A passionate commitment to developing the classics of tomorrow.
The Goodman has a distinguished history as a leader in the development of new work for the American theater. Plays developed and/or produced at the Goodman have gone on to become integral parts of the American theater repertoire, including Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson, Seven Guitars by August Wilson and Spinning Into Butter by Rebecca Gilman. In April 2009, Lynn Nottage's Ruined became the first Goodman-commissioned play to win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.
New work development at the Goodman is a multi-tiered process composed of a variety of public and in-house programs designed to be flexible to the needs of each new project and to embrace a diverse group of artists at different stages in their careers. Our new work initiatives include a commissioning program, the Goodman's Playwrights Unit, the annual New Stages Series, developmental workshops and productions of world-premiere plays each season.
New Stages Series
The New Stages Series is an annual celebration of new work that plays an important role in cultivating new plays for the Goodman stage. Established in 2004, the series originally featured concert readings of six new works, providing playwrights an opportunity to work with a director, a dramaturg and a company of actors to develop the play, while also offering audiences a first look at the work and a unique insight into the playwriting process. In the fall of 2011, the Goodman expanded the program, renaming it New Stages Amplified. This revamped series included three workshop producitons alongside three concert readings. After each performance, talkbacks with members of the artistic team were held to encourage dialogue between audiences and artists. The New Stages Series is sponsored in part by the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.
New Stages Amplified: October 13 – November 20, 2011
January 14 – 23, 2011
- Reverb by Leslye Headland
- The Convert by Danai Gurira*
- Picked by Christopher Shinn
- Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men by Dael Orlandersmith
- Comm Comm by Seth Bockley
- Chicago Boys by Kathleen Tolan
December 11 – 20, 2009
- Rain (later a part of The Trinity River Plays) by Regina Taylor*
- The Color of Desire by Nilo Cruz
- Bugs of the Pigs in the Lions by Kia Corthron
- Yasmina's Necklace (El collar de Yasmin) by Rohina Malik
- Mary by Thomas Bradshaw*
- Dartmoor Prison by Carlyle Brown
September 12 – 21, 2008
- Pa's Hat: A Liberian Legacy by Cori Thomas
- The Safe House by Keith Josef Adkins
- Household Spirits by Mia McCullough
- Without by Sean Graney
- Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi
- The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard*
September 28 – October 8, 2007
- Ruined by Lynn Nottage*
- Ghostwritten by Naomi Iizuka*
- Spirits to Enforce by Mickle Maher
- Chasing Manet by Tina Howe
- Two Echoes by Noah Haidle
- Gas for Less by Brett Neveu*
September 25 – 30, 2006
November 1 – 6, 2005
- Six Postcards by Lisa Dillman
- Crippled Sisters by Susan Nussbaum
- Sam's Coming by Kia Corthron
- Palmer Park by Joanna McClelland Glass
- Get What You Need by Jessica Goldberg
- Vigils by Noah Haidle*
March 22 – 26, 2005
- My Buddy Bill by Rick Cleveland
- A Change in the Weather by Ron Hutchinson
- The Frugal Repast by Ron Hirsen
- Sweet Water Taste by Gloria Bond-Clunie
- Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes
January 21 – 25, 2004
- Floyd and Clea Under The Western Sky, Book and Lyrics by David Cale, Music by Jonathon Kreisberg and David Cale*
- BFE by Julia Cho
- Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías*
- Softly Blue by Shepsu Aakhu
- Cheech, Or the Chrysler Guys Are In Town by Francois Letourneau, translated by Rick DesRochers
- Heritage by Brett Neveu
*Received Goodman Theatre world premieres.
Commissions
With the belief that new plays are the lifeblood of the theater, the Goodman is committed to supporting and nurturing playwrights. For the last 20 years, Goodman Theatre commissions have been awarded to a diverse group of both emerging and established talents. With the inception of the Ofner Prize in 2000 and the Playwrights Unit in 2010, the Goodman has expanded and deepened its support of Chicago-based playwrights. Named for the late David Ofner, a Goodman trustee who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1985, the Ofner Prize is a $5,000 commission awarded biennially to an emerging Chicago playwright. Past winners include Carson Grace Becker, David Barr III, Brett Neveu, Tanya Saracho and Seth Bockley.
Past Goodman Theatre commissions include
- 1988: Riverview: A Melodrama with Music by John Logan
- 1991: Book of the Night by Louis Rosen and Thom Bishop
- 1993: Seeking the Genesis by Kia Corthron
- 1995: Synergy by Keith Reddin
- 1995: Another Midsummer Night by Arthur Perlman and Jeffrey Lunden
- 1996: Black Star Line by Charles Smith
- 1997: Spinning Into Butter by Rebecca Gilman (Scott McPherson Award)
- 1999: Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman
- 1999: Blue Surge by Rebecca Gilman (Prince Prize)
- 2000: By the Music of the Spheres by David Barr and Carson Becker (Ofner Prize)
- 2001: Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky by David Cale and Jonathan Kreisberg
- 2002: Dollhouse by Rebecca Gilman
- 2003: Heritage by Brett Neveu (Ofner Prize)
- 2004: Ghostwritten by Naomi Iizuka (Joyce Award)
- 2005: Our Lady of the Underpass by Tanya Sarracho (Ofner Prize)
- 2005: Ruined by Lynn Nottage
- 2005: A True History of the Johnstown Flood by Rebecca Gilman
- 2007: Diagram of a Paper Airplane by Carlos Murillo (Ofner Prize)
- 2007: Dartmoor Prison by Carlyle Brown
- 2008: Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl
- 2009: CommComm by Seth Bockley (Ofner Prize)
- 2009: Mary by Thomas Bradshaw (Prince Prize)
- 2010: American Wee-Pie by Lisa Dillman (Playwrights Unit)
- 2010: Ask Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley (Playwrights Unit)
- 2010: Two Lakes, Two Rivers by Laura Jacqmin (Playwrights Unit)
- 2010: Mecca Tales by Rohina Malik (Playwrights Unit)
Artists currently under commission
Playwrights Unit
Goodman Theatre’s Playwrights Unit is an exciting program designed to support and develop new work by Chicago playwrights. Over the course of a season, a group of four commissioned writers meet bimonthly with members of the Goodman’s literary staff to develop and workshop their plays-in-progress. The experience culminates with concert readings of each of the new plays. The Playwrights Unit is a collaboration with Chicago Dramatists. In the fall of 2011, the Goodman produced Ask Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley, a member of the 2010/2011 Playwrights Unit, as a part of the New Stages Amplified series.
