MARRIAGE AND MIGRATION

A CONVERSATION WITH PLAYWRIGHT JOSÉ RIVERA

Interview: Henry Wishcamper,Director of Animal Crackers

June – July 2009

Co-Editors | Lara Ehrlich, Lori Kleinerman, Tanya PalmerGraphic Designer | Tyler Engman Production Manager | Lara Ehrlich

Contributing Writers/Editors | Neena Arndt, Jenny Brennan, Ashley Echols, Lara Ehrlich, Jeffrey Fauver, Lisa Feingold, Katie Frient, Lori Kleinerman, Julie Massey, Elizabeth Neukirch, Tanya Palmer, Scott Podraza, Victoria Rodriguez, Denise Schneider, Steve Scott, Chris Tiffany, Willa J. Taylor, Jennifer Whittemore

OnStage is published in conjunction with Goodman Theatre productions. It is designed to serve as an information source for Goodman Theatre Subscribers. For ticket and subscription information call 312.443.3810. Cover: Photo of Sandra Marquez, Joe Minoso, Elizabeth Ledo, and René Rivera by Brian Warling. Design/direction by Kelly Rickert.

Goodman productions are made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; and a CityArts 4 program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Written comments and inquiries should be sent to:The Editor, OnStage Goodman Theatre 170 North Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60601or e-mail us at: OnStage@GoodmanTheatre.org

June – July 2009

CONTENTS

In the Albert 1 Why Boleros for the Disenchanted?

2 Marriage, Migration and Making the Best of It

7 A Song for Lovers: The Cuban Bolero

8 A Conversation with Playwright José Rivera

At the Goodman 10 An Interview with Animal Crackers’ Director Henry Wishcamper

13 Joan D’Arc Marches Through the Middle Ages and Into the Owen Theatre

14 A New Way to Experience What’s Coming to Our Stages

Scene at the Goodman 16 Rock ’n’ Roll Opening Night

17 Goodman Theatre Proudly Thanks its Major Contributors

Off Stage 18 The Goodman Honors Diverse Playwrights at World Premiere Night

Premiere Society Preview

19 Lynn Nottage Wins the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Ruined

The Scene at Emerald Loop Bar and Grill

The Goodman Welcomes a New Trustee

In the Wings 20 Taking the Stage a Success!

For Subscribers 21 The Goodman Offers Free Science-Themed Readings in June

Calendars

Plan Your Group Outing Now with A Christmas Carol

Volume 24 #5

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director | ROBERT FALLS Goodman Theatre Executive Director | ROCHE SCHuLFER

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FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Why Boleros for the Disenchanted?Through the ages, scores of playwrights have explored the mysteries of burgeoning love—the lovers, often star-crossed, must fight family pressures, societal mores and sometimes their own doubts to find, at long last, fulfillment with each other. But what happens to these lovers as they mature? Does the passion that brought them together sus-tain them through the challenges that time brings? Can the bond between two people weather the storms brought by age, disease and relocation to a new and sometimes hostile world? Once the bloom of youth fades, is love enough?

These are some of the questions playwright José Rivera explores in his newest play, Boleros for the Disenchanted. Based in part on the experiences of Rivera’s own parents, Boleros for the Disenchanted is an often funny, achingly human portrait of a young Puerto Rican couple whose initially tentative, then joyous relationship is challenged and transformed by their migration to the united States and their decades-long struggle to make sense of this new, often alien environment. Infused with a haunting lyricism and overtones of the “magic realism” that have marked such pre-vious works as Cloud Tectonics, José’s poignant story of the evolution of the romance between Flora and Eusebio is an affirmation of love’s power to transcend the challenges of time and age.

Boleros for the Disenchanted is brought to the Albert stage by Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez, who pre-miered the play last season in a critically lauded staging at Yale Repertory Theatre. For this production, Henry has assembled a top-flight design team and an ensemble of talented actors, many of whom are making their Goodman debut. In a season that has included a number of vivid romances (from the doomed triangle at the center of Desire Under the Elms to the politically fraught coupling of Jan and Esme in Rock ’n’ Roll), Boleros for the Disenchanted provides an especially wise insight into the vagaries of human relationships—and the bonds that hold them together.

Robert FallsArtistic Director

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Young lovers occupy a treasured place in our zeitgeist: Orpheus and Eurydice, Tristan and Isolde and Romeo and Juliet traipse onto our stages and into our literature. Alas, these swains and sweet-hearts always succumb to fate; despite their impassioned intentions, they never live happily ever after. But the upside to dying young is that the body and the love don’t grow old. We never find out how Romeo might have coped if his “bright angel” had morphed into middle age, nor how Juliet would have felt if she’d had to nurse Romeo through a long illness.

José Rivera’s play Boleros for the Disenchanted examines what happens when “’til death do us part” turns out to be a long, long time. And for those

who might already know that story from hard-won experience, there’s a twist: the play’s characters are Puerto Rican, and their culture informs the way they think about marriage, gender, work and love.

The play begins in 1953 in Miraflores, Puerto Rico. Twenty-two-year-old Flora is engaged to Manuelo, a virile lothario. It turns out that Manuelo is too virile for Flora’s liking. Though he is willing to hold off on sex with Flora until marriage, he won’t forgo his habitual hanky-panky with other women. Heartbroken, vir-ginal Flora breaks off the engagement. She finds a more committed lover in Eusebio, and the couple marries and migrates to America. Thirty-eight years later, Eusebio and Flora’s marriage endures in rural Alabama, where they’ve

settled after a lifetime of work and child-rearing. But Eusebio’s body is ravaged by diabetes and Flora must care for him day and night.

LIFE IN PuERTO RICOThe story of Flora, Manuelo and Eusebio reflects the realities faced by many Puerto Rican men and women of their generation. It is loosely based on the courtship and marriage of José Rivera’s own parents, who came to America from Puerto Rico when José was four years old. Like José’s mother and the character of Flora, most Puerto Rican girls grow-ing up in the mid-20th century were Catholic. Puerto Rico’s Catholicism origi-nated from the conventions of predomi-nantly Catholic Spain mingled with the spiritual traditions of the Taino/Arawak (the indigenous people of the island) and African slaves. These traditions include belief in hexes and witchcraft; faith that rivers, trees and rocks have spirits living inside them; and a belief in some deities

Marriage, Migration and Making the Best of It: BOlEROS fOR ThE DiSEnChAnTED ILLuMINATES THE PuERTO RICAN MIGRANT ExPERIENCE

By Neena Arndt

TOP: José Rivera (left) with his mother and sister.

OPPOSITE: José Rivera’s parents’ house in Miraflores,

Puerto Rico. Photos courtesy of José Rivera.

of the Yoruba (African people concen-trated in southwestern Nigeria). Puerto Rican Catholics align these deities with Catholic saints, thereby fusing the diver-gent faiths; they do not consider the Taino and African customs to be devia-tions from Catholicism.

In accordance with their Catholic faith, Flora’s parents taught her to avoid extra-marital sex. But the parents of her beau Manuelo did not encourage chastity in their son, reflecting a double standard in Latino cultures that gender researchers have long studied. Marianismo (cultural expectations for women) and machismo (cultural expectations for men) prescribe gender roles: women are admired for chastity, modesty and faithfulness, while men are implicitly encouraged to prove their virility by seducing multiple sexual partners. At both societal and individual levels, this leads to apparent conflicts. If men fulfill their expected roles, then their sexual partners are vilified as loose or impure, and if women fulfill their roles, men suffer a lack of partners. Manuelo’s

promiscuity stuns Flora, but by the stan-dards of his culture he is not as far out of line as he may appear to Flora and the modern American audience. Still, some men, like Eusebio, conformed (or claimed to conform) to the strictures of Catholicism, and these were considered ideal matches for devout virgins like Flora.

MIGRATIONOnce a woman found a man who met her qualifications for marriage, a Puerto Rican couple in the early 1950s immediately faced the life-changing decision: migrate to the united States to seek prosperity, or remain in Puerto Rico and face economic strife. Since the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 granted American citizenship to Puerto Ricans, the islanders faced fewer legal hurdles than most migrants in their quest for an American address. And in 1952, under President Truman, Puerto Rico drafted its own local constitution, which was ratified by the united States Congress. Puerto Rico officially became an Estado libre Asociado, which translates liter-

ally as “free associated state,” but is translated officially as “commonwealth.” Puerto Ricans enjoy many of the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as mainland citizens. They serve in the u.S. military and pay selected federal taxes. In legal terms Puerto Ricans’ journeys to the mainland were, and still are, con-sidered internal migration rather than immigration. Despite their legal status as American citizens, however, Puerto Ricans are still marked as foreigners by their Spanish language and Latin culture.

If the prospect of cultural alienation unnerved Puerto Ricans in the mid-20th century, they did not show it. After World War II, migration from Puerto Rico increased sharply. Scholars disagree on the principal causes of the migration boom. Some argue that islanders fled increasing unemployment in Puerto Rico, where industry wasn’t growing as quickly as the population. Others contend that people weren’t pushed away from Puerto Rico, but rather pulled towards the united States. The perceived advantages of migrating proved irresistible. The

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In this moving new play by José Rivera, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Motorcycle Diaries, Flora vows never to fall for an unfaithful man again after her fiancé breaks her heart. Then she meets Eusebio, who sweeps her off her feet and off to America—away from her family and her familiar life in Puerto Rico. Thirty-nine years later, an angel

visits Eusebio with a mysterious mes-sage that stirs up old secrets. Boleros for the Disenchanted is a bittersweet and ultimately uplifting story about what it takes for two people to make a life together far from home, and the struggle to hold on to love in the face of life’s unexpected challenges.

BOlEROS fOR ThE DiSEnChAnTED SYNOPSIS

Since the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 granted American citizenship to Puerto Ricans, the islanders faced fewer legal hurdles than most migrants in their quest for an American address.

united States held the same allure for Puerto Ricans as for immigrants from other nations: they saw opportunities for employment and envisioned building bet-ter lives for their families. Their dreams were fueled by recruiters from American companies who promised a way of life that seemed unattainable on the swelter-ing, overcrowded island. These recruiters sought unskilled laborers for agricultural or factory jobs, which paid poorly by American standards. But for an unem-ployed laborer, even small paychecks

proved enticing, and many aimed to work their way up to higher positions.

With the post-World War II advent of commercial air travel, the exodus from Puerto Rico constituted the first major airborne migration. Whereas early 20th-century Puerto Rican migrants contend-ed with pricey and time-consuming sea voyages, their mid-20th century counter-parts took advantage of the speed and relatively low cost of air travel. This not only eased the logistical and financial

process of the initial migration, but also made visiting home more feasible. When a young migrant like Flora kissed her family goodbye, she could assure them it wasn’t forever.

Still, Flora’s parents do not bless the young couple’s decision to leave the island. Her father protests, “Good people flee the material poverty of the island only to find the spiritual poverty up North is worse than anything they ever imagined.” He fears that Flora, accus-tomed to a culture that values religion and family, will flounder in a more com-petitive, capitalistic environment. This fear echoes Rivera’s own life experience. In an interview with Kristina Corcoran Williams, dramaturg for Yale Repertory Theatre’s 2008 production of Boleros for

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Goodman Theatre Salutes American AirlinesAs the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre for more than a decade, American Airlines has brought some of the nation’s top talent to both Chicago and the Goodman—from Tommy Tune to Brian Dennehy—and sent countless Goodman productions to Broadway and around the world.

More recently, American has pro-vided vital support for the theater’s international initiatives, including the latino Theater festival and A Global Exploration: Eugene O’neill in the 21st Century, bringing the world’s best the-ater artists to Chicago stages. American has also generously provided an oppor-

tunity for Goodman artists to explore the globe and bring back the finest international theater companies, such as Brazil’s Companhia Triptal, to the delight of Chicago audiences.

In addition to these opportunities, the airline has consistently donated intercon-tinental travel vouchers to the Goodman’s fame, fantasy, food, Adventure auc-tion and the World Travel Raffle, both major fundraisers of the Women’s Board. Goodman Theatre is grateful to American Airlines for its generous ongoing support and salutes its commitment to arts and culture worldwide.

Like other immigrant groups, Puerto Ricans encountered racial discrimination that prevented them from attaining jobs, housing and respect from their fellow Americans.

the Disenchanted, Rivera notes, “I grew up being inundated with this thought that North Americans are materialistic and opportunistic and that that was not right. Even if you had to be poor your whole life, it’s better to be happy in whatever form that happiness takes, but Americans in the North are busy moti-vating their careers and gaining more.”

LIFE IN AMERICASome migrants embraced the North American ethos, and if the language barrier prevented them from taking full advantage of their opportunities, they concentrated their efforts on their English-speaking children. Puerto Rican Americans—like NASA astronaut Joseph Acaba, entertainers Rita Moreno and Jennifer Lopez and countless others—found overwhelming professional suc-cess, but many migrants were unable to fully realize the American dream, how-ever. In Boleros for the Disenchanted, Flora and Eusebio struggle. When the second act begins, we find them liv-ing in Daleville, Alabama, though they mention that when they first left Puerto Rico, they settled on Long Island. Rivera indicates in the stage directions, “Flora and Eusebio’s house is nicer than Flora’s childhood home in Puerto Rico, but small and poor by American standards.” Eusebio describes the jobs he has worked over the years to sup-port his family: he has flipped burgers, scrubbed toilets and ventured unsuccess-fully into business ownership. These jobs lacked glamour, prestige and the money that would catapult the couple into the American middle class.

Some migrants fared worse. In her auto-biography Silent Dancing, Puerto Rican

American Judith Ortiz Cofer describes her uncle Hernán’s migration ordeal. At age 18, Hernán accepted a free ticket to the united States from a man recruit-ing laborers, though the man never explained exactly where the laborers would work. Promising his family he would write soon, Hernán left the island, but months passed and his family did not hear from him. In their feverish search for their son, Hernán’s parents learned that certain mainland recruiters were under investigation for illegal prac-tices. It turned out that Hernán had been lured to a farm where he worked for almost no compensation. His supervisors refused to divulge the farm’s exact loca-tion and told the workers there was no outgoing mail. Realizing that an escape attempt might prove dangerous, Hernán

stayed put until an investigation exposed the illegal activities at the farm.

Though a significant percentage of Puerto Rican migrants worked in agriculture, most took root in a place with no crops in sight: New York City. They settled in northeast Manhattan, in a neighborhood that soon became known as Spanish Harlem. There they were nicknamed “Nuyoricans”—a port-manteau of “New Yorker” and “Puerto Rican.” Though many Nuyoricans had worked as farmers in Puerto Rico, they now staffed the hotels, restaurants and garment factories of an island whose landscape featured skyscrapers instead of lush greenery. A few, like Flora and Eusebio, settled on Long Island, which bore more resemblance to their home-

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The Chicago Community Trust Supports Latino ProgrammingGoodman Theatre thanks The Chicago Community Trust for its generous history of support for programming that explores writers, themes and issues that engage Chicago’s Latino community. Since 2006, The Chicago Community Trust has provided funding to support artistic excellence and create initiatives aimed at developing Latino audiences. As a Principal Supporter of the 2008 latino Theater festival, the Trust provided invaluable funding for the Goodman to establish a venue where diverse voices

can be heard, helping to expand the fes-tival in size, reputation and artistic scope. Goodman Theatre is pleased to con-tinue its partnership with The Chicago Community Trust as we seek to enrich both audiences and artists in celebration of Chicago’s diversity. Through its work with local philanthropists, civic lead-ers and not-for-profit organizations, The Chicago Community Trust is helping to make the Chicago metropolitan area a great place to live, work and raise a family.

OPPOSITE: José Rivera’s mother and uncle. Photo cour-

tesy of José Rivera. BOTTOM RIGHT: Judith Ortiz Cofer by

Sortino, courtesy of Judith Ortiz Cofer.

land. Flora declares, “In the spring and summer, it was just as pretty as Miraflores. Full of herbs and wildflowers I’d never seen before—strange little ani-mals like chipmunks and woodpeckers.” In the winter, however, New York’s frigid weather shocked the tropical islanders. Judith Ortiz Cofer, whose childhood was split between Puerto Rico and the main-land, recalls the disparity between her two worlds. When in the united States, she and her brother would “sit quietly and read in a fifth-story apartment build-ing for days and days when it was too bitterly cold to play outside,” whereas in

Puerto Rico they could “run wild.” For adult migrants, the frigid temperatures and gray skies added to the challenges they already faced in Manhattan.

Like other immigrant groups, Puerto Ricans encountered racial discrimination that prevented them from attaining jobs, housing and respect from their fellow Americans. Darker-skinned Puerto Ricans were especially vulnerable to such preju-dices, as were migrants who had not yet attained proficiency in English. In New York, they suffered hate crimes perpe-trated by gangs, and young Nuyoricans

formed gangs of their own. (These real-life gangs did not pirouette, jeté or belt out witty lyrics, but the conflict depicted in the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story syncs up with reality.)

Puerto Rican migrants whose dreams for a better life in America weren’t realized, as well as those who earned riches beyond their wildest imagin-ings, sometimes returned to the island. Some had considered their stay in the united States temporary from the outset: they aimed to earn money and return home. Migrants assumed that the slumping economy that motivated their exodus from Puerto Rico would eventually recover. They believed that upon their return to Puerto Rico, even if the economy remained poor, they would enjoy relative wealth because of the money they had earned on the

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Our Enchanting Individual SponsorsThe Goodman sincerely thanks the individuals who brought Boleros for the Disenchanted to life on our stage. Supporting the work of diverse art-ists is paramount to accomplishing the Goodman’s artistic vision.

Thomas and Sherry BarratMaría C. Bechily and Scott HodesRobert Kohl and Clark PellettM. Ann O’BrienLinda and Mitchell SaranowDirector’s Society Sponsors

Commitments as of May 20, 2009.

mainland. In this way, the mind-set of Puerto Rican migrants differed from that of other groups who escaped religious or political persecution determined to make the united States their permanent home. In the 1960s and ’70s, many Puerto Rican Americans became simply Puerto Ricans once again. They brought back with them their mainland-born children, who often felt caught between the two cultures. Because of their heritage, they had never felt at home on the mainland, but because they’d grown up in America, Puerto Rico didn’t feel like home either. Judith Ortiz Cofer recalls, “I was con-stantly made to feel like an oddball by my peers, who made fun of my two-way accent: a Spanish accent when I spoke English; and, when I spoke Spanish, I was told that I sounded like a ‘gringa.’”

The majority of Puerto Rican migrants, however, stayed on the mainland for life. After raising their children on Long Island, Eusebio and Flora journeyed around the country, living near one child or another, before settling in Alabama near an army base where their son was stationed. There, in 1992, Flora cares for the bedridden Eusebio, devoting most of her time to his medical needs. Frustrated by the way Eusebio’s condition limits her life, Flora nonetheless continues to nurture him. She is sustained by her churchgoing, finding solace in the same

religious ideals that comforted her in childhood, though her Alabama church likely does not acknowledge Yoruban deities. For Flora, church is one of the few constants that follow her from cradle to grave. And for many Puerto Rican migrants, churches provide religious-cen-tered community events that echo Puerto Rican values more resonantly than most American cultural institutions.

Flora and Eusebio recall their lives with bittersweet contemplation. Once the glitzy appeal of the American dream dimmed,

they charted their lives together in a foreign land that proved marginally toler-ant at best, and hostile at worst. No one dreams of working menial jobs or spend-ing his golden years bedridden in a worn-down house. No one hopes to watch her husband’s health deteriorate. And young lovers cannot foresee the world they will navigate decades after they say “I do.” Side by side, Flora and Eusebio watch the 20th century unfurl as their bodies turn from vital to feeble and their love flows, ebbs and flows again.

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A Song for Lovers: The Cuban BoleroBorn out of the Cuban trova in the late 19th century, the bolero was the first great Cuban musical genre to achieve worldwide recognition and fame. José “Pepe” Sanchez is considered the father of the Cuban bolero (a form unrelated to its Spanish counterpart). Drawing from the music of itinerant singers and guitar-ists, Sanchez developed the bolero form in his native city of Santiago during the 1880s. The music’s popularity quickly spread to Mexico and Latin America, and today remains the quintessential roman-tic ballad form.

Slow and sensual, the bolero is set to a 2/4 rhythm, affording couples the chance to dance slowly and closely.

