Stage Kiss - Goodman Theatre

April – June 2011
A DECADE ON DEARBORN
Issue IV
A CONVERSATION
WITH SARAH RUHL
AND JESSICA THEBUS
ICONIC KISSES ON
THE SILVER SCREEN

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director | ROBERT FALLS
Goodman Theatre Executive Director | ROCHE SCHULFER
April – June 2011
CONTENTS
In the Albert
1 Why Stage Kiss?
2 Playing the Part: A Conversation with Sarah Ruhl and Jessica Thebus
6 Reel vs. Real: Iconic Kisses on the Silver Screen
9 Sarah Ruhl’s Comedic Cocktail
At the Goodman
11 Theater, Diversity and the Social Contract
14 The 2011/2012 Season
In the Wings
16 Local Seniors Find Their Inner Voice Through GeNarrations Writing Program
17 Meet the Playwrights Unit
Scene at the Goodman
18 Auction an Amazing Success
19 Opening Night: Mary
Opening Night: God of Carnage
Offstage
19 Stage Kiss Events
For Subscribers
21 Calendar
VOLUME 26 #4
Co-Editors­| Lesley Gibson, Lori Kleinerman,
Tanya Palmer
Graphic Designer | Tyler Engman
Production Manager | Lesley Gibson
Contributing Writers/Editors | Neena Arndt,
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Katie Frient, Lesley Gibson, Lori Kleinerman,
Caitlin Kunkel, Carly Leviton, Dorlisa Martin,
Julie Massey, Tanya Palmer, Scott Podraza,
Teresa Rende, Victoria Rodriguez, Denise
Schneider, Steve Scott, Willa J. Taylor, Kate
Welham Jennifer Whittemore.
OnStage is published in conjunction with
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and subscription information call
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Goodman productions are made possible
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and a CityArts grant from the City of
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IN THE ALBERT
FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Photo by Liz Lauren.
Why Stage Kiss?
To most people, the job description for an actor is pretty straightforward: bring a character to life convincingly enough
that the audience believes (at least for the duration of the performance) that the character is real. Spencer Tracy put
it even more simply, famously observing that the actor’s main task is to “remember your lines and don’t bump into
the furniture.” But as any actor can tell you, the task can be infinitely more challenging than that. It’s not merely pretending
to be someone else; a truly effective performance depends on the actor’s ability to become someone else, to
think and feel and respond as that imaginary person would, as if he or she were real. Ultimately, it’s a transformative
process that not even the best actors can truly describe—a process that utilizes a combination of emotional identification,
imagination, technique and analysis that results in a kind of induced delusion, a merging of the actor’s persona
with the character’s. Understandably, this can cause some confusion for even the most experienced thespian, when
the emotional reflexes of the actor become the same as those of the character he’s playing—and an intimacy that
begins onstage overtakes offstage lives as well.
This unique occupational hazard forms the basis for Sarah Ruhl’s latest play, Stage Kiss. It’s a dichotomy that she’s
explored before, notably in Passion Play (produced at the Goodman in 2007), in which the actors taking part in dramatic
renderings of the final days of Jesus Christ begin to assume the traits of the characters they play. Stage Kiss
takes this conceit even further: Two actors (known only as He and She), long estranged since the crumbling of a brief
but torrid affair that ended years ago, are cast opposite each other in a romantic melodrama. Inexorably, their behindthe-scenes
relationship morphs into something very much like what they’re creating in rehearsal—with the resultant
upheavals in their personal lives. With singular intelligence and wit, Sarah imbues this conflicted situation with terrific
humor, wisdom and honest humanity, exploring the often tenuous grasp that we all have on our own identities.
Stage Kiss is the latest in a series of provocative new works commissioned by the Goodman and is the result of a
developmental process that has spanned nearly two years. It reaffirms Sarah’s position as one of the singularly gifted
voices of the contemporary American theater—and will take you on a delightful and moving journey into the unpredictable
terrain of human relationships.
Robert Falls
Artistic Director
1