Applications for the 2012/2013 Playwrights Unit will be available in May 2012.
2011/2012 Playwrights Unit
2010/2011 Playwrights Unit
World Premieres at the Goodman
Through its world class productions of new plays, the Goodman plays a vital role in the shaping of the American theater canon. In the past two decades, Goodman Theatre has premiered the work of some of the country's most notable playwrights and composers, creating exhilarating pieces for the stage that have gone on to productions around the country and internationally.
Complete list of Goodman Theatre world premieres since 1980 (in alphabetical order):
- All the Rage by Keith Reddin
- Another Midsummer Night by Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman
- Bad Moon by Rick Cleveland (American Blues Theatre production)
- Bal by Richard Nelson
- The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza
- Big Time by Keith Reddin (Remains Theatre production)
- Black Snow by Keith Reddin
- Black Star Line by Charles Smith
- Blue Surge by Rebecca Gilman
- Book of the Night by Louis Rosen and Thom Bishop
- Bounce by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman
- Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman
- Brutality of Fact by Keith Reddin
- By the Music of the Spheres by Carson Grace Becker and David Barr III
- Chinglish by David Henry Hwang
- The Comedy of Errors, based on the play by William Shakespeare, featuring The Flying Karamazov Brothers
- Cry, the Beloved Country based on the novel by Alan Paton (adapted by Frank Galati) with music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson
- The Disappearance of the Jews by David Mamet
- Dollhouse by Rebecca Gilman
- The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove by Regina Taylor
- Drowning Crow by Regina Taylor
- Dwarfman, Master of a Million Shapes by Michael Weller
- Edmond by David Mamet
- El Nogalar by Tanya Saracho
- Electricidad by Luis Alfaro
- Eliot Loves by Jules Feiffer
- Finishing the Picture by Arthur Miller
- A Flea in Her Ear by George Feydeau (adapted by Frank Galati)
- Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky by David Cale and Jonathon Kreisberg
- Frank’s Home by Richard Nelson
- Galileo Galilei by Mary Zimmerman and Philip Glass
- Gas for Less by Brett Neveu
- Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson
- Gertrude Stein: Each One as She May adapted by Frank Galati
- Ghost on Fire by Michael Weller
- Ghostwritten by Naomi Iizuka
- The Gift Horse by Lydia R. Diamond
- Gorilla by Shel Silverstein
- Griller by Eric Bogosian
- High Holidays by Alan Gross
- Hollywood Arms by Carrie Hamilton and Carol Burnett
- Hotline by Elaine May
- A House Not Meant to Stand by Tennessee Williams
- The House of Martin Guerre by Leslie Arden and Anna Theresa Cascio, music and lyrics by Leslie Arden
- Hurlyburly by David Rabe
- Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula
- Journey to the West adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard
- Magnolia by Regina Taylor
- The Man Who Had Three Arms by Edward Albee
- Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías
- Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson
- Mary by Thomas Bradshaw
- Massacre (Sing to Your Children) by José Rivera
- Mill Fire by Sally Nemeth
- Millennium Mambo by Regina Taylor, Kia Corthron, Adrienne Kennedy, Suzan-Lori Parks and Ntozake Shange
- Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson
- The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- Odyssey adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- On the Open Road by Steve Tesich
- Oo-Bla-Dee by Regina Taylor
- A Perfect Analysis Given by a Parrot by Tennessee Williams
- Riverview: A Melodrama with Music by John Logan
- Ruined by Lynn Nottage
- The Shawl by David Mamet
- Schoolgirl Figure by Wendy MacLeod
- Seeking the Genesis by Kia Corthron
- Seven Guitars by August Wilson
- She Always Said, Pablo adapted by Frank Galati
- Silk adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- Sin by Wendy MacLeod
- Some Problems for the Moose Lodge by Tennessee Williams
- The Spanish Prisoner by David Mamet
- The Speed of Darkness by Steve Tesich
- Spinning Into Butter by Rebecca Gilman
- Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl
- Still Life by Emily Mann
- The Three Moscowteers by Paul Magid (from Alexander Dumas), featuring The Flying Karamazov Brothers
- The Ties That Bind by Regina Taylor
- The Trinity River Plays by Regina Taylor
- A True History of the Johnstown Flood by Rebecca Gilman
- Turn of the Century by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
- Vigils by Noah Haidle
- The Visit by Terrence McNally, John Kander and Frank Ebb
- Wings by Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman