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New Work

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 seminal works by David Adjmi, Edward Albee, Luis Alfaro, Carol Burnett, Lydia Diamond, Rebecca Gilman, Lucas Hnath, Quiara Alegría Hudes, David Henry Hwang, David Mamet, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Scott McPherson, Arthur Miller, Richard Nelson, Dael Orlandersmith, David Rabe, José Rivera, Stephen Sondheim, Regina Taylor, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, Karen Zacarías, and Mary Zimmerman. In April 2009, Lynn Nottage’s Ruined became the first Goodman-commissioned play to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

New work development at the Goodman is a multi-tiered process encompassed under the New Stages umbrella. It is comprised 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 the annual New Stages Festival, New Stages Residency, New Stages Labs, Commissions, and World Premiere productions each season. 

Artistic Department

Artistic@GoodmanTheatre.org

Auditions

Learn more about auditioning for Goodman productions

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SCRIPT SUBMISSIONS

New Stages Festival

The New Stages Festival is an annual celebration of new work that plays an important role in cultivating new plays for the Goodman stage and expanding the American theatrical canon. Established in 2004, the series offers playwrights and composers an opportunity to develop works-in-progress alongside top theatre professionals, while offering audiences a first look at the work and a unique insight into the writing process. All presentations are free and open to the public, making the New Stages Festival a uniquely accessible experience. 

December 2024

December 2023

December 1 – 18, 2022

  • This Happened Once at the Romance Depot off the I-87 in Westchester by Gina Femia
    Directed by Kimberly Senior
  • Rust by Nancy García Loza
    Directed by Laura Alcalá Baker
  • White Monkey by Charlie Oh
    Directed by Eric Ting.
  • Fever Dreams (of Animals on the Verge of Extinction), Ohio by Jeffrey Lieber
    Directed by Susan V. Booth
  • Modern Women by Omer Abbas Salem
    Directed by Lavina Jadhwani
  • What Will Happen to All That Beauty? by Donja R. Love
    Directed by Malika Oyetimein

December 1 – 19, 2021

  • Nightwatch by Max Yu
    Directed by Chay Yew
  • Layalina by Martin Yousif Zebari
    Directed by Sivan Battat
  • Hummingbird by Jo Cattell
    Created by Daria Tsoupikova, Sai Priya Jyothula, Andrew Johnson, Arthur Nishimoto and Lance Long at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory in the University of Illinois of Chicago.
  • Fires, Ohio by Beth Hyland
    Directed by Marti Lyons
  • Your Name Means Dream by José Rivera
    Directed by Audrey Francis
  • Watching the Watcher by Dael Orlandersmith
    Directed by Neel Keller

October 23 – November 10, 2019

  • Incendiary by Dave Harris
    Directed by Monty Cole
  • In the Sick Bay of the Santa Maria by Rajiv Joseph
    Directed by Robert O’Hara
  • (the) FAIR: A Fantastical Time-Traveling Exposition Through Chicago’s Future, Its Past and The Now created by Sandra Delgado and Sojourn Theatre Company
  • The Garden written and directed by Charlayne Woodard
  • Engines and Instruments of Flight: A Fantasia in Three Acts by Calamity West
    Directed by Kimberly Senior
  • The Humanities by Zayd Dohrn
    Directed by Niegel Smith
  • Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West*
    Directed by Henry Godinez

September 19 – October 7, 2018

  • There’s Always the Hudson by Paola Lázaro-Muñoz
    Directed by Jess McLeod
  • Felons and Familias by Sandra Delgado
    Directed by Marcela Muñoz
  • graveyard shift by korde arrington tuttle*
    Directed by Danya Taymor
  • The Wizards by Ricardo Gamboa
    Directed by Azar Kazemi
  • Between Covers by Sarah Schulman
    Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg
  • Birthday Candles by Noah Haidle
    Directed by Vivienne Benesch
  • Cressida on Top by Paula Vogel
    Directed by Shana Cooper

September 20 – October 10, 2017

  • Lottery Day by Ike Holter*
    Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
  • Continuity by Bess Wohl
    Directed by Annie Tippe
  • Twilight Bowl by Rebecca Gilman*
    Directed by Erica Weiss
  • How to Catch Creation by Christina Anderson*
    Directed by Jess McLeod
  • Eden Prairie, 1971 by Mat Smart
    Directed by Henry Wishcamper
  • POSTNATION conceived and directed by Mikhael Tara Garver
  • The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona written and directed by José Rivera
  • We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time written and performed by David Cale*
    Arranged by Matthew Dean Marsh
    Directed by Tony Speciale

September 21 – October 9, 2016

  • Blue Skies Process by Abe Koogler
    Directed by Henry Wishcamper
  • Support Group for Men by Ellen Fairey*
    Directed by Kimberly Senior
  • The King of Hell’s Palace by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
    Directed by Tea Alagć
  • Amy and the Orphans by Lindsey Ferrentino
    Directed by Scott Ellis
  • florissant & canfield by Kristiana Rae Colón
    Directed by Monty Cole
  • Our Daughters, Like Pillars (formerly titled And Moira Spins) by Kirsten Greenidge
    Directed by Vanessa Stalling