IN THE ALBERT
Playing the Part:
A Conversation with
Sarah Ruhl and Jessica Thebus
By Tanya Palmer
For playwright Sarah Ruhl, the theater
is not only the place where she makes
her living—it’s also the place where she
investigates life. Ruhl, whose mother
is an actor, has been immersed in
the theater from an early age, including
a stint in her teenage years at the
legendary Piven Theatre Workshop in
Evanston, where she first met director
Jessica Thebus. In her illustrious
career as a playwright (to date, her
professional résumé boasts a MacArthur
“Genius” Grant, two Pulitzer Prize nominations
and a Tony nomination) Ruhl
has often been drawn to the notion of
performance. Goodman audiences will
remember her ambitious three-part epic,
Passion Play: a cycle in three parts,
staged at the Goodman in 2007, in
which Ruhl explores what the impact
of portraying a Biblical figure might
do to an actor’s sense of self. Passion
Play depicts three separate passion
plays throughout history—one set in
Elizabethan England, one set in Nazi
Germany and a third set in Vietnam-era
South Dakota—and in each section the
characters struggle with their identification
with, and differences from, the
iconic characters they embodied (namely
Jesus, Pontius Pilate, Mary and Mary
Magdalene). The tension in Passion Play
between its characters’ dual identities—
their authentic selves and the fictional
characters they portray—became Ruhl’s
springboard for exploring issues of religion,
nationhood and identity.
In Stage Kiss, Ruhl returns to the subject
of the theater—and in particular
the tension between actor and role—but
in a wildly different package from the
often dark and thorny world of Passion
Play. This time she tackles the world of
contemporary professional theater with
a kind of lightness and frivolity (though
with a steely intelligence and precision),
introducing the audience to He and
She, two veteran actors with a complex
romantic past who are unexpectedly
reunited when they are cast as the lead
roles in a 1930s stage melodrama. As
their present day lives and memories
become more and more intertwined
with the fictional world they inhabit in
rehearsal (and subsequently in performance),
the theater becomes both the
literal backdrop for the play and the
window through which Ruhl is able to
explore the tension between what is real
RIGHT: Sarah Ruhl in rehearsal for Passion Play: a cycle in
three parts. Photo by Peter Wynn Thompson. OPPOSITE:
Brian Sgambati and Kristen Bush in Passion Play: a cycle in
three parts, produced in 2007. Photo by Liz Lauren.
2

“She’s really trying to get at this emotional
truth that I find to be very exciting…
and she does it through a highly
theatrical language, which is appealing
to any director.”
—Director Jessica Thebus on Playwright Sarah Ruhl
and what is imagined—assuming the
two can ever really be separated.
In a 2008 profile in The New Yorker by
critic John Lahr, Ruhl described her desire
as a playwright to capture “how people
subjectively experience life…. Everyone
has a great, horrible opera inside him.”
In Stage Kiss, He and She, whose past
love affair is given a new form and a new
language in the often hilarious but clunky
1930s play, find themselves struggling to
parse the difference between their interior
drama and the roles they’ve been hired
to perform. What results is a very human
exploration of love, nostalgia and commitment,
and how we perform not only roles
on the stage—but also the roles we take
on and shed throughout our everyday lives.
In a recent conversation with the
Goodman’s Director of New Play
Development, Tanya Palmer, Ruhl and
her longtime collaborator Jessica Thebus
talk about how this play emerged, what
connects it to Ruhl’s previous work and
what fuels their collaboration.
Tanya Palmer: What was the initial
inspiration for Stage Kiss?
And to what extent do these external
gestures reflect or change internal states?
I was interested in looking at that phenomenon.
And as I read more 1930s
Broadway chestnuts, I was interested in
the question of the language of intimacy
more broadly. That is, who is to say
what’s a more “real” way of talking about
love; our shaggy televised way of talking
about love in the year 2011, or the highflown
romantic language of the ’30s?
TP: The two of you have collaborated on
a number of plays through the years—
including the Goodman’s production of
The Clean House and Steppenwolf’s production
of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, among
many others. What elements draw you
together as collaborators so frequently?
SR: I love working with Jessica because
at this point we have a shared vocabulary.
Things I always love about Jessica
are her sense of playfulness, her visual
imagination and her gifts as a storyteller.
Jessica Thebus: I’m drawn to Sarah’s
work because it’s so truthful. It feels like
she is always exploring and digging at
the heart of a true experience—an experience
which is difficult to get to or put into
words. She’s really trying to get at this
emotional truth—about grief, about love,
about relationships, about acceptance—
that I find very exciting, and she does
it through a highly theatrical language,
which is appealing to any director. But to
me, that makes the struggles of the characters
in the play feel even more true,
because it conveys what it’s like to be in
your own head struggling with something.
The language is very theatrical—you
could even say magical—and that’s
always delightful to put on the stage. But
it goes with the emotional heart of the
play—she uses that theatrical language to
really capture what it’s like to have a certain
kind of fantasy, or obsession, or fear,
and so it feels very familiar in an unusual
and very, very exciting way.
TP: As a director, what do you most strongly
connect with in this particular play?
JT: I think the temptation to make your
fantasy real. We’re in a business where
everyone is always hugging each other
and where your bread and butter is fan-
Sarah Ruhl: Watching rehearsals for the
past 15 years or so, I got to thinking,
“What a weird job it must be to have to
kiss people in front of other people.” And
of course any kiss has some reality on
stage, as does drinking a glass of water
on stage or urinating on stage. But to
what extent is the kiss a performance?
SYNOPSIS
Actors and ex-lovers He and She are thrown together as the romantic leads in a
present-day revival of a long-forgotten 1930s melodrama; neither has seen the other
in the 20 years following their break-up. In that time She has married and had a
daughter; He is currently living with a girlfriend. Once rehearsals for the play begin,
they quickly lose touch with reality as the romantic story onstage begins to follow
them offstage. Stage Kiss explores what happens when these lovers share a stage
kiss—or a real one.
3

