Displaying items by tag: on stage

A musical, but it’s just the voices in your head. Sounds just crazy enough to win the 2020 Pulitzer for Drama. “A Strange Loop” by Michael R. Jackson finally makes its Chicago premiere at Raven Theatre in a co-production with About Face Theatre. Mikael Burke directs a fantastic production with a knock-out cast.

Not many musicals are awarded a Pulitzer for Drama. Only 10 in fact. So, when one is selected (before it plays Broadway), there’s a lot of curiosity. “A Strange Loop” is the best kind of new musical—in that it’s hard to explain. In the era of an abundance of movie-turned-musical adaptations, it’s refreshing to see something entirely unique.

In this seven-person, one-man show, Usher (Eddie Weaver) is working as an usher at a Broadway theater while writing a musical about an usher who works at a Broadway theater. In a series of songs spurned on by his intrusive thoughts, (played by a delightful cast of six) Usher’s creative process is laid bare, and we see the playwright struggling with his identity as a black gay man.  

Ever at odds with his “Internal white girl”, Usher spends his life stuck ruminating on his relationship with his parents, his sexuality, his gender, his race and his place in the world. In cleverly written, but firmly R-rated songs, we learn about his troubled relationship with his unintentionally cruel parents and his discomfort in his own skin.

John-Payne, Michael Turrentine, Eddie Weaver, Mattheus Barbee and Christopher Wayland. Photo by Joe Mazza / Brave Lux.

Weaver’s voice and sheer vulnerability as a performer make this 95 minute show a highly concentrated emotional experience. Usher’s internal monologue is brought to life by a wildly talented ensemble of six with character names like “Thought 1” and “Though 2” played by Micah Mixon, Matheus Barbee, Christopher Wayland, Michael Turrentine, John-Payne and Naphtali Curry.

“A Strange Loop” is a show that plays against the norms of traditional musical theatre in almost every aspect, yet it borrows so effortlessly from a lot of what likely inspired Michael R. Johnson. Instead of being driven by plot, Johnson goes full meta with a concept musical like “Company” meets “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf” but with the playfulness of “Rent”. Each song is an exploration of a life that files down to a heartbreaking raw nerve.

This show never wallows in sadness though. As is often the case, comedians mask a great deal of pain. Johnson plays up the surreal absurdity of Usher’s life. In one song alone the audience is clapping along to a church choir beautifully belting “AIDS is God’s punishment!” all the while Usher is grappling with the trauma of being raised in a strict religion that his parents still belong to. This show is dark comedy about a man finding acceptance with himself, which is highly relatable for those who chronically overthink.

There’s something really special happening in this production. This cast fills the theater to the rafters with soaring vocals and brings the house down with roaring laughter. Michael Turrentine plays Usher’s mother in a way that anybody with a mother can chuckle at. His performance taps into a near constant sense of energy that make “A Strange Loop” highly satisfying to watch and listen to. You’ll be singing some of the unsettling lyrics right out the door.

Now through November 22 at Raven Theatre. 6157 N. Clark Street. 773-338-2177.

https://www.raventheatre.com/stage/astrangeloop/

From a "Kung Fu rom-com" to a witchy new musical, The Goodman's popular New Stages Festival in its 22^nd year continues to offer a first glimpse at the latest works by a handful of the hottest contemporary playwrights. This year's four-play line-up includes Bruceploitation by Qui Nguyen (Vietgone); House Gyalz by Abigail C. Onwunali (Blood Be Sweet); Shook by Mike Lew (A Beat of Our Own) with music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak (Galileo) and Wonderland by Will Eno (Thom Pain). Under Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Director of New Works Kat Zukaitis, this annual offering showcases works-in-progress in the intimate 400-seat Owen Theatre. Theater industry professionals are invited to Professionals Weekend (December 11-13), which includes special events and opportunities for networking. This year, Professionals Weekend includes readings of new works by The Goodman's 2026 New Stages Residency playwrights: Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens by Lachrisa Grandberry and The Last Time We Saw Them by William Glick. New Stages appears December 5-13; tickets are free and available starting October 30 at 10am at the Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), at 312.443.3800 or online at GoodmanTheatre.org/NewStages. Theater professionals interested in Professionals Weekend should RSVP by November 30 at GoodmanTheatre.org/Professionals. The Goodman is grateful for the support of The Joyce Foundation (Major Support for Diverse Artistic and Professional Development).

22^nd NEW STAGES FESTIVAL LINE-UP | Owen Theatre

Bruceploitation  
By Qui Nguyen  
Directed by May Adrales  
Readings: December 5 at 7pm and December 12 at 7:30pm

After Bruce Lee's death, a struggling Asian American actor gets his big Hollywood break... by replacing the legend... despite not knowing a lick of kung fu. Sparks fly when he meets the badass Black stuntwoman hired to train him, who's tired of making everyone else look like a hero while she stays out of frame. Turns out learning to throw a punch is way easier than keeping their hands off each other. A Kung Fu rom-com. 

Qui Nguyen is an Emmy-Award winning tv writer, filmmaker, playwright, and co-founder of the pioneering geek theatre company, Vampire Cowboys. Notable plays include Vietgone, Poor Yella Rednecks, Bike Wreck, and the acclaimed Vampire Cowboys productions of She Kills Monsters (recently awarded a 2024 Kennedy Center College Theatre Festival Gold Medallion Award), Revenge Song, Soul Samurai, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, and Living Dead in Denmark. For TV/Film, he's written for Marvel Studios, Netflix, AMC, SYFY, PBS. He most recently penned Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon (nominated for a 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature) and co-directed and wrote Disney's Strange World. Qui is a proud member of the WGA and a board member of New Dramatists. 

