Goodman Theatre News

In partnership, the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) and Arts Alliance Illinois are excited to announce that the next One State Together in the Arts conference will be held in Galesburg, Illinois on October 22 and 23, 2018. Additional pre-conference events for the Illinois Local Arts Network on October 21 will kick off the tenth occasion of this statewide convening for the arts, culture, and creativity.

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series is pleased to announce their exciting Spring 2018 Lineup, which will feature LookOut Visiting Company The Yard's production of columbinus, by the United States Theatre Project, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, directed by Mechelle Moe, performed by The Yard's 18 young-person based Ensemble. columbinus is a docu-drama that probes the psychological warfare of alienation, hostility and social pressure that goes on in high schools across America.

Written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by theatre legend Anne Occhiogrosso, Centenary Stage Company's mainstage theatrical season continues in the Lackland Performing Arts Center this Friday, February 16 at 8PM with Reza's 1998 Tony Award and 1996 Olivier Award winning comedy Art.  "Wildly funny, naughtily provocative…" says the NY Post, it all begins when Serge buys an expensive painting by a celebrated artist.  A white canvas with white diagonal lines.  Old friends square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to hilariously batter one another over various slights and failures.  Art is a hilarious exploration of the very notion of what constitutes art while examining the meaning of friendship.  'Anyone looking for a play that is funny, sophisticated, stylish, stimulating and moving should go to 'ART'.' (Independent, London).

Goodman Theatre announces Jo Cattell as the recipient of the 2017/2018 Michael Maggio Directing Fellowship, an honor reserved for early-career Chicago-based directors. Cattell will gain complete access to the artistic process at the Goodman, including the opportunity to assist on a Goodman production-from early research and design through the casting and rehearsal process to the opening. The annual fellowship was established in 2002 to honor the memory and artistry of Goodman Associate Artistic Director Michael Maggio (1951 - 2000) who directed a total of 22 productions at the Goodman and more than 60 productions around the country.

Goodman Theatre announces the five Chicagoland elementary schools that have been selected to participate in the 2018 "Disney Musicals in Schools" program, an outreach initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Productions to create sustainable theater programs in under-resourced elementary schools. Coordinated by Goodman Theatre artists Adrian Azevedo and Anna Gelman, under the leadership of Walter Director of Education and Engagement Willa J. Taylor, the five area public elementary schools received performance rights to a Disney musical of their choice, at no cost.

Artemisia launches its first-ever Girls Summer Camp, running July 9-14, 2018, at Oak Brook Park District Center. Empowering girls 12-18 through theatre, Artemisia Girls Summer Camp provides an exciting week-long curriculum in improvisation, theatre games, body movement, storytelling, ensemble work and performance. Artemisia Girls Summer Camp welcomes all students, whether or not they have theatre experience or training. Artemisia's core values are empowerment, inclusion and diversity and girls from all backgrounds, ethnicities and cultural influences are strongly encouraged to enroll.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater  (CST) announces the cast and creative team for the theatrical event of the season: Macbeth, adapted and directed by Teller (of Penn & Teller) and Aaron Posner-the celebrated creative duo behind CST's The Tempest, winner of the Jeff Award for Best Production in 2015. Starring Ian Merrill Peakesas Macbeth and Chaon Cross as Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare's psychological thriller immerses audiences in a world of dark magic and ambition, delving into the twisted psyches of the ultimate power-hungry couple.

Audible Inc., the world's largest producer and provider of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, today announced the first class of theater commissions selected to receive support from its fund dedicated to the commission and development of innovative English-language works from playwrights around the globe. Announced earlier this year, the $5 million fund will enable the creation of one- and two-person audio plays driven by language and voice, in keeping with Audible's core commitment to elevating listening experiences through powerful performances of brilliantly composed words.

TodayTix, the international ticketing platform on a mission to redefine the way people see theatre, today launches the TodayTix Spring Ticket Event, granting access to elite ticket deals on London's top shows through the TodayTix app and website.