IN THE ALBERT
NORTHERN TRUST INVESTS IN STAGE KISS
Goodman Theatre is pleased to continue its
longstanding partnership with Northern Trust as the
Major Corporate Sponsor of Stage Kiss. Northern
Trust was thrilled to team up with the Goodman
this season to support this clever new comedy by
MacArthur “Genius” Grant winner Sarah Ruhl.
give back to the communities that have supported
Northern Trust’s success for generations. Goodman
Theatre enriches the lives of so many and we are
happy to lend support to this fine organization”
said Sherry Barrat, Vice Chairman, Northern Trust
and a Goodman trustee.
“Since our founding in 1889, Northern Trust has
advanced a culture of caring and a commitment to
invest in the communities we serve. We strive to
tasy, and you’re constantly digging it out
of your psyche and opening it up and
displaying it. And so there’s always this
thin line between what’s real and what’s
fantasy. Actors experience it all the time.
Directors less so I think, but we do occasionally.
You start to think, “Am I in love
with this person...or am I just kissing
them every night of an eight-week run?”
Whatever piece you’re working on deeply,
you start to be affected by it because
you’re using your emotional imagination
with such depth. I think that it’s really
funny to put that out on the plate.
TP: What particular challenges does this
play present to you as a director?
JT: I think Sarah’s work is always challenging.
It’s very funny; there’s a sort of
vaudeville or burlesque quality to it, but
at the same time it has to be extremely
truthful. So you need to play both of
these instruments at once, and you’ve
got to balance both in a way so that one
doesn’t drown out the other. I think that’s
true of her work in general, but it’s very
true of this play. The other challenge is
that because this play is about the theater,
you don’t want to spend too much
time on the in-joke. Since we’re people
in the theater making a play about the
theater, there are things that we would
find hilarious that wouldn’t communicate
to the audience. But, on the other hand,
people love plays about the theater and
stories about the theater because it’s
such a human thing to do—to get up and
perform for each other. And many, many,
many people do it in different ways, so
it’s not as unfamiliar to a general audience
as we sometimes think.
TP: Where do you think this particular
play fits into Sarah Ruhl’s body of work?
JT: Sarah’s plays are different in that they
each have their own world. This one is
very much about theater, and about the
imagination, and it explores the agreements
we make, the world we build with
our imagination, and how we reach out
to that imagination to comfort ourselves
when we need it. And it’s also about the
theater. I mean, it really is about what it
means to be in the theater, or any line
of work in which you’re creating another
self. I think that’s what kind of makes this
world particular to itself. The language
in the other plays might be theatrical,
but this one really brings it right into the
phenomenon of the theater. In terms of
what’s similar to her previous work, I feel
like it’s very funny in the way that Sarah’s
plays are funny, and it’s sexy in the way
her plays are sexy. It’s about love and lust
and the forbidden. So all of that is really
juicy and delightful, but I do think it’s
really getting at this heart of the question:
What is the truth of relationships? Where
do we find compassion and comfort? And
who are we really connected to and why?
And I feel like that is similar to the rest of
her work.
TP: Sarah, how do you see this play fitting
into your body of work?
SR: Well, starting with Passion Play,
which was my first play, I became interested
in this whole bug-bear of what it is
to represent so-called reality, and what it
is to be an actor. I think maybe because
I started as a poet, and then became a
playwright, the whole impetus of theater—of
one person pretending to be
another person—seemed rather naughty
4