“Boleros are the songs that sweep you off your feet and put you in a romantic

mood,” says playwright José Rivera. “They tend to celebrate love, but they can also be about heartbreak. Puerto Rico is called the Enchanted Island, but those who left Puerto Rico were obvious-ly disenchanted. The play’s title refers to a love song for those people who faced disenchantment.”

By the mid-20th century, the bolero style had infused the big bands of Cuba and New York, and by the 1970s had led to the birth of musical forms like salsa. Today, through the recordings of contemporary Mexican singers like Luis Miguel and Alejandro Fernández, the bolero lives on, bringing its seductive sensuality to listeners everywhere.

OPPOSITE: Jerome Robbins leading dancers (including

Tony Mordente and George Chakiris) rehearsing “Cool”

for West Side Story (1957) by Friedman-Abeles, cour-

tesy of Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public

Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden

Foundations. ABOVE: The church in Miraflores, Puerto

Rico. Photo courtesy of José Rivera.

Playwright José Rivera recently dis-cussed Boleros for the Disenchanted with Goodman Resident Artistic Associate henry Godinez, who will direct the play at the Goodman.

Henry Godinez: What was the genesis of Boleros for the Disenchanted?

José Rivera: The play is based on a series of stories my mother told me about her courtship with my father. She was raised in Puerto Rico, was engaged to another young man who broke her heart and then met my father through a series of wonderful coincidences. These stories have always struck me as a great basis for a play, but it wasn’t until I visited my parents in Alabama around the time of my father’s death in 1995 that I had the idea for a full-length play. I wanted to combine the fairy-tale opti-mism of their early days with the hard-core, gritty reality of their later days. That was where the play began for me, but it wasn’t until a year and a half ago that I finally wrote it.

HG: I’m struck by the similarity between this play and one of your early plays The

house of Ramon iglesia. Boleros centers on your mother’s experience and The house of Ramon iglesia centers on the experience of a man and his son Javier. When you were writing Boleros, were you conscious of the resonance between what some people might consider two of your more realistic plays?

JR: Yes. I knew I was going into realistic territory when I was writing Boleros and there is obviously a personal con-nection with my earlier play. The house of Ramon iglesia could be considered the middle act of Boleros that connects the early and the final days of Flora and Eusebio’s relationship. Because I’m dealing with real-life events in this play, realism seemed to be the appropriate form to use, whereas my other plays that are more imaginary take on differ-ent theatrical forms.

HG: One of my favorite characters in the play is the priest in the second act. Can you speak a bit about him?

JR: I find that in a lot of plays priests tend to be used less than respectfully as a joke or to make a point about religion. In the second act, the priest is treated with great respect, even though he says some very salty things. I didn’t want to make him the butt of a joke. The func-tion of a spiritual guide at that moment is very important to Flora and Eusebio. I wanted the feeling of something spiritual going on even in their mundane reality.

HG: Was Catholicism important in your house?

JR: It was. My mother had wanted to be a nun, so she maintained a deep religious tone in the house. The line between the natural and supernatural was always blurred, and there was a feeling that God was a personal entity who could take great care of you if you wanted Him to. That was a huge part of my experience growing up and sub-sequently influenced my style of writing and the stories that I tell onstage.

HG: You have spoken about your interest in exploring the beginnings and endings of things. Can you talk a little bit about that, especially in reference to Boleros?

JR: How things originate is really exciting and fascinating to me. That’s why I was so interested in the idea of writing the screenplay for The Motorcycle Diaries: I wanted to see where the politics origi-nated in this young, anonymous medical

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A Conversation with Playwright José Rivera

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Meet Playwright José Rivera! myrna Salazar of the International latino Cultural Center moderates a post-show discussion with José Rivera and Director Henry Godinez on Thursday, June 25 in the Albert Theatre. This event is free, but reservations are required. Call 312.443.3800 for reservations.

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student [Che Guevara] from Argentina. And I’m very interested in how things end up, which is why I love Beckett. When I’m reading Beckett, I always feel like I’m seeing the end of the world. In Boleros I had the opportunity to explore both where we start and where we end in a single play.

HG: Did the other issues that come up in the play—migration and independence for Puerto Rico—emerge as you were writing this play, or were they elements that you consciously decided to include as part of this story?

JR: I grew up with men like Flora’s father Don Fermin, who were strong, patriotic men of the earth who loved their island and resented the American government. I grew up hearing about the American mafia taking over, about the land being taken away; about how welfare emascu-lates a person. While this play is really a love story, it has another layer—a political consciousness that explores what happens when a society is so destitute and depressed that it has to emigrate. Often in our literature and films we explore the immigrant experience once people have already arrived. I thought it would be more interesting in this case to talk about what compels people to leave their homes. In Puerto Rico they have family, they have love, they have connec-tion to land, they have all these things—and yet there’s still something that moves them to take this journey.

HG: Do you think that Flora and Eusebio’s lives would have been different if they had stayed in Puerto Rico?

JR: Yes, I think that life would have been completely different. It’s funny because I ask myself the same question. If my par-ents had stayed and raised me in Puerto Rico, where would I be now? Would I have become a writer? It’s so hard to imagine what life would have been like.

I think that Flora and Eusebio would not have experienced the loneliness that they feel in Act II. When I return to the island to visit family, there are still generations living within a few blocks of each other in these little towns. People stop by and meals happen at the drop of a hat—there’s a kind of fluid beauty and cadence to the day in which you are always surrounded by children and grandparents. It’s really lovely and com-

munal. I think that if Flora and Eusebio had not left Puerto Rico, and if my par-ents in real life had not left, they would have had more of that and less of the isolation and alienation, the race preju-dice, the language barrier and having to start at the very bottom of the economic ladder—these things wouldn’t have been part of their lives.

Student Subscription Series Continues its Service to Chicago with Support From the Polk Bros. FoundationIn May 2009, Goodman Theatre com-pleted the 24th year of its free Student Subscription Series. Over that time, the Goodman has worked with 113 schools and served more than 30,000 students through this groundbreaking program which has become a model for theaters around the country and around the world. The success of the free Student Subscription Series would not have been possible without the support of the Polk Bros. Foundation. Since the early days of the program, the Polk Bros. Foundation

has provided consistent and generous funding, helping us to use theater to inform and enliven the education of gen-erations of Chicago high school students. The Goodman believes that theater plays a unique role in a young person’s educa-tion and remains committed to providing students with access to this vital resource. Goodman Theatre would like to thank the Polk Bros. Foundation for its long-term commitment to Chicago students and its leadership support for the free Student Subscription Series.

OPPOSITE: Playwright José Rivera in rehearsal for

Massacre (Sing to Your Children). Photo by Peter Wynn

Thompson. BELOW: Maricela Ochoa and Mark D. Espinoza

in José Rivera’s Cloud Tectonics, produced at the Goodman

in 1995. Photo by Eric Y. Exit.

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Director henry Wishcamper talked with the Goodman’s lara Ehrlich to discuss his upcoming production, Animal Crackers, which will open the Goodman’s 2009/2010 season.

Lara Ehrlich: How did you get your start in theater?

