Robert Falls News

Director Robert Falls and actors Mary Beth Fisher and Francis Guinan talk about the process of bringing Anton Chekhov's The Seagull to Goodman Theatre at a special discussion on Sunday, November 7 at 6:30pm, following the matinee performance. Moderated by Steppenwolf Theatre Company Artistic Director Martha Lavey, this conversation is part of the theater's Artists Talk series, a unique opportunity for audiences to connect directly with the artists from Goodman productions. Tickets to the Artists Talk are $10 ($5 for Goodman subscribers); 312.443.3800. The Seagull runs through November 14 in the Goodman's Owen Theatre. The culmination of two years of research and preparation, this production of The Seagull marks a departure from Falls' recent large-scale work-and a focus on the method of Konstantin Stanislavsky, the man often credited as 'the father of modern theater.' As previously announced, the ensemble cast of 14 includes Will Allan, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Rebecca Buller, Cliff Chamberlain, Laura T. Fisher, Mary Beth Fisher, Dieterich Gray, Stephen Louis Grush, Francis Guinan, Scott Jaeck, Kelly O'Sullivan, Steve Pickering, Demetrios Troy and Heather Wood. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the Contributing Sponsor of The Seagull.

Dallas Theater Center and Goodman Theatre proudly present the world premiere of The Trinity River Plays, written by Oak Cliff native Regina Taylor, directed by Ethan McSweeny.

Dallas Theater Center and The Goodman Theatre proudly present the world premiere of The Trinity River Plays, written by Oak Cliff native Regina Taylor, directed by Ethan McSweeny.

Goodman Theatre proudly launches the Playwrights' Unit Unit-a brand new season-long residency program designed to nurture Chicago's most promising playwrights. The four inaugural writers, selected by Artistic Director and Director of New Play Development Robert Falls and the Goodman's artistic staff, are Seth Bockley (Jon, The Twins Would Like to Say; winner of the Goodman's 2009 Ofner Prize), Lisa Dillman (Detail of a Larger Work, Rock Shore), Laura Jacqmin (Ski Dubai, Look, We are Breathing) and Rohina M Malik alik (Yasmina's Necklace, Unveiled). The writers will develop new plays over the course of the residency, culminating in final readings of their works-in-progress in Spring 2011. The Playwrights' Unit is part of the Goodman's ongoing initiatives to commission and develop new plays. This ambitious program has resulted in such plays as the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner Ruined by Lynn Nottage and the upcoming Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl and Mary by Thomas Bradshaw-as well as the New Stages Series (January 14 - 16 and 21 - 23, 2011).

Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime) will direct Tony Award nominee Xanthe Elbrick (Coram Boy) in the world premiere production of Venus Flytrap by Anthony Dodge. Venus Flytrap will begin performances on November 4, 2010 at The Workshop Theater.

Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime) will direct Tony Award nominee Xanthe Elbrick (Coram Boy) in the world premiere production of Venus Flytrap by Anthony Dodge.

Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime) will direct Tony Award nominee Xanthe Elbrick (Coram Boy) in the world premiere production of Venus Flytrap by Anthony Dodge. Venus Flytrap will begin performances on November 4, 2010 at The Workshop Theater.

Dallas Theater Center and Goodman Theatre proudly present the world premiere of The Trinity River Plays, written by Oak Cliff native Regina Taylor, directed by Ethan McSweeny.

Goodman Theatre extends Robert Falls' acclaimed new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull by one week due to high demand for tickets.

Ohio State Theatre returns to the Southern to present the Tony Award-winning, pop-rock musical Aida, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and direction by Jimmy Bohr. Based on the book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, this contemporary take on a classic love story tells the tale of a forbidden love between an enslaved Nubian princess and an Egyptian soldier forced to face death or part forever. Together, they set a shining example of true devotion that ultimately transcends the vast cultural differences between their warring nations, heralding a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity.

Actress/musician Gwendoline Yeo (Desperate Housewives) brings Laughing with My Mouth Wide Open, the sharply observed and riotously funny story of her cultural journey from Singapore to America, to Hollywood's El Centro Theatre beginning November 20.

Goodman Theatre celebrates its 10th season in Chicago's North Loop Theatre District with a fresh take on an enduring masterpiece- Candide, Voltaire's effervescent, picaresque adventure, newly adapted and directed by Chicago's own Mary Zimmerman, the Goodman's Manilow Resident Director. A cast of 19 and an orchestra of 12, under the direction of Music Director Doug Peck, bring to life nearly 30 songs in Leonard Bernstein's glorious score, and recreate Voltaire's satirical story of Candide (Geoff Packard)-a young optimist shipwrecked, soldiered, swindled and separated (repeatedly) from his true love, Cunegonde (Lauren Molina). For this major revival, Zimmerman has tapped her signature design team-Daniel Ostling (Set), Mara Blumenfeld (Costumes), T.J. Gerkens (Lighting) and Richard Woodbury (Sound). Danny Pelzig choreographs the cataclysmic events that ensue.

