Roche Schulfer Will Step Down as Executive Director/CEO at the Goodman Theatre

After a decades-long career leading executive operations for one of America’s flagship theaters, Roche Edward Schulfer will step down as Goodman Theatre’s Executive Director/CEO at the completion of the 2023/2024 Season. His retirement follows 50 years of service at the Goodman, beginning in 1973 in the box office and serving in his current position since 1980—during which time he helped the 98-year old organization become an independent, not-for-profit resident theater company; oversaw 400+ productions (including two that earned Pulitzer Prizes and, most recently, the most successful musical in Goodman history, The Who’s TOMMY); originated A Christmas Carol in 1978 as a holiday tradition that just concluded its 46th annual production; and coordinated the Goodman’s move to a new facility in the theater district in 2000 and the expansion in 2017 with the Alice B. Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement. He will continue as a Senior Advisor to the Goodman through the launch of the its Centennial Season (September 2025). The Board of Trustees has named longtime Managing Director/COO John Collins as Goodman Theatre’s new Executive Director, beginning September 1, 2024.

“As Goodman Theatre Chair and President, and on behalf of those who have preceded us in these roles, we congratulate Roche on five decades of service. His entrepreneurial leadership, business acumen and arts advocacy have helped establish The Goodman Theatre we know and love today,” said Board of Trustees Chair Julie Danis and President Linda Coberly in a joint statement. “From helping to manage our transition from the Art Institute to a new building in the heart of the Theater District, to launching A Christmas Carol and our newest venture, Dennis Watkins’ The Magic Parlour; and much more, Roche’s strategic initiatives and dedication have played a key role in cementing the Goodman as a major Chicago cultural and community organization. We are excited to continue our work with Roche in a new capacity towards our landmark Centennial Celebration.”

Said Artistic Director Susan V. Booth, “In my earlier days with the Goodman, Roche provided me deeply meaningful support for my artistic aspirations, and subsequently became my model for what an entrepreneurial and risk-welcoming partner ought to look like in a leadership duo. When I returned here last fall, I discovered a healthy, engaged, ever-evolving organization that had never rested on its considerable laurels. I credit Roche’s astute leadership for that, and I am ever grateful for his friendship and collaboration as I have reacquainted myself with this astonishing theater.”

“I can’t think of anyone who has been more influential on the Chicago theater scene than Roche Schulfer,” said Michelle T. Boone, President and CEO of the Poetry Foundation, who has worked with Schulfer since 2001 while she was at The Joyce Foundation. “His leadership extends beyond the Goodman throughout the entire community, in years of service with the League of Chicago Theaters, and in his lifelong commitment to providing opportunity for underrepresented voices on stage and behind the scenes. For more than 20 years, he has been a personal mentor to me, and to so many others, and a trusted colleague and friend.”

“One cannot think of theater in Chicago without thinking about Roche. He has been a major force for artistic excellence in our city, and his impact has resonated to the national theater community and internationally. It’s been an enormous pleasure to partner with the Goodman and with Roche,” said Carlos Tortolero President Emeritus of the National Museum of Mexican Art.

“I extend deepest congratulations to my longtime producing partner and friend on his decision to retire as Executive Director/CEO,” said Robert Falls, Tony Award-winning director and the Goodman’s immediate past Artistic Director. “Collaborating with Roche for 35 years remains a highlight of my life in the theater. There is no better producer in the American theater, nobody who cares more about enabling artists to do their best work. I’m ever grateful for all he has done to make the Goodman the internationally known theater it is today.”

 

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