In collaboration with the Chicago Park District, Goodman Theatre reschedules the three performances of Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! lost from this past weekend’s cancellation—plus an encore appearance at the DuSable Museum at Washington Park. The production, which paused following the potential COVID-19 exposure to the company to allow time for assessment and testing per established protocols, resumes Thursday, October 1 at 6pm at Austin Town Hall Park (5610 W. Lake). A list of all remaining performances and dates appears below; for additional information, including safety precautions and more, visit GoodmanTheatre.org/SpeakOnit.
“We are grateful to our partners at the Chicago Park District and to Actors’ Equity Association for their support of our production in the face of the unprecedented challenges of our current moment,” said Goodman Theatre Executive Director Roche Schulfer. “As we resume performances this week, the health and safety of our artists, staff and audiences remains our top priority.”
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
October 1 at 6pm: Austin Town Hall Park (Austin) 5610 W. Lake
October 2 at 6pm*: Homan Square Park (North Lawndale) 3559 W. Arthington
October 3 at 3pm: Samuel Ellis Park (Bronzeville/Douglas) 3520 S. Cottage Grove
October 4 at 3pm: Portage Park (Portage Park) 4100 N. Long
October 6 at 6pm: Willye B. White Park (Rogers Park) 1610 Howard
October 7 at 6pm: Indian Boundary Park (West Ridge) 2500 W. Lunt
October 8 at 6pm: DuSable Museum of African American History, George Washington Park (Washington/Woodlawn) 740 E. 56th Place
*Denotes American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreted performance
Civil rights anthems, powerful spirituals and more take center stage in Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! by Cheryl L. West. Inspired by the life of the eponymous civil and voting rights activist, this passionate, immersive call-to-action and electrifying rally cry defines what it means to be a true revolutionary. This FREE three-week, socially-distanced outdoor engagement in collaboration with the Chicago Park District is directed by Goodman Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez. Chicago favorite E. Faye Butler appears in the title role, together with musician Felton Offard. Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! is adapted from Fannie—West’s Goodman co-commission (with Seattle Repertory Theater) that was developed in the 2019 New Stages Festival and will appear as part of the Goodman’s upcoming 2021 Season (dates TBA).
Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of PNC Bank (Arts in Community Sponsor), Abbott Fund (Sponsor Partner) and Allstate Insurance Company (Youth Arts Sponsor).
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Cheryl L. West (Playwright) returns to the Goodman where her play Pullman Porter Blues was produced in 2013. Her plays have also been seen at Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Rep, Indiana Rep, Arena Stage, Old Globe, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Bay Street Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Play House, South Coast Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Off‐Broadway's Second Stage. Plays include Last Stop on Market Street, Shout Sister Shout, Akeelah and the Bee, and Jar the Floor. She has written TV and film projects at Disney, Paramount, MTV Films, Showtime, TNT, HBO, CBS, BET and is the Webby-nominated writer for the original web series Diary of a Single Mom.
Henry Godinez (Director) is the Resident Artistic Associate at Goodman Theatre. His Goodman directing credits include Charise Castro Smith’s Feathers and Teeth, The Sins of Sor Juana and Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías; José Rivera’s Boleros for the Disenchanted (and world premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre); Regina Taylor’s Millennium Mambo; Luis Alfaro’s Electricidad and Straight as a Line; The Cook by Eduardo Machado; Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez; the Goodman and Teatro Vista co-production of José Rivera’s Cloud Tectonics and the 1996–2001 productions of A Christmas Carol. He also served as director of the Goodman’s Latino Theatre Festival. As an actor, Godinez appeared most recently in Goodman’s The Winter’s Tale, 2666 and the Goodman and Teatro Buendía of Cuba world premiere of Pedro Páramo, and at Writers Theatre in the title role of Quixote: In the Conquest of Self. He has also appeared on television in Chicago PD, Above the Law, The Beast, The Chicago Code, Boss and Chicago Fire. Co-founder and former artistic director of Teatro Vista, Godinez is the recipient of the 1999 Theatre Communications Group Alan Schneider Director Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the Lawyers for the Creative Arts and was honored as the 2008 Latino Professional of the Year by the Chicago Latino Network. Born in Havana, Cuba, Godinez is a professor at Northwestern University and serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Arts Council.
E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) returns to Goodman Theatre, where she most recently appeared in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Previous Goodman credits include Pullman Porter Blues, Crowns, Ain’t Misbehavin, A Christmas Carol and Purlie. National and Regional tours: Mamma Mia, Dinah Was, Ain’t Misbehavin, Nunsense and Cope. Butler performs in regional theaters across the country including Arena Stage, Steppenwolf Theatre, Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Baltimore Centerstage, La Jolla Playhouse, Marriott Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Mixed Blood, Illusion Theatre, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Muny, St. Louis Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Drury Lane Theatre, Congo Square, Fulton Theatre, MSMT, Sacramento Music Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, The Barn, The Kennedy Center, Arkansas Repertory, Chicago Children Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Porchlight Music Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre D.C., Milwaukee Repertory, Peninsula Players, Paper Mill Playhouse, Dallas Theatre Center and ASOLO Repertory. She is the recipient of nine Jeff Awards, four Black Theatre Alliance, an After Dark, John Barrymore, RAMI, two Helen Hayes, two Black Excellence, Kathryn V. Lampkey, Ovation, Excellence in the Arts, 2016 Rosetta LeNoire, Sarah Siddons Leading Lady and Guy Adkins Awards. She was also named a 2011 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow. She was inducted into the National Women in the Arts Museum in Washington DC and recently released her first House and Club single in Milan, Italy, “Down to the Rhythm.” Proud AEA member.
Felton Offard (Music Man/Our Band) grew up in Freeport Illinois and attended Northern Illinois University, earning both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Goodman productions include Purlie and Crowns. Other Chicago area productions include Hamilton (Private Bank Theatre); The Color Purple (Cadillac Palace); Addams Family, First Wives Club, Motown (Ford Oriental); Sister Act (Marriott ); Could It Be Magic? (Mercury Theatre); Raisin (Court Theatre); Blue Brothers (CCPA); Comfortable Shoes (Royal George Theatre); Grease (Auditorium Theatre). Touring credits include Jersey Boys, Three Mo ’Divas, Flashdance, Standing In The Shadows Of Motown and Come Fly Away/Fly With Me. Regional theatre include Come Fly With Me (Alliance Theatre).
ABOUT CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT
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.
ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
AMERICA’S “BEST REGIONAL THEATRE” (Time magazine), 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.