Warm up winter with the interactive storytelling, colorful puppets, music and dancing of The Lizard y El Sol—an all-ages event the whole family can enjoy. This enchanting retelling of a beloved Mexican folktale arrives at Goodman Theatre in an encore appearance, following record attendance of more than 2,800 at 12 Chicago Parks citywide this past summer. Directed by Raquel Torre and Jamal Howard, this 60-minute play about a lizard (Jean Claudio) in search of the sun is the Goodman’s second “Theater for the Very Young” production, programming developed for audiences aged 0-5 and their adult friends and family.
The Lizard Y El Sol appears January 24 – February 2 in the Alice Center at Goodman Theatre; running time is approximately one (1) hour and includes an interactive workshop. Tickets ($15 for children aged 1-17 and $10 for adults 18+; free admission for children under 12 months) are on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org/Lizard or by telephone at 312.443.3800. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of its Arts in Community Sponsor, Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
"Our Theater for the Very Young programming invites the youngest members of our community—and their families—to experience the magic of storytelling in a way that sparks joy, curiosity and connection,” said Jared Bellot, Walter Director of Education and Engagement. “Storytelling is at the heart of our lives, shaping how we understand the world and one another, regardless of age. This programming beautifully complements our existing work, creating a full spectrum of arts experiences at the Goodman that truly spans from birth through a lifetime. I am so excited to welcome a new generation of theatergoers to our home for this brilliant production."
Co-directors Raquel Torre and Jamal Howard reunite for the encore production.
“Just like the ‘Lagartija’ in our production, we're all capable of finding the sun!” said co-director Raquel Torre, who is also Assistant Director of Artistic Director Susan V. Booth’s major revival of Betrayal, starring Helen Hunt, Robert Sean Leonard and Ian Barford and the Goodman’s 2024/2025 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow. “With an amazingly talented cast of physical performers, music makers and facilitators telling the story of an unlikely hero and the power of community, I hope our young audiences learn that even during times of darkness, we can create hope together."
Added Jamal Howard, a Chicago-based director/choreographer/producer and immediate past Michael Maggio Directing Fellow, “The capacity for empathy starts from the day a person is born, and I think as theater creators, it is part of our responsibility to help individuals in our communities develop that empathetic awareness. And because empathy is uniquely learned in the experience of a live performance, the work we’re doing with productions for young audiences helps to set the foundation for a child to grow into an empathic adult.”
When El Sol (the sun) mysteriously vanishes from the sky, it’s up to one brave Lizard (Jean Claudio) to embark on a quest to find and bring back the light. The cast also includes Osiris “Pinky” Cuen (Animals), Otto Anzures Dadda (Musician/Music Director), Lucía Mier y Terán Romero (Ensemble/Understudy Animals/Teaching Artist) and Emmanuel Ramirez (Ensemble/Understudy Lizard/Teaching Artist).
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Raquel Torre (she/her/ella) is a theater-maker from Puerto Rico with a background in devised theater, physical performance and community-grounded spectacle. She is the 2024/2025 Goodman Theatre Michael Maggio Directing Fellow, and since 2013 has co-led the minority-led La Vuelta Ensemble. Select Chicago directing credits include Kid Prince and Pablo (Lifeline Theatre); The Lizard y El Sol (Goodman); Book Up!, Memorabilia (La Vuelta Ensemble); and Back in the Day (UrbanTheater Company). Select assistant directing credits include Betrayal and Inherit the Wind (Goodman) and POTUS (Steppenwolf Theatre). She holds a BA from the Universidad de Sagrado Corazón (Puerto Rico), a certificate from Cabuia Teatro (Argentina) and an MFA from LISPA/Columbia College Chicago (Germany/USA). RaquelTorre.com.
Jamal Howard is a director and choreographer focused on the empathetic power of theatre. He is the 2023/2024 Goodman Theatre Michael Maggio Directing Fellow, Co-Artistic Director of New American Folk Theatre, and an Associate Company Member with TUTA Theatre. Select credits include A Christmas Carol, Antonio’s Song: I Was Dreaming of a Son, In My Granny’s Garden (Goodman Theatre); The Great Khan (Redtwist Theatre); tick, tick… Boom! (Boho Theatre); The Apple Tree (Porchlight Music Theatre); 8-Track: The Sounds of the 70s, Songs for A New World (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre); Think Fast, Jordan Chase (Filament Theatre); Murder, Rewrote (Hell in a Handbag Productions); R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (Right Angle Entertainment/National Tour); A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Breckenridge Backstage Theater) The Wiz, The Mole Hill Stories (Children’s Theatre Madison). Jamal served as the Associate Artistic Director of Emerald City Theatre and has worked with First Floor Theater, After School Matters, Mudlark Theater, Artemisia Theatre, and CircEsteem.
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 John Collins, 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 nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson 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 unceded 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. The Goodman is proud to have a relationship with Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum. Located in Evanston, the Museum honors the survival and perseverance of Indigenous communities and promotes a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples: gichigamiin-museum.org.
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.