Henry Wishcamper: I grew up in south-ern Maine in the ’70s. During that time, the country’s most famous mime, Tony Montanaro, opened a theater company in a bar and clowns and jugglers and fire-eaters and storytellers and dancers all came to study with him. I went to all of their shows. I’ve always been interested in theater, live performance and vaude-villians. I went to clown school when I was six.

LE: How much does vaudeville inform your directing?

HW: The infectious energy of vaudeville and live performance is at the heart of everything I do—and definitely comes out of the joy that I felt as a kid when I went to vaudeville performances. It is certainly one of the main reasons that I’m so excited about Animal Crackers.

LE: How do you feel about returning to the Goodman after directing Talking Pictures during the 2007/2008 season?

HW: Talking Pictures was my first time directing in Chicago and working with Chicago actors. I had an extraordinary experience working at the Goodman, and I couldn’t be more excited about being back for Animal Crackers. I can’t think

of any other theater in the country that would let you do Horton Foote and the Marx Brothers back-to-back. That’s an amazing testament to the diversity of the work at the Goodman.

LE: How does your approach change when directing two artists as different as Horton Foote and the Marx Brothers?

HW: A project and a company teaches you the best way to work with them, so in that way I’m always changing what I’m doing. I think that both projects have real-ly good writing and opportunities for great performances. Horton’s work, in addi-tion to being beautiful, insightful, funny, powerful and provocative, is also great material for actors. Talking Pictures was an 11-person show and everybody got to shine. While the book of Animal Crackers couldn’t be more different than the script for Talking Pictures, George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind wrote a really good, solid book during a time when I don’t think books were all that important to musicals. This material places virtuosic performances at the forefront, so in that way it is very similar to Talking Pictures.

LE: How did you discover Animal Crackers?

HW: I grew up watching the Marx Brothers movies, and my wife went to a production of Animal Crackers at

An Interview with Animal Crackers’ Director Henry Wishcamper

LEFT: Henry Wishcamper in rehearsal for Horton Foote’s

Talking Pictures. Photo by Michael Brosilow. OPPOSITE:

The Marx Brothers: Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo

in Animal Crackers (1928). Photo by Vandamm Studio,

courtesy of Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York

Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and

Tilden Foundations.

AT THE GO

OD

MAN

11

Huntington Theatre Company in Boston in the ’80s when she was in middle school. Her whole family fell in love with the show, and they went back to see it four or five times. She was the one who suggested that the musical might be fun to look into. It will be great family enter-tainment that you can bring the kids to.

LE: How did you decide to direct Animal Crackers at the Goodman?

HW: Robert Falls shot me an e-mail a little over a year ago. He said that he had an open mainstage slot, and that I prob-ably couldn’t have it, but he would like me to pitch something, just to see what I might pitch. I pitched Animal Crackers. I got an e-mail from him a couple months later saying that we couldn’t do the play at the time, but he really liked the idea. We kept talking about it, and I’m really excited that he chose to do it next season.

LE: What challenges do you anticipate when directing this huge, comedic classic?

HW: I think there are a couple of challeng-es. The first is asking actors to perform the Marx Brothers’ characters. An actor will be playing Groucho playing Captain Spalding

and an actor will be playing Chico playing Emanuel Ravelli. So the real challenge for the actors is to channel those icons in a way that makes them fresh.

The other challenge is that nine actors will be playing all of the characters in the 26-person musical. Each of the actors will be playing up to five different characters, so they will have to capture the style and rhythm of the language and the timing of the jokes, while also making each role different enough to help the audience navigate the multiple changes of character. It will be fun!

LE: In the casting process, what qualities are you looking for in the three actors who will be playing the Marx Brothers?

HW: We are looking at a variety of actors for the roles. We’re open to women play-ing Harpo; we’re auditioning actors of all races and all age groups for all nine actors in the company. We are looking for the nine best actors who can dance and sing, be funny and understand the style of the piece and the rhythms of the language. If the rhythms of the Marx Brothers characters elude you, the whole production deflates like a bad pancake.

LE: Have you cast any of the roles?

HW: Yes, we have cast one actor so far. Chicago actress Ora Jones is going to play Mrs. Rittenhouse, the role played by Margaret Dumont in the film. Margaret Dumont is sort of the fifth Marx Brother

I think that people are looking for a good time—for a diversion and an escape, which this play offers. Part of what makes Marx Brothers comedy feel spontaneous even now is that it’s an attack on social order in every way imaginable.

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AT THE GO

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and is as much a part of the fabric of the Marx Brothers world as any of the broth-ers. She is this amazing, chaste woman who is always paired with Groucho and is the highest status character in the Marx Brothers’ movies and plays. In Animal Crackers, she is the grande dame of Hampton society and is hosting a party in honor of the Groucho character, Captain Spalding. The actor playing Mrs. Rittenhouse has the same challenge as the actors playing Groucho, Chico and Harpo: she has to play Margaret Dumont and she has to play Margaret Dumont playing Mrs. Rittenhouse.

LE: So would you describe your produc-tion as a musical?

HW: Definitely. In the movie, the music isn’t especially interesting and the vocal performances aren’t particularly dynamic. But the score to the musical is not that way at all. It’s really fun—sort of 1920s Tin Pan Alley jazz. It’s really catchy and really sweet. There are sever-

al very big, very fun dance numbers and there’s a lot more music than the people who know the movie would expect. The music will be terrific and the dancing will be lively and exuberant.

Each actor will also be a part of the cho-rus, so they also have to be able to sing and dance. I’m thinking about doing the musical numbers as if they were great, enormous Busby Berkeley musical num-bers—but with nine people, which will be fantastic. Every member of this nine-person company is going to be a star.

LE: Why do you think audiences will be excited about Animal Crackers?

HW: I think that people are looking for a good time—for a diversion and an escape, which this play offers. Part of what makes Marx Brothers comedy feel spontaneous even now is that it’s an attack on the social order in every way imaginable. The Marx Brothers did Animal Crackers right before The Wall

Street Crash of 1929, during a time of extraordinary exuberance and capitalist activities—a garish celebration of being rich and fabulous and beautiful. The Marx Brothers had no time for that; they saw right through it, just like they saw through all other human pretensions and indulgences. I do think that there are a lot of parallels between what was hap-pening when this play was written and our current situation.

LE: Is there a production that you have always wanted to direct?

HW: There are definitely productions that I haven’t had the chance to direct and would like to, but I wouldn’t want anyone to let me do them now. I would like to do Chekhov, but I don’t think that I would be ready now. I think you only get one whack at Chekhov. There were plays that I thought I would like to direct when I was 25, and now that I’m no longer 25, I’m glad that I didn’t have the chance to direct them. I think that when I’m 50, I would probably look back at the production of Chekhov that I would have done now and feel like I missed things.

LE: Why are you glad that you’re doing Animal Crackers at this particular moment in time?

