Regina Taylor announces casting for the 10th Anniversary Production of Crowns

E. Faye Butler, Felicia Fields and newcomer Jasondra Johnson join the cast of the most produced musical in the country, running June 30 – August 5, 2012 at the Goodman

 

Chicago, IL – Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate Regina Taylor announced casting for her 10th Anniversary production of Crowns this week at the theater’s 5th annual breakfast celebrating diversity. Taylor re-imagines Crowns, one of the most produced

musical productions in the country, at the Goodman June 30 – August 5, 2012 with a company featuring some of Chicago’s foremost “leading ladies”—E. Faye Butler as Mabel, Felicia Fields as Mother Shaw and newcomer Jasondra Johnson as Velma. JP Morgan Chase & Co, Corporate Sponsor Partner for Crowns, hosted the annual breakfast where corporate, foundation, government and community leaders gathered to celebrate the Goodman’s ongoing commitment to quality, diversity and community. Group tickets and season subscriptions (including Crowns) are on sale now; individual tickets ($25 – $88) go on sale March 16. Call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org; to book a group, contact Kim Furganson at 312.443.3820 or KimFurganson@GoodmanTheatre.org. Target is the Major Corporate Sponsor and PwC is the other Corporate Sponsor Partner for Crowns. American Airlines is the official airline of Goodman Theatre. Actors, dates and ticket prices all subject to change.

“Crowns is a celebration of the individuality of the human spirit—and what we pass down from generation to generation,” said Playwright and Director Regina Taylor. “I am honored that the Goodman chose to revisit Crowns on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. This show give us the opportunity to bring various Chicago communities together and track our traditions— hat wearing, music, dance, spoken word, gospel and much more. I am eager to re-imagine this piece with new music and movement.”

When Brooklyn-born Yolanda relocates to the South after the death of her brother, she finds strength in the tales of the wise women who surround her—and the powerful rituals connected to their dazzling hats. Fusing the music of the South with rich storytelling and abundant “hattitude,” Crowns is a jubilant celebration of song, dance, cultural history—and glamorous headwear that the New York Times calls a “heart-stopping processional [that] pulses with rhythm.” More than one million people have experienced Taylor’s gospel-infused musical sensation in more than 40 major markets in North America.

Crowns earned enormous popular acclaim and critics hailed it as “delightfully celebratory” (The New York Times) and “church-chic” (Miami Herald). Among its numerous distinctions, Crowns earned five 2003 Audelco Awards and four 2004

Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Musical Production and Director.

Throughout the course of Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer’s 25-year leadership at Goodman Theatre, diversity has been a passion and a priority. One-third of Goodman productions have featured individuals of color—including 25 world premieres—as the theater a broad range of artists, productions and education and community engagement programs. In 2006, the Goodman became the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in the late August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, chronicling the 20th Century African American experience.

The Goodman’s numerous festivals—including the Latino Theatre Festival, which has premiered Cuba’s Teatro Buendía, Spain’s Marta Carrasco and other prominent local, national and international Latino theater companies—have transformed the Goodman into a hub of international artistic exchange. With A Christmas Carol, Chicago’s favorite holiday tradition for more than three decades, the Goodman pioneered color-blind casting in Chicago theater. A critical element of the artistic direction is the Goodman’s artistic collective, a group of resident artists under Falls’ leadership that is diverse in its aesthetics and points of view, including Actor Brian Dennehy, Playwright Rebecca Gilman, Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez, Resident Director

Chuck Smith, Associate Producer Steve Scott, Artistic Associate Regina Taylor and Resident Director Mary Zimmerman.

The Goodman’s 2012 Diversity events are an outgrowth of the theater’s ongoing commitment to reflecting the diversity of Chicago in all areas of the theater’s operations. Upcoming events in the 2011/2012 season include Diversity Night centered around David Mamet’s Race (January 15); Diversity Night featuring Cándido Tirado’s Fish Men (April 24) and Women’s Night celebrating Crowns (July 11). For more information, contact Victoria Rodriguez at 312.443.3811 ext. 539. Diversity Initiative Sponsor Leader is Charter One and Diversity Initiative Sponsor Partners are Allstate Insurance Company, Fifth Third Bank, Loop Capital Markets, LLC, Macy’s, Mesirow Financial and McDonald’s Corporation.

The 2011/2012 Season includes: New Stages Amplified including Ask Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley, directed by Joanie Schultz (now through November 20); the 34th annual production of A Christmas Carol (November 18 – December 31, 2011); Race by David Mamet, directed by Chuck Smith (January 14 – February 19, 2012); The Convert by Danai Gurira, directed by Emily Mann and co-produced with McCarter Theatre (NJ) and Center Theatre Group (CA) (February 25 – March 25, 2012); Camino Real by Tennessee Williams, directed by Calixto Bieito (March 3 – April 8, 2012); Fish Men by Cándido Tirado, directed by Edward Torres, in partnership with Teatro Vista (April 7 – May 6, 2012); The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill, directed by Robert Falls (April 21 – June 10, 2012); and Crowns, written and directed by Regina Taylor (June 30 – August 5, 2012).

Goodman Theatre, “the leading regional theater in the nation’s most important theater city” (Time), is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago, generating nearly $300 million in economic impact over the past decade in its state-of-the-art two-theater complex on North Dearborn Street. Founded in 1925 and currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls, “Chicago’s most essential director” (Chicago Tribune), and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for-profit resident theater has welcomed nearly two million patrons to productions and events—including 10 festivals celebrating playwrights such as David Mamet, August Wilson and Horton Foote, as well as the biennial Latino Theatre Festival—and served legions of students through its Education and Community Engagement programs (including the FREE Student Subscription Series and other interactive programs). The Goodman has earned more than 90 awards for hundreds of productions, including the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined by Lynn Nottage—one of 25 new-work Goodman commissions in the last decade. Ruth Ann M. Gillis is the Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees and Joan Clifford is President of the Women’s Board. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.

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