The Goodman is an Equity house (a union shop), featuring Chicago’s best acting and directing talent, and frequently starring actors of Broadway and Hollywood renown, all drawn by the theater’s commitment to literate, insightful drama.
This venerable Chicago house is actually two theaters in one building, allowing for a great diversity of material, both classic and contemporary. The 830-seat Albert theater is the more conventional, while the smaller Owen theater can be configured in a variety of ways (proscenium, in-the-round, thrust). The Goodman is smaller than many of its neighbors that feature primarily touring Broadway productions, but larger than any of the other Chicago theaters that feature self-produced work. The Goodman is unique in its combination of size, location, and commitment to self-production. Its shows are developed and cast in Chicago and its stages and house capacity allow for larger casts than other independent theaters.
Major productions in recent years have included acclaimed stagings of 20th-century classics ("Long Day’s Journey Into Night", "Death of a Salesman"), world premieres ("Marvin’s Room", Kander & Ebb’s "The Visit") Chicago debuts ("Zoot Suit", "Glengarry Glen Ross"), and revivals of more recent work ("Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom", "The Amen Corner") .
The Goodman’s annual production of Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol", a Yuletide tradition for thousands of Chicago families, just celebrated its 25th year. Its department of Education and Community Programs includes the free Student Subscription Series and the Family Theater Series, designed to introduce young people to live performance.
The Goodman opened on October 20, 1925, next to the Art Institute. While building its artistic reputation over the years, it also became known as a challenging place in which to perform, notorious for its poor acoustics and inadequate fly space. New construction finally began in 1998, with the New Goodman Theatre opening in the north loop in late 2000.
Steve Scott, The Goodman Theatre’s associate producer, says the Goodman strives to avoid formulas or get locked into any particular way of doing things. The theater takes pride in its commitment to its highly respected stable of artists. "It’s not just an institution," Scott says, "but is comprised of the artists who are the core of the theater. New artists will tell us where to go next. The theater also is constantly looking to do new kinds of programming."
While Scott says a significant portion of the theater’s audience is comprised of middle-aged whites, its Latino and African American audiences are growing. The Goodman’s position in the Chicago community and its flexible playing spaces have allowed it to stage its first Latino theater festival (which it intends to repeat), last fall’s Edward Albee festival, and all nine works in August Wilson’s cycle of plays exploring the African American experience in the 20th century, including "King Hedley II," "Seven Guitars" and his most recent work, "Gem of the Ocean". Scott is especially excited about the festival format and sees the Goodman doing more of that kind of programming.
Photos courtesy of The Goodman Theatre
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