Goodman Theatre’s popular, FREE virtual Education and Engagement offerings for youth and adults return, with summer session applications open now through June 2. Brand new program Introduction to Stagecraft explores the artistry and craftsmanship that makes theater happen. Returning after a successful launch last summer are programs Alone Together, in which participants develop three-to-five-minute site-specific solo performance pieces; and Strike!: The Youth Political Theater Project, which sees the ensemble-based, youth-driven creation of new virtual theater pieces in response to events of the current political and social environment. These offerings join longtime programs GeNarrations and InterGens. Education and Engagement summer program applications remain open through June 2; the programs begin the week of June 28. For more information and to apply, visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Engage-Learn.
“We’re excited to take advantage of the unique opportunities that virtual programming offers our participants this summer,” said Willa J. Taylor, Walter Director of Education and Engagement. “We now have the ability to reach youth and adults for whom travel downtown to the Goodman may be too arduous or expensive. Virtual sessions also allow us to open a national conversation by involving directors, designers, playwrights and teaching artists from around the country as mentors—so the overall experience becomes even richer.”
ABOUT THE PROGRAMS
Introduction to Stagecraft
- For youth aged 14-21
- June 29–August 5
Apply: GoodmanTheatre.org/Stagecraft
Learn about the “unsung heroes” of the American theater—explore technical and craft theater jobs, including scenic construction and painting, costume assembly, electrics, sound production and property craft techniques. Guest technicians discuss their jobs and introduce participants to the professionals working in the industry. The program is guided by teaching artist and designer Cat Wilson (Twilight Bowl, Yasmina’s Necklace).
Alone Together
- For youth aged 14-18
- June 28–August 7
Apply: GoodmanTheatre.org/AloneTogether
In this solo performance intensive, participants learn playwriting, movement and dance, acting and vocal performance, and receive individualized coaching from directors and designers to lift the pieces from the page to the virtual stage. Led by a team of teaching artists, the program culminates in an online showcase of three-to-five-minute site-specific performance pieces.
Strike!: The Youth Political Theater Project
- For youth aged 14-21
- June 28–August 6
Apply: GoodmanTheatre.org/Strike
In this program centered around civic engagement through theater, youth collaborate in the ensemble-based creation of new virtual theater pieces in response to political and social events. Participants learn their legal rights—and the historical context underpinning the current socio-political moment. Led by Associate Director of Education Quenna Barrett, Strike! culminates in an online showcase.
GeNarrations
- For adults aged 55+
- June 28-August 20
Apply: GoodmanTheatre.org/GeNarrations
In this storytelling performance workshop for adults 55+, participants develop personal narrative performance pieces based on themes raised by Goodman productions.
InterGens
- For youth and adults aged 14+
- June 30-August 13
Apply: GoodmanTheatre.org/InterGens
High school students collaborate with recent graduates, working artists and lifelong learners to create original work that considers the perspectives of all ages. Participants will explore new, virtual methods of collective storytelling and devise ensemble-driven theatre rooted in personal narrative. The program culminates in a public performance that echoes the themes of the Goodman’s other programming.
Goodman Theatre is grateful for the generosity of its Education and Engagement Sponsors, including Goodman Theatre Women’s Board and The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, Major Support of Education and Engagement; ComEd, An Exelon Company, Major Corporate Sponsor for Education and Engagement; PNC Bank, Arts in Community Sponsor; Allstate, Youth Arts Sponsor; KPMG, Corporate Sponsor Partner for Education and Engagement; Abbott Fund, Aryaka, The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Walter E. Heller Foundation, McDonald’s Corporation, Dr. Scholl Foundation, Theatre Forward, U.S. Bank and Warner Media, Support of Education and Engagement; The James and Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation, Major Support of Summer Programs; Anonymous and Siragusa Family Foundation, Sponsor Partner for Summer Programs; The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Support of GeNarrations.
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.
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.
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. Goodman Theatre's Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.
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