Goodman Theatre

Professional theater company located in Chicago

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Goodman Theatre

The Goodman Theatre

Location| 170 North Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60601
Coordinates| 41°53′05″N 87°37′48″W﻿ / ﻿41.8848°N 87.6299°W﻿ / 41.8848; -87.6299

Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the landmark Harris and Selwyn Theaters property.[1]

## History

[edit]

The Goodman was founded in 1925 as a tribute to the Chicago playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman,[2] who died in the Great Influenza Pandemic in 1918. The theater was funded by Goodman's parents, Mr. and Mrs. William O. Goodman, who donated $250,000 to the Art Institute of Chicago to establish a professional repertory company and a school of drama at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[3] The first theater was designed by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw (in the location now occupied by the museum's Modern Wing), although its design was severely hampered by location restrictions resulting in poor acoustics and lack of space for scenery and effects.

The opening ceremony on October 20, 1925, featured three of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman's plays: Back of the Yards, The Green Scarf, and The Game of Chess. Two nights later the theater presented its first public performance, John Galsworthy's The Forest. In 1969 under artistic director, John Reich, it finally became a fully professional company.[4]

In 1978, the drama school became part of DePaul University.[1]

In 2000, the company moved into its new facility at 170 North Dearborn in Chicago's theater district. The 171,000 square feet (15,900 m2) project was designed by KPMB Architects, DLK Architecture Inc., and architects associated with the McClier Corporation. It has two fully modern auditoriums, named the Albert and the Owen, after two members of the Goodman family who continue to be major donors. In August 2000, associate artistic director Michael Maggio died and the company established the Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award in his honor; it is bestowed alongside the Michael Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration.[5][6]

## Awards

[edit]

In 1992, the theatre company received the Regional Theatre Tony Award, joining Steppenwolf Theatre as Chicago-based recipients of the award. Four other Chicago-based companies, Victory Gardens Theater (in 2001), Chicago Shakespeare Theater (in 2008), Lookingglass Theatre Company (in 2011), and Court Theatre (Chicago) (in 2022) have also received the award, making Chicago the most recognized city in the country by this prestigious live theater award. The Goodman has also won many Joseph Jefferson awards.

## Notable productions

[edit]

Notable[how?] productions at Goodman Theatre include: Inherit the Wind (2024, directed by Henry Godinez),[7] The Nacirema Society (2023, directed by Lili-Anne Brown),[8] Lucha Teotl (2023, written and directed by Christopher Llewyn Ramirez and Jeff Colangelo),[9] Highway Patrol (2024, directed by Mike Donahue),[10] The Matchbox Magic Flute (2024, directed by Mary Zimmerman),[11] The Penelopiad (2024, directed by Susan V. Booth),[12] Joe Turner's Come and Gone (2024, directed by Chuck Smith),[13] English (2024, directed by Hamid Dehghani),[14] and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (2024, directed by Rob Ashford).[15]

## See also

[edit]

* Goodman School of Drama

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Our History". Goodman Theatre. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
2. ^ Nunn, Jerry. "The Goodman commemorated 100 years with a glamorous gala - Nunn's Theater Habit". GoPride Chicago (ChicagoPride.com). Retrieved June 24, 2025.
3. ^ "Goodman Memorial Theatre". Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago. 38 (6): 101. November 1944. JSTOR 4112503.
4. ^ Jones, Chris (2013). Bigger, brighter, louder: 150 years of Chicago theater as seen by Chicago Tribune critics. University of Chicago Press. p. 189\. ISBN 978-0226059266.
5. ^ Jones, Kenneth (August 21, 2000). "Esteemed Chicago Director Michael Maggio Dead at 49". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
6. ^ "Michael Merritt Design Awards". Facebook.
7. ^ "Inherit the Wind". Goodman Theatre.
8. ^ "The Nacirema Society". Goodman Theatre.
9. ^ "Lucha Teotl". Goodman Theatre.
10. ^ "Highway Patrol". Goodman Theatre.
11. ^ "The Matchbox Magic Flute". Goodman Theatre.
12. ^ "The Penelopiad". Goodman Theatre.
13. ^ "Joe Turner's Come and Gone". Goodman Theatre.
14. ^ "English". Goodman Theatre.
15. ^ "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Goodman Theatre.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Appler, Gilbert Keith. "Chicago’s Goodman Theatre: Plays and Cultural Work in an Institutional Theatre." PhD dissertation, University of Illinois-Urbana. 1994
* Medgyesy, Laura Louise. "Chicago's Goodman Theatre: the transition from a division of the Art Institute to an independent regional theatre." PhD dissertation, American University. 1981
* Teague, Anna Dean. "Thomas Wood Stevens' Contributions to American Art Theatre With Emphasis on the Kenneth Sawyer Goodman Memorial Theatre, 1922-1930," PhD dissertation, The Louisiana State University, 1973.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Goodman Theatre.

* Official website
* Goodman Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
* Kenneth Sawyer Goodman Papers Archived 2018-06-06 at the Wayback Machine and Goodman Family Papers Archived 2021-09-24 at the Wayback Machine at The Newberry Library

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