House Gyalz 
By Abigail C. Onwunali 
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown 
Readings: December 8 at 7pm and December 13 at 11am

House Gyalz follows two Nigerian housemaids as they spiral into dangerous roleplay, examining class, power, and womanhood. When unexpected news raises the stakes of their games, they will pull out all the stops to survive. Blending sharp satire with explosive theatricality, Abigail C. Onwunali's dark comedy is a contemporary take on Jean Genet's classic The Maids.    

Abigail C. Onwunali is a Nigerian-American storyteller working across playwriting, performance, and poetry. Her plays have been developed with New York Theatre Workshop, Red Bull Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Liberation Theater Company, Fault Line Theatre, and Yale Cabaret. Her play Blood Be Sweet will be part of New York Theatre Workshop's 2026–27 season. She is a 2025 New Harmony Project Fellow and recipient of the 2025 Irons in the Fire Residency, 2026 La MaMa Experiments in Playwriting Fellowship, 2026 Page 73 Writers Group, and 2025–26 NYTW 2050 Artistic Fellowship. She is a member of EST's Obie Award-winning Youngblood collective.

Shook 
Book by Mike Lew 
Music and Lyrics by Zoe Sarnak    
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel 
Reading: December 11 at 7:30pm 

Something is rotten at Camp Avon, the prestigious Shakespeare summer camp for teens. Is it the star-crossed lovers facing a stage kiss? The stage management intern who wants a chance to perform so badly that she disguises herself as a camper? Or the fact that there are actual witches in the woods? All the woods a stage and all the campers merely players in this angsty musical ode to the eternal power of theatre.  

Mike Lew's plays include tiny father (Geffen, Barrington/Chautauqua, Audible); Teenage Dick (Donmar Warehouse, Ma-Yi/Public, Wooly Mammoth, Huntington, Artists Rep); Tiger Style! (TheatreWorks, SCR, Olney, Huntington, La Jolla, Alliance); Bike America (Ma-Yi, Alliance); microcrisis (Ma-Yi, InterAct); Alpha Asians; and How To Manong. His plays are currently in rep at Profile Theater. Musicals: A Beat of Our Own with Sam Willmott and Rehana Mirza (McCarter, La Jolla, Birmingham Rep); Shook with Zoe Sarnak (Northern Stage/Goodman commission); and Love Somebody with Betty Who and Rehana Mirza. Awards/Fellowships: Guggenheim, Mellon, PEN, Dramatists Guild Council/Tony Voter, New Dramatists, EST, Venturous, NYFA, MAP, Richard Rodgers, Kleban, Lanford Wilson, Helen Merrill, Weissberger, Kendeda, Heideman. Education: Juilliard, Yale.  

Zoe Sarnak is a Drama Desk–nominated and Larson Award–winning composer, lyricist, writer and orchestrator, as well as a finalist for the Ebb and Kleban Awards. Upcoming and recent works include: Galileo (with Danny Strong and Michael Weiner) opening on Broadway in 2026; NY Times Critic's Pick The Lonely Few (with Rachel Bonds) at MCC and Geffen Playhouse; Empire Records (with Carol Heikkinen) at McCarter Theatre; Particle Fever (with David Henry Hwang and Bear McCreary) premiering at La Jolla Playhouse in February 2027; A Beautiful Mind (with Sarah Treem); The Invisible Line (with Christopher Oscar Peña and Mark St. Germain) and others soon to be announced. Her work has been developed and produced at Second Stage, The Public, Roundabout Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Geffen Playhouse, and MCC, among others. Her music has been featured by NY Times Live and the Guggenheim. 

Wonderland 
By Will Eno 
Directed by Susan V. Booth 
Reading: December 12 at 2pm

After a punishing decade-long exile in Europe, Orson Welles returns to Hollywood for a one-night only reading of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland. The borders between fiction and real life—and between his outward wants and inner demons—begin to break down, as Alice's journey becomes hopelessly entangled with Orson's past, and the evening takes a wild turn into the present. From Obie-Award winning playwright Will Eno, Wonderland paints a hopeful, tender, and at times surreal portrait of humanity and reality in the modern age.

Will Eno lives in Brooklyn and is a Pulitzer Finalist in Drama and winner of the Obie, Lortel, and Drama Desk awards. He wrote the book for the massively successful Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical, which won 7 Golden Lion awards at Cannes and 9 Clio Awards. Will teaches playwriting, most recently at Princeton University, and he mentors students at Columbia and elsewhere. His daughter Albertine acted in a workshop of her dad's new play The Green Room at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2025. Will was thrilled and honored to work for several years with the late and much-missed documentary film director Frederick Wiseman, who oversaw the French translation of his play The Realistic Joneses and was preparing to direct its premiere on the Paris stage in 2026. In addition to plays, Will also writes for television and film.

PROFESSIONALS WEEKEND READINGS | Alice Center for Education and Engagement

Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens 

By Lachrisa Grandberry 
Directed by J. Nicole Brooks 
Reading: December 11 at 3pm

In a West Side Chicago apartment building, three families prepare to welcome the New Year with the beliefs, strategies, and secrets they've relied upon for generations. But what happens when our traditions no longer align with our reality? Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens is a multi-generational ensemble dramedy about inheritance and what happens when those inherited truths stop serving us. Funny, heartfelt, and deeply human, Lachrisa Grandberry's newest play explores how tradition comforts us, when it confines us, and what remains when we're finally brave enough to choose something new.