October 28- November 15, 2015

  • Mother Road by Octavio Solis
    Directed by Juliette Carrillo
  • Objects in the Mirror by Charles Smith*
    Directed by Chuck Smith
  • King of the Yees by Lauren Yee*
    Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody
  • Red Wine Leftists: 1977 by Rebecca Gilman
    Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg
  • The Amateurs by Jordan Harrison
    Directed by Oliver Butler
  • On the Exhale by Martín Zimmerman
    Directed by Marti Lyons
  • Lady in Denmark by Dael Orlandersmith*
    Directed by Chay Yew

October 29 – November 16, 2014

  • Feathers and Teeth by Charise Castro Smith*
    Directed by Henry Godinez
  • The Magic Play by Andrew Hinderaker*
    Directed by Halena Kays
  • Carlyle by Thomas Bradshaw*
    Directed by Benjamin Kamine
  • Women Laughing Alone with Salad by Sheila Callaghan
    Directed by Kip Fagan
  • Ugly by Tracey Scott Wilson
    Directed by Leigh Silverman
  • Acquainted with the Night by Keith Reddin
    Directed by Henry Wishcamper

December 7 – 22, 2013

December 8 – 23, 2012

October 13 – November 20, 2011

  • Dartmoor Prison by Carlyle Brown
    Directed by Chay Yew
  • Chicago Boys by Kathleen Tolan
    Directed by Ann Filmer
  • Ask Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley*
    Directed by Joanie Schultz
  • Smokefall by Noah Haidle*
    Directed by Dexter Bullard
  • Two Lakes, Two Rivers by Laura Jacqmin
    Directed by Megan Shuchman
  • Teddy Ferrara by Christopher Shinn*
    Directed by Evan Cabnet

January 14 – 23, 2011

  • Reverb by Leslye Headland
    Directed by Stuart Carden
  • The Convert written and directed by Danai Gurira*
  • Picked by Christopher Shinn
    Directed by Joanie Schultz
  • Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men by Dael Orlandersmith*
    Directed by Chay Yew
  • CommComm written and directed by Seth Bockley
  • Chicago Boys by Kathleen Tolan
    Directed by Kimberly Senior

December 11 – 20, 2009

  • Rain (later a part of The Trinity River Plays) written and directed by Regina Taylor*
  • The Color of Desire by Nilo Cruz
    Directed by Wendy Goldberg
  • Bugs of the Pigs in the Lions by Kia Corthron
    Directed by Chuck Smith
  • Yasmina’s Necklace (El collar de Yasmin) by Rohina Malik
    Directed by Henry Godinez
  • Mary by Thomas Bradshaw*
    Directed by Robert Falls
  • Dartmoor Prison by Carlyle Brown
    Directed by Marion McClinton

September 12 – 21, 2008

  • Pa’s Hat: A Liberian Legacy by Cori Thomas
    Directed by Chuck Smith
  • The Safe House by Keith Josef Adkins
    Directed by Hallie Gordon
  • Household Spirits by Mia McCullough
    Directed by Meghan Beals McCarthy
  • Without by Sean Graney
    Directed by Lisa Portes
  • Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi
    Directed by Jackson Gay
  • The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard*
    Directed by Dexter Bullard

September 28 – October 8, 2007

  • Ruined by Lynn Nottage*
    Directed by Kate Whoriskey
  • Ghostwritten by Naomi Iizuka*
    Directed by Lisa Portes
  • Spirits to Enforce by Mickle Maher
    Directed by Greg Allen
  • Chasing Manet by Tina Howe
    Directed by Jason Loewith
  • Two Echoes by Noah Haidle
    Directed by Dado
  • Gas for Less by Brett Neveu*
    Directed by Dexter Bullard

September 25 – 30, 2006

  • The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney
  • Our Lady of the Underpass by Tanya Saracho
    Directed by Andrea Dymond
  • Massacre (Sing to Your Children) by José Rivera*
    Directed by Chuck Smith
  • The Ballad of Emmett Till (formerly titled Till) by Ifa Bayeza**
    Directed by Derrick Saunders
  • Ameriville by UNIVERSES
    Directed by Chay Yew

November 1 – 6, 2005

  • Six Postcards by Lisa Dillman
    Directed by Steve Scott
  • Crippled Sisters by Susan Nussbaum
    Directed by Karen Kessler
  • Sam’s Coming by Kia Corthron
    Directed by Henry Godinez
  • Palmer Park by Joanna McClelland Glass
    Directed by Chuck Smith
  • Get What You Need by Jessica Goldberg
    Directed by Carolyn Cantor
  • Vigils by Noah Haidle*
    Directed by Dexter Bullard

