Theatre News Wire

Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and incoming Executive Director John Collins announce Goodman Theatre's 2024/2025 Season. The 99th year of the not-for-profit resident theater begins in September 2024 and includes four world- or Chicago-premiere productions, two classic revivals and a new production of a beloved musical-plus the 47th annual production of A Christmas Carol and the 20th annual New Stages Festival. New and expanded complementary programming includes Theater for the Very Young professional performances for children aged 0-5 and their grown-ups. Dennis Watkins' The Magic Parlour continues into the new season-with Watkins pausing his performances while acclaimed Latine magicians take the Parlour's stage for an exclusive engagement as part of this fall's Destinos Festival, in partnership with Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA). Summer 2025 welcomes the 4th annual Sweetest Season: A Gathering of Indigenous Creativity showcase featuring Native and Indigenous artists, produced in partnership with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.

Susan V. Booth, Artistic Director, together with the newly appointed Executive Director John Collins, unveiled the Goodman Theatre's 2024/2025 Season, marking its 99th year. This remarkable season, commencing in September 2024, boasts an exciting lineup including four productions making their world or Chicago debut, two timeless classics reimagined, and a fresh take on a cherished musical. Additionally, audiences can look forward to the 47th iteration of the iconic "A Christmas Carol" and the 20th New Stages Festival. Enhancing this year's offerings, Goodman Theatre introduces innovative programming for its youngest patrons-Theater for the Very Young-featuring professional performances designed for children from birth to five years and their caregivers. "The Magic Parlour," starring Dennis Watkins, will extend into the new season, with a special engagement during the Destinos Festival this fall where celebrated Latine magicians will take the stage, thanks to a collaboration with the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA). Summer 2025 will see the return of the Sweetest Season: A Gathering of Indigenous Creativity for its fourth year, showcasing the talents of Native and Indigenous artists in partnership with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.

"Our stage is our audience's space of possibility, where ephemeral moments make indelible memories through big, breathtaking, 'why-not' productions of some of the best new plays and classic works," said Artistic Director Susan V. Booth. "The upcoming season is one deeply attuned to our current moment, a time when how and with whom we connect has never been more important. These plays lean into the beautiful danger of trying to make community in a new place. They ask you to look hard at your closest relationships-and consider what you might be missing. Ultimately, I'm interested in that which brings us together as people. Our 2024/2025 Season is an invitation to leave our differences at the door and surrender to story. Gather with friends. Laugh with a loved one. Relax, exhale away the noise and the daily grind. Let the art on stage transcend and transport us to a place of possibility."

"Susan's vision for the Goodman is clear through this thrilling collection of stories that invites bold new thinking and boundary-pushing creativity," said John Collins, who assumes the role of Goodman Theatre Executive Director at the start of the 2024/2025 Season. "At the same time, it's exciting to expand programming and partnerships that complement the work on our stages-continuing the conversation into our Chicago community and welcoming new audiences through our doors."

Inherit the Wind
Albert Theatre
September 14 - October 13, 2024

Science and religion go head-to-head in this iconic courtroom showdown. A small-town educator's trial for teaching the theory of evolution becomes a battle royal of wits, wisdom and will for two of the country's most powerful lawyers. In a bold retelling for today, Goodman Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez directs an all-new production of one of the greatest dramas of the 20th century, based on the real-life Scopes "Monkey" Trial of 1925-an "explosive episode in American culture" (The New York Times).

Betrayal
Albert Theatre
February 8 - March 16, 2025

Emma, Robert and Jerry have history. The "eternal triangle" takes center stage in an inventive retelling by the Nobel Prize-winning playwright. As Emma's marriage to Robert comes to an end, she reconnects with Jerry, her former lover-and her husband's best friend. The action unspools backward in time, uncovering hidden truths and revealing how little we know about those we think we know so much about. Acclaimed stage and screen actor Helen Hunt (Mad About You, As Good As It Gets) makes her Goodman debut in this "elegy about time and memory (where) the greatest dramatic weight lies in what's unspoken, in the darkness of unsorted feelings" (The New York Times).

BUST
Albert Theatre
April 19 - May 18, 2025

Retta and Reggie are enjoying their usual evening on the porch when a longtime neighbor is pulled over by the police just before turning into his driveway. Everything goes as expected-until the unexpected happens. Tensions escalate, and eventually erupt, transporting us to a startling conclusion in Ms. Howard's powerful new work. Lileana Blain-Cruz, a "master of curating chaos" (The New York Times), directs.

The Color Purple
Albert Theatre
June 21 - July 27, 2025

It's a celebration of life, hope and the healing power of love! The musical stage adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning novel is a heart-rending, yet ultimately joyous, story of a young woman's perilous journey of personal awakening in the American South. Come ready to shout in church, stomp at the juke joint, laugh and cry with unforgettable "come-to-glory gospel hymns, down-and-dirty bump-and-grinds, jazz that stutters, dips and dives, and gorgeous alto arias" (Chicago Sun-Times).

Primary Trust
Owen Theatre
October 5 - November 3, 2024

Meet Kenneth, a 38-year-old longtime bookstore worker, who is perfectly content with his after-work routine: a mai tai (or two) at the local tiki bar. But when his employer decides to close the store, Kenneth must also turn the page and choose a new direction-including some daring steps into a world he has evaded. BOLD Producer Malkia Stampley makes her Goodman directing debut with this "tender, delicately detailed portrait" (The New York Times) about new beginnings.

Fat Ham
Owen Theatre
January 11 - February 23, 2025

"This is what I was raised in: pig guts and bad choices." As Juicy grapples with his identity and his family at a backyard barbecue, his father's ghost shows up asking for revenge-on Juicy's uncle, who has married his widowed mom-bringing his quest for joy and liberation to a screeching halt. James Ijames has reinvented Shakespeare's masterpiece, creating what The New York Times hails as "a hilarious yet profound tragedy, smothered in comedy," where the only death is the patriarchy. For more than a decade, Definition Theatre has celebrated stories created with, inspired by and intended for people and communities of color. Supported by a dedicated ensemble of artists, Definition is a cultural hub that amplifies + archives underrepresented voices as catalysts for social justice and racial healing.

Rounding out the Owen series is a world-premiere production by Jordan Harrison, directed by David Cromer, title to be announced soon (May/June 2025).

In addition, the Goodman's 47th annual production of A Christmas Carol directed by Jessica Thebus once again stars Larry Yando in his 17th year as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Albert Theatre (November 16 - December 30, 2024) and the 20th annual New Stages Festival of new plays takes the Owen stage in December (dates tba). Additional information will be announced soon for the new Theater for the Very Young programming; Latine magician limited engagement at The Magic Parlour with CLATA's fall 2024 Destinos Festival; and the summer Sweetest Season: A Gathering of Indigenous Creativity showcase.