Lachrisa Grandberry is a Milwaukee-born, Chicago-based playwright, lyricist and poet whose work holds space for healing, liberation and joy. Her stories are a tapestry woven from the voices and experiences of many—especially black women and girls navigating the weight of inherited patterns and unspoken truths. A 2024 Dramatists Guild Foundation National Musical Theater Fellow, she also serves as Director of NOVA Programming at Northern Sky Theater, where she curates safe spaces for writers to explore and amplify their voices. In 2022, she was named one of Wisconsin's 52 Most Influential Black Leaders. Whether through her published poetry (Shredding Rugs) or her theatrical works, Lachrisa believes that storytelling is a way to learn, unlearn, release and heal. "I know that my stories are not my own," she writes. "They belong to all of us." More at lachrisagrandberry.com

The Last Time We Saw Them 
By William Glick 
Directed by Jessica Fisch 
Reading: December 12 at 10am

In 1983, Tess, Sasha, and Amelia are young writers hoping to make their marks on Ronald Reagan's Washington.  As the years pass, their lives—and the Conservative Movement that brought them to power—are made unrecognizable by wars abroad and division at home. Spanning four turbulent decades, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the beginning of the second Trump administration, The Last Time We Saw Them tells the story of three exceptional women whose ideals, rivalries and love of country and each other help forge the America of the 2020s.

William Glick is a Chicago-based playwright who was born and raised in Pompano Beach, Florida. His plays include The Last Time We Saw Them, Felt (Clubbed Thumb Emerging Writers Group), The Bigot (UT New Theatre), Kin Folk (World Premiere, The New Colony), the libretto for the children's opera Cry Wolf (Crane Prize for Performing Arts), and The Winter Farm (House Theatre Performance Lab).  His work has been a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and the Heideman Award and shortlisted for the Relentless Award, the Ojai Playwriting Conference, and PlayPenn. He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago and his MFA in Writing from the Michener Center at the University of Texas-Austin.

ABOUT THE GOODMAN

Since 1925, The Goodman has been a theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for Chicagoland, where bold stories spark connection, conversation and change. Now, as it enters its second century, The Goodman builds on that legacy with an eye toward the future. Under the leadership of Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater continues to champion new work—following hundreds of plays developed and a national reputation for commissioning and premiering original stories by living writers—while reimagining classics and produce large-scale musicals.

But The Goodman's reach today extends beyond its home in the heart of the Loop. From the intimate magic of The Magic Parlour, now in its third year, to the boundary-pushing world of Theater of the Mind—an immersive experience that blurs the lines between science, storytelling and sensation—and from citywide initiatives like 100 Free Acts of Theater to partnerships with artists and companies across Chicago and around the world, The Goodman is expanding what theater can be, and where it can live.

At its core, The Goodman is driven by a belief that a more empathetic, more connected city is built one story at a time. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime—from babies and young children to teens, adults and seniors—including Theater for the Very Young (ages 0–5) and the beloved annual A Christmas Carol, which has welcomed audiences for five decades. Education and Engagement programs, led by Clifford Director Jared Bellot and based in the Alice Rapoport Center, use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging—reaching thousands each year, the majority from underserved communities.

With nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman remains a defining force in American theater—and the first to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson's American Century Cycle. The theater also frequently serves as a production partner—from national and international companies to Chicago's Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify a wide range of theatrical voices.

Founded by William O. Goodman and his family in memory of playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, the theater carries forward a legacy of artistic ambition and civic generosity. With the help of Mr. Goodman's descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—that spirit continues to shape its future as The Goodman expands its impact across Chicago and beyond. Marsha Cruzan is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees; Diane Landgren is Women's Board President; and Christopher Way is president of the Scenemakers Board for Young Professionals.

The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.

 Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) is pleased to announce its 2026 - 2027 season. CDE will open this artistic season with Copestic Vibrations: A Music Festival, Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, followed by a fully staged production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, Feburary 26 - March 13, 2027 and the season concludes with the return of the "Full Circle Festival," May 7 - 23, 2027. The 2026 - 2027 programming season includes "Passages," an intergenerational arts cohort, Sunday, Oct. 25; "Day of Healing," Sunday, Dec. 6 and the Playwrights Cohort & New Stage Play Development, led by Timothy David Rey, monthly from November 2026 through February 2027.

All performances and special events take place at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 W. Foster Ave. For additional information on this upcoming season and to purchase tickets, visit DanzTheatre.org.

"As Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble enters its 25th year of building commUNITY through the arts, our programming is centered around our slogan of 'one story, one voice, one person.' For Colored Girls will be reinvisioned for a new generation, our femme-focused playwrights cohort and Full Circle Festival will develop new performance works, while Copestic Vibrations will showcase the best of new talent. CDE really is the home of multidisciplinary performances and we hope that audiences will come and explore all that we offer and support our renters and their performances," shared CDE Founder and Artistic Director Ellyzabeth Adler.

The 2026 - 2027 Artistic Season Includes: 

Copasetic Vibrations: A Music Festival

Friday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Tickets: $30 single-day pass | $50 Weekend pass

A music festival highlighting up-and-coming Chicagoland musicians:

GO79MAN, Bonatto, Kacie Brown & The Vision, Pisano, Shamik, Poor Thing,

Jamie Demeny's 4-Player Game, Pablo alto, Andy's Critical Hits!, Lakewaves Trio,

dicot, Bardware, Electric Mothership, and Sonic Healing

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf

Directed by Aja Singletary

February 26 - March 13, 2027

Performance Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Tickets: $35-50

Capturing the brutal, tender and dramatic lives of contemporary Black women, For Colored Girls... offers a transformative, riveting evening of provocative dance, music and poetry.

