Highway Patrol begins rehearsals IRL (“in real life”) at Goodman Theatre.. Working with a script conceived entirely from Emmy Award-winning actor Dana Delany’s (China Beach, Desperate Housewives) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages, Delany is joined by three-time Emmy Award nominee Dot-Marie Jones (Glee’s Coach Beiste) and emerging Chicago actor Thomas Murphy Molony (A Christmas Story, The Musical at Marriott Theatre and Fun Home at Paramount) in the world-premiere production co-created by Dane Laffrey, playwright Jen Silverman and director Mike Donahue. The creative team includes Dane Laffrey (Set Design), Enver Chakartash (Costume Design), Jen Schriever (Lighting Design), Sinan Refik Zafar (Sound Design) and Yee Eun Nam (Projection Design). Highway Patrol appears in the 856-seat Albert Theatre January 20 – February 18, 2024. Tickets ($25 – 90; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Highway or by phone at 312.443.3800. Highway Patrol is presented by special arrangement with Mark Gordon Pictures. The Goodman is grateful for the support of the Edgerton Foundation (New American Plays).
“When we started to conceive this project four years ago, we were moved by Dana story, and the sense of connection she forged in an online space,” said Co-Creator and Director Mike Donahue. “We see two people who come from completely different worlds learn how to connect and test the boundaries of vulnerability and intimacy. Now, we’re very excited to get this script on its feet and learn how it lives and breathes on stage against the backdrop of projections and all the other wonderful design elements of the play.”
TIMESTAMP: October, 2012: “@DanaDelany, Are you married? If not, I’d marry you.” When Cam (Thomas Molony), a 13-year-old fan in a desperate medical situation captures actress Dana Delany’s attention on Twitter, she’s quickly swept into an intense, around-the-clock online friendship with the whole family—including Cam’s care-giving grandmother, Nan (Dot-Marie Jones). But when Cam starts relaying messages received from beyond, Dana is thrust into a world where unexpected revelations raise the question of how far we go to love and be loved.
ABOUT THE COMPANY (in alphabetical order)
For images, bios and additional information about the artists, visit the Play Detail Page.
Highway Patrol
Playwright and Text Curator Jen Silverman
Based on the Digital Archives of Dana Delany
Created by Dana Delany, Mike Donahue, Dane Laffrey and Jen Silverman
Directed by Mike Donahue
Line Production by Malkia Stampley
Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA.
January 20 – February 18, 2024
Dana..... Dana Delany
Voice of Peter Gallagher....Peter Gallagher
Nan/Others..... Dot-Marie Jones
Cam..... Thomas Murphy Molony
Understudies for this production include Meighan Gerachis (Nan/Others), Brennan Monaghan (Cam) and Rachel Sledd (Dana).
Assistant Direction by Jamal Howard
Set Design by Dane Laffrey
Costume Design by Enver Chakartash
Lighting Design by Jen Schriever
Sound Design by Sinan Refik Zafar
Projection Design by Yee Eun Nam
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit Goodman theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, February 16 at 7:30pm – An American Sign Language interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Touch Tour and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, February 17, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.
Spanish Subtitles: Saturday February 17 at 7:30pm.
Open-Captioned: Sunday, February 18 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
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 Susan V. Booth and Executive Director/CEO 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 earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson 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 fifth 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 theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with 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 for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
Goodman Theatre was built on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten—and remains home to many Native peoples today. While we believe that our city’s vast diversity should be reflected on the stages of its largest theater, we acknowledge that our efforts have largely overlooked the voices of our Native peoples. This omission has added to the isolation, erasure and harm that Indigenous communities have faced for hundreds of years. We have begun a more deliberate journey towards celebrating Native American stories and welcoming Indigenous communities.
The Goodman 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.
Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is the Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.