Part comedy, part mystery and part rock concert, playwright Lauren Yee's Cambodian Rock Band explores an overlooked chapter of history-1970s Cambodia with its vibrant surf-rock music scene and then under the Khmer Rouge regime. The play features songs by the Long Beach-based band Dengue Fever. The world premiere of this South Coast Repertory commission is directed by Chay Yew on the Julianne Argyros Stage, March 4-25. Tickets are available at www.scr.org.

UCSB's Department of Theater and Dance presents The World of Extreme Happiness, a play by faculty member and award-winning playwright Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig. The World of Extreme Happiness opens February 16 and runs through February 25 in the Performing Arts Theater. This moving tragedy about the complexities of human nature set in present-day China comes to life under the direction of Daniel Stein.

On the heels of a critically-acclaimed off-Broadway run, Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate and Alice Center Resident Artist Dael Orlandersmith brings her one-woman show, Until the Flood to Goodman Theatre, April 27 - May 13.

 The wackiest beach party in town continues! Pasadena Playhouse, the State Theatre of California, announces a one-week extension of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, as reimagined by the Chicago theatre hooligans The Hypocrites, now through February 25, due to high demand.  Tickets are now on sale at pasadenaplayhouse.org or by calling 626-356-7529.

The Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival will launch its 83nd year with preview performances beginning on February 16. The 2018 season officially kicks off Friday night, February 23, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre with Shakespeare's Othello (director, Bill Rauch). On Saturday afternoon, Shakespeare's Henry V (director, Rosa Joshi) opens in the Thomas Theatre, and the West Coast premiere of Kate Hamill's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility (director, Hana S. Sharif) opens that evening in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. On Sunday afternoon, Karen Zacarias's Destiny of Desire (director, Jose Luis Valenzuela) will be staged in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.

This summer, Theater at Monmouth celebrates wily, wicked, and wonderful women through classic literature's most fantastic females. From fierce matriarchs, unfaithful wives, and every Madonna in-between, Roar! The Year of the Woman spotlights the ladies who move mountains for their families, friends, and most importantly, themselves. Taking on tyrants, freeloaders, and faithless frauds these femme fatales fight for what they believe in, charting a course to a better world for their sisters and daughters.

Seattle Repertory Theatre reveals a sneak peek at its 2018-2019 season, which will include the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights. Set to perform on the Bagley Wright Theatre stage in late 2018, In The Heights was conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda who also wrote the music and lyrics, with book by Quiara Alegria Hudes.

Today, Goodman Theatre announces the Summer 2018 return of Jim McGrath's Pamplona starring stage and screen veteran Stacy Keach as Ernest Hemingway, directed by Artistic Director Robert Falls. Originally scheduled for Spring 2017, Pamplona appeared for 11 preview performances but closed prematurely after its star suddenly fell ill on Opening Night and doctors ordered recuperation.

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE) the professional Equity theater in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) located on the campus of College of DuPage, marks the beginning of 2018 with two new ensemble members and as a recipient of a grant from the DuPage Foundation and additional support from the Norm Woodel Inspiration Fund.  

Casting has been completed for Rasaka and Vitalist's remounting of MERCHANT ON VENICE, Shishir Kurup's raucous South Asian re-imagining of Shakespeare's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, to be directed by Liz Carlin Metz.

Earlier this month, Theatre Forward and UBS hosted the 15th Annual Broadway Roundtable, moderated by Theatre Forward Executive Director Bruce E. Whitacre. The exclusive luncheon explored the current Broadway landscape with some of Broadway's leading players and stars, with a panel that included Heather A. Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing; Keegan-Michael Key, Emmy-winning actor, comedian, writer and producer (Meteor Shower, Hamlet, 'Key and Peele'); John Leguizamo, Emmy and Obie Award-winning actor and playwright (Latin History for Morons, Freak, Mambo Mouth); Daryl Roth, award-winning Broadway producer (Kinky Boots, Indecent); Lea Salonga, Tony Award-winning actor (Once On This Island, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables) and Irene Sankoff and David Hein, the Tony-nominated and Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award-winning songwriting and book-writing team behind Come From Away.