About the Director

Aja Singletary is a director, choreographer, and actor originally from Philly. Her directing credits include: Primary Occupant by Ashley Neal (Bramble's Festival of Unfinished Works), Short Changed by Jordan Gleaves (Redtwist Playfest), White by James Ijames (Walk Up), Evil Perfect by Spencer Huffman (AD, Bramble), Remembrance by Ben F. Locke (Bramble's FOUW), The Whole Sheamus Thing by L.C Bernadine and Ben Auxier (Bramble's FOUW), and On the Greenbelt (AD, Strawdog).She has also worked at various theaters including Lyric Opera, Goodman, Writers, Steppenwolf and Timeline. Offstage, you'll catch Aja quoting Spongebob, singing Disney songs, taking a boxing class and liking food videos! She thanks CDE and the For Colored Girls team for their warm welcome and for the opportunity to direct a full length production! Training: Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Representation: Gray Talent Group  

A Quote from the Director

"Shange's words carry lineage and power. They take you on a rollcoaster. I'm excited for the cast and myself to hear the music within Shange's play." Aja Singletary

Full Circle Festival

May 7 - 23, 2027

Performance Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m. Sundays at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Tickets: $15-25

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble has reimagined its annual Full Circle Festival, featuring physical, fringe and dance theater works between 30 and 60 minutes in length. For eight years, CDE had produced this eclectic festival for works under 15 minutes. Since reopening four years ago after being closed due to the pandemic, they have responded to the needs of the performance community even more and have found that there is a need to present longer works.

The 2026 - 2027 season special programming and events include:

Passages

Sunday, October 25 from 2 - 4 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W Foster Ave

Tickets:

"Passages" is an intergenerational multidisciplinary arts cohort that has been working together during the summer months to build relationships between 20-25 and 65+ generations. Starting with the question of what is a rite of passage and how we grow as people, each pair has created a performance. 

Day of Healing

Sunday, December 6 at 5 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W Foster Ave

Tickets: suggested donation

How does one heal or move forward? This Day of Healing comes on the 30th anniversary of our founder's suicide attempt. For many years, she kept silent, ashamed of her choice and the domestic abuse relationship that brought her here.  She healed in silence and only 10 years ago began talking about her journey. Now 30 years later, breaking the silence to help others know they are not alone, we will have a day of storytelling, meditation and music.  Like-minded nonprofits and resources will be on display at the event.

Playwrights Cohort & New Stage Play Development

November 2026 - February 2027

Applications Due September 20

Staged Reading: March 7  2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W Foster Ave

Tickets: free

Led by Timothy David Rey, this year's cohort celebrates the bold, powerful voices of femme playwrights. Inspired by and connected to our production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, the cohort will explore storytelling, identity, and the transformative power of femme-centered narratives.

ABOUT CHICAGO DANZTHEATRE ENSEMBLE

Founded in 2001, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) is Chicago's only multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to social justice and socially conscious work that builds community through the arts "one voice, one story, one person at a time." CDE's mission is to engage, inspire, and challenge the community, both onstage and in the classroom, through innovative and collaborative multidisciplinary storytelling to illuminate aspects of social issues. We do this in the genre of Tanztheatre, "which unites all art media to achieve an all-embracing, radical change in humankind." Through our school-based art and performance programs, CDE helps students in Chicago schools explore their own creativity, supporting their social and emotional learning. CDE provides a physical and emotional space where community conversation and cultural change can happen.

For our performance series, CDE is dedicated to creating performances that blend together dance, theatre and visual art to tell stories about the human condition. We give an artistic voice to those who are not always heard.

• Dedicated since our founding to diverse casting of age, body type and ethnicity
• Consistently listed as a "Top Theater and Dance Performance to See" by New City and Chicago Reader
• Unique collaborations with the Veterans Art Museum, Poetry Center Chicago, Cantigny Museum, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Voice of the City and numerous dance and theater companies

• MacArthur Award Grantee for International Collaborations.  

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) is pleased to announce its 2026 - 2027 season. CDE will open this artistic season with Copestic Vibrations: A Music Festival, Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, followed by a fully staged production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, Feburary 26 - March 13, 2027 and the season concludes with the return of the "Full Circle Festival," May 7 - 23, 2027. The 2026 - 2027 programming season includes "Passages," an intergenerational arts cohort, Sunday, Oct. 25; "Day of Healing," Sunday, Dec. 6 and the Playwrights Cohort & New Stage Play Development, led by Timothy David Rey, monthly from November 2026 through February 2027.

Eos Theatre Company is pleased to announce their second production with Lucas Hnath's horror play The Thin Place, directed by JC Clementz (Steppenwolf's Director of Casting and Artistic Operations), playing February 5 - 28, 2027 in Bramble Arts Loft's Beatrice Theater, 5545 N Clark Street in Chicago. Tickets go on sale October 13th at www.eostheatre.org.

The Thin Place will feature Eos Theatre Company co-Artistic Directors Ashway Lawver and Rachel Sledd, with additional casting to be announced shortly.

About the Production:
The "thin place" is a place where the line between this world and another one is very thin; where the living and the dead can reconnect. Ever since she was a very little girl, Hilda tried to make contact with that "other place" by listening very carefully, not with her ears but with the space just behind and a little above her eyes. She was never all that sure that the things she could hear were real, until she met Linda, a professional psychic, who can talk to the dead. That's what Hilda wants to do, and so she befriends Linda. But as their friendship deepens, Linda unveils some uncomfortable truths. The Thin Place is a horror story about what's really going on in the space just behind and a little above your eyes.

The Production Team includes Eric Watkins (Lighting Design), Rachel Sledd (Costume Design), Ashway Lawver (Costume Design), Christopher Kriz (Sound Design), William Hughes (Set Design), Morgan Burkey (Assistant Director), and Michael Lesko (Stage Manager).

Production Details:
The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath
Directed by JC Clementz
Presented by Eos Theatre Company

Cast: Ashway Lawver (Hilda), Rachel Sledd (Slyvia). Additional casting to be announced.

