Goodman Theatre to Premiere FISH MEN in 2012

Goodman Theatre adds the world premiere of Fish Men, Puerto Rican playwright Cándido Tirado's high stakes game of urban chess hustlers, to its upcoming 2011/2012 season line-up. Edward Torres makes his Goodman directorial debut with this second play in a new three-year producing partnership between the Goodman and Teatro Vista?Chicago's first and largest not-for-profit professional Latino theater company.

The world premiere of Tanya Saracho's El Nogalar (through April 24) launched the partnership in which the theaters together develop new work by Latino writers. Tirado's multi-ethnic, multi-generational play runs April 7 - May 6, 2012 (Opening Night is April 16). Still to be announced are two Goodman Theatre productions in the 2011/2012 season. Subscriptions to all eight plays (Albert and Owen Theaters) begin at $163, five-play Albert subscriptions start at $100 and three-play Owen subscriptions start at $63. Call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Subscribe.

"When I graduated from college, I decided I wanted to combine two great loves of my life: writing plays and playing chess!" said playwright Cándido Tirado, who has since become a chess master rated by the United States Chess Federation. "But it wasn't until 2000, as I was walking by the chess tables in Washington Square Park (New York), that the play suddenly revealed itself to me. Outwardly, the play deals with the cruel art of the 'chess hustle'?but underneath it is an exploration of man's inhumanity towards his fellow man. I am thrilled to premiere this play in Chicago, with Teatro Vista and Goodman Theatre."

In Fish Men, a group of chess hustlers engage each other in spirited matches on a hot summer day in Washington Square Park, hoping to draw unsuspecting players into a high-stakes hustle. Their patience is soon rewarded by the appearance of Rey Reyes, a young student who naively agrees to their challenge. As the game progresses, the chess tables are turned?raising the stakes and revealing the traumatic circumstances that have made them seek refuge in a game that has become their obsession. Resounding with biting humor and unexpected pathos, Fish Men focuses on a group of unforgettable characters drawn together by their need to overcome their individual tragedies.