arguably one of the best story tellers in the history of the English language. Plus, there are ghosts! And time traveling. And actors flying above the stage. And even with all of these fantastical elements, it maintains its integrity as a story of one man’s personal redemption. What’s not to like?

A Christmas Carol starts performances next Friday, November 18.

Aunt Susan and the Age of the Internet

By Charlie O’Malley, Literary Management and Dramaturgy Intern

Each year, the Goodman’s literary department commissions four Chicago-based playwrights to create new works under the auspices of the Goodman Playwrights Unit. This year we are blessed to be working with Nambi E. Kelly, Elaine Romero, Philip Dawkins and Martín Zimmerman. Each month, the playwrights, Tanya Palmer, our director of new play development, and Neena Arndt, associate dramaturg, all meet to read, discuss and improve upon their projects. Ask Aunt Susan, our final partially produced play of New Stages Amplified, was written by Seth Bockley as part of last year’s Playwrights Unit and begins performances this Thursday in the Owen Theatre. Ask Aunt Susan pointedly looks at identity, anonymity and the nature of honesty in the internet age. The Goodman is thrilled to close the series with this sharp, witty new comedy.

Photo: Andy Carey (Aunt Susan) in rehearsal for Ask Aunt Susan. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Goings On at the Goodman

The next few days at the Goodman promise much excitement, with the closing performances of our limited-run production of Kathleen Tolan’s Chicago Boys this weekend, plus a FREE public reading of Laura Jacqmin’s Two Lakes, Two Rivers on Monday. Both shows are part of our ongoing New Stages Amplified series, which continues next week with the opening of our final produced play, Seth Bockley’s Ask Aunt Susan. Each of the New Stages plays features an exclusive look at a new work, plus, the post-show discussions offer a glimpse into the mysterious play development process. Be there.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the Healy rehearsal room A Christmas Carol rehearsals are in full swing. The big loading in of the set into the Albert Theatre began today, and boxed set pieces and shrink-wrapped holiday adornments have been turning up backstage all week. Stay tuned…

Photo: Derek Gaspar and Sandra Delgado in Chicago Boys. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Broadway via Chicago

By Jenny Seidelman, Campaign Manager

Regular blog readers may recall that after our summer show Chinglish closed, most of the cast headed to New York to take on Broadway. If you’ve been keeping up with the Chicago Tribune, The Economist, or The New York Times, you may have noticed last week our favorite comedy of miscommunication as finally opened on the Great White Way! If you’re in New York, check it out.

Of course, this isn’t the first time a Goodman show has made it to Broadway. The Internet Broadway Database lists more than 20 productions in Broadway history that started at the Goodman. Highlights include:

The Real Chicago Boys: Understanding an Economic Revolution

By Nazihah Adil, Institutional Giving Assistant

Chicago Boys, the second play in our New Stages Amplified series, explores the economic policies that shaped the 1973 Chilean coup d’état. Named after a group of young Chilean economists who trained largely under the renowned economist Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago or the affiliate Catholic University of Chile, Chicago Boys offers a glimpse into the revolutionary ideas that went on to form the foundations of Chilean economic policy under the regime of Augusto Pinochet.

Photo of Derek Gaspar and Brad Armacost by Michael Brosilow

Night of Two Openings

Tonight the second of our New Stages Amplified plays begins performances in the Owen, as Kathleen Tolan’s Chicago Boys takes the stage. This will be the second turn in the Owen for Chicago Boys—an earlier draft of the play, which is a fictional account of a young American protégé of economist Milton Friedman who finds himself caught up in the Chilean military coup in the 1970s, was featured as a staged reading in the New Sages festival this past January. As this is the second of our three partially produced plays, Chicago Boys will have only through Sunday, November 6, and tickets start at only $10; be there!

Meanwhile, tonight in New York our summer hit Chinglish officially opens on Broadway. Since the show transferred to New York, playwright David Henry Hwang has been keeping up with his blog—check it out for an update on our favorite bilingual comedy.

Photo: Alfredo Huereca and Derek Gaspar in rehearsal for Chicago Boys. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Seeing Red: Rothko in Pop Culture

By Teresa Rende, Education and Community Engagement Associate

In Red, playwright John Logan paints Mark Rothko as the anti-cool, anti-pop, anti-name-brand-recognition man. As I watched the play and heard Rothko furiously exclaim the likes of Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol were “…trying to kill [him]!” I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d think of his own place in pop culture today. Not only did the thought of a soup can as art infuriate Logan’s Rothko, but he also believed that artists like Jackson Pollock suffered early deaths and artistic stagnation because of their popular success.

In Red, Rothko himself steps back from this direction by recanting his big commercial commission and keeping his work. While he saved the murals the dubious distinction of “over mantels” by pulling them from the Four Seasons before they arrived, he did not save himself from the eye of pop culture. Some might argue that his change of heart made him an even more iconic figure than if he had simply handed the paintings over.

Photo of Edward Gero by Liz Lauren.

News and Notes

New Stages Amplified is in full swing, with our limited-run production of Dartmoor Prison already coming to a close this Sunday. On Saturday, the night before its last performance, we’ll be hosting an Artists Encounter in the Polk rehearsal room with the playwrights of the three produced New Stages Amplified plays. For an hour starting at 6:30pm, our Director of New Play Development, Tanya Palmer, will moderate a conversation between Carlyle Brown, Kathleen Tolan, Seth Bockley and a small audience.

Artist Encounters are one of our more under-the-radar audience engagement events, and they can be especially informative because their intimate nature—they typically include 50 – 100 audience members—allows attendees to talk directly to the artists, shaping the conversation as it moves along. Plus, they’re free to subscribers, students, and Goodman donors, and only $5 for everyone else. Be there.

Photo: (left to right) Steve Pickering, Charles Stransky, Dexter Zollicoffer, and Will Allan in Dartmoor Prison. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Nurturing New Work

By Andrew Knight, Assistant to the Associate Producer

With News Stages Amplified officially up and running—Dartmoor Prison had its first performance last Thursday and both Chicago Boys and Ask Aunt Susan are now in rehearsals—there’s a lot of talk about new work at the Goodman and, specifically, the theater’s role in developing it.

This word—developing—is bandied about quite a bit in reference to new plays, perhaps because it’s so inclusive. After all, the Goodman’s role as an institution in premiering new work is vast and varied. The ultimate goal, of course, is to produce the play by assembling actors, a director, designers, and other artists to present the piece to an audience. It’s a simple process in theory, but it takes a lot of time and effort; it requires adequate financing and material resources, an audience, and a level of trust between the artists and the institution to ensure the play can evolve and grow.

Photo: Cedric Young in Dartmoor Prison. Photo by Michael Brosilow.