Goodman Theatre – Clef Notes Chicagoland Journal for the Arts

There’s quite a bit to unpack, both literally and figuratively, when a family immigrates from a far flung country to the West and have to take on the challenges of adapting to local culture and idioms while maintain their own along the way. Imagine just how much more there is to deal with when that family spans several generations and the move is made amidst a swirl of global strife and social upheaval. Then you’ve got a conundrum of intense magnitude. How does the family navigate challenges unlike any it’s ever seen, economically, physically and culturally and stay a family? Such is the challenge depicted in Layalina, an extraordinary new play about how multi-generational families fall apart—and ultimately find each other again—amidst turbulent global and social change.

Theater

After Long Wait, Goodman Bringing Cheryl L. West’s “Fannie” to the Stage

October 8, 2021 Oscar Peterson Goodman Theatre, Henry Godinez

One year after nearly 2,000 audience members flocked to nine Chicago Parks to experience the power of American civil rights

Arts Summer 2021

The Road to Transition

June 25, 2021 Leslie Price Auditorium Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Lyric Opera, Music Institute of Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre

Chicago’s beleaguered arts community takes steps to return live arts and culture to the masses this summer. “Almost without exception,

Theater Winter 2021

Goodman Theatre Teams with Michael Cotey on #Enough to Take on the Scourge of Gun Violence

February 2, 2021 Oscar Peterson Goodman Theatre, Michael Cotey

As one of Chicago’s world-renowned cultural institutions, the Goodman Theatre is committed to the development of a more just and equitable Chicago. Key to this commitment has been the growth of the Goodman’s Educational and Engagement outreach programs. These programs seek to use the art and tools of theater to develop generational learning and understanding of the city’s diverse cultures and voices.

Theater

Goodman Theatre to Present Debut “Future Labs” Reading, Layalina by Martin Yousif Zebari

January 28, 2021 Isaac Jacobs Goodman Theatre

ayalina by Martin Yousif Zebari, the first play of Goodman Theatre’s Future Labs, makes its virtual debut, launching the theater’s newest effort to develop new plays. Directed by Azar Kazemi, Layalina examines how families maintain their love in the midst of turbulent global and social change. Future Labs develops works authored and directed by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI and other artists of color, curated by Quenna L. Barrett (Associate Director of Education and Engagement), Jonathan L. Green (Literary and New Works Manager) and Ken-Matt Martin (Associate Producer) and a Goodman Staff Evaluation Team composed of individuals of intersectional identities and in areas across the theater. The live virtual reading of Layalina streams on January 30.

Arts Summer 2020

Pandemic Pallor Sets In with Shutdowns Shutting Audiences Out of Area Arts Venues

June 1, 2020 Leslie Price Anthony Freud, Auditorium Theatre, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Lori Lightfoot, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Music Institute of Chicago

“It’s extraordinary that our world should have been turned upside down in such a short amount of time,” sighs Anthony Freud, Lyric Opera’s general director and CEO as he recounts the days before and after having to cancel the Lyric’s much anticipated Ring Cycle. “But we always have to remember that this is a national and a global tragedy in which we, Lyric Opera, are a tiny microcosm.”

Theater

Goodman Theatre Postpones Balance of 2019-20 Season

May 16, 2020 Vickie Moore COVID-19, Goodman Theatre

As shelter-in-place due to COVID-19 continues in Illinois, Goodman Theatre has announced its intention to postpone the four remaining 2019-2020 Season productions to the upcoming 2020-2021 Season. These four shows include School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh, directed by Lili-Anne Brown; Molly Sweeney by Brian Friel, directed by Robert Falls; American Mariachi by José Cruz González, directed by Henry Godinez; and the world-premiere musical adaptation of The Outsiders based on the novel by S.E. Hinton and Francis Ford Coppola’s motion picture, book by Adam Rapp, music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, music supervision, arrangements and orchestration by Justin Levine, choreography by Lorin Latarro, directed by Liesl Tommy. The complete 2020-2021 Season and additional details to be announced.