New Work
A Long-Standing Tradition at the Goodman
World-renowned for its imaginative staging of classics, Goodman Theatre has an equally long and successful history as a leader in the development of new work. Under the artistic leadership of Robert Falls, the theater has developed long-term relationships with playwrights August Wilson, Regina Taylor and Rebecca Gilman, and adaptor/directors Frank Galati and Mary Zimmerman, and has been instrumental in supporting the creation of new work for the American stage. New works developed at the Goodman that have gone on to become important parts of the American theater repertoire include Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson, Seven Guitars by August Wilson and Spinning Into Butter by Rebecca Gilman.
New Work Development at Goodman is a multi-tiered program designed to embrace a diverse group of artists and projects at various levels of development. Opportunities include a new play commissioning program, the annual New Stages Series, developmental and pre-production workshops, extended rehearsals and new play production.
Commissions
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Over the last 15 years, Goodman commissions have been awarded to a diverse group of both young and established writers including David Cale, Kia Corthron, Tom Donaghy, Rebecca Gilman, John Logan, Scott McPherson, Charles Mee, Richard Nelson, Keith Reddin, Jose Rivera, Charles Smith, Lynn Nottage, Naomi Iizuka and Regina Taylor. Many of these commissioned works, which include Spinning Into Butter, Boy Gets Girl, Blue Surge and Dollhouse by Rebecca Gilman; Griller by Eric Bogosian; All the Rage by Keith Reddin; Oo-Bla-Dee by Regina Taylor and Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky by David Cale have gone on to production at Goodman and at leading theaters around the country.
With the establishment of the Ofner Prize in 2000, Goodman made an additional commitment to supporting promising local writers. Named for the late David Ofner, a Goodman trustee who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1985, the $5,000 commission is awarded annually to an emerging Chicago playwright. Past winners include Carson Grace Becker, David Barr, Brett Neveu and Tanya Saracho.
New Stages Series
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The New Stages Series, a free weeklong celebration of new work, is an important first step in the development of new plays for production on the Goodman stage. Featuring concert readings of six new plays, this annual event provides playwrights with the opportunity to work with a director and a company of actors to develop the play, and it also offers audiences unique insight into the playwriting process. Many of the plays featured in the New Stages Series have gone on to production at Goodman and elsewhere. The New Stages Series is sponsored in part by the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.
Past New Stages Series
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 Echos by Noah Haidle
- Gas for Less by Brett Neveu
September 25 - 30, 2006
- The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney
- Our Lady of the Underpass by Tanya Saracho
- Massacre (Sing to Your Children) by Jose Rivera
- Till (later retitled The Ballad of Emmett Till) by Ifa Bayeza
- Ameriville by The Universes
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, Books and Lyrics by David Cale, Music by Jonathon Kreisberg and David Cale
- BFE by Julia Cho
- Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarias
- Softly Blue by Shepsu Aakhu
- Cheech, Or the Chrysler Guys Are In Town by Francois Letourneau, translated by Rick DesRochers
- Heritage by Brett Neveu
World Premieres at the Goodman
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Through its commitment to premiering new work for the stage, the Goodman has played a vital role in the shaping of the American theater repertoire. In the past two decades, Goodman has premiered the work of many of the country's most notable playwrights and composers, creating exhilarating works for the stage that have gone on to production both around the country and internationally. These works include, in order from most recent production:
2008/2009 Season
- Turn of the Century by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
- Ruined by Lynn Nottage
- Magnolia by Regina Taylor
- Ghostwritten by Naomi Iizuka
- Gas for Less by Brett Neveu
- The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza
- Massacre (Sing to Your Children) by José Rivera
- Frank’s Home by Richard Nelson
- Vigils by Noah Haidle
- Dollhouse by Rebecca Gilman
- Silk adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarias
- Floyd and Clea Under The Western Sky by David Cale and Jonathon Kreisberg
- Finishing the Picture by Arthur Miller
- Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson
- Electricidad by Luis Alfaro
- By the Music of the Spheres by Carson Grace Becker and David Barr III
- Bounce by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman
- The Gift Horse by Lydia R. Diamond
- Galileo Galilei by Mary Zimmerman and Philip Glass
- Hollywood Arms by Carrie Hamilton and Carol Burnett
- Drowning Crow by Regina Taylor
- The Visit by Terrence McNally, John Kander and Frank Ebb
- Blue Surge by Rebecca Gilman
- Schoolgirl Figure by Wendy MacLeod
- Millennium Mambo by Regina Taylor, Kia Corthron, Adrienne Kennedy, Suzan-Lori Parks and Ntozake Shange
- Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman
- Odyssey adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- Spinning Into Butter by Rebecca Gilman
- Oo-Bla-Dee by Regina Taylor
- Griller by Eric Bogosian
- Seeking the Genesis by Kia Corthron
- Black Star Line by Charles Smith
- Another Midsummer Night by Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman
- Journey to the West adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- Seven Guitars by August Wilson
- The Ties That Bind by Regina Taylor
- Brutality of Fact by Keith Reddin
- Wings by Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman
- Black Snow by Keith Reddin
- Riverview: A Melodrama with Music by John Logan
- On the Open Road by Steve Tesich
- Book of the Night by Louis Rosen and Thom Bishop
- Eliot Loves by Jules Feiffer
- Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson
- Mill Fire by Sally Nemeth
- The Speed of Darkness by Steve Tesich
- She Always Said, Pablo adapted by Frank Galati