Location: Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N Clark Street, 2nd Floor, Chicago

The Thin Place Poster

Dates:
Preview: February 5, 2027, at 7:30pm
Press opening: February 6, 2027, at 7:30pm
February 11, 12, 13 15, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 2027, at 7:30pm
February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2027, at 2:00pm

Ticket Prices:
General Admission: $45
Student: $15
Industry: $20
Group (10 or more): $30
Thursday performances: pay what you can

Artist Biographies:
Lucas Hnath's most recent play, Dana H., was at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. Lucas received a 2017 Tony Award nomination for Best Play with A Doll's House, Part 2. Hnath's other plays include Hillary and Clinton, The Thin Place, Red Speedo, The Christians, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, Isaac's Eye and Death Tax. He has been produced on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre and Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep and Ensemble Studio Theatre. His plays have also premiered at the Humana Festival of New Plays, Victory Gardens and South Coast Repertory. He is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect, a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre and an alumnus of New Dramatists. Awards: Whiting Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Kesselring Prize, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, Obie Award for Playwriting, Steinberg Playwright Award and the Windham-Campbell Literary Prize. 

JC Clementz is the Director of Casting and Artistic Operations at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Over the past decade, he has cast productions out of Chicago and New York including the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Best Play Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Other Broadway credits include Little Bear Ridge Road starring Laurie Metcalf, Bug starring Carrie Coon, Linda Vista, Pass Over, and The Minutes. As a director, his credits include the Associate Director for the pre-Broadway tryout of The Devil Wears Prada: A New Musical (Broadway in Chicago), director of The Nerd, The All Night Strut!, Murder for Two, and many other productions at Milwaukee Rep, Waiting: A Song Cycle (Cherry Lane, NYC), and Murder for Two (Merrimack Rep). Proud member of SDC and the Casting Society.

Ashway Lawver is co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Eos Theatre Company; she played Hecuba in the company's inaugural production of The Trojan Women at Bramble Arts Loft, April 2026. Recent theatre credits: The Pavilion, Sweat (The Loop Players); Murder on the Orient Express (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Lindiwe (Steppenwolf). Ashway started her stage career in NYC; highlights include performing Off-Broadway, at Radio City Music Hall and in National/International tours. She can be seen in several national commercials and feature/independent films; including Long Division (Roku, Tubi) and Promises (Amazon Prime). A transplant from Los Angeles, Ashway has her BA in Theatre/Dance (Wheaton College, MA) and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf. Ashway is a member of SAG and is represented by Talent X Alexander. IMdb.me/AshwayLawver

Rachel Sledd is a co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Eos Theatre Company; she directed the company's inaugural production of The Trojan Women at Bramble Arts Loft, April 2026. Recent theatre credits include Highway Patrol (Goodman Theatre) and Junk (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre). TV/Film credits include NBC's Chicago Med, Chicago PD, the pilot's Burn and You've Got Gail, and Bride of Frankie, which has screened at over 100 film festivals internationally and for which Rachel won Best Actress in a Short at the Sydney Indie Film Festival. Rachel earned an M.F.A. from the University of Washington's Professional Actor Training Program in Seattle and teaches theatre at Harold Washington College. She is represented by DDO Artists Chicago.  

Eos Theatre Company Mission Statement:
Eos Theatre Company is a vibrant new women-led theatre company based in Chicago, dedicated to shining light into the darkness of the human experience through transformative storytelling. We strive to amplify female voices and narratives, producing bold, diverse, and thought-provoking works that challenge and inspire audiences. We believe that live theatre fosters connection, community, empathy, and understanding; we are committed to increasing access to live theatre for young people and marginalized communities. Eos is building an inclusive artistic community that promotes equity, excellence and dialogue. Through performance, education, and community partnerships, we harness the power of storytelling to inspire change and empower future generations of women in American Theatre. Created by a collective of women theatre artists with extensive experience in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and beyond, Eos aims to deliver Chicago storefront theatre of the highest caliber.

LOCATION/PARKING/TRANSPORTATION

TimeLine’s new home is located at 5035 N. Broadway (at Argyle) in the heart of Chicago’s Uptown community.

TimeLine Theatre is easily reached via public transportation, located steps away from the CTA Red Line stop at Argyle. The #36 Broadway bus stops at Broadway and Argyle, the #151 Sheridan stops three blocks east at Argyle, and the #81 Foster stops at Broadway and Foster, just two blocks north.

Convenient parking is a new hallmark for TimeLine Theatre. The self-park garage at 5051 N. Broadway, two doors north of the theatre, offers up to 6 hours of parking for $10, with validation. Ask for a validation sticker from TimeLine’s Audience Services staff. The self-park surface lot at 5017 N. Winthrop in the heart of Asia on Argyle also offers discounted parking for up to 6 hours for just $7 via an app and QR code.

Nearby street and metered parking is available but limited. Please note some streets are zoned for resident parking only. Visit timelinetheatre.com/venues/timeline-theatre for additional information, including driving directions and nearby dining recommendations.

Trap Door Theatre is thrilled to continue its 33rd season with a Chicago Premiere of Oh, Buddy, written by Hal Cosentino and directed by Jeremy Ohringer. Oh, Buddy will play November 12th – December 19th, 2026 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W Cortland St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at trapdoortheatre.com or by calling (773)-384-0494.

It's hard to be the New Guy in the world's most generic office. It's even harder to be the New Guy when you're the New Guy because you came out as transgender. And has anybody noticed that the boss is a Big Furry Monster? OH, BUDDY is a dark, absurdist comedy about how the bizarre demands of binary gender affect the way we take on roles in the workplace and beyond. 

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Oh, Buddy

Author: Hal Cosentino

Director: Jeremy Ohringer

Cast (in alphabetical order): Jack Bowes (New Guy), Haven Crawley (Emery), Mackenzie Jones (Lady), Shail Modi (Buddy), and Dustin Valenta (Dude).

Location: Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St. Chicago, IL 60622

Regular Run: Thursday, November 12th –Saturday, December 19th, 2026 (No performances on 11/26-28)

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 pm. Sundays 12/6 and 13 at 3:00 pm. With a special performance on Sunday, December 6th at 3:00 pm including a talk back after the performance with the playwright.

