A passionate commitment to developing the classics of tomorrow.
The Goodman has a distinguished history as a leader in the development of new work for the American theater. Plays developed and/or produced at the Goodman have gone on to become integral parts of the American theater repertoire, including seminal works by David Adjmi, Edward Albee, Luis Alfaro, Carol Burnett, Lydia Diamond, Rebecca Gilman, Lucas Hnath, Quiara Alegría Hudes, David Henry Hwang, David Mamet, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Scott McPherson, Arthur Miller, Richard Nelson, Dael Orlandersmith, David Rabe, José Rivera, Stephen Sondheim, Regina Taylor, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, Karen Zacarías, and Mary Zimmerman. In April 2009, Lynn Nottage's Ruined became the first Goodman-commissioned play to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
New work development at the Goodman is a multi-tiered process comprising a variety of public and in-house programs designed to be flexible to the needs of each new project and to embrace a diverse group of artists at different stages in their careers. Our new work initiatives include a commissioning program, the Goodman's Playwrights Unit, the annual New Stages Festival, Future Labs, developmental workshops, and productions of world-premiere plays each season.
New Stages Festival
The New Stages Festival is an annual celebration of new work that plays an important role in cultivating new plays for the Goodman stage. Established in 2004, the series originally featured concert readings of six new works, providing playwrights an opportunity to work with a director, a dramaturg and a company of actors to develop the play, while also offering audiences a first look at the work and a unique insight into the playwriting process. In the fall of 2011, the Goodman expanded the program, renaming it New Stages Amplified. This revamped series included three workshop productions alongside three concert readings. After each performance, talkbacks with members of the artistic team were held to encourage dialogue between audiences and artists.
December 1 - 19, 2021
- Nightwatch by Max Yu
Directed by Chay Yew
- Layalina by Martin Yousif Zebari
Directed by Sivan Battat
- Hummingbird by Jo Cattell
Created by Daria Tsoupikova, Sai Priya Jyothula, Andrew Johnson, Arthur Nishimoto and Lance Long at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory in the University of Illinois of Chicago.
- Fires, Ohio by Beth Hyland
Directed by Marti Lyons
- Your Name Means Dream by José Rivera
Directed by Audrey Francis
- Watching the Watcher by Dael Orlandersmith
Directed by Neel Keller
October 23 – November 10, 2019
- Incendiary by Dave Harris
Directed by Monty Cole
- In the Sick Bay of the Santa Maria by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Robert O’Hara
- (the) FAIR: A Fantastical Time-Traveling Exposition Through Chicago’s Future, Its Past and The Now created by Sandra Delgado and Sojourn Theatre Company
- The Garden written and directed by Charlayne Woodard
- Engines and Instruments of Flight: A Fantasia in Three Acts by Calamity West by Calamity West
Directed by Kimberly Senior
- The Humanities by Zayd Dohrn
Directed by Niegel Smith
- Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West*
Directed by Henry Godinez
September 19 - October 7, 2018
- There's Always the Hudson by Paola Lázaro-Muñoz
Directed by Jess McLeod
- Felons and Familias by Sandra Delgado
Directed by Marcela Muñoz
- graveyard shift by korde arrington tuttle*
Directed by Danya Taymor
- The Wizards by Ricardo Gamboa
Directed by Azar Kazemi
- Between Covers by Sarah Schulman
Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg
- Birthday Candles by Noah Haidle
Directed by Vivienne Benesch
- Cressida on Top by Paula Vogel
Directed by Shana Cooper
September 20 - October 10, 2017
- Lottery Day by Ike Holter*
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
- Continuity by Bess Wohl
Directed by Annie Tippe
- Twilight Bowl by Rebecca Gilman*
Directed by Erica Weiss
- How to Catch Creation by Christina Anderson*
Directed by Jess McLeod
- Eden Prairie, 1971 by Mat Smart
Directed by Henry Wishcamper
- POSTNATION conceived and directed by Mikhael Tara Garver
- The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona written and directed by Jose Rivera
- We're Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time written and performed by David Cale*
Arranged by Matthew Dean Marsh
Directed by Tony Speciale
September 21 - October 9, 2016
- Blue Skies Process by Abe Koogler
Directed by Henry Wishcamper
- Support Group for Men by Ellen Fairey*
Directed by Kimberly Senior
- The King of Hell’s Palace by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
Directed by Tea Alagć
- Amy and the Orphans by Lindsey Ferrentino
Directed by Scott Ellis
- florissant & canfield by Kristiana Rae Colón