HW: The main reason I’m excited to be doing it now is that I think that this show will mean more to people now than it would have in 2006 or 2007. I’m really looking forward to directing this big musical at a time when it feels like people will be really excited about it. I hope they’ll not only come, but will also bring their kids.

Jenny McKnight (foreground) and Kathleen Romond in

Talking Pictures. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

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Joan of Arc has been alternately depict-ed as Catholic or Protestant, heretic or saint, virgin or whore, madwoman or prophet. Few historical figures have inspired such varied renderings in litera-ture, music and visual art as the young French martyr. Although the facts of her life are recorded with unusual precision for the 15th century, they remain skel-etal enough to support infinite interpreta-tions, and through the centuries Joan has proven a fickle, yet enduring muse.

In 1429, with Joan’s fiery execution still two years in the future, Christine de Pizan wrote a 61-stanza poem entitled The Song of Joan of Arc glorifying Joan, then a 17-year-old soldier. It declares, “neither Hector nor Achilles had such great strength!” After this laudatory work, however, Joan’s story was largely ignored by writers until 1590, when Shakespeare created a Joan character based on English records for henry Vi, Part i. Since the English battled against Joan, their documentation of her fell short of flattery; Shakespeare’s Joan is depicted as a sly witch and a whore. In 1756, Voltaire derided Joan in his mock-epic The Maid of Oranges, which dismissed Joan’s mysticism as humbug-gery. In 1801, the German dramatist Friedrich Schiller restored her reputation in his play The Maiden of Orleans, which depicted her as a romantic heroine. Mark Twain penned a worshipful biography of Joan, and both Tchaikovsky and Verdi composed operas based on Schiller’s

play. In 1920, the Catholic Church can-onized Joan; three years later George Bernard Shaw wrote the play Saint Joan, which features dialogue drawn directly from the records of her trial. The German playwright Bertolt Brecht created three different versions of the story: Saint Joan of the Stockyards places Joan in 20th-century Chicago, where she battles with an unscrupulous business owner; The Visions of Simone Machard pits Joan against the Nazis; and The Trial of Joan of Arc of Proven, 1431, is based on a radio play by Anna Seghers. Joan’s story came to life on screen as early as 1898 in a short film by French director Georges Hatot, and as recently as 2005 with the television series Joan of Arcadia.

In September, Goodman Theatre will bring Joan’s epic story to life once again—this time in a searing adaptation created by director Aida Karic. Based loosely on Schiller’s masterful script, the production will incorporate live gospel music and a culturally diverse

cast; the title character will be portrayed by African American actress Okwui Okpokwasili. After rehearsing for 10 weeks at the Goodman, the piece will premiere at Linz 2009 European Capital of Culture, a cultural and theatrical fes-tival in Linz, Austria, from June 15 to June 20. It will then travel back across the Atlantic for its run in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre beginning September 11. This new adaptation will be an exciting, fresh addition to the vast tradition of tell-ings and retellings of Joan’s 600-year-old story.

Joan D’Arc Marches Through the Ages and Into the Owen TheatreBy Neena Arndt

Since the English battled against Joan, their documentation of her fell short of flattery; Shakespeare’s Joan is depicted as a sly witch and a whore.

Albert Theatre by Steven Gross. Brian Dennehy by Michael Brosilow. Robert Falls by Eric Y. Exit. Rebecca Gilman by Michael Brosilow. Henry Godinez by Peter Wynn Thompson. Alan Gross by On Location Creations. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Aida Karic by Nick Mangafas. Brett C. Leonard. Steven Robman. Chuck Smith by Peter Wynn Thompson. Tracey Scott Wilson. Henry Wishcamper by Peter Wynn Thompson. Karen Zacarías by Liz Lauren.

ROBERT FALLSHUGHIE/A TRUE HISTORY OF THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD

BRIAN DENNEHYHUGHIE/KRAPP’S LAST TAPE

REBECCA GILMANA TRUE HISTORY OF THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD

TRACEY SCOTT WILSONTHE GOOD NEGRO

CHUCK SMITHTHE GOOD NEGRO

HENRY GODINEZTHE SINS OF SOR JUANA

STEVEN ROBMANHIGH HOLIDAYS

ALAN GROSSHIGH HOLIDAYS

BRETT C. LEONARDTHE LONG RED ROAD

IntroducIng a new way to experIence what’s coming to our stages.

ExploreTheGoodman.org

Official Lighting Sponsor for Hughie and Krapp’s Last Tape

Corporate Sponsor Partner for The Good Negro

Lead Corporate Sponsor for The Sins of Sor Juana

Major Corporate Sponsor for The Good Negro

Corporate Sponsor Partner for Animal Crackers

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4 woRlD pRemIeReS, BRoADwAy-BounD ClASSICS, A mARx BRoS. muSICAl, pHIlIp SeymouR HoffmAn’S GooDmAn DIReCToRIAl DeBuT—AnD So muCH moRe.

THE 2009/2010 SEASONPHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMANTHE LONG RED ROAD

AIDA KARICJOAN D’ARC

HENRY WISHCAMPERANIMAL CRACKERS

KAREN ZACARÍASTHE SINS OF SOR JUANA

IntroducIng a new way to experIence what’s coming to our stages.

exploreTheGoodman.org gives you behind-the-scenes, in-depth information about all eight plays in our upcoming 2009/2010 subscription season. From artist videos to detailed play synopses, it’s a quick and easy way to learn more about what’s coming to our stages—and why it pays to join us for the season.

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Rock ’n’ Roll Opening Night On May 11, sponsors and guests gathered at Club Petterino’s for dinner before attending the opening of the Chicago premiere of Tom Stoppard’s smash hit Rock ’n’ Roll in the Goodman’s Albert Theatre. The play received critical acclaim on Broadway (nominated for four Tony Awards) and in London’s West End, and has been met with enthusiastic critics and audiences at the Goodman this season.

This exhilarating night of theater was made possible by our sponsors. We would like to thank Major Production Sponsors The Edith-Marie Appleton Foundation and Goodman Theatre Women’s Board; Major Education Supporter Northern Trust; Corporate Sponsor Partner PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Director’s Society Sponsors John and Caroline Ballantine, Joe and Palma Calabrese, Leon and Joy Dreimann, Linda Hutson, Linda and Peter Krivkovich, Catherine Mouly and LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr., Randy and Lisa White and Sallyan Windt; and Media Sponsor WxRT.

RIGHT (top to bottom):

Rock ’n’ Roll director Charles Newell, Trustee Sherry Barrat (Northern Trust), Trustee Cherie

Pixler (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP) and Executive Director Roche Schulfer.

Rock ’n’ Roll director Charles Newell, Maria Goodman, Trustee Albert Goodman, Women’s

Board President Karen Pigott and Executive Director Roche Schulfer.

Rock ’n’ Roll director Charles Newell, Trustee J. Randall White, Lisa Bowers White, Trustee

Albert Goodman, Trustee Catherine Mouly, Sallyan Windt, Trustee Linda Hutson, Executive

Director Roche Schulfer, Women’s Board member Linda Krivkovich and Women’s Board

member Joy Dreimann.

