Goodman Theater Extends Lynn Nottage's 'RUINED' Until 12/14

Due to overwhelming ticket demand and critical acclaim, Goodman Theatre extends its world premiere of Ruined by Lynn Nottage through Sunday, December 14; tickets are $10 - $43. Added performances include: Wednesday, December 10 at 7:30pm; Thursday, December 11 at 7:30pm; Friday, December 12 at 8pm; Saturday, December 13 at 8pm; Sunday, December 14 at 7:30pm. Directed by Kate Whoriskey, Ruined is the captivating story of Mama Nadi, the owner of a canteen who serves up everything from a cold beer and a warm meal-to the company of a woman.

Through the eyes of this savvy businesswoman who both protects and profits from the women whose bodies have become battlegrounds, Nottage captures the constantly shifting allegiances and tragic absurdity that marks the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ruined is a co-production with Manhattan Theatre Club, where it will begin performances off-Broadway on January 21, 2009 at New York City Center - Stage I. The Sara Lee Foundation is the Owen Season Corporate Sponsor.

In addition, the Goodman presents a free CONTEXT series event, "Tools of War: Violence against Women in African Conflicts" at 5pm on Sunday, December 7 in the Owen Theatre. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Silence is being broken in places across Africa where women and aid officials are beginning to speak out against sexual violence as a tool of war. In the DRC, tens of thousands of women have been raped in the past few years and United Nations officials have called it the worst violence against women in the world. In a culture where rape more often brings shame than assistance to the victim, how are women finding safe ways to speak about their experiences? Panelists Include Lynette Jackson, Professor of Gender Studies and African Studies at The University of Illinois at Chicago; Ngozi Udoye, CEO and President of African Women in America; and Prexy Nesbitt, Speaker and Educator on Africa, foreign policy and racism.

Critical Praise for Ruined

"A remarkable theatrical accomplishment! Dazzling! Lynn Nottage's gripping, gut-wrenching new play Ruined is sincere, passionate, courageous and acutely argued. Kate Whoriskey's direction gives this many-layered production uncommon vibrancy that is frequently funny. This is both a celebration of the endurance and vitality of African women and an unstinting call for us to keep them safer." - Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune

"If you wish to be among the first to see the play that in every way, shape and form deserves to become the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, head directly to the Goodman's Owen Theatre where Lynn Nottage's Ruined is now in its explosive world premiere in a co-production with Manhattan Theatre Club. A brash, searing, heart-of-darkness story - periodically shot through with moments of fearsome comedy and the redemptive spirit that suggests the sheer persistence of the life force - Ruined with its volcanic direction by Kate Whoriskey, is a 21st century African variation on Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children, that quintessential tale of the savage nature of life during a war that seems to have no end. The cast conjures formidable magic with sublime and show-stopping performances that bristle with wit and energy." - Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times

"Powerful! Lynn Nottage takes on one of playwriting's toughest challenges - the dramatization of distant, gruesome political realities - in her elegant and eloquent new work, Ruined. In director Kate Whoriskey's vibrant production premiering at Chicago's Goodman on its way to an Off-Broadway slot with Manhattan Theater Club, Nottage values deeply honest characterizations over histrionic expressions of outrage, to emotionally wrenching effect."

Tickets may be purchased online at GoodmanTheatre.org, at the Goodman Theatre Box Office, 170 North Dearborn Street, or charged by phoning 312.443.3800. Mezztix are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online at GoodmanTheatre.org on the day of performance, subject to availability; Mezztix are not available by telephone. When purchasing on GoodmanTheatre.org, enter the promo code MEZZTIX.

10Tix are $10 mezzanine tickets for students available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online at GoodmanTheatre.org on the day of performance, subject to availability; 10Tix are not available by telephone. Valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets at will call. Limit 4 tickets per student with I.D. Tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply. Discounted group tickets for 10 persons or more are available at 312.443.3820.

 

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