Corn! Green beans! Collard greens! Cabbage! Goodman Theatre plants the seeds of discovery in Chicago Parks this summer with In My Granny’s Garden by Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett Jr.—a sensory, hands-on experience for the whole family, but designed especially for children under age five, about the origins of food and its natural growth from the earth. Directed by Goodman Theatre BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley, In My Granny’s Garden is included in the Chicago Park District’s 11th annual free Night Out in the Parks, which brings 700+ cultural events to each of the city's 77 community areas this summer. This FREE three-week engagement, which spans 13 park locations citywide, is produced in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
In My Granny’s Garden, based on the book by Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett Jr. and illustrated by Radcliffe Bailey, appears August 3 – 19 at various Chicago Park District locations (see below); each location has two performances followed by an interactive workshop, one at 9:30am and one at 11:30am, each running approximately one (1) hour. Admission is free. Visit www.GoodmanTheatre.org/Garden for additional information and to register for a performance. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of Ariel Investments in the Arts (Community Sponsor).
“Pearl Cleage’s work speaks to the curious soul in all of us—and reminds us of our capacity to love, to fight and to dream,” said Malkia Stampley, Goodman Theatre’s BOLD Artistic Producer and director of In My Granny’s Garden. “The Goodman is excited to bring this delightful work into our Chicago communities in this unique partnership with Night Out in the Parks for a very special audience.”
In My Granny’s Garden is a “pre-festival” offering in Goodman Theatre’s upcoming Pearl Cleage Festival—a citywide celebration, curated by Stampley, honoring the work of Atlanta’s Poet Laureate, revered poet, activist, playwright, mentor and educator. The festival will take place in September and October with events at the Goodman (with The Nacirema Society directed by Lili-Anne Brown as its centerpiece production) and throughout Chicago’s north, south and west neighborhoods. Partnering organizations include Black Ensemble Theater, Congo Square, Definition Theatre, ETA Creative Arts Foundation, Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre (MPAACT), Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and more.
IN MY GRANNY’S GARDEN PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Each location has performances at 9:30am and 11:30am. Performances last approximately one hour.
Thursday, August 3 – Kilbourn Park (3501 N. Kilbourn)
Friday, August 4 – Lindblom Park (6054 S. Damen)
Saturday, August 5 – Kosciuszko Park (2732 N. Avers)
Tuesday, August 8 – Ken-Well Park (2945 N. Kenosha)
Wednesday, August 9 – Moore Park (5085 W. Adams)
Thursday, August 10 – Harrison Park (1824 S. Wood)
Friday, August 11 – Williams Park (2850 S. State)
Saturday, August 12 – Valley Forge Park (7001 W. 59th)
Tuesday, August 15 – South Shore Cultural Center (7059 S. South Shore)
Wednesday, August 16 – Austin Town Hall Park (5610 W. Lake)
Thursday, August 17 – Gage Park (2411 W. 55th)
Friday, August 18 – Anderson Park (3748 S. Prairie)
Saturday, August 19 – Abbott Park (49 E. 95th)
In My Granny’s Garden is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Night Out in the Parks program presents cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with 100 local artists and organizations, present engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood. Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement, and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND PRODUCING PARTNERS
Playwright Pearl Cleage is currently the Distinguished Artist in Residence at Atlanta’s Tony Award winning Alliance Theatre. Her new play Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous, had its world premiere as a part of the theatre’s 50th anniversary season in 2019 and recently completed a successful run at Hartford Stage. Both productions were directed by Susan V. Booth. Her other plays premiered at the Alliance include What I Learned in Paris, Blues for an Alabama Sky, and Flyin’ West. Cleage’s latest play Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard was commissioned by Ford Theatre’s Lincoln Legacy Project and will be produced at Ford’s Theatre in the fall of 2023. Her first of 8 novels, What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day, was an Oprah Book Club pick and spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Ms. Cleage currently serves as Atlanta’s first Poet Laureate.
Malkia Stampley is from Milwaukee and is Goodman’s BOLD Artistic Producer. Line Producer credits include Toni Stone; Clyde’s; the ripple, the wave that carried me home; Life After; Good Night, Oscar; Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci; Swing State and Gem of the Ocean. Chicago directing credits include Boulevard of Bold Dreams (Timeline Theatre); STEW (Shattered Globe); Shakesfest (Chicago Shakespeare); The October Storm (Raven Theatre). Additional directing: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Farmer's Alley); The Gift of the Magi (American Players); Black Nativity (Black Arts MKE); STEW (Milwaukee Chamber); Nunsense (Milwaukee Repertory); Five Guys Named Moe (Skylight Music). She served as the founding Artistic Producer for Milwaukee Black Theater Festival and is co-founder of Bronzeville Arts Ensemble. Malkia is a BOLD theater artist, 2022-2023 LORT EDI Mentee, Theatre Producers of Color alum and University of Chicago & Court Theatre’s Civic Actors Studio alumnus and facilitator.
The Chicago Park District has served Chicago residents for more than 85 years. It is a Gold Medal Award-winning organization, which recognizes excellence in park and recreation management across the nation. For more information about the Chicago Park District’s more than 8,800 acres of parkland, more than 600 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, nearly 50 nature areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertainment programs, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY or 312/747.2001 (TTY). Want to share your talent? Volunteer in the parks by calling, 312/742.PLAY. Follow us at facebook/chicagoparkdistrict, on Instagram/chicagoparks and on Twitter @chicagoparks.
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city — to strengthen and celebrate Chicago. DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city — serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago. For more information, visit chicago.gov/dcase.
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre (Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director/CEO Roche Schulfer) 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. 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 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 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 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; learn more at www.GoodmanTheatre.org/Accountability.
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 on the new Goodman center in 2000. Today, Goodman Theatre is Theater leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is President of the Women’s Board and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.