Akhtar's DISGRACED, Rivera's ANOTHER WORD FOR BEAUTY and More Set for Goodman Theatre's 2015-16 Season

A wide range of stories and voices comprise Goodman Theatre's 2015/2016 Season-a "Big-Bold-Brilliant" line-up, beginning this month.

The five plays on subscription in the Albert Theatre include Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar; Another Word for Beauty by José Rivera; The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder; The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window by Lorraine Hansberry; and Leonard Bernstein's musical Wonderful Town with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov. The three-play Owen Theatre subscription line-up includes Feathers and Teeth by Charise Castro Smith; Carlyle by Thomas Bradshaw; and Soups, Stews, and Casseroles: 1976 by Rebecca Gilman.

In a special non-subscription theatrical event, Falls joins forces with Playwright- in-Residence Seth Bockley to present a world-premiere stage adaptation of 2666, Roberto Bolan?o's epic novel. Three other non-subscription events include the 38th annual production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol; the second annual production of The Second City's Twist Your Dickens, or Scrooge You!; and a collaboration with Albany Park Theater Project. In addition, the annual New Stages Festival is set for October 28 - November 15, 2015, including three developmental productions and three staged readings.

Subscription tickets are on sale now; call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Subscribe. Individual tickets go on sale beginning in August. Tickets to 2666 can be purchased as a subscription add-on (available now; subscribers save 20%) or as an individual ticket, on sale at a later date.

"We're proud to announce this slate of plays-important works by great American writers-that so perfectly mirrors the Goodman's artistic priorities and intentions," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "It's at once a triumphant homecoming and the first post-Broadway production for our September 2015 season opener-Ayad Akhtar's searing drama Disgraced, which was birthed in Chicago, earned the Pulitzer Prize, and enjoyed enormous acclaim in New York. I'm delighted to welcome back director Kimberly Senior (Rapture, Blister, Burn), who has shepherded this project from its auspicious beginnings.

"In January 2016, we debut an exciting world premiere Goodman commission from Jose? Rivera, a longtime collaborator and award-winning screenwriter and playwright. A large-scale, vibrant exploration of women who cut across social classes and generations, Another Word for Beauty is directed by Steve Cosson with music by He?ctor Buitrago of the multiple Grammy Award-winning Colombian Latin alternative band, Aterciopelados.

"Next, Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper directs The Matchmaker-Thornton Wilder's rarely-produced hilarious romp that serves as the basis for the musical Hello, Dolly! Henry's keen interest in Wilder's work and American classics such as this season's The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman, combined with his sharp proficiency with comedies like Animal Crackers (2009) and graceful underscoring of Charles Dickens' humor in A Christmas Carol, make him a perfect fit for this project.

"In spring 2016, we revive Chicago-born Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window. Long a dream project for Anne Kauffman (Smokefall), one of the leading directors of her generation, this revival will explore the contemporary resonance of this work-one with distinct comic elements, but ultimately a drama-by a beloved iconic writer.

"We'll close the season on a high note, with a major revival of Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's song- and-dance-filled ode to New York City: Wonderful Town, directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman. Over the past several years, Mary has charmed audiences with her hit productions of musical theater works-including Bernstein's Candide (2010) and her stage adaptation of The Jungle Book (2013), based on Walt Disney's animated film and the stories of Rudyard Kipling. I'm excited for her to engage in this delightful piece by an American master.

"In the Owen Theatre, we're proud to premiere two exciting new works that emerged from the 2014 New Stages festival-the funny and scary Feathers and Teeth by Charise Castro Smith directed by our Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez, and the provocative election comedy Carlyle by Thomas Bradshaw, a world premiere Goodman commission directed by Benjamin Kamine. In spring 2016, I'm thrilled to once again collaborate with our Artistic Associate Rebecca Gilman on the Chicago premiere of her latest work, Soups, Stews, and Casseroles: 1976.

"In addition, we'll premiere a special event on which Playwright-in-Residence Seth Bockley and I have collaborated: our co- adaptation of Roberto Bolan?o's posthumously-published epic novel, 2666, which we'll also co-direct. A panoramic portrait of the 20th century in five parts, each part varying in style and rhythm, 2666 is an epic, ambitious, challenging, entertaining, unforgettable adaptation of a work I consider the best novel of this still young century.

"Our 11th annual New Stages Festival takes place this fall, including three developmental productions and staged readings. Offered completely free of charge, the series has become an important engine for bringing new work to the Goodman's stages, including the upcoming Feathers and Teeth and Carlyle, and Smokefall, Teddy Ferrara and The Convert.

"Our partnerships with off-Loop theaters are important to us. The Second City's Twist Your Dickens, or Scrooge You! returns in the coming holiday season alongside our annual production of A Christmas Carol. And we're excited to continue our work with David Feiner and Albany Park Theater Project on a very exciting new project."

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2015/2016 SUBSCRIPTION SEASON:

DISGRACED
By Ayad Akhtar, directed by Kimberly Senior
TONIGHT, September 12, through October 18, 2015
In the Albert

Can anyone ever truly escape their past? Having distanced himself from his Muslim upbringing, Amir Kapoor is quickly climbing the corporate ladder at his powerful Manhattan law firm. When Amir and his wife Emily, a Caucasian artist inspired by Islamic painting, host a dinner party for Amir's African American co-worker and her Jewish husband, the initially pleasant evening quickly erupts into a volatile cultural debate over race, religion and class in the modern world. Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and helmed by the play's Broadway director Kimberly Senior, Disgraced delivers unflinching insight into the complexities of cultural assimilation and the struggle to define one's identity in today's global society.

Feathers and Teeth
By Charise Castro Smith, directed by Henry Godinez
A World Premiere
September 19 - October 18, 2015
In the Owen

Home-sweet-home turns into a haunted house for 13-year-old Chris when Carol-her stepmother from hell-moves in. Struggling with the recent death of her mother, Chris is convinced her father's new live-in fiance? is evil, but she just can't persuade Dad to her point-of-view. When a mysterious and potentially dangerous creature is found in the family's backyard, Chris assumes it's a sign from above to eliminate Carol once and for all. This imaginative world premiere -- both bone-chilling and wildly funny -- brings the notion of dysfunctional family drama to sensationally scary heights.

Another Word for Beauty
By Jose? Rivera, directed by Steve Cosson
A World Premiere Goodman Commission
Music by He?ctor Buitrago
January 16 - February 21, 2016
In the Albert

Each year the female inmates at a Bogota?, Colombia prison compete in a beauty pageant intended by their jailers to motivate and rehabilitate them. While the pageant's parade of glamorous gowns, exotic headdresses and rhythmic dances provides a distraction from daily suffering, its real impact on each woman is more than skin deep. Inspired by true events, Another Word for Beauty is a haunting and soulful examination of women trapped within a prison's walls and the events and circumstances that led to their arrests.

The Matchmaker
By Thornton Wilder, directed by Henry Wishcamper
March 5 - April 10, 2016
In the Albert

Experience the comic fireworks of Thornton Wilder's 1955 American classic, praised as "one of the sweetest and smartest romantic farces ever written" (The Wall Street Journal). New York, 1880s. Hoping to find a new wife, wealthy yet prickly widower Horace Vandergelder recruits the services of vivacious matchmaker Dolly Levi. Little does Horace know that Dolly is plotting to become the next Mrs. Vandergelder herself! As Horace and Dolly set out to Manhattan to commence the search, a madcap mix of mistaken identity, outrageous misbehavior and spontaneous romance ensues. The inspiration for Hello, Dolly!, The Matchmaker is an uproarious romp that reminds us to embrace the unexpected in our lives.

Carlyle
By Thomas Bradshaw, directed by Benjamin Kamine
A World Premiere Goodman Commission
April 2 - May 1, 2016
In the Owen

Thomas Bradshaw presents an outrageous comedy of political culture clashes -- just in time for election year. In a ferocious comedy of political "bash" and cultural "clash," Carlyle Meyers is an ambitious politician facing one potentially major barrier in his burgeoning career: He is an African American in the Republican Party. Hoping to win over skeptical voters, Carlyle takes to the stage to present an autobiographical play that recounts how and why he became a member of the GOP. Brimming with Bradshaw's signature piercing humor, this world premiere takes no prisoners as it scrutinizes the effects of affirmative action, party alliance and the state of race in America.

The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
By Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Anne Kauffman
April 30 - June 5, 2016
In the Albert

A Raisin in the Sun playwright Lorraine Hansberry's final work, which premiered just three months before her untimely death in 1965 at age 34, is restaged by Obie-winning director Anne Kauffman. The 1960s bohemian paradise of intellectual Sidney Brustein and his actress wife Iris comes crumbling down when Sidney buys an independent newspaper to speak out on the politics and issues of the times. Soon Sidney finds himself at odds with his artistic-minded friends and neighbors -- and even his beloved Iris. A mirror to our own world of injustice and corruption, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window is a heartfelt and perceptive work from an iconic voice silenced too soon.

Soups, Stews, and Casseroles: 1976
By Rebecca Gilman, directed by Robert Falls
A Chicago Premiere
May 21 - June 19, 2016
In the Owen

The powerful team of Artistic Associate and playwright Rebecca Gilman and Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls (Blue Surge, Dollhouse, Luna Gale) reunites for a new drama about the heart and soul of a small town and its citizens. A wave of uncertainty spreads across the once peaceful hamlet of Monroe, Wisconsin, after a Chicago-based corporation acquires the town's main employer, leaving workers and their families to fear for their livelihoods. The merger, however, presents longtime employee Kim a newfound opportunity -- and a moral dilemma. Should he accept a lucrative promotion under the new management and risk alienating himself from his longtime co-workers, neighbors and family? Fresh off her Jeff Award-winning Luna Gale, Gilman presents a humorous yet thought-provoking examination of workers' rights and the effects of big business on small town lives.

Wonderful Town
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov
Directed by Mary Zimmerman
June 25 - August 7, 2016
In the Albert

Mary Zimmerman directs a dazzling revival of Leonard Bernstein's 1953 classic, a song-and-dance filled ode to New York City. Powered by Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, this whimsical love letter to Manhattan finds Ruth, an aspiring journalist, and her sister Eileen, a bombshell actress, leaving Ohio determined to conquer New York City. Roughing it in a dingy Manhattan basement apartment isn't quite how the sisters imagined living, but they can't resist the city's bustling energy and soon find their professional and romantic hopes coming true. Chock-full of swinging show tunes and spectacular choreography, Wonderful Town captures the thrill of chasing one's dreams like no other musical.

NON-SUBSCRIPTION PLAYS, EVENTS AND CO-PRODUCTIONS:

New Stages Festival
October 28 - November 15, 2015
(Professionals Weekend: November 13 - 15)
In the Owen

Founded in 2004, the New Stages Festival is a celebration of innovative new plays designed to give playwrights an opportunity to take risks and experiment. New Stages offers Chicago theatergoers a first look at dozens of plays, many of which have gone on to become successful full productions-including Noah Haidle's Smokefall and Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning Ruined. The line-up, including three developmental productions and staged readings, to be announced at a later date.

38th Annual Production of A Christmas Carol
Adapted by Tom Creamer, directed by Henry Wishcamper
November 14 - December 27, 2015
In the Albert

More than 1.2 million theatergoers have attended "the crown jewel of the holiday season" (Daily Herald) since the Goodman established it as an annual offering in 1978-a time when only a handful of US theaters mounted the production. Dickens' holiday classic is the iconic tale of greedy British businessman Ebenezer Scrooge, whose sizable bank account is only matched by his hatred of the holidays. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who take him on a spectacular adventure through his past, present and future, helping him rediscover the joys of life, love and friendship. Former cast members include stage and screen notables Jessie Mueller, Del Close, Harry J. Lennix, Felicia P. Fields, Raul Esparza, Sally Murphy and Frank Galati.

The Second City's Twist Your Dickens, or Scrooge You!
By Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort
December 4 - 27, 2015
In the Owen

Scrooge, Tiny Tim, three ridiculous ghosts and a cast of Second City's funniest members take the Owen stage by storm, as wicked parody, daring improv and a host of guest celebs run rampant. Add in Second City's trademark improvisation and it makes for a heaping host of holiday hilarity for all. The Second City's Twist Your Dickens, or Scrooge You! is written by former The Colbert Report writers Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort.

2666
Adapted and directed by Robert Falls and Seth Bockley
A World Premiere Special Event
February 6 - March 13, 2016
In the Owen

This epic adaptation of Roberto Bolan?o's internationally acclaimed novel is a not-to-be-missed theatrical event. A soaring adaptation of Chilean-born author Bolan?o's masterpiece, 2666 begins with a group of hapless European academics hot on the trail of an elusive author-a search that leads them into the dark heart of a Mexican border city where the murders of hundreds of women remain unsolved. This story gives way to a panoramic portrait of the 20th century that spans more than 100 years and jumps from Spain to Mexico to Germany and beyond, illuminating the power of art to reflect and transform the world. An unflinching look at the nature of evil, 2666 is an ambitious new work unlike any other theatrical experience. Note: the approximate running time of 2666 is five hours. 2666 is made possible by a generous grant from The Roy Cockrum Foundation.

Albany Park Theater Project Project and Dates TBA

Albany Park Theater Project (APTP)'s "astonishing and exquisitely honed youth ensemble" (Chicago Sun-Times) with a "reputation for artistic excellence" (Time Out Chicago) once again teams up with the Goodman on a sixth production in an artistic partnership that has introduced more than 5,000 new audience members to the company since 2008. APTP's previous performances at the Goodman include God's Work (April 2014), Home/Land (2012), Feast (2010 and 2015) and Aqui? Estoy (2008).

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About Goodman Theatre - Chicago's flagship theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is an artistic and community institution dedicated to the art of theater and to civic engagement in the issues of the contemporary world. The Goodman has transformed over the past 35 years into a world class theater and premier Chicago cultural institution distinguished by the quality and scope of its programming and its culturally and aesthetically diverse creative leadership; artistic priorities include new plays, reimagined classics, culturally specific works, musical theater and international collaborations. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, achievements include the Goodman's state-of-the-art two-theater complex in the heart of the downtown Theatre District. Over the past three decades, the Goodman has generated more than 150 world or American premieres and more than 30 new-work commissions. "A mainstay of Chicago and beyond" (Chicago Sun-Times), the Goodman is internationally acclaimed for its "fresh work of magnitude and ambition (and) bold, risky theatrical choices" (Chicago Tribune). From new plays to "first-class revivals" (The New York Times), the Goodman has earned numerous awards for its productions: two Pulitzer Prizes; 22 Tony Awards, including Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992); and nearly 160 Joseph Jefferson Awards. Joan Clifford is Chair of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees, Swati Mehta is Women's Board President and Gordon C.C. Liao is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.

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