Goodman Theatre Announces Lineup for the Eighth Annual New Stages Series

Brand-new plays from six contemporary, diverse voices of the American theater come together for two weekends in Goodman Theatre's 2011 New Stages Series, January 14 - 23, 2011.

Director of New Play Development Tanya Palmer and the Goodman's artistic team have selected for the eighth annual New Stages Series: Comm Comm by Seth Bockley; The Convert by Danai Gurira; Reverb by Leslye Headland; Black n' Blue Boys/Broken Men by Dael Orlandersmith; Picked by Christopher Shinn; and Chicago Boys by Kathleen Tolan. Descriptions of these plays appear on page 2 of this release. The series of script-in-hand staged readings takes place in the Goodman's Owen Theatre and are open to the public.

Tickets are free, but reservations are required: GoodmanTheatre.org or 312.443.3800 (members of the media only: 312.443.5151).

"Our New Stages Series is one of the most important and exciting elements of our artistic programming," said Tanya Palmer, Goodman Theatre's director of new play development. "It is vital not only as a platform for emerging playwrights from around the country to develop their latest work, but also for audiences to experience the latest developments in American theater."

The Goodman's New Stages Series-as well as the new Playwrights' Unit-is part of the Goodman's ongoing initiatives to commission and develop new plays and cultivate emerging American writers. New Stages has provided the first look at nearly 40 new plays, many of which have gone on to receive world-premiere productions at the Goodman-including The Trinity River Plays by ReGina Taylor (January 15 - February 20, 2011 in the Albert) and Mary by Thomas Bradshaw (February 5 - March 6, 2011 in the Owen). Others have been produced at theaters across the country, including Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater in New York, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, American Theatre Company and Geffen Playhouse. A complete list of these productions is available upon request.

New work at the Goodman is supported in part by generous grants from the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation and The Glasser and Rosenthal Family, the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Awards, Prince Charitable Trusts' Prince Prize for Commissioning Original Work, and was instituted by the Lester and Hope Abelson Fund for Artistic Development. The Davee Foundation is a major contributor to research and development for new work; The Joyce Foundation provides principal support for Artistic Development and Diversity Initiatives; and Prince Charitable Trusts is the leading contributor to the Goodman's New Works Endowment Fund.

Goodman Theatre Announces Lineup for 2011 New Stages Series 2011 New Stages Series
(Plays, dates and artists subject to change)
Reverb
By Leslye Headland Directed by Stuart Carden Friday, January 14 at 7pm

IIndie-rocker Dorian is doing his singer-songwriter thing, abandoning his band Ringfinger (or is it Hipster Bike Sale?) in hopes of making a gorgeous symphony out of the chaos of his existence-and in particular his relationship with his muse girlfriend, June. But behind closed doors they keep their relationship alive with violence and painful explosions of abuse-their present controlled by a painful past that reverberates throughout their lives. Los Angeles-based playwright and screenwriter Leslye Headland is also the author of Bachelorette.

The Convert
Written and directed by Danai Gurira Saturday, January 15 at 7pm
Set in southern Africa in the late nineteenth century, The Convert tells the story of a young
girl who escapes a polygamous marriage by becoming the newest convert of a stalwart black Catholic, whose support of the British makes him a figure of fun and suspicion to his fellow Africans. Her gratitude and devotion to her new faith is complicated by the culture and family she loves, but finds herself disassociating from. When a civil uprising against coloniAl White rule grips the region, she is forced to examine where here loyalties lie. Actor/playwright Danai Gurira is a recipient of the Drama League and Obie Awards. Her play In the Continuum appeared at the Goodman in 2007.

Picked
By Christopher Shinn Directed by Joanie Schultz Sunday, January 16 at 7pm
Kevin, a young actor, is given the chance of a lifetime: he will play both the villain and the hero in a big-budget feature film. But it turns out Kevin may be in for more than he bargained for. John, the film's director and writer, develops a script drawn from the most personal depths of Kevin's psychology. The project becomes unexpectedly intimate, and even after the film is complete, Kevin cannot shake that feeling. Christopher Shinn's hauntingly comic play explores the ups and downs of being "picked." Obie Award-winner and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Christopher Shinn is also the author of Dying City.

Black n' Blue Boys/Broken Men
By Dael Orlandersmith A Goodman Theatre co-commission with Berkeley Repertory Theatre Directed by Chay Yew Friday, January 21 at 7pm
In Black n' Blue Boys/Broken Men playwright/performer Dael Orlandersmith portrays six male characters whose outward dissimilarities belie their inextricable link: a history of violent abuse. Each character relates his harrowing story with humanity and grace, laying bare his relationships with parents, peers, lovers and strangers. In this jarringly poetic script, Orlandersmith shines a light into the darkest corners of society and gives voice to those who are too often silent. An Obie Award-winner and Pulitzer Prize-finalist, Dael Orlandersmith's solo performance piece Stoop Stories appeared in the Goodman's 2009/2010 Season.

CComm Comm
Written and directed by Seth Bockley Adapted from a story by George Saunders Saturday, January 22 at 7pm
It's another day in the office of Community Communications at the DeLong Air Force Base-except the base is closing and there's a funny smell coming from the copier closet. Ron Rimney, the boss from hell, promises Jim a job at the soon-to-be-built Dirksen Center for Terror if he'll help him get rid of the smell, but Jim finds that executing that particular order is more complicated-practically and ethically-than he'd first imagined. This strange, funny and ultimately moving new play is the latest collaboration between adaptor Seth Bockley and MacArthur Award-winning fiction writer George Saunders. Seth Bockley is the recipient of the 2009 Ofner Prize and an inaugural member of the Goodman's Playwrights' Unit.

Chicago Boys
By Kathleen Tolan Directed by Kimberly Senior Sunday, January 23 at 7pm
Joe, a young economist whose mentor is the brilliant Milton Friedman of the University of Chicago, finds himself in Santiago, Chile in 1973. An unstable situation erupts into a coup; mass killings and disappearances soon follow, and Joe suddenly finds himself in a murky world when the new government anoints "los Chicago Boys" as their economists. As he navigates a love affair with a woman whose brother has disappeared and a friendship with a fellow American whose dark past erodes his present, Joe discovers that theory and practice collide in a very messy world. Kathleen Tolan's most recent play Memory House premiered at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

About Goodman Theatre - Now Celebrating a Decade on Dearborn
Goodman Theatre, "the leading regional theater in the nation's most important theater city" (Time), is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago, generating nearly $300 million in economic impact over the past decade in its state-of-the-art two-theater complex on North Dearborn Street. Founded in 1925 and currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls, "Chicago's most essential director" (Chicago Tribune), and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, Chicago's oldest and largest not-for- profit resident theater has experienced unprecedented success over the past 10 years in its new downtown facility, welcoming nearly 2 million patrons to productions and events-including 10 festivals celebrating playwrights such as David Mamet, August Wilson and Horton Foote, as well as the biennial Latino Theatre Festival-serving 30 percent more students through its Education and Community Engagement programs (including the FREE Student Subscription Series and other interactive programs) and employing more than 3,000 artists and theater professionals. The Goodman has earned more than 90 awards for hundreds of productions, including the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined by Lynn Nottage-one of 25 new-work Goodman commissions in the last decade. The chairman of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees is Patricia Cox and Joan Clifford is President of the Women's Board. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.

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