March 22 – 26, 2005

  • My Buddy Bill by Rick Cleveland
    Directed by Bill Payne
  • A Change in the Weather by Ron Hutchinson
    Directed by Steve Scott
  • The Frugal Repast by Ron Hirsen
    Directed by Joe Grifasi
  • Sweet Water Taste by Gloria Bond-Clunie
    Directed by Mignon McPherson-Nance
  • Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes
    Directed by Ann Filmer

January 21 – 25, 2004

  • Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky, Book and Lyrics by David Cale, Music by Jonathon Kreisberg and David Cale*
    Directed by Rick DesRochers
  • BFE by Julia Cho
    Directed by Lynn Ann Bernatowicz
  • Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías*
    Directed by Chris Garcia Peak
  • Softly Blue by Shepsu Aakhu
    Directed by Mignon McPherson-Nance
  • Cheech, Or the Chrysler Guys Are in Town by Francois Letourneau, translated by Rick DesRochers
    Directed by Sean Graney
  • Heritage by Brett Neveu
    Directed by Geoffrey Scott

*Received Goodman Theatre world premieres.

NEW STAGES RESIDENCY

 

Previously called the Playwrights Unit, Goodman Theatre’s New Stages Residency is a program designed to support and develop new work by Chicago playwrights. Established in 2010, the program supports multiple writers each season, offering tailored developmental support for works-in-progress and fostering close connections between Goodman staff and Chicago artists. Plays developed in the Residency have gone on to receive readings and workshop productions in the New Stages Festival as well as full productions at the Goodman.

2025/2026 New Stages Residency 

2024/2025 New Stages Residency

2023/2024 New Stages Residency

2022/2023 Playwrights Unit

2021/2022 Playwrights Unit

2020/2021 Playwrights Unit

2019/2020 Playwrights Unit

2018/2019 Playwrights Unit

2017/2018 Playwrights Unit

2016/2017 Playwrights Unit

2015/2016 Playwrights Unit

2014/2015 Playwrights Unit

2013/2014 Playwrights Unit

2012/2013 Playwrights Unit

2011/2012 Playwrights Unit

2010/2011 Playwrights Unit

new stages labs

New Stages Labs is a flexible series of bold, imaginative works in early stages. These pieces are workshopped and either presented internally to Goodman staff or showcased through public presentations. These Labs provide writers with dedicated rehearsal time, a company of actors and robust artistic support to develop and experiment with work without the pressure of production.

2025 New Stages Labs 

  • Blooms by Christina Anderson 

2024 New Stages Labs 

  • Aunt Jo by John Kolvenbach 
  • Dunya by Martin Yousif Zebari 

2023 New Stages Labs

2022 Future Labs

  • When Given a Choice, Bleed by Kimberly Dixon-Mays
    Directed by Mignon McPherson Stewart
  • Cephianne’s Reflection by Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom
    Directed by Wardell Julius Clark
  • Rust by Nancy García Loza
    Directed by Laura Alcalá Baker
  • White Monkey by Charlie Oh
    Directed by Mikael Burke
  • Pueblo Revolt by Dillon Chitto
    Directed by Elizabeth Laidlaw
  • The Housing Situation on Neptune by NJ Draine
    Directed by Terry Guest

2021 Future Labs

  • Layalina by Martin Yousif Zebari
    Directed by Azar Kazemi
  • The Secretaries by Omer Abbas Salem
    Directed by Audrey Francis
  • Tokens of Promise by Ada A.
    Directed by Sydney Chatman
  • Nightwatch by Max Yu
    Directed by Chay Yew
  • Lot 110 by Nora Carroll
    Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
  • Shakuntala by Lavina Jadhwani
    Directed by Sophiyaa Nayar
  • Memories of Overdevelopment by Caridad Svich
    Directed by Lavina Jadhwani

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 40+ 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 was a $5,000 commission awarded biennially from 2000-2009 to an emerging Chicago playwright. Past winners include Carson Grace Becker and David Barr III (By the Music of the Spheres), Carlos Murillo (Diagram of a Paper Airplane), Brett Neveu (Heritage), Tanya Saracho (Our Lady of the Underpass) and Seth Bockley (CommComm).

Past produced Goodman Theatre commissions include (in alphabetical order):

Artists currently under commission include:

  • Christina Anderson
  • Elizabeth Archer
  • Jacinta Clusellas
  • Roxane Gay
  • Rebecca Gilman
  • Tova Litvin
  • Mike Lew
  • Eduardo Machado
  • Itamar Moses
  • Qui Nguyen
  • Brian Quijada
  • Marvin Quijada
  • Zoe Sarnak
  • Doug Rockwell
  • UNIVERSES
  • York Walker
  • Karen Zacarías

world premieres

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 40+ years, 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 further productions around the country and internationally.

Complete list of Goodman Theatre world premieres since 1980 (in alphabetical order):