SWING STATE at Goodman Theatre Adds Two Performances in Final Week

On the heels of a standing-room-only opening night and wide critical praise for the world premiere of Rebecca Gilman's Swing State-a "riveting, deeply moving, empathy-generating, extraordinary new play (by) a great poet of the upper Midwest" (Chicago Tribune)-Goodman Theatre adds two performances to the final week of Tony Award-winning director Robert Falls' world-premiere production.

Swing State appears through November 13 in the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre; the two additional performances are scheduled on Tuesday, November 8 at 7:30pm and Thursday, November 10 at 2pm. Tickets ($20 -$80, subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/SwingState or by phone at 312-443-3800. The Goodman is grateful for the support of The Roy Cockrum Foundation (Principal Support); The Edgerton Foundation (New Play Award); and The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation (Production Support).

In Swing State, recently widowed Peg tends to the native plants in her 40-acre rural Wisconsin prairie backyard, her solitary days interrupted only by visits from a family friend with a checkered past. When a mysterious theft alerts the authorities, a string of events unfold that forever changes their lives. The cast of four, led by Mary Beth Fisher (Peg), features Kirsten Fitzgerald (Sheriff Kris), Anne E. Thompson (Dani) and Bubba Weiler (Ryan). Photos and broadcast-quality video of the production are now available in The Goodman Theatre Press Room.

Gilman is the Goodman's most produced contemporary playwright, with Swing State being her 10th production and sixth collaboration with Falls. Falls first encountered Gilman nearly 25 years ago, when he read The Glory of Living (written in 1998 and a 2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist that was first produced at Circle Theatre). Soon after, Falls commissioned her to write a new play for the Goodman, and Spinning Into Butter premiered in the Goodman Studio in 1999, directed by Les Waters, and was subsequently produced at Lincoln Center Theater (2000) and made into a feature film starring Sarah Jessica Parker. On the heels of that success, Gilman's second Goodman commission, Boy Gets Girl, premiered at the Goodman in 2000 (directed by the late Michael Maggio), transferred to Manhattan Theatre Club and was named by Time magazine as one of the "Best Theatre Productions of the Decade." Falls later directed both Blue Surge (2001) and Dollhouse (2005)-a modern interpretation of Ibsen's A Doll's House. Gilman's The Crowd You're In With, directed by Wendy C. Goldberg, made its Chicago debut in 2009 at the Goodman. Her next three works-the Goodman commission A True History of the Johnstown Flood; the world premiere of Luna Gale; and Soups, Stews and Casseroles: 1976-were all directed by Falls in 2010, 2014 and 2016, respectively. Luna Gale earned the 2016 LA Drama Critics Circle, as well as the 2015 Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award and the 2014 Jeff Award for New Work. More recently, Twilight Bowl directed by Erica Weiss, appeared in the Owen in 2019.

The company of Swing State includes Mary Beth Fisher (Peg), Kirsten Fitzgerald (Sheriff Kris), Anne E. Thompson (Dani), and Bubba Weiler (Ryan)

Understudies for this production include Jennifer Engstrom (Sheriff Kris), Jessica Ervin (Dani), Laura T. Fisher (Peg) and Jack Lancaster (Ryan).

Set Design by Todd Rosenthal
Costume Design by Evelyn Danner
Lighting Design by Eric Southern
Original Music and Sound Design by Richard Woodbury

Casting is by Rachael Jimenez, CSA and Lauren Port, CSA. Patrick Fries is the Production Stage Manager and Neena Arndt is the Dramaturg.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

Visit Goodman theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre's accessibility efforts.

ASL-Interpreted: Friday, October 28 at 8pm - An American Sign Language interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Touch Tour and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, November 5, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance - The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset. NOTE: Touch Tours for the 2022/2023 Season will not have access to the stage due to current health and safety protocols, but will feature alternate pre-show sensory introductions.

Spanish Subtitles: Saturday November 5 at 8pm.

Open-Captioned: Sunday, November 6 at 2pm - An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

Please note: Our current Health and Safety Protocols require masks while in the theater. These protocols are subject to change and patrons will be notified in advance of their performance of any shift in our policies. Review our current policy at GoodmanTheatre.org/Protocols.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago's theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. The theater's artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson's "American Century Cycle." Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago's Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman's Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman's Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth-85% of whom come from underserved communities-schools and life-long learners.

As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Goodman Theatre's Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago's cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family's legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth's family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre is led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director Roche Schulfer. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women's Board President and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

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