Tickets: $25. Tickets are currently available at https://our.show/oh-buddy or by calling (773) 384-0494.

Teatro Vista Productions (TVP), the Midwest's only Latine-led Equity theatre company, in collaboration with Audible, presents Cafecito & Loops: A Mexodus Listening Tour Headed South, a FREE series of Sunday listening parties leading up to the Chicago premiere of Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson's hip hop musical Mexodus, playing at The Studebaker Theater November 7-21, 2026.

Cafecito & Loops will be held Sundays, October 11, 18, 25 and November 1, from noon to 4pm, at various locations throughout Chicago, with each stop mirroring a chapter in the play's journey.

"Teatro Vista is thrilled to partner with Audible, the Studebaker and P3 Productions to support Mexodus with Cafecito & Loops, an intentional journey that connects our communities directly to the play's groundbreaking music and message," says Teatro Vista Productions Artistic Director Wendy Mateo. "By mapping this listening tour southward we are tracing a path of artistic expression and resistance across Chicago. This free series is about making space for connection, conversation, and collective joy in neighborhoods that power our city's vibrant cultural landscape."

Teatro Vista Productions will host four listening parties featuring excerpts from the Audible Original, which features the entire musical recorded in immersive Dolby Atmos sound design, each stop acting as a chapter in the experience. These listening parties will be scattered throughout the city, strategically en route from Teatro Vista Productions' homebase at The Exchange in Jefferson Park to where Mexodus is playing at the Studebaker Theater downtown. The events are free and open to all.  Reservations are encouraged at: https://www.teatrovista.org/cafecito-and-loops-rsvp.

Teatro Vista Productions previously produced the world premieres of Brian Quijada's critically acclaimed Where Did We Sit on the Bus in 2016 (in association with DCASE and Victory Gardens Theater) and Somewhere Over the Border in 2022 as part of a rolling world premiere with Syracuse Stage and GEVA Theatre.

The Cafecito & Loops schedule is as follows:

Sunday, October 11, 12pm-4pm

The Exchange, home of Teatro Vista Productions in Jefferson Park

4800 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

Sunday, October 18, 12pm-4pm

Magnifico Coffee Roasters & Coffee Shop in Avondale

3063 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

Sunday, October 25, 12pm-4pm

Caña in West Town

1406 W Grand Ave, Chicago

Sunday, November 1, 12pm-4pm

Groundswell Coffee Roasters at the Fine Arts Building in the Chicago Loop

410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

About Mexodus

Studebaker Theater, P3 Productions and Audible,

in collaboration with Teatro Vista Productions present

Mexodus

Written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson

Choreographed by Tony Thomas

Directed by David Mendizábal

Studebaker Theater, 410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

November 7-21, 2026

Press Opening: Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 7:30pm

Creators Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson perform this groundbreaking hip-hop musical, using live instruments to build a soundscape live each night incorporating looping to layer rhythms, melodies, and harmonies to create full arrangements on the spot at each performance.

Told through bold storytelling and sick beats, Mexodus reimagines the Underground Railroad heading south to Mexico—unearthing a powerful, untold chapter of American history. Called "thrilling" by The Washington Post and "genius in motion" by the San Francisco Chronicle, this is theatre you feel in your body and your bones.

Tickets for Mexodus are available through the Studebaker Theater Box Office, https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/events/mexodus/ or by calling (312) 753-3210.

About Teatro Vista Productions

Teatro Vista is a non-profit theatre and production company dedicated to multidisciplinary artists of color whose artistic expression on stage and beyond is rooted in the transformative power of owning and telling our own stories.

When the Chicago theater world wasn't ready for us, Teatro Vista Productions made space. For 36 years, we've told true stories that reflect our community. We're not just building on this amazing legacy; we're strengthening and expanding it for the future. Today we continue to actively engage in advocacy that seeks to increase the authentic representations of us on stage and screen.

Teatro Vista Productions believes we are stronger together — across disciplines, across experiences, across mediums, across diasporas. We center our collective of artists at the heart of everything we do. We empower our artists to create with their own authentic voice by providing the tools and resources they need to thrive in the industry. Our work is timely, relevant and authentically reflects our community. Now, as always, We Are Theater With A View.

The company is led by Executive Director Lorena Diaz, Artistic Director Wendy Mateo, and Associate Artistic Director Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel.

Follow TVP on social media & YouTube to experience the multidisciplinary talents of our Artistic Collective and stay connected. @teatrovista

The blurb is: hahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahaha hihihi hahahahahahaha hoho hahahhahaha hehe hahahahahahahahahaha.

Julia Masli's award-winning solo phenomenon ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (a New York Times Top Pick of the Year) arrives at Steppenwolf Theatre Company for a four week engagement January 13 – February 7, 2027 in Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. A special Steppenwolf member pre-sale begins Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 12 pm. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 12 pm at steppenwolf.org/hahahahahahaha or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.

Performer Julia Masli creates a hilarious, yet moving and unpredictable live experience at the intersection of comedy and performance. What begins as playful improvisation evolves into a collective ritual of vulnerability, care and unexpected humor. Masli explores the subtle boundary between a laugh and a tear, proving that one lies very close to the other.

Utterly unlike anything else onstage, this is a completely different experience every night that keeps audiences coming back again and again.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha arrives in Chicago following critically acclaimed and sold-out runs at The Public Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, SoHo Playhouse in New York City, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, London's Soho Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Steppenwolf's Creative Producer Patrick Zakem shares, "There's nothing quite like this remarkable, wholly indescribable show. After I first saw the show, bleary-eyed in the early morning hours at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I immediately knew I had to tell everyone I know to see it. We're thrilled to finally bring this acclaimed performance to Chicago, and Steppenwolf is excited to collaborate with Julia for the first in-the-round presentation of this work that has built a sea of fans across the world."

What the critics are saying:

"Masli's breakthrough, poignant show has its audience in stitches. So, that's how cults are born."
–The New York Times

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha is "a great unexpected carnival of mutual care, ring-led with a featherlight touch by a clown whose mischief is matched only by her compassion."
–The Guardian

"New York's wildest show" –New York Magazine

"A comedy masterpiece" –The Guardian

"An experiment in collective consciousness." –LA Times

"A jaw-dropping delight." –The Times

About Julia Masli and the show:

Julia Masli is an award-winning clown from Estonia, based in London. All she wants to do is solve people's problems and eventually win the Nobel Prize, presented to those who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. But this plan keeps going wrong as she continually wins prizes for comedy. It was bad enough when she was the winner of the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality in 2019 and her debut show CHOOSH – about a migrant's struggles in the USA – was one of the most acclaimed comedy shows of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022.

But in 2023, things spiraled when she set out to help audience members in ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, which you can read about in the New York Times here. This serious, important event was nominated for Edinburgh's top prize for Best Comedy Show and named number one comedy show of the year by The Guardian, before being invited for a four-week, completely sold-out run at London's Soho Theatre. Despite the seriousness of Julia's intentions, the show was once more shortlisted for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, nominated for Edinburgh's top prize of Best Comedy Show and the SKY Arts Best Comedy Award, and declared number one comedy show of the year by The Guardian.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha is a Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company touring production.

Creative Team:

Created and Performed by Julia Masli
Directed by Kim Noble
Sound Design conceived by Alessio Festuccia
Lighting Design conceived by Lily Woodford
Co-Lighting Design by Jennifer Fok
Live Sound Design by Sebastián Hernández
Live Lighting Design and Stage Management by Sarah Chapin
Costume Design by Alice Wedge, Annika Thiems and David Curtis-Ring

Production Details:

Dates: Previews: Wednesday, January 13 and Thursday, January 14, 2027 at 7:30 pm
Opening: Friday, January 15, 2027 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Saturday, January 16 – Sunday, February 7, 2027
Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a 3 pm performance on Saturday, January 16, 2026.

Tickets: Previews: Pay-what-you-want ($15 - $60). Regular run: ($37.50* - $85.00*). Single tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 12 pm at steppenwolf.org/hahahahahahaha or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. *Ticket prices include processing fees.

Tis the season, in spite of today's unseasonable temps, as A Christmas Carol begins rehearsals for The Goodman's 49^th annual production of Charles Dickens' classic favorite. This year, a new Scrooge—Tim Hopper, acclaimed longtime Chicago actor—joins the production, directed by BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley for her second year. In addition, 11-year-old Sanjana Suraj (City of Lights Theatre's Annie) makes her Goodman debut as Tiny Tim, plus newly cast ghosts—Ghost of Christmas Past Rae Gray (Graveyard Shift), Ghost of Christmas Present Lachrisa Grandberry (The Color Purple) and the Ghost of Jacob Marley Gavin Lawrence (Dartmoor Prison). Other new faces among the 34-member company include Chad Bay (Remy Bumppo's Art), Sunnie Eraso (Lookingglass Theatre's White Rooster), Joryhebel Ginorio (Raven Theatre's Octet), Jyreika Guest (Definition Theatre's Cypress Bayou), Jourdan Lewanda (Steep Theatre's Our Dear Dead Drug Lord) and Amy Vargas Rivera (Wolf at The Door). Young performers Austin Hartung and Rio Lewis make their Goodman debuts, joined by three returning young performers: Ella Boparai—last year's Tiny Tim—Viva Boresi and Henry Lombardo. Rom Barkhordar (Yasmina's Necklace) joins the company as Scrooge for 10 performances. A Christmas Carol runs November 13 through December 31 (opening night is November 23) in the 856-seat Albert Theatre. For tickets ($34 - $188, subject to change), visit the Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), call 312.443.3800 or purchase online at GoodmanTheatre.org/Carol. The Goodman is grateful for the support of PNC (Major Corporate Sponsor).

Millions have rediscovered Dickens' classic at The Goodman over the past five decades—and know why it's "the best Christmas story ever told!" (Time Out Chicago). Follow the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Tim Hopper) as ghostly intervention transforms his holiday disdain into delight one fateful Christmas night. This timeless production, long heralded for its "first-rate cast and marvelous staging" (Chicago Sun-Times), is not to be missed.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Tim Hopper (Ebenezer Scrooge) last appeared at The Goodman in 2017 as Vanya in Uncle Vanya. He is a Steppenwolf Theater Company ensemble member and has appeared in many plays there, most recently Catch As Catch Can. He will be appearing in the upcoming A24 film Enemies, and also in Trash Mountain. Other films credits include School of Rock and To Die For. Television credits include Chicago Fire, Amazon's Utopia, Emperor of Ocean Park and Fargo, among others.

Rom Barkhordar's (Alternate Ebenezer Scrooge) Goodman Theatre credits include: Yasmina's Necklace, Ruined. Chicago credits include: A Prayer for the French Republic (Northlight); A Lie of the Mind (Raven Theatre); White Christmas (Marriott Theatre); The Band's Visit, A Distinct Society, Wife of a Salesman (Writer's Theatre); Mosque4Mosque (About Face Theatre); Acts of God, Around the World in 80 Days (Lookingglass Theatre); The Elephant Man, Homebody/Kabul (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Pravda, Halcyon Days, Not About Nightingales (Timeline Theatre). Regional credits include: The Band's Visit (TheatreSquared); The Art of Burning (Huntington).

