Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer)

By Cheryl L. West, Directed by Henry Godinez

A Goodman Co-Commission with Seattle Repertory Theatre

October 15 – November 14 in the Owen Theatre

Chicago’s own E. Faye Butler plays Fannie Lou Hamer, the 1960s civil rights activist whose courage, humor and grit reminds us that there’s courage in the face of fire, hope in tomorrow and that we all have a stake in our country. Replete with music and spirituality, this electric, immersive call to action defines what it means to be a true revolutionary. A Goodman commission, Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) appeared in the 2019 New Stages Festival, and in abridged form, Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It!, in Chicago parks in fall 2020.

Digital Press Kit

Dowload the Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) Digital Press Kit here.

Press Releases

October 25, 2021: *Fannie* Extended by Popular Demand (thru Nov. 21)

October 21, 2021: Visual Assets Now Available for *Fannie*

October 6, 2021: *Fannie* Takes the Stage at the Goodman, Starting October 15

June 9, 2021: Announcing the 2021/2022 Homecoming Season

May 14, 2020: Goodman Theatre Postpones Remaining Productions in 2019/2020 Season

Video

Download broadcast-quality video and audio for Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) here.

Photos

Press Items

Download File	Henry Godinez, Director Henry Godinez (Director) is the Resident Artistic Associate at Goodman Theatre. His Goodman directing credits include Sones de Mexico’s Zulema, Cheryl West’s Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It!, Charise Castro Smith’s Feathers and Teeth, The Sins of Sor Juana and Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías; José Rivera’s Boleros for the Disenchanted (and world premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre); Regina Taylor’s Millennium Mambo; Luis Alfaro’s Electricidad and Straight as a Line; The Cook by Eduardo Machado; Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez; the Goodman/Teatro Vista co-production of José Rivera’s Cloud Tectonics and the 1996–2001 productions of A Christmas Carol. He also served as director of the Goodman’s Latino Theatre Festival. As an actor, Godinez appeared most recently in Goodman’s The Winter’s Tale, 2666 and the Goodman/Teatro Buendía of Cuba world premiere of Pedro Páramo, and at Writers Theatre in the title role of Quixote: In the Conquest of Self. He has also appeared on television in Chicago PD, Above the Law, The Beast, The Chicago Code, Boss and Chicago Fire. Co-founder and former artistic director of Teatro Vista, Godinez is the recipient of the 1999 Theatre Communications Group Alan Schneider Director Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the Lawyers for the Creative Arts and was honored as the 2008 Latino Professional of the Year by the Chicago Latino Network. Born in Havana, Cuba, Godinez is a professor at Northwestern University and serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Arts Council and Albany Park Theater Project. Author: Goodman Theatre Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Headshots
Download File	Cheryl L. West, Playwright CHERYL L. WEST (Playwright) returns to the Goodman where her play Pullman Porter Blues was produced in 2013. Her plays have also been seen at Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Rep, Indiana Rep, Arena Stage, Old Globe, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Bay Street Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Play House, South Coast Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Off?Broadway’s Second Stage. Plays include Last Stop on Market Street, Shout Sister Shout, Akeelah and the Bee, and Jar the Floor. She has written TV and film projects at Disney, Paramount, MTV Films, Showtime, TNT, HBO, CBS, BET and is the Webby-nominated writer for the original web series Diary of a Single Mom. The author wishes to thank Charles McLaurin and Victor McTeer who provided stories and valuable insights about Fannie Lou Hamer. Author: A. Booker Email: press@goodmantheatre.org
Download File	Fannie_8x10 Author: Goodman Theatre Email: press@goodmantheatre.org
Download File	Fannie_8x10 (No Title) Author: Goodman Theatre Email: press@goodmantheatre.org
Download File	FanniePro_1 FanniePro_1: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_2 FanniePro_2: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_3 FanniePro_3: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_4 FanniePro_4: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_5 FanniePro_5: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_6 FanniePro_6: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_7 FanniePro_7: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_8 FanniePro_8: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_9 FanniePro_9: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_10 FanniePro_10: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos
Download File	FanniePro_11 FanniePro_11: E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre, October 15-November 14, 2021. Photo by Liz Lauren. Author: Liz Lauren Email: press@goodmantheatre.org Category: Production Photos