A Red Orchid Theatre opens its 2010-2011 season with Louis Slotin Sonata, written by Paul Mullin and directed by Ensemble Member Karen Kessler. The production will run September 10 - October 24, 2010 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. Press opening is September 13, 2010 at 7pm.

The Goodman Theatre is proud to present their 2010-2011 Season Dates. Tickets for these shows can be bought online at www.goodmantheatre.org, by phone at (312) 443-3800, or in person at 170 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60601.

Director Robert Falls and actors Mary Beth Fisher and Francis Guinan talk about the process of bringing Anton Chekhov's The Seagull to Goodman Theatre at a special discussion on Sunday, November 7 at 6:30pm, following the matinee performance. Moderated by Steppenwolf Theatre Company Artistic Director Martha Lavey, this conversation is part of the theater's Artists Talk series, a unique opportunity for audiences to connect directly with the artists from Goodman productions. Tickets to the Artists Talk are $10 ($5 for Goodman subscribers); 312.443.3800. The Seagull runs through November 14 in the Goodman's Owen Theatre. The culmination of two years of research and preparation, this production of The Seagull marks a departure from Falls' recent large-scale work-and a focus on the method of Konstantin Stanislavsky, the man often credited as 'the father of modern theater.' As previously announced, the ensemble cast of 14 includes Will Allan, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Rebecca Buller, Cliff Chamberlain, Laura T. Fisher, Mary Beth Fisher, Dieterich Gray, Stephen Louis Grush, Francis Guinan, Scott Jaeck, Kelly O'Sullivan, Steve Pickering, Demetrios Troy and Heather Wood. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the Contributing Sponsor of The Seagull.

Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime) will direct Tony Award nominee Xanthe Elbrick (Coram Boy) in the world premiere production of Venus Flytrap by Anthony Dodge. Venus Flytrap will begin performances on November 4, 2010 at The Workshop Theater.

The New York Times has just broke the news that stage and screen vet Philip Seymour Hoffman and Linda Emond will lead a revival of Death of a Salesman on Broadway as Willy and Linda Loman. The production will be directed by Mike Nicols and open on Broadway next fall. Hoffman and Nicols have been working out details for the production for months, according the report. The pair last collaborated on 2001 production of the Seagull in Central Park.

Goodman Theatre announces the 12-member cast for Robert Fall's intimate new production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (rehearsals begin August 24, tickets go on sale August 13). This 19th century masterpiece is brought to life by a company including Francis Guinan (August: Osage County; The Grapes of Wrath) in his Goodman debut as the retired judge Peter Sorin and Mary Beth Fisher (Rock 'N' Roll; The Year of Magical Thinking) as his sister, Irina Arkadina, a beautiful, selfish actress. Also joining the cast are Janet Ulrich Brooks (Polina); Rebecca Buller (Maid); Cliff Chamberlain (Boris Trigorin, Irina's young lover), Dietrich Gray (Yakov); Stephen Louis Grush (Konstantin Trepliov, Irina's twenty-five year old playwright son); Scott Jaeck (Dr. Eugene Dorn); Kelly O'Sullivan (Masha); Steve Pickering (Ilia Shamrayev, Sorin's estate manager); Demetrios Troy (Simon Medvendenko); and Heather Wood (Nina Zarietchnaya). The Seagull runs October 16 - November 14, 2010 in the Owen Theatre; tickets are $10 - $45. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the Contributing Sponsor of The Seagull.Artistic Director Robert Falls returns to the work of Anton Chekhov following previous productions of Three Sisters at the Goodman (1995, with a cast including Calista Flockhart, Susan Bruce and Jenny Bacon) and Orchards: Seven American Playwrights Present Stories by Chekhov (1986, adaptations by Maria Irene Fornes, Spalding Gray, John Guare, David Mamet, Wendy Wasserstein, Michael Weller and Samm-Art Williams-The Acting Company/New York, tour with off-Broadway opening).

Dallas Theater Center and The Goodman Theatre proudly present the world premiere of The Trinity River Plays, written by Oak Cliff native Regina Taylor, directed by Ethan McSweeny.

When the curtain rises on this evening's opening night performance of Candide, Goodman Theatre launches its 10th season in the heart of Chicago's Theatre District established by Mayor Richard M. Daley. More than two million patrons have experienced 127 productions and presentations from an aesthetic and culturally diverse group of artists and companies-including nearly 30 world premieres, of which 25 were new-work commissions-and programs over the past decade.