As the Goodman’s stages remain dark, audiences everywhere can experience a beloved past production—or discover one they may have missed—through Encore, an on-demand video streaming opportunity. The FREE new series, curated by the Goodman’s Artistic team, launches with four plays from the theater’s “video vault,” each appearing in a limited streaming run over the next two months: How To Catch Creation by Christina Anderson, directed by Niegel Smith; Teatro Buendía’s (Cuba) Pedro Páramo by Raquel Carrío, inspired by the Novel by Juan Rulfo, directed by Flora Lauten; Smokefall by Noah Haidle, directed by Anne Kauffman; and Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare, directed by Robert Falls. Also available for streaming is Until the Flood by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Neel Keller, presented in partnership with All Arts, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and six additional regional U.S. theaters.
The Encore series begins March 15 and continues through May 9; tickets are free with reservations available now at GoodmanTheatre.org/Encore. All productions are accessible at GoodmanTheatre.org. The Goodman is grateful for the support of JPMorgan Chase & Co., Lead Corporate Sponsor, and ITW, Corporate Sponsor Partner.
"Live theater is ephemeral; once a performance ends, it's gone forever," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "But as we anticipate the day we can reopen our doors and resume in-person events, we are thrilled to offer this rare chance to watch a handful of signature Goodman productions—including world premieres, a re-imagined classic and a ground-breaking international collaborate—from our video archives."
Executive Director Roche Schulfer added, "The Encore series allows us to, at once, support the actors on stage and artists behind the scenes who created these productions while offering something special to our audiences—completely FREE of charge. We are grateful to our Union partners for their collaboration and partnership in making possible this opportunity to experience these special productions in a new way."
ABOUT THE ENCORE PRODUCTIONS
Reservations for the free streams are now open for all four productions at GoodmanTheatre.org/Encore
"How To Catch Creation"
- By Christina Anderson | Directed by Niegel Smith
- Streaming free and on demand, March 15 – 28, 2021
- Closed captioning provided in English
A young writer’s life turns upside down when her girlfriend drops some unexpected news. Fifty years later, four artists feel the reverberations of that moment—and its unexpected consequences—as their lives intersect in pursuit of creative passion and legacy. In this bold, imaginative work, Christina Anderson dissects the universal act of creation to inspire the dreamers and idealists in us all. Goodman Theatre’s world-premiere production of How To Catch Creation (January 19 – February 24, 2019 in the Albert Theatre) was hailed as “lightning caught in a bottle…an absolute triumph” (Chicago Reader), “magnificent in scope…mesmerizing and deeply moving” (TheRoot.com) and “poetic and ambitious” (Chicago Tribune).
"Pedro Páramo"
- By Raquel Carrío
- Inspired by the Novel by Juan Rulfo
- Directed by Flora Lauten
- Music Direction by Victor Pichardo and Jomary Hechavarría
- Streaming free and on demand, March 29 – April 11, 2021
- Presented in Spanish with closed captioning provided in English and Spanish
Cuba’s formidable theater innovators Flora Lauten and Raquel Carrío of Teatro Buendía stage one of the greatest magical realism tales in Latin American literature—Juan Rulfo’s 1955 novel Pedro Páramo. The story follows a son who returns home to meet his father and reveals how one man’s unchecked appetite destroys both everything he loves and the town that made him great. The novel galvanized writers such as Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez to raise the voices and laughter of forgotten people, and encouraged writers and readers alike to listen to the dead living among us. Goodman Theatre’s world-premiere production of Pedro Páramo (March 23 – 31, 2013 in the Owen Theatre) was created by Teatro Buendía with Chicago artists over an eight-week residency in Chicago and Havana, Cuba.
"Smokefall"
- By Noah Haidle | Directed by Anne Kauffman
- Streaming free and on demand, April 12 – 25, 2021
- Closed captioning provided in English
Change is in the air as Violet prepares to bring twin boys into the world. Insider her womb, her unborn sons contemplate their future, while the world around her is in transformation: her husband is secretly planning to leave her, her father is slipping into senility and her daughter has taken a vow of silence. Haunting and slyly funny, Smokefall explores the lives of this family in a lyrical treatise on the fragility of life and the power of love. Goodman Theatre’s world-premiere production of Smokefall (October 5 – November 3, 2013 in the Owen Theatre and remounted by popular demand September 20 – October 26, 2014 in the Albert Theatre) was hailed as “gorgeous…four stars (out of four)” (Chicago Tribune), “highly recommended…a glorious play, took my breath away” (Chicago Sun-Times) with “radiant performances and exquisite design” (Time Out Chicago).
"Measure for Measure"
- By William Shakespeare | Directed by Robert Falls
- Streaming free and on demand, April 26 – May 9, 2021
- Closed captioning provided in English
Virtue and vice collide—and lust and the law are inextricably entwined—in Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls’ daring revival of Shakespeare’s dark comedy. His city caught in a moral free-fall, the Duke of Vienna hands over power to Lord Angelo, who enforces long-dormant codes of chastity with zealous fervor. When a pious young nun pleads for the life of her condemned brother, Angelo’s response reveals a web of desire, deception and hypocrisy that infects every corner of society. Falls’ production of Measure for Measure (March 9 – April 14, 2013) was hailed as “audacious, arresting (and) highly amusing” (Chicago Tribune) with “vice ooz(ing) from the very walls the comedy roars…never in the history of this play has such a raw and raucous production been seen” (Newcity).
ABOUT UNTIL THE FLOOD
Goodman Theatre is proud to stream the broadcast premiere of Dael Orlandersmith’s Until the Flood—“an urgent moral inquest” (New York Times Critic’s Pick) “so palpably compassionate it achieves a great beauty by bringing us together rather than driving us apart” (Chicago Tribune)—directed by Neel Keller. Based on extensive interviews following the 2014 shooting of Black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson, this tour-de-force one-woman production powerfully explores the roiling currents of American history, race and politics that exploded in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri and sent shock waves across the nation. The free stream is presented in partnership with All Arts—the free broadcast and digital platform dedicated to the arts—and New York’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (where the production was filmed in 2018) and six U.S. regional theaters, including A Contemporary Theatre (Seattle); Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles); Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; Portland Center Stage (Oregon); and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis—the theater that originally commissioned Orlandersmith to write the play in 2015. Until the Flood is available for on-demand viewing on ALL ARTS for three years—through fall of 2023. The Goodman is grateful for the support of Corporate Sponsor Partner BMO Harris Bank.
On August 9, 2014, Darren Wilson, a white police officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an African American teenager, in Ferguson. The shooting ignited weeks of social unrest, propelled the activist movement Black Lives Matter, and prompted a controversial investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Traveling to the region a few months after the shooting, Orlandersmith conducted interviews with dozens of people who were grievously shaken by the shooting and its turbulent aftermath. From these intimate conversations, she has created eight unforgettable characters who embody a community struggling to come to terms with the personal damage caused by these complex events. Experienced in performance, these voices offer haunting reminders of America’s continuing struggle with racism and justice. Written and performed by Dael Orlandersmith, Until the Flood was directed for the stage and television by Neel Keller, with set design by Takeshi Kata, lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger, costume design by Kaye Voyce, sound design by Justin Ellington, and projection design by Nicholas Hussong.
ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fourth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.
As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Megan McCarthy Hayes is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.