Rock ’n’ Roll Sponsor and Premiere Society member Sallyan Windt and Alan Robandt.

Photos by Mike Greer.

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ABBoTTLead Corporate Sponsor of Women’s Night and Benefit Support

leSTeR AnD Hope ABelSon funD foR ARTISTIC DeVelopmenTInstituting New Work Initiatives

AllSTATe CoRpoRATIonCorporate Sponsor Partner for Desire Under the Elms and Gala Support

AmeRICAn AIRlIneSExclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre

THe eDITH-mARIe AppleTon founDATIonMajor Production Sponsor for Rock ’n’ Roll and The Crowd You’re in With

eDITH-mARIe AppleTon AnD mARTHA o’DRISCollSupport of The Edith-Marie Appleton/Martha O’Driscoll Teaching Artists of Goodman’s General Theater Studies Program

THe CHICAGo CommunITy TRuSTPrincipal Support for the 2008 latino Theater festival

JoAn AnD RoBeRT ClIffoRDMajor Contributors

CnA founDATIonMajor Support of Education and Community Programs

ComeDMajor Corporate Sponsor for Turn of the Century

pATRICIA CoxMajor Contributor

THe DAVee founDATIonMajor Developmental Support of New Work

GAyloRD AnD DoRoTHy Donnelley founDATIonSupport of the General Theater Studies Program

SHAwn m. DonnelleyMajor Contributor

eDGeRTon founDATIon New American Plays AwardMajor Production Support for Turn of the Century

GooDmAn THeATRe women’S BoARDMajor Production Sponsor for Rock ’n’ Roll

HARRIS BAnKMajor Corporate Sponsor for A Christmas Carol

SonDRA AnD DenIS HeAly/ TuRTle wAx, InC.Major Contributors

IllInoIS ARTS CounCIl, A STATe AGenCyMajor Support of Artistic Initiatives

THe JoyCe founDATIonPrincipal Support of Artistic Development and Diversity Initiatives JpmoRGAn CHASeLead Corporate Sponsor for Turn of the Century and Major Sponsor of the free Student Subscription Series JulIuS fRAnKel founDATIonMajor Support of General Operations

KATTen muCHIn RoSenmAn llpMajor Corporate Sponsor for Turn of the Century

KRAfT fooDS InC.Principal Sponsor of the free Student Subscription Series

THe JoHn D. AnD CATHeRIne T. mACARTHuR founDATIonMajor Support of General Operations

nAnCy lAuTeR mCDouGAl AnD AlfReD l. mCDouGAlMajor Contributors

THe elIzABeTH moRSe CHARITABle TRuSTSupport of the General Theater Studies Program

nATIonAl enDowmenT foR THe ARTSMajor Production Support for Ghostwritten

noRTHeRn TRuSTSupport of Education and Community Programs polK BRoS. founDATIonMajor Sponsor of the free Student Subscription Series

AlICe AnD JoHn J. SABlMajor Contributors

SARA lee founDATIonOwen Season Corporate Sponsor

THe SHuBeRT founDATIonLeading Contributor of General Operating Support

TARGeTLead Corporate Sponsor for Magnoliaand Lead Diversity Night Sponsor

uBSLead Corporate Sponsor for A Global Exploration: Eugene O’neill in the 21st Century and support of the General Theater Studies Program

Goodman Theatre Proudly Thanks its Major Contributors for Their Generous Support of the 2008/2009 Season

The Goodman Honors Diverse Playwrights at World Premiere NightOn April 16, guests gathered at Club Petterino’s to celebrate Goodman Theatre’s dedication to developing new work by diverse emerging playwrights. Playwright and activist Kia Corthron and recent Joyce Award-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes were awarded the 2009 Fellowship offered in collaboration with Jane Saks and the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago. The Fellowship provides developmental support for a new work, culminating in a reading on the Goodman stage. After dinner, guests enjoyed a performance of Magnolia by Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate Regina Taylor.

The Goodman thanks the event co-chairs Rebecca Ford Terry, Kimberly Rachal and Iris Sims; host committee members Kristin Anderson-Schewe, Shawn M. Donnelley, Harry J. Harczak, Jr. and the Harry J. Harczak, Sr. Memorial Foundation, Eva and Michael Losacco, Philip R. Pulliam, Alice and John J. Sabl, and Richard and Sheryl Weisberg; and Paul Lisnek, Brian Lozell, Quarles & Brady LLP, Mesirow Financial and Loop Capital Markets, LLC for their special support of this event.

ABOVE (top to bottom): Everett Ward, Ted Chase and Linda and John Gorham. World

Premiere Night Event Co-Chairs Kimberly Rachal, Iris Sims, and Trustee Rebecca Ford

Terry with playwright and Artistic Associate Regina Taylor.

Premiere Society PreviewOn April 27, Premiere Society and Luminary members were treated to a sneak peek of the 2009/2010 Season as part of the Premiere Society Preview. More than 100 of our most generous supporters joined us for cocktails, dinner at Club Petterino’s and a presentation of scenes from the Goodman’s upcoming productions of the raucous Marx Brothers’ musical Animal Crackers, Alan Gross’ boisterous comedy high holidays and Tracey Scott Wilson’s searing new drama, The Good negro.

The Goodman’s Associate Producer Steve Scott hosted the eve-ning and Goodman Trustee Alice Sabl paid tribute to those in attendance for their support of the Goodman.

The premiere Society preview is a special benefit for donors of $1,500 and above. If you would like to join the premiere Society and receive invitations to exclusive events like the premiere Society preview, please contact melissa Hard in the Development office at 312.443.3811 ext. 597.

RIGHT (left to right): Premiere Society member Renee Ross and her guest Subscriber

Nan Mayer. Premiere Society members Sharon and Lee Oberlander.

OFF STAG

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Lynn Nottage Wins the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for RuinedLynn Nottage joined the ranks of Eugene O’Neill, August Wilson and Arthur Miller when she received the prestigious 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play Ruined on April 20.

This award marks the first world-premiere production from Goodman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A Goodman Theatre commission, Ruined was first seen in the Goodman’s 2007 New Stages Series, followed by its world premiere at the Goodman (November 17 through December 14, 2008, in a co-production with Manhattan Theatre Club) as part of the “Strong Women, Strong Voices” Owen Theatre series.

Ruined was developed through Nottage and Director Kate Whoriskey’s pilgrimage to uganda—where countless interviews and interactions resulted in a portrait of the lives of the women and girls caught in the devastating armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

“I am delighted that Lynn and Ruined have been recognized in this most honorable, distinguished of ways,” said Artistic Director Robert Falls. “This gorgeous, heartbreaking new play received overwhelming critical and audience response during its extended Chicago run, and repeatedly extended New York runs—it’s a unique, remarkable piece of theater that will take

its place among the canon of the greats. This is a proud day for the Goodman, and for Chicago theater.”

