Goodman Theatre’s 19th annual New Stages Festival kicks off tonight with the first of two new musical readings—Revolution(s) with music and lyrics by Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), book by Zayd Ayers Dohrn, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III—followed by Slippin’ Through the Cracks: The Blues Journey of Bobby Rush with book by Bobby Rush and Stephen Helper, music and lyrics by Rush, directed by Helper and Arminda Thomas. Three new plays featured in the 19th annual festival include Black Bear Island by Karissa Murrell Myers, directed by Henry Godinez; Perry Street by Lucy Thurber, directed by Thomas Sadoski; and Cephianne’s Reflection, A Gullah Fairy Tale for Grown Folk by Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom, directed by Malkia Stampley. New Stages Festival begins tonight and continues through December 10 in the 350-seat Owen Theatre; reserve free tickets at GoodmanTheatre.org/Festival or by phone at 312.443.3800 (12noon – 5pm, daily). Though the readings are not up for critical review, the Goodman welcomes members of the media to attend and cover the New Stages Festival; for tickets and/or interview requests, email Press@GoodmanTheatre.org (media only).
More than 100 plays have appeared in the New Stages Festival since its inception in 2004, the majority of which have since premiered at the Goodman and its peer theaters across the country. Each year, the Festival’s final weekend draws national theater industry and new work professionals to Chicago for exclusive social events, alongside Festival programming. Industry members seeking arrangements to attend Professionals Weekend should email Lena Romano (LenaRomano@GoodmanTheatre.org).
The New Stages Festival is made possible by The Joyce Foundation, which provides Major Support for Diverse Artistic and Professional Development. The Goodman is grateful for the generosity of its New Work sponsors, including: Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Major Support of New Work; Ruth D. and Ken M. Davee New Works Fund, Major Support of New Play Development; The Glasser Family, Mayer Brown LLP, and Shaw Family Supporting Organization, Support of New Work.
THE 2023 NEW STAGES FESTIVAL LINE-UP
Revolution(s)
Book by Zayd Ayers Dohrn
Music and lyrics by Tom Morello
Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
December 3, 6, 9 |7:30 PM
December 10 | 3pm
Soldier and aspiring musician Hampton Weems comes home from Afghanistan to find the South Side of Chicago is also occupied territory—and he’s accidentally joined the resistance. Featuring songs by Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Nightwatchman, Street Sweeper Social Club), Revolution(s) is a punk/metal/hip-hop musical about a young artist finding his voice, why violence is as American as cherry pie, and how young radicals, across generations, are still motivated by love.
CAST
Hampton Falk-Weems ............................................. Monty Kane
Ernesto “Ernie” Falk-Weems .............................Patrick Newson, Jr.
Lucia “Lucy” ..................................................... Molly Hernández
Sean ................................................................... Jack Lancaster
Emma Falk ......................................................... Rebekah Ward
Leon Weems .................................................. Namir Smallwood
Sunny/Ensemble ...................................... Joseph Aaron Johnson
Stage Directions/Ensemble .......................Jeff Kurysz
MUSICIANS
Music Director/Conductor/Keyboard.................... Michael McBride
Guitar.................................................................. Gary Guzman
Guitar.................................................................. Steve Roberts
Bass ................................................................. Paul Mutzbaugh
Drums ................................................................Dan Leali
Music Supervision by Jason Michael Webb
Lighting Design by Jason Lynch
Sound Design by Stephanie Farina
Associate Sound Design by Sarah Ramos
Casting by Lauren Port, CSA
Production Stage Manager Mario-Mars Wolfe
Stage Manager Kaitlin Kitzmiller
Slippin’ Through the Cracks: The Blues Journey of Bobby Rush
Book by Bobby Rush and Stephen Helper
Music and Lyrics by Bobby Rush
Directed by Stephen Helper and Arminda Thomas
December 8 | 7:30pm
The Blues journey of Bobby Rush takes us from the sharecropped fields and earthy juke joints of the deep south to the hot Chicago Blues scene where he broke the color barrier on Rush Street. In this new musical, created with writer Stephen Helper, the 89-year-old Blues superstar shares his moving, often hilarious story of “slippin’ through the cracks” he found in the walls of prejudice, hardship and loss to arrive at resilience and reconciliation. A celebration of authentic Black culture, more than 25 of his great Blues and Funk songs will tell the tale and rock the house.
