Goodman Theatre announces an update to its production schedule for the early months of 2022. The world premiere of Christina Anderson’s play the ripple, the wave that carried me home, directed by Miranda Haymon—a co-production between the Goodman and Berkeley Repertory Theatre—has been postponed to next season due to a delay in Berkeley Rep’s season opening. New dates will be announced in the months ahead. Mary Zimmerman’s The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, previously scheduled to appear in late spring, moves up into the vacant slot. The Goodman’s first play of the new year—Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith, in a 20th anniversary revival—appears as scheduled. Tickets for Gem of the Ocean go on sale this Friday, November 19 and tickets for The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci go on sale December 17; visit GoodmanTheatre.org or call the Box Office 312.443.3800 (12 noon – 5pm, daily).
Health and Safety Note: Proof of vaccination (fourteen days after second dose for ages 12+; fourteen days after first dose for children 5-11) with an FDA or WHO-authorized vaccine is required for all guests. For unvaccinated youth under 12 and other exceptions, a recent negative COVID-19 test will be accepted. Masks are required at all times while inside Goodman Theatre. Learn more GoodmanTheatre.org/Protocols.
ABOUT THE PLAYS
Gem of the Ocean
By August Wilson
Directed by Chuck Smith
January 22 – February 27, 2022 | Albert Theatre
Opening Night is Monday, January 31
A major revival of the play that begins August Wilson’s epic 10-play American Century Cycle—on the stage where it premiered 20 years ago. Tensions flare into riots across Pittsburgh’s Hill District as chaos threatens a city desperate for freedom. It’s 1904, the dawn of the new century—yet slavery’s shadow looms large. There is solace to be found at the home of 285-year-old Ester Tyler, keeper and transmitter of African American history and cleanser of souls. When a suspicious traveler appears at her door in search of a new life, Aunt Ester guides him on a journey of spiritual awakening.
The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
Written and Directed by Mary Zimmerman
February 11 – March 20, 2022 | Owen Theatre
Opening Night is Monday, February 22
Mary Zimmerman brings her celebrated play about one of history’s most imaginative minds back to the Goodman nearly three decades after its acclaimed debut. Leonardo da Vinci strove to know the world equally through artistic and scientific means. This poetic portrayal of one of history’s most imaginative minds returns to the Goodman nearly three decades after it burst onto the stage in a career-catapulting production for adaptor/director Mary Zimmerman.
In a production composed entirely of words from his notebooks and various treatises, da Vinci’s ideas on topics from mathematics, anatomy, architecture and engineering, to philosophy, love and the human spirit come to vivid life.
the ripple, the wave that carried me home
By Christina Anderson
Directed by Miranda Haymon
Postponed to the 2022/2023 Season (dates TBA)
A story about justice, legacy, memory and the ultimate challenge of forgiveness. Janice’s parents are prominent activists fighting for the integration of public swimming pools in 1960s Kansas. As injustice penetrates the warm bubble of her childhood, Janice grows apart from her family and starts a new life far away. When she receives a call asking her to speak at a ceremony honoring her father, she must decide whether she’s ready to reckon with her political inheritance and a past she has tried to forget.
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 earner 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.
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 on the new Goodman center in 2000.
Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, 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.