A Free Celebration of New Work

Now in its 15th year, Goodman Theatre presents its New Stages Festival–an annual celebration and discovery of new work by some of the country's finest established and emerging playwrights.

Since New Stages Festival's 2004 inception, more than 80 plays have been produced as a developmental production or staged reading. Please join us for this year’s festival which features an exciting roster of developmental productions and staged readings. See below for a full line-up.

*PLEASE NOTE: All New Stages productions and readings are recommended for mature audiences.

Developmental Productions (Full Stagings of a New Play in Process)

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  There's Always the Hudson

  By Paola Lázaro-Muñoz
  Directed by Jess McLeod

  September 19 - October 5, 2018

  Lola and T met years ago in group therapy, where they set a far-off deadline to be happier…or else. With that deadline suddenly approaching—tomorrow at 4:30am—they’ll meet on the George Washington Bridge for one last chance to turn the world upside down. Two half-broken souls are out for revenge on everyone who has ever hurt, stolen from, or otherwise wronged them in this foul and fearless adventure.

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• 

  Felons and Familias

  By Sandra Delgado
  Directed by Marcela Muñoz

  September 21 - October 7, 2018

  Like millions of Americans, Clara’s days are consumed with juggling work and family. Recently divorced with a tween-age daughter and an ageing father, she finally has something to look forward to: a trip to Europe. In preparation, Clara, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, decides to apply for full citizenship. When her application is flagged, an unfathomable series of events threaten to force her from the only home she’s ever known.

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• 

  Graveyard Shift

  By Korde Arrington Tuttle
  Directed by Danya Taymor

  September 23 - October 7, 2018

  When an exciting job offer materializes, Janelle relocates to Texas and moves in with her partner, Kane. Meanwhile, a small-town police officer’s life is thrown into flux when the co-worker he's romantically involved with decides to leave town. When their worlds collide, Janelle and Kane experience firsthand how dangerous power can be. An unflinching but big-hearted look at how we navigate a world full of fear, Graveyard Shift is inspired by real events.

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Staged Readings (Script-in-Hand Concert Readings

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  The Wizards

  By Ricardo Gamboa
  Directed by Azar Kazemi

  Friday, October 5 at 10:30am

  Amado and Sam, a brown and black genderqueer couple, relocate from New York to Chicago after surviving a hate crime following the 2016 presidential election. Settling into their new apartment in gentrifying Pilsen, they discover an Ouija board that connects them with The Wizards—a Mexican-American Motown cover band on the South Side during the 1970s. The Wizards is a supernatural thriller about the histories and people who haunt us.

  SOLD OUT

• 

  Between Covers

  By Sarah Schulman
  Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg

  Friday, October 5 at 2pm

  This savage and provocative dark comedy takes place between three sets of "covers": romantic sex farce, the masks we wear and the book each character dreams of writing. A moderately successful but financially challenged author, Jamie joins the faculty of an MFA writing program that accepts anyone willing to pay. Its bucolic rural setting belies an atmosphere driven by fear. What happens when institutional panic gets control of people's lives? Who is the actual abuser—and who is the convenient target?

  SOLD OUT

• 

  Birthday Candles

  By Noah Haidle
  Directed by Vivienne Benesch

  Saturday, October 6 at 10:30am

  Alice was a self-declared rebel against the universe, determined to travel the world—until Matt came along. Soon, Alice finds herself heading down the path she most dreads: marriage and family. Delightful and moving, this kaleidoscopic view of one woman’s life demonstrates how the everyday choices we make lead us into ecstasy and misery—often at once.

  SOLD OUT

• 

  Cressida on Top

  By Paula Vogel
  Directed by Shana Cooper

  Saturday, October 6 at 2pm

  Alice was a self-declared rebel against the universe, determined to travel the world—until Matt came along. Soon, Alice finds herself heading down the path she most dreads: marriage and family. Delightful and moving, this kaleidoscopic view of one woman’s life demonstrates how the everyday choices we make lead us into ecstasy and misery—often at once.

  SOLD OUT