LEFT: Lynn Nottage in rehearsal for

Ruined, the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner

in Drama. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The Goodman Welcomes a New Trustee

CATHeRIne mouly graduated from Harvard College with a BA in Psychology and Social Relations/General Studies and received her PhD in Comparative Literature from the university of Chicago. Catherine and LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr., have two sons, Anthony and Leo, who both attended the university’s Laboratory Schools and Harvard.

Catherine serves as a Life Member on the Visiting Committee to the Division of the Humanities at the university of Chicago and is a member of The Arts Club. She is a former poetry co-editor of Chicago Review, taught writing for several years at Columbia College and the university of Chicago and was a Lecturer in Romance Languages at The university of Chicago. Catherine speaks fluent French, has a house in Paris and travels widely.

The Scene at Emerald Loop Bar and GrillOn April 15, more than 200 of Chicago’s up-and-coming young professionals joined Goodman Theatre’s Scenemakers Council at Emerald Loop Bar and Grill for networking and socializing before the performance of Naomi Iizuka’s world-premiere play, Ghostwritten. Learn about the hottest ticket in town—The Scene Subscription—at www.GoodmanTheatre.org/TheScene. Three parties and three plays for only $125!

The Scenemakers Council is a diverse auxiliary group of young professionals who act as ambassadors to raise awareness and philanthropic support for the theater. for more information about joining the Scenemakers Council, please contact Scott podraza at 312.443.3811 ext. 566 or email Scottpodraza@GoodmanTheatre.org.

BELOW: Scenemakers Council members Tony Glenn, Lauren Blair and Tony Proccopio

at the pre-show reception for Ghostwritten.

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IN TH

E WIN

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Taking the Stage a Success!From April 4 to 19, the Goodman hosted Taking the Stage: A Celebration of Women Making Theater, a festival honoring the distinct voices and visions of women theater artists.

Timed to coincide with the simultaneous world premieres of Regina Taylor’s Magnolia and Naomi Iizuka’s Ghostwritten at the Goodman, Taking the Stage highlighted the work of five female-focused Chicago companies, including Babes with Blades, Berwyn’s 16th Street Theater, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Serendipity Theatre Collective and Teatro Luna. Taking the Stage featured performances, open rehearsals, workshops and panel discussions with playwrights, directors, administrators and critics.

The festival began with an evening of erotic stories crafted by the women of Serendipity Theatre Collective, which played to a standing-room only crowd at G Boutique. Among the many excit-ing events, performance artist Holly Hughes explored turning per-sonal narratives into solo performance, members of Teatro Luna worked with young women to develop their unique voices and Kelly Kleiman, one of the dueling critics on WBEZ’s 848, facili-tated a conversation on the responsibilities—and challenges—of theater critics in an ever-changing media environment.

The two-week celebration concluded with an august panel of women artistic directors exploring their obligations to produce quality work and provide access to the work of women writers and directors. The panel included representatives from a range of Chicago theaters and Wendy C. Goldberg, Director of the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut.

RIGHT: 1 Tara Mallen (left) and company at Rivendell Ensemble’s rehearsal of The Walls.

2 Writing-Performing duo Marilyn Campbell and Maria Merrin discuss their upcoming show

at the festival kick-off reception. 3 Performance artist Holly Hughes. 4 2nd Story’s Amanda

Delheimer (right) leads a writing workshop. 5 Goodman Literary Manager Tanya Palmer intro-

duces the playwrights panel. 6 Belinda Cervantes (kneeling) and Yadira Correa of Teatro Luna.

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Lead Corporate Sponsor for Magnolia

Contributing Sponsor for Ghostwritten

Principal Support of Artistic Development and Initiatives and Major Production Support for Ghostwritten

Lead Sponsor for Taking the Stage

Owen Season Sponsor Sponsor Partner for Ghostwritten

Community Sponsor for Taking the Stage

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BOLEROS FOR THE DISENCHANTED JUNE/JULYIn the Albert

$31-46$25

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The Goodman Offers FREE Science-Themed Readings in JuneAs part of Science Chicago, Goodman Theatre is proud to present readings of three science-themed plays. Each read-ing in the Owen Theatre will be followed by a discussion featuring Goodman artis-tic staff and noted experts in the fields of physics and bioengineering.

HApGooD by Tom StoppardMonday, June 8 at 6pm

Owen TheatreA female British spymaster’s quest to discover the source of an information leak to the Russians is hampered by a whirl of quantum physics, double agents and triple-crosses.

ReyKJAVIK by pulitzer prize-winning author Richard RhodesMonday, June 15 at 6pm

Owen TheatreScientific and ethical questions are raised at the 1986 summit between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.

A numBeR by Caryl ChurchillMonday, June 22 at 6pm

Owen TheatreThree sons—two of whom are clones of the first—confront their father with the discovery of several genetically identical counterparts.

Seating for the readings is limited and reservations are recommended. for more information or to reserve tickets, please call the Goodman Box office at 312.443.3800.

Plan Your Group Outing Now for A Christmas Carol The Goodman’s critically acclaimed family classic A Christmas Carol is the perfect show for your group of friends, family, clients or co-workers. Since this production sells out early every year, the Goodman is offering you, our loyal Subscribers, the opportunity to purchase group tickets before single tickets go on sale to individual Subscribers in July.

And for the first time we are offering your small group of 15-30 entry into our exclusive VIp Donor lounge (typically reserved for high-level donors) on the night of your performance if you make your reservation by July 31, 2009.* Take advantage of this exclusive offer today by contacting Kim furganson at 312.443.3820 or Kimfurganson@GoodmanTheatre.org.

A Christmas Carol runs November 20-December 31, 2009. Group rates range from $20-$74 for 15 or more people depending on performance date and number of seats.

For great dining options before or after the show, ask for our help or visit the complete Goodman Preferred Partner lineup at GoodmanTheatre.org under ‘Visit us.’ Hotel Sax Chicago at 333 N. Dearborn is Goodman’s Preferred Hotel and offers special rates for Goodman patrons.

* Reservations for the lounge must be made at the time or your

order. This offer is not valid on previously purchased tickets.

VIp DonoR lounGe

Major Corporate Sponsor Corporate Sponsor Partner

Non-profit Org.U.S. PostageP A I DChicago, ILPermit No. 2546

170 NORTH DEARBORNCHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60601

WHAT GREAT THEATER SHOULD BE

season opening Benefit Featuring

fRIDAy, SepTemBeR 25, 2009Dinner at Palmer House and performance at Goodman Theatre.

Book By GeoRGe S. KAufmAn and moRRIe RySKInDMusic and Lyrics By BeRT KAlmAR and HARRy RuBydirected By HenRy wISHCAmpeR

AnimalCrackers

SAVE THE DATE

for ticket prices, please contact Katie frient at 312.443.3811 ext. 586 or at Katiefrient@GoodmanTheatre.org. Corporate Sponsor Partner

for Animal Crackers Commitments as of May 20, 2009.