Here’s a fun recap of how Goodman Theatre spent the summer this year!
Written by Vicky Mejia
Goodman Theatre had quite a memorable summer this year thanks to the Chicago community and beyond who helped make The Who’s Tommy,The Sweetest Season, and the outdoor play, In My Granny’s Garden, which appeared in Chicago parks across the city, possible.
Read on to learn more about how the Goodman spent its summer!
The Who’s Tommy sold out!
The Who’s Tommy was extended not only once, but twice AND sold out (insert drumroll please) 36 performances! The cast’s tremendous talent and enthusiasm rocked our stage and this critically acclaimed show ended its run on August 6. We were honored to have Pete Townshend in town during the final performances and welcome patrons from all 50 states to see the production! We thank our fantastic staff for their work and dedication, and we also thank our incomparable audiences for their enthusiasm and support. So much enthusiasm and talent graced our stage the past few months, and we hope everyone continues to rock on and on and on…!
We had a pop-up pinball arcade in our lobby!
Goodman Theatre had a pop-up pinball arcade (yes, you read that right) in the lower lobby for The Who’s Tommy enthusiasts to play before and after the show. We hosted a challenge for patrons to take their shot at becoming “The Pinball Wizard”! The cast also got together to highlight the “Top 5 Ways to Play Pinball.” The highest scorer on our original “Tommy” machine at the end of our run won a custom Tommy Fender Stratocaster signed by none-other than Pete Townshend of The Who! Congratulations to Tim Sexton for locking in the highest score and taking home the signed Tommy Fender Stratocaster. Rock on!
“You Had a Good Run” had its run!
On August 12, Nataki Garett directed You Had a Good Run; a [sold out!] new work written by Kevin Douglas exploring the journey of making it big in Hollywood. The exciting new play was part of our New Stages Lab initiative, a year-long program for Chicago-area theater artists. The program commissions up to four theatrical projects each year, with artists meeting bi-monthly with the Goodman’s artistic staff and other cohort artists to develop their new works.
We led a showstopping musical showcase.
On August 7, students from the Playbuild Youth Intensive participated in the annual showcase, and used the skills they acquired in the duration of the program to perform their bright stories with their peers. The Goodman’s PlayBuild Youth Intensive is an entirely FREE, seven-week program, introducing 14 to 18-year-old students in the Chicago metropolitan area to theater arts.
We planted corn, green beans, and collard greens with granny!
We had a memorable summer bringing In My Granny’s Garden to park districts across the Chicagoland area. Inspired by Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett Jr.’s book, In My Granny’s Garden, the play helped young audiences learn how food is grown in an engaging and interactive perfromance. Audiences of all ages enjoyed a free show as Granny explained why the food that comes out of her garden tastes so good!
We enjoyed an evening of laughs, art-making, music, and fry bread!
The Sweetest Season festival, which spanned over two days, included a wide range of activities to celebrate Indigenous creativity in Chicago. People came together to learn about visual art-making and poetry in workshops like Sorrel and Sassafras: Indigenous Poetry and Art. The second annual festival featured live Indigenous music curated by Vincent Romero (Laguna Pueblo), gathering local Indigenous artists for an evening of music, dance, and spoken word. But the best highlight of the event was The Sweetest Season Social Hour where people had the opportunity to mingle and have a taste of delicious Indigenous cuisine.
We cheered to the end of the year at Goodman Theatre’s All Staff Party
On August 21st, Goodman hosted an all-staff party to celebrate the end of another successful season. We started the meeting with a few remarks from HR Director Cheron McNeal and introductions to new staff members, including Director of Education Jared Bellot. Executive Director/CEO Roche Shulfer reflected on the year and inspired us about what’s to come. Later, everyone got together to mingle, share delicious small bites and beverages, and of course, play darts!
Vicky Mejia is the Digital Marketing Associate at Goodman Theatre