CAST
Emmett Ellis, Jr......................Walter Russell III
Bobby Rush............................Eric Lewis
Ensemble........................... Hosea Griffith, Joslyn Jones, Gabrielle Lott-Rogers, Donica Lynn, Russell Mernagh, Kelvin Roston, Jr., Stef Tovar, Michael Turrentine, A.D. Weaver, Aeriel Williams
Stage Directions ....................................................................................... Chamaya Moody
MUSICIANS
Music Director/Conductor/Bass............................................................... Jeremy Jones
Tenor Sax.................................................................................................................. Rocky Yera
Trumpet .................................................................................................................. Chris Davis
Keyboard ................................................................................................................ Christian Yi Guitar..................................................................................................................... Michael Ross Guitar............................................................................................. LaDerrick “LA” Williams Drums................................................................................................................ Phillip Fornett
Lighting Design by Jason Lynch
Sound Design by Stephanie Farina
Casting by Lauren Port, CSA
Production Stage Manager Kaitlin Kitzmiller
Associate Sound Design by Sarah Ramos
Black Bear Island
By Karissa Murrell Myers
Directed by Henry Godinez
December 1 | 7:30pm
December 9 | 10am
When her estranged childhood sweetheart mysteriously dies, Amitra returns home after a 16-year absence to Black Bear Island, which legend says is haunted by a monstrous man-killing bear. As she searches for the truth and her memory starts to clear, the forest begins to engulf the house and Amitra’s past collides with her present. Regret, the unreliability of our own memories, and the paths we choose to become who we are unite in this new gothic thriller.
CAST
Amitra ...................................................... Aurora Adachi-Winter
Warren ...................................................................... Terry Bell
Ruby .................................................................. Kailey Morand
Marjorie ...................................................................... Kate Fry
Girl............................................................... Andrea San Miguel
Boy ....................................................................... Thomas Tran
Dennis the UPS Guy/The Man ................................. Rammel Chan
Finn................................................................ Ferdinand Moscat
Stage Directions ..................................................... Felicia Oduh
Lighting Design by Jason Lynch
Casting by Lauren Port, CSA
Stage Manager: Jojo Wallenberg
Perry Street
By Lucy Thurber
Directed by Thomas Sadoski
December 2 and 9 | 2pm
Phil and Maggie live a life of leisure in their handsome West Village brownstone. They indulge in the finer things and find special joy bringing aspiring artists into their home and making them part of the family—with a few strings attached. But when their daughter, Becca, returns from Brown University with her new girlfriend, their comfortable dynamic starts shifting in unsettling ways. This provocative new play about family, class and sex asks: what are you willing to pay for the people and things that you desire most?
CAST
Phil .................................................................... David Pasquesi
Angel ................................................................ Cesar J. Rosado
Maggie........................................................ Katherine Keberlein
Becca ..................................................................... Taylor Blim
Annabelle ........................................................... Kate Arrington
Stage Directions .................................................Rinska Carrasco
Lighting Design by Jason Lynch
Casting by Lauren Port, CSA
Stage Manager: Jojo Wallenberg
Cephianne’s Reflection
By Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom
Directed by Malkia Stampley
December 2 | 7:30pm
December 10 | 10am
Upon coming of age, the inhabitants of the invisible island of Ma Isle journey into the wilderness, where they are gifted with special abilities. So, it has been for hundreds of years…until Cephianne, the youngest child of their immortal matriarch, fails her seeking ritual, emerging from the woods unchanged and stumbles upon an enthralling man in her mirror. Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom’s new fairytale is penned in homage to the Gullah dialect and colorful culture found off the coast of Georgia, where the descendants of enslaved peoples turn pain into power.
CAST
Cephianne Collette-Aimee St. Ellis .................... Dyamone Hopkins
Alcione St. Ellis ....................................................... Kalyn Rivers
Queen Aimee St. Ellis/Oshun...................... Bri Buckley
Noble St. Ellis ..................................................... Gavin Lawrence
Tout Suite St. Ellis ................................................ Matty Robinson
Le’Faye St. Ellis.................................................... Sola Thompson
Sabatien Addalis Leplongeon IV ...................... Anthony Fleming III
Christina Leyton................................................... Alys Dickerson
Stage Directions .......................... Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom
Lighting Design by Jason Lynch
Casting by Lauren Port, CSA
Stage Manager: Jojo Wallenberg
Dialect and Vocal Coach: Cheryl Lynn Bruce
Dramaturg: J. Nicole Brooks
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 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 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.
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.
Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.