You only turn 100 once! On October 20, 1925, Goodman Theatre opened the doors to its first audience. In a Proclamation, Mayor Brandon Johnson declared today, October 20, 2025, “Goodman Theatre Centennial Day” in Chicago, stating, “For the past 100 years, the Goodman Theatre has bridged artistry and community, fostered generations of theater professionals and brought joy, insight and inspiration to millions of audience members across Chicago and beyond. Therefore I encourage all Chicago residents to recognize and celebrate the enduring contributions of this treasured cultural institution."
As part of its anniversary season celebration, The Goodman announces fall/winter offerings of its 100 Free Acts of Theater initiative, launched in July in collaboration with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Led by Jared Bellot, The Goodman’s Clifford Director of Education and Engagement, together with Artistic Coordinator and Project Manager Emi Suarez and 100 Free Acts Coordinating Producer Ericka Ratcliff, 100 Free Acts of Theater connects the Goodman with creative partners and organizations throughout the city. Each Act, developed in close collaboration and in tune with that partner organization’s mission and programmed to take place at destinations within the partner’s community, touches one or more of Chicago’s 50 wards.
A full list of programs, RSVP links, partner organizations and corresponding wards continues to be updated at GoodmanTheatre.org/FreeActs.
UPCOMING FREE ACTS
Ward 27
THE TREEHOUSE
A Listening Party for Rest, Healing and Dreaming
In partnership with Works by Willow
Urbane Blades (948 N Orleans) | Oct. 30, 7-9:30pm
FREE and open to all
Join DJ Willow James for a listening party featuring classics from disco and house legends like Donna Summer, Billy Ocean, Frankie Knuckles and more. The Treehouse is a listening party series that is designed for folks who might prefer more lowkey, intimate experiences. Each "set" has a theme and folks are encouraged to bring games, drinks, food, or to just listen. Rooted in the Afrofuturist principles around rest, The Treehouse pops up at various venues around the city to reimagine rest as a space for dreaming, healing, and relaxing. WorksByWillow.com/TheTreehouse
Ward 33
WILLIAM SMITH—A WARRIOR IN TIME
Remembering a Native Veteran & Community Member
In partnership with Dancing Pony Productions & American Indian Center of Chicago
American Indian Center of Chicago (3401 W Ainslee) | Date and time TBD; visit GoodmanTheatre.org/FreeActs for details
FREE and open to all
Gather to remember William Smith, a Lakota warrior and iconic Community member. This program will begin with the presentation of the Eagle Staff and flags by the AIC Veterans Honor Guard, followed by an Honor Song by a local drum, introductory remarks and remembrances about Bill and his impact on the Native Community, and a screening of the documentary "William Smith - A Warrior in Time.” In addition, there will be exhibits about Bill, Native American Veterans, Code Talkers, and the Harlem Documentary Project. AICChicago.org
Ward 8
FRANKIE KNUCKLES HOUSE MUSIC FESTIVAL
In partnership with Rebuild Foundation
The Land School (1353 E 72nd) | Nov. 15, 12noon-8pm
FREE and open to all
Gather for a daylong celebration of the Godfather of House Music as Rebuild Foundation celebrates its ongoing stewardship, creative activation, and embodiment of the Frankie Knuckles Collection. As a continuation of the Foundation’s ongoing house programs, this year’s festival will move attendees rhythmically through celebration and fellowship as they engage the Knuckles archive and revel in the liberatory power of House music. Knuckles’ enduring legacy will be honored with a stacked lineup of Chicago’s finest emergent and established DJs alike, spinning in and around the House music tradition and lineage. Rebuild-Foundation.org
TEEN STUDIO: BEHIND THE MIC
The Goodman (170 N Dearborn) | Nov. 15, 12noon-1:30pm
FREE and open to all Chicagoland teens
Part of the Goodman’s Teen Studio Series, Behind the Mic is a free introductory workshop for Chicagoland teens curious about the world of voiceover. Discover healthy vocal techniques, explore recording equipment and get an inside look at opportunities in theater, narration, commercials, and more. Led by Emmy Award–winning performer Abby Thompson, attendees will learn how their voice can bring characters, stories and ideas to life. GoodmanTheatre.org/TeenStudio
GENARRATIONS CITYWIDE STORYTELLING FESTIVAL
The Goodman (170 N Dearborn) | Nov. 24-25, 2-4:30pm
FREE and open to all
Visit The Goodman for the two-day GeNarrations Fall Citywide Storytelling Festival. This event brings over 20 storytellers, ages 55+, from across Chicago to share their personal narratives, connect with peers and celebrate the power of lived experience. Curated around themes from The Goodman’s production of Revolution(s), the festival features performances that honor the voices of our neighbors, spark connection and showcase storytelling’s transformative power across generations. GoodmanTheatre.org/GeNarrations
SCHOOL MATINEE SERIES: A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The Goodman (170 N Dearborn) | Dec. 2 & 9, 10:30am
Over 1,200 Chicago Public School students and teachers will receive free tickets to The Goodman’s annual production of A Christmas Carol as part of the School Matinee Series (SMS). Participating Chicago high schools will also receive standards-based teacher professional development, arts-integrated curriculum support across subject areas, production-specific study guides, and a bus stipend to help cover transportation costs. NOTE: This Act is available to The Goodman's School Matinee Series partners and is not open to the public. If you would like to apply for your school to be a future School Matinee Series partner, please visit GoodmanTheatre.org/SMS to learn more.
Ward 2
LOOKINGGLASS PRESENTS
In partnership with Lookingglass Theatre
Lookingglass Theatre (163 E Pearson) | Dec. 8, 6:30pm
FREE and open to all
Get to know Chicago in this fun-filled evening of variety entertainment and conversation. With Lookingglass Theatre Company as your host, the evening interviews 3 separate guests, features acts that run the gamut of performance styles and entices audience participation with simple game show challenges. Lookingglass Presents is an opportunity for Chicago to meet itself, to celebrate its people, and to gather around joy and laughter. LookingglassTheatre.org
ABOUT CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS (DCASE)
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 details, visit Chicago.gov/DCASE and stay connected via our newsletters and social media.
ABOUT THE GOODMAN
Since opening its doors on October 20, 1925, The Goodman has been more than a stage. A theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for community, it’s where stories come to life—bold in artistry and rich in history, deeply rooted in the city it serves.
Led by Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, The Goodman sparks conversation, connection and change through new plays, reimagined classics and large-scale musicals. With distinctions including nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman is proud to be the first theater to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” In addition, the theater frequently serves as a production partner—with national and international companies to Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify theatrical voices.
But The Goodman believes a more empathetic, more connected Chicago is created one story at a time, and counts as its greatest legacy the community it’s built. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime; from Theater for the Very Young (plays designed for ages 0-5) to the long-running annual A Christmas Carol, which has introduced new generations to theater over five decades, The Goodman is committed to being an asset for all of Chicago. Education and Engagement programs led by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot and housed in the Alice Rapoport Center use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging. Each year, these programs reach thousands of people (85% from underserved communities) as well as educators, artists and lifelong learners across the city.
The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.
The Goodman was founded by William O. Goodman and his family to honor the memory of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman—a visionary playwright whose bold ideas helped shape Chicago’s early cultural renaissance. That spirit of creativity and generosity endures today. In 2000, through the commitment of Mr. Goodman’s descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—The Goodman opened the doors to its current home in the heart of the Loop.