Playwrights Unit Members Anne Garcia Romero, Andrew Hinderaker and Mickle Maher Present Free staged Readings July 10-12 at Goodman Theatre
CHICAGO, IL – Goodman Theatre presents three free staged readings of new plays developed in the Playwrights Unit, a year-long residency program for local writers who meet twice monthly with members of the theater’s artistic staff to discuss their plays in progress. Out of this process emerge four brand new plays, three of which appear in FREE staged readings this week: Mary Domingo by Anne GarcÃa-Romero (July 10), The Magic Play by Andrew Hinderaker (July 11) and After by Mickle Maher (July 12). Laura Schellhardt, the fourth member of the Playwrights Unit who oversees undergraduate playwriting at Northwestern University, will present her play in the fall on a date to be announced. The Playwrights Unit, an essential component of the Goodman’s efforts to commission and develop new works for the American theater, is facilitated by director of new play development Tanya Palmer. FREE readings take place at 7:30pm in the Goodman’s rehearsal rooms; reservations are required and can be made by calling 312.443.3800 or visiting GoodmanTheatre.org/PlaywrightsUnit. Availability is extremely limited.
Participating Chicago-based playwrights of the Playwrights Unit receive a commission fee and a mid-point reading at Chicago Dramatists. The residency culminates in a final public reading at the Goodman. The Time Warner Foundation is the Lead Supporter of New Play Development. The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation is the Major Supporter of New Play Development. The Davee Foundation is the Major Supporter of New Work Development. The Glasser and Rosenthal Family and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust are Supporters of New Work Development. The Joyce Foundation is the Principal Supporter of Artistic Development and Diversity Initiatives.
About the Plays
Mary Domingo
By Anne GarcÃa-Romero
Directed by Michael Maggio Directing Fellow Erica Weiss
July 10 at 7:30pm
Mary Peabody Mann is a passionate educator and the widow of 19th century American education reformer Horace Mann. In the aftermath of her husband’s death, a grieving Mary hopes to carry on his work by translating a book by Domingo Sarmiento, a brilliant and attractive Argentinian intellectual and an admirer of Mann’s ideas. But as she gets deeper into the project and her relationship with Domingo, Mary struggles to make herself heard. Anne GarcÃa-Romero is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film, Television and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame and a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists. Her plays have been developed and produced throughout the country and published by Broadway Play Publishing, Playscripts, Smith & Kraus and NoPassport Press. She is the recipient of the Jerome Fellowship at the Playwrights’ Center of Minneapolis as well as the MacDowell Colony Fellowship.
The Magic Play
By Andrew Hinderaker
Directed by Halena Kays
July 11 at 7:30pm
A good magician is always in control of his show, but the rest of his life might be a little messier. So what happens when magic and real life collide? Andrew Hinderaker is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an ensemble member at The Gift and a three-time Jeff Award nominee. His newest play, Colossal, was the recent recipient of multiple awards from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and received a Rolling World Premiere in the 2014/2015 season, starting at the Olney Theatre Center outside Washington, D.C. Hinderaker currently holds commissions from the Roundabout Theatre Company and Marc Platt Productions.
After
By Mickle Maher
Directed by Jimmy McDermott
July 12 at 7:30pm
The internet has been decimated, and humans have lost almost all communication skills. Into this dystopian future comes Carol, an ordinary woman made extraordinary by her ability to speak relatively clearly. Carol longs for the glory days of social media when everyone could post their innermost thoughts and feelings—but will she find human connection in the wreckage of the web, or just more emptiness? Mickle Maher is a cofounder of Theater Oobleck and the author of numerous plays, that have appeared off-Broadway and in theaters around the world, supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation Multi-Arts Production Fund and Creative Capital. He currently teaches playwriting and related subjects at the University of Chicago and Columbia College.
About Goodman Theatre
The Goodman’s 2013/2014 Season features nine productions on its two stages—six in the 856-seat Albert Theatre and three in the 400-seat flexible Owen Theatre, plus the annual New Stages Festival that includes additional workshop productions. On stage now is Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Brigadoon, directed by Rachel Rockwell (through August 10, in the Albert).
Goodman Theatre is world renowned for the quality and scope of its artistic programming and its commitment to improving life in the community. Artistic Director Robert Falls’ and Executive Director Roche Schulfer’s leadership has earned unparalleled artistic distinction and experienced unprecedented success, staging more than 80 world premieres, earning numerous awards for its productions—including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992) and the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined (2009)—and producing more than 25 new-work commissions. Founded in 1925 and housed in a state-of-the-art two-theater complex in the downtown Chicago Theatre District, the Goodman is Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for-profit producing theater, named “Best Regional Theatre†by Time magazine and “top dog of the Chicago theater scene†by Frommer’s. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre. Ruth Ann M. Gillis is Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sherry John is President of the Women’s Board and Lauren Blair is President of the Scenemakers Board, the Goodman’s young professionals auxiliary group.
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