Sanjana Suraj (Tiny Tim) is thrilled to make her Goodman Theatre debut in A Christmas Carol! Her recent stage credits include Young Fiona in Shrek and Lash in Dragon Jr. (Theater on the Hill); Orphan in Annie (City of Lights Theatre); and Young Krishna in Krishna Dance Ensemble (Samskriti). A dedicated musician and performer, Suraj trains in classical Indian music and dance, sings with her school's Honors Chorus, and is currently learning the flute. Offstage, you'll find her jamming to new tunes or immersed in her latest creative art project.

Malkia Stampley (Director) is a three-time Jeff-nominated director from Milwaukee and The Goodman's BOLD Artistic Producer since 2021. Goodman Theatre directing credits: Covenant, A Christmas Carol, BUST (associate director), Primary Trust, In My Granny's Garden, New Stages' This Part of His Life Blooms and Cephianne's Reflection. Additional directing: Remy Bumppo, Rivendell, Raven, Definition, Congo Square, TimeLine, Court, Chicago Shakespeare, Stage Left, Kansas City Rep, Orlando Shakespeare, Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee Chamber, Skylight Music, Black Arts MKE, Northern Sky, American Players, Farmers Alley, Northwestern, First Stage, Inc. Malkia is a facilitator with Civic Actors Studio at Court Theatre and a teaching artist with Remy Bumppo.

Company of A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Tom Creamer
Directed by Malkia Stampley

Rom Barkhordar...Alternate Ebenezer Scrooge
Ella Boparai...Emily Cratchit/Ignorance
Viva Boresi...Belinda Cratchit
Tatiana Bustamante...Belle/Ensemble
Amira Danan...Frida
Elleon Dobias...Musician/Felicity
Arash Fakhrabadi...Young Scrooge/Ensemble
Sól Fuller...Martha Cratchit/Fan
Joryhebel Ginorio...Ensemble
Brian Goodwin...Musician
Lachrisa Grandberry...Ghost of Christmas Present/Charwoman
Rae Gray...Ghost of Christmas Past
Jyreika Guest...Maxine Fezziwig/Abigail
Austin Hartung...Gregory Cratchit/Turkey Child
Benjamin Heppner...Musician
Gregory Hirte...Musician/Topper
Tim Hopper...Ebenezer Scrooge
Anthony Irons...Ortle/School Official/Old Joe
Chris Khoshaba...Dick Wilkins/Ensemble
Gavin Lawrence...Young Marley/Ghost of Marley
Helen Joo Lee...Mrs. Cratchit
Henry Lombardo...Peter Cratchit/Boy Scrooge
Jon Hudson Odom...Bob Cratchit
Robert Schleifer...Mr. Fezziwig
Anne Sheridan Smith...Ensemble
Sanjana Suraj...Tiny Tim/Want
Austin Tichenor...Crumb
Penelope Walker...Mrs. Fezziwig/Ensemble 

Understudies include Chad Bay, Sunnie Eraso, Jordan Golding, Jourdan Lewanda, Rio Lewis and Amy Vargas Rivera.

Creative Team

Choreographer and Associate Director...Breon Arzell
Composer...Andy Hansen 
Music Director...Gregory Hirte
Fly Director...Andrea Gentry 
Voice & Dialect Coach...Shadana Patterson
Costume Designer...Heidi Sue McMath 
Lighting Designer...Keith Parham 
Set Designer...Todd Rosenthal 
Sound Designer...Pornchanok "Nok" Kanchanabanca 
Associate Lighting Designer...Brian Elston
Assistant Director/Choreographer...Christopher Michael Richardson
Assistant Sound Designer...Daniella Brown
Young Performer Supervisors...Nihan Baysal and Habby Olusesi
Line Producer...Lena Romano
Second Line Producer...Sarah Slight

Casting by Lauren Port, CSA. Jennifer Gregory is the Production Stage Manager. Beth Koehler and Duncan McMillan are the Stage Managers.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Access for more information about The Goodman's accessibility efforts. 

ASL-Interpreted...December 4 at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Audio-Described...December 5 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:00pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset.
Open-Captioned...December 6 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
Spanish-Subtitled...December 6 at 7pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Sensory-Friendly...December 27 at 2pm – Softer lighting and sound; sensory items available for use.

ABOUT THE GOODMAN

Since 1925, The Goodman has been a theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for Chicagoland, where bold stories spark connection, conversation and change. Now, as it enters its second century, The Goodman builds on that legacy with an eye toward the future. Under the leadership of Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater continues to champion new work—following hundreds of plays developed and a national reputation for commissioning and premiering original stories by living writers—while reimagining classics and produce large-scale musicals.

But The Goodman's reach today extends beyond its home in the heart of the Loop. From the intimate magic of The Magic Parlour, now in its third year, to the boundary-pushing world of Theater of the Mind—an immersive experience that blurs the lines between science, storytelling and sensation—and from citywide initiatives like 100 Free Acts of Theater to partnerships with artists and companies across Chicago and around the world, The Goodman is expanding what theater can be, and where it can live.

At its core, The Goodman is driven by a belief that a more empathetic, more connected city is built one story at a time. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime—from babies and young children to teens, adults and seniors—including Theater for the Very Young (ages 0–5) and the beloved annual A Christmas Carol, which has welcomed audiences for five decades. Education and Engagement programs, led by Clifford Director Jared Bellot and based in the Alice Rapoport Center, use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging—reaching thousands each year, the majority from underserved communities.

With nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman remains a defining force in American theater—and the first to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson's American Century Cycle. The theater also frequently serves as a production partner—from national and international companies to Chicago's Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify a wide range of theatrical voices.

Founded by William O. Goodman and his family in memory of playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, the theater carries forward a legacy of artistic ambition and civic generosity. With the help of Mr. Goodman's descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—that spirit continues to shape its future as The Goodman expands its impact across Chicago and beyond. Marsha Cruzan is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees; Diane Landgren is Women's Board President; and Kelli Garcia is president of the Scenemakers Board for Young Professionals.

The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.