to me, because you don’t have that same
dynamic in writing a poem. So I’m always
interested in that great lie, the lie of theater,
of pretending to be something you’re
not in front of other people who are
watching. I find that wonderfully rich and
strange. If reality itself is something of an
illusion (as some world religions argue)
then plays are definitely an illusion. So
I think a lot of my work is interested in
that sort of third zone of reality, of what’s
between the audience and the actor.
them, the kind of Broadway plays we’ve
forgotten, that have endless props listed
in the back of the script—white gloves,
tea sets, drawing rooms, European visitors,
that sort of thing. Some of those
works were written by playwrights whose
names are lost forever, or even two
people writing plays together who are all
but forgotten today.
TP: How does Stage Kiss capture the
essence of those forgotten plays?
TP: In the first act of Stage Kiss, the
main characters are performing in a
revived 1930s boulevard comedy that
you wrote specifically for this play. Were
there particular plays from that period
that you read that inspired you? What
did you draw from those plays to create
the play you imagine your characters
performing in?
SR: The plays I read for research were
intentionally forgettable. I only stole one
line: “Hiding in a library seems kind of
dry.” And I did notice that everyone in
that play seemed to be called Millicent.
And I re-read Noël Coward, whom I
love. But I was really more interested in
plays that had two or three writers on
JT: This play is a pleasure—it’s sexy, it’s
funny, it’s irreverent in terms of the theater
and a kind of glamorous world. It’s
silly in a way that is completely joyful,
and it is about our hearts and the dance
our hearts do when we’re drawn to
someone, or drawn away from someone.
And how funny and sad that is. And that
we end up in relationships, ideally—and
I’m going to go out on a limb and say
that it’s true—in a place where we do
find what works for us. Even though we
have wildly excited imaginations and
we’re tempted and things are confusing
at times in our lives; we end up reaching
out to the things we truly love.
“I’m always interested in that great lie,
the lie of theater, of pretending to be
something you’re not in front of other
people who are watching. I find that
wonderfully rich and strange.”
—Sarah Ruhl
OPPOSITE: Guenia Lemos and Mary Beth Fisher in
Goodman Theatre’s 2006 production of Sarah Ruhl’s
The Clean House. Photo by Liz Lauren. ABOVE: Director
Jessica Thebus and actors Patrick Clear and Christine
Estabrook in rehearsal for The Clean House. Photo by
Michael Brosilow.
MAYER BROWN SUPPORTS
NEW WORK
Goodman Theatre salutes Mayer Brown for
its generous support as a Corporate Sponsor
Partner of Stage Kiss. Mayer Brown, a returning
production sponsor, is a global law firm with
its largest office in Chicago. The firm is proud
to partner with the Goodman to bring this new
comedy by a recognized MacArthur “Genius”
Grant winner to Chicago audiences.
Libby Raymond, Mayer Brown partner and
Goodman trustee said, “I’m pleased to represent
my partners in supporting the Goodman. Mayer
Brown is committed to improving the quality of
life in all our communities by supporting arts and
culture, public interest legal groups and other
charitable organizations.”
The Goodman gratefully acknowledges Mayer Brown’s
commitment to excellence and community service.
5

IN THE ALBERT
Reel vs. Real: Iconic Kisses
on the Silver Screen
By Steve Scott
Whether it signifies the beginning of a
romance, the consummation of an illicit
affair or a death sentence pronounced by
a Mafia Don, the kiss is one of the most
common and most intimate human interactions
found in popular entertainment,
providing audiences with some of their
favorite memories—and sometimes, as
in Sarah Ruhl’s play Stage Kiss, leading
to unanticipated results off camera as
well. Here is a look back at some of the
most memorable stage and screen kisses
of the recent past.
Jersey studio. Although it lasted a scant
20 seconds, the sequence caused an
immediate sensation, with critics and
civic leaders expressing outrage. Critic
Herbert Stone wrote, “Neither participant
is physically attractive and the
spectacle of their prolonged pasturing
on each other’s lips was hard to beat
when only life size. Magnified to gargantuan
proportions…it is absolutely
disgusting!” Perhaps inevitably, The Kiss
became the Edison Company’s most
popular release of the year.
was condemned as morally objectionable
by some, audiences flocked to see
what would be Valentino’s last role;
he collapsed at the New York premiere
of the film and died several days later.
Despite a personal life at odds with his
screen persona (his two divorces led to
rumors of sexual ambiguity), Valentino’s
impassioned clinch with Bánky remains
one of the most potent images of lust
from the silent era.
THE CLASSIC KISS:
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
The pairing of screen icon Clark Gable
and little-known British actress Vivien
Leigh proved to be box office magic
in this epic Civil War romance, which
reigned for decades as Hollywood’s
most successful film. The most dis-
THE SCANDALOUS KISS:
THE KISS (1896)
The first kiss recorded on film originated
on the Broadway stage in a
musical comedy entitled The Widow
Jones. In the second act of the play,
the show’s stars, May Irwin and John
C. Rice, engaged in a lingering smooch
that caught the attention of Thomas
Edison’s company, which had recently
purchased the rights to a motion picture
projector known as the Vitaphone.
To showcase his new product, Edison
filmed Irwin and Rice’s kiss in his New
THE EXOTIC KISS:
THE SON OF THE SHEIK (1926)
As the first truly legendary lover of the
screen, Rudolph Valentino inflamed the
libidos of millions of female moviegoers
in such period melodramas as The
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and
The Sheik (both 1921). But his most
notorious love scene came in the sequel
The Son of the Sheik, in which the hotblooded
title character forced himself
upon the alluring kidnapped dancer
Yasmin (Vilma Bánky), exclaiming, “For
once, your kisