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January – March 2013 CONTENTS In the Albert 2 The Personal and the Political: A Conversation with Jon Robin Baitz and Henry Wishcamper on Other Desert Cities 6 Where the Truth Lies: Memoir and Memory 8 The Cast of Other Desert Cities In the Owen 9 A Conversation with Christopher Shinn 12 The Individual and the Collective: Social Movements on College Campuses At the Goodman 15 Coming This Spring: The 2013 Latino Theatre Festival! 16 Insider Access Series In the Wings 17 GeNarrations: Stories from the School of Life Scene at the Goodman 18 Season Opening Celebration Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men Opening 19 Cocktails and Conversation Celebrating Diversity: The Goodman’s Annual Breakfast for Community Leaders Off Stage 20 Goodman Theatre’s Annual Meeting—Kicking Off our WILD Season New Trustees For Subscribers 21 Calendar Volume 29 #2 Co-Editors | Lesley Gibson, Lori Kleinerman, Tanya Palmer Graphic Designer | Amanda Good Production Manager | Lesley Gibson Contributing Writers/Editors | Neena Arndt, Jeff Ciaramita, Lisa Feingold, Katie Frient, Lesley Gibson, Lori Kleinerman, Dorlisa Martin, Julie Massey, Tanya Palmer, Teresa Rende, Victoria Rodriguez, Denise Schneider, Steve Scott, Willa J. Taylor, Kate Welham. 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. Photo of Linda Kimbrough, Tracy Michelle Arnold, John Hoogenakker, Chelcie Ross and Deanna Dunagan by Brian Kulhmann. Cover: Image design and 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 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Written comments and inquiries should be sent to: The Editor, OnStage Goodman Theatre 170 North Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60601 or email us at: OnStage@GoodmanTheatre.org
IN THE ALBERT From the Artistic Director Photo by Brian Kuhlmann. Why Other Desert Cities? Few American plays of the last decade have received the critical or audience acclaim that greeted last season’s Broadway production of Other Desert Cities, the latest in a distinguished body of work by the playwright Jon Robin Baitz. At first glance, the story might seem to come from the latest issue of People magazine: the placid Christmas reunion of an affluent, notably conservative California family is rocked by the revelation of an about-to-be-published, tell-all memoir by the daughter of the family, a disclosure of secrets that threatens to fracture both the family’s public image and the unexpectedly fragile bonds that bind parents to children, brothers to sisters. But the wit, humanity and wisdom of the play’s creator makes Other Desert Cities a work that is all too rare in the contemporary theater: a highly intelligent, savagely funny and overwhelmingly compassionate portrait of a family struggling to reconcile the secrets of the past with the realities of the present. My own association with Jon Robin Baitz began in 2011, when I was asked to direct a production of his marvelous play Three Hotels at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Although I certainly knew of his previous work for both the stage and television, I had never had the opportunity to work with him or any of his plays, and during my work on Three Hotels I gained an incredible amount of affection and respect for both the writer and his work. Baitz is a writer who remains relatively unknown in Chicago, and when he suggested that the Goodman be among the first theaters in the country to produce Other Desert Cities after its extremely successful New York run, I jumped at the chance. At about the same time, Henry Wishcamper, the extraordinary young director who had had such success with previous Goodman productions of Horton Foote’s Talking Pictures and the outrageous musical farce Animal Crackers, approached me about possibilities for future productions here, and I found that his enthusiasm for Baitz’s work (and Other Desert Cities in particular) matched my own. I knew immediately that Henry would bring exactly the right mix of humor and drama to this production, and that he would put together a powerhouse cast to bring Baitz’s words and characters to life. Although Other Desert Cities deals with a very specific family caught in a very specific situation, its brilliance lies in part in its ability to connect with each of us, no matter what our family backgrounds or relationships might be. It is a rich, rewarding and powerful piece of theater—and one that I am very pleased to include in our 2012/2013 Season. Robert Falls Artistic Director 1
Page 1: January - March 2013 The Personal a
Page 5 and 6: not permit me to do: to write about
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Page 9 and 10: RIGHT: Dr. Elizabeth Loftus deliver
Page 11 and 12: IN THE OWEN A Conversation with Chr
Page 13 and 14: ABOVE: Michael Goldsmith and Grant
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Page 19 and 20: IN THE WINGS GeNarrations: Stories
Page 21 and 22: Cocktails and Conversation On Octob
Page 23 and 24: Center Stage Above: Cherie and Ken

OnStage - Goodman Theatre

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