Directed by Monty Cole
- And Moira Spins by Kirsten Greenidge
Directed by Vanessa Stalling
October 28- November 15, 2015
- Mother Road by Octavio Solis
Directed by Juliette Carrillo
- Objects in the Mirror by Charles Smith*
Directed by Chuck Smith
- King of the Yees by Lauren Yee*
Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody
- Red Wine Leftists: 1977 by Rebecca Gilman
Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg
- The Amateurs by Jordan Harrison
Directed by Oliver Butler
- On the Exhale by Martín Zimmerman
Directed by Marti Lyons
- Lady in Denmark by Dael Orlandersmith*
Directed by Chay Yew
October 29 - November 16, 2014
- Feathers and Teeth by Charise Castro Smith*
Directed by Henry Godinez
- The Magic Play by Andrew Hinderaker*
Directed by Halena Kays
- Carlyle by Thomas Bradshaw*
Directed by Benjamin Kamine
- Women Laughing Alone with Salad by Sheila Callaghan
Directed by Kip Fagan
- Ugly by Tracey Scott Wilson
Directed by Leigh Silverman
- Acquainted with the Night by Keith Reddin
Directed by Henry Wishcamper
December 7 - 22, 2013
December 8 – 23, 2012
October 13 – November 20, 2011
- Dartmoor Prison by Carlyle Brown
Directed by Chay Yew
- Chicago Boys by Kathleen Tolan
Directed by Ann Filmer
- Ask Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley*
Directed by Joanie Schultz
- Smokefall by Noah Haidle*
Directed by Dexter Bullard
- Two Lakes, Two Rivers by Laura Jacqmin
Directed by Megan Shuchman
- Teddy Ferrara by Christopher Shinn*
Directed by Evan Cabnet
January 14 – 23, 2011
- Reverb by Leslye Headland
Directed by Stuart Carden
- The Convert written and directed by Danai Gurira*
- Picked by Christopher Shinn
Directed by Joanie Schultz
- Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men by Dael Orlandersmith*
Directed by Chay Yew
- CommComm written and directed by Seth Bockley
- Chicago Boys by Kathleen Tolan
Directed by Kimberly Senior
December 11 – 20, 2009
- Rain (later a part of The Trinity River Plays) written and directed by Regina Taylor*
- The Color of Desire by Nilo Cruz
Directed by Wendy Goldberg
- Bugs of the Pigs in the Lions by Kia Corthron
Directed by Chuck Smith
- Yasmina's Necklace (El collar de Yasmin) by Rohina Malik
Directed by Henry Godinez
- Mary by Thomas Bradshaw*
Directed by Robert Falls
- Dartmoor Prison by Carlyle Brown
Directed by Marion McClinton
September 12 – 21, 2008
- Pa's Hat: A Liberian Legacy by Cori Thomas
Directed by Chuck Smith
- The Safe House by Keith Josef Adkins
Directed by Hallie Gordon
- Household Spirits by Mia McCullough
Directed by Meghan Beals McCarthy
- Without by Sean Graney
Directed by Lisa Portes
- Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi
Directed by Jackson Gay
- The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard*
Directed by Dexter Bullard
September 28 – October 8, 2007
- Ruined by Lynn Nottage*
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
- Ghostwritten by Naomi Iizuka*
Directed by Lisa Portes
- Spirits to Enforce by Mickle Maher
Directed by Greg Allen
- Chasing Manet by Tina Howe
Directed by Jason Loewith
- Two Echoes by Noah Haidle
Directed by Dado
- Gas for Less by Brett Neveu*
Directed by Dexter Bullard
September 25 – 30, 2006
- The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney
- Our Lady of the Underpass by Tanya Saracho
Directed by Andrea Dymond
- Massacre (Sing to Your Children) by José Rivera*
Directed by Chuck Smith
- Till (later re-titled The Ballad of Emmett Till) by Ifa Bayeza*
Directed by Derrick Saunders
- Ameriville by UNIVERSES
Directed by Chay Yew
November 1 – 6, 2005
- Six Postcards by Lisa Dillman
Directed by Steve Scott
- Crippled Sisters by Susan Nussbaum
Directed by Karen Kessler
- Sam's Coming by Kia Corthron
Directed by Henry Godinez
- Palmer Park by Joanna McClelland Glass
Directed by Chuck Smith
- Get What You Need by Jessica Goldberg
Directed by Carolyn Cantor
- Vigils by Noah Haidle*
Directed by Dexter Bullard
March 22 – 26, 2005
- My Buddy Bill by Rick Cleveland
Directed by Bill Payne
- A Change in the Weather by Ron Hutchinson
Directed by Steve Scott
- The Frugal Repast by Ron Hirsen
Directed by Joe Grifasi
- Sweet Water Taste by Gloria Bond-Clunie
Directed by Mignon McPherson-Nance
- Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes
Directed by Ann Filmer
January 21 – 25, 2004
- Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky, Book and Lyrics by David Cale, Music by Jonathon Kreisberg and David Cale*
Directed by Rick DesRochers
- BFE by Julia Cho
Directed by Lynn Ann Bernatowicz
- Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías*
Directed by Chris Garcia Peak
- Softly Blue by Shepsu Aakhu
Directed by Mignon McPherson-Nance
- Cheech, Or the Chrysler Guys Are in Town by Francois Letourneau, translated by Rick DesRochers
Directed by Sean Graney
- Heritage by Brett Neveu
Directed by Geoffrey Scott
*Received Goodman Theatre world premieres.
Playwrights Unit
Goodman Theatre’s Playwrights Unit is an exciting program designed to support and develop new work by Chicago playwrights. Over the course of a season, a group of four commissioned writers meet bimonthly with members of the Goodman’s literary staff to develop and workshop their plays-in-progress. The experience culminates with concert readings of each of the new plays. Plays developed in the Unit have gone on to receive readings and workshop productions in the New Stages Festival, as well as full productions at the Goodman.
2021/2022 Playwrights Unit
2020/2021 Playwrights Unit
2019/2020 Playwrights Unit
2018/2019 Playwrights Unit
2017/2018 Playwrights Unit
- Isaac Gomez (Wade)
- Nigel O'Hearn (The Woyzeck Experiment)
- Sam Collier (A Hundred Circling Camps)
- Ricardo Gamboa (The Wizards)
- Kristin Idaszak (Three Antarcticas)
2016/2017 Playwrights Unit
2015/2016 Playwrights Unit
2014/2015 Playwrights Unit
2013/2014 Playwrights Unit
2012/2013 Playwrights Unit
2011/2012 Playwrights Unit
2010/2011 Playwrights Unit
Future Labs
Future Labs is a series of workshops and public presentations of bold, imaginative works written and directed by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI, SWANA and other artists of color. This program is curated by Associate Director of Education & Engagement Quenna L. Barrett, Director of New Works Jonathan L. Green, Videographer Alberto Mendoza, Producer Malkia Stampley, and a large, cross-departmental team of Goodman staff holding intersectional identities.
2022 Future Labs
2021 Future Labs
Commissions
With the belief that new plays are the lifeblood of the theater, the Goodman is committed to supporting and nurturing playwrights. For the last 40+ years, Goodman Theatre commissions have been awarded to a diverse group of both emerging and established talents. With the inception of the Ofner Prize in 2000 and the Playwrights Unit in 2010, the Goodman has expanded and deepened its support of Chicago-based playwrights. Named for the late David Ofner, a Goodman trustee who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1985, the Ofner Prize was a $5,000 commission awarded biennially from 2000-2009 to an emerging Chicago playwright. Past winners include Carson Grace Becker and David Barr III (By the Music of the Spheres), Carlos Murillo (Diagram of a Paper Airplane), Brett Neveu (Heritage), Tanya Saracho (Our Lady of the Underpass) and Seth Bockley (CommComm).
Past Goodman Theatre commissions include (in alphabetical order):
Artists currently under commission include:
World Premieres at the Goodman
Through its world class productions of new plays, the Goodman plays a vital role in the shaping of the American theater canon. In the past 40+ years, Goodman Theatre has premiered the work of some of the country's most notable playwrights and composers, creating exhilarating pieces for the stage that have gone on to further productions around the country and internationally.
Complete list of Goodman Theatre world premieres since 1980 (in alphabetical order):
- 2666 adapted by Robert Falls and Seth Bockley
- All the Rage by Keith Reddin
- Another Midsummer Night by Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman
- Another Word for Beauty by José Rivera
- Ask Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley
- Bad Moon by Rick Cleveland (American Blues Theatre production)
- Bal by Richard Nelson
- The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza
- Big Time by Keith Reddin (Remains Theatre production)
- Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men by Dael Orlandersmith
- Black Snow by Keith Reddin
- Black Star Line by Charles Smith
- Blind Date by Rogelio Martinez
- Blue Surge by Rebecca Gilman
- Book of the Night by Louis Rosen and Thom Bishop
- Bounce by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman
- Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman
- Brutality of Fact by Keith Reddin
- By the Music of the Spheres by Carson Grace Becker and David Barr III
- Carlyle by Thomas Bradshaw
- Chinglish by David Henry Hwang
- The Comedy of Errors, based on the play by William Shakespeare, featuring The Flying Karamazov Brothers
- Cry, the Beloved Country based on the novel by Alan Paton (adapted by Frank Galati) with music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson
- Dana H. by Lucas Hnath, adapted from interviews with Dana Higginbotham conducted by Steve Cosson
- The Disappearance of the Jews by David Mamet
- Dollhouse by Rebecca Gilman
- The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove by Regina Taylor
- Drowning Crow by Regina Taylor
- Dwarfman, Master of a Million Shapes by Michael Weller
- Edmond by David Mamet
- El Nogalar by Tanya Saracho
- Electricidad by Luis Alfaro
- Eliot Loves by Jules Feiffer
- Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) by Cheryl L. West
- Feathers and Teeth by Charise Castro Smith
- Finishing the Picture by Arthur Miller
- A Flea in Her Ear by George Feydeau (adapted by Frank Galati)
- Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky by David Cale and Jonathon Kreisberg
- Frank’s Home by Richard Nelson
- Galileo Galilei by Mary Zimmerman and Philip Glass
- Gas for Less by Brett Neveu
- Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson
- Gertrude Stein: Each One as She May adapted by Frank Galati
- Ghost on Fire by Michael Weller
- Ghostwritten by Naomi Iizuka
- The Gift Horse by Lydia R. Diamond
- Good Night, Oscar by Doug Wright
- Gorilla by Shel Silverstein
- graveyard shift by korde arrington tuttle
- Griller by Eric Bogosian
- The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegría Hudes
- High Holidays by Alan Gross
- Hollywood Arms by Carrie Hamilton and Carol Burnett
- Hotline by Elaine May
- A House Not Meant to Stand by Tennessee Williams
- The House of Martin Guerre by Leslie Arden and Anna Theresa Cascio, music and lyrics by Leslie Arden
- How to Catch Creation by Christina Anderson
- Hurlyburly by David Rabe
- Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula
- Journey to the West adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- The Jungle Book adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- The King of the Yees by Lauren Yee
- Lady in Denmark by Dael Orlandersmith
- The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard
- Lottery Day by Ike Holter
- Luna Gale by Rebecca Gilman
- The Magic Play by Andrew Hinderaker
- Magnolia by Regina Taylor
- The Man Who Had Three Arms by Edward Albee
- Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías
- Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson
- Mary by Thomas Bradshaw
- Massacre (Sing to Your Children) by José Rivera
- Mill Fire by Sally Nemeth
- Millennium Mambo by Regina Taylor, Kia Corthron, Adrienne Kennedy, Suzan-Lori Parks and Ntozake Shange
- Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson
- The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- Objects in the Mirror by Charles Smith
- Odyssey adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- On the Open Road by Steve Tesich
- Oo-Bla-Dee by Regina Taylor
- Pamplona by Jim McGrath
- A Perfect Analysis Given by a Parrot by Tennessee Williams
- Riverview by John Logan
- Ruined by Lynn Nottage
- The Shawl by David Mamet
- Schoolgirl Figure by Wendy MacLeod
- Seeking the Genesis by Kia Corthron
- Seven Guitars by August Wilson
- She Always Said, Pablo adapted by Frank Galati
- Silk adapted by Mary Zimmerman
- Sin by Wendy MacLeod
- Smokefall by Noah Haidle
- Some Problems for the Moose Lodge by Tennessee Williams
- The Spanish Prisoner by David Mamet
- The Speed of Darkness by Steve Tesich
- Spinning Into Butter by Rebecca Gilman
- Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl
- Still Life by Emily Mann
- Support Group for Men by Ellen Fairey
- Teddy Ferrara by Christopher Shinn
- The Three Moscowteers by Paul Magid (from Alexander Dumas), featuring The Flying Karamazov Brothers
- The Ties That Bind by Regina Taylor
- The Trinity River Plays by Regina Taylor
- A True History of the Johnstown Flood by Rebecca Gilman
- Turn of the Century by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
- Twilight Bowl by Rebecca Gilman
- The Upstairs Concierge by Kristoffer Diaz
- Vigils by Noah Haidle
- The Visit by Terrence McNally, John Kander and Frank Ebb
- War Paint by Scott Frankel, Michael Korie and Doug Wright
- We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time written by David Cale, music by David Cale and Matthew Dean Marsh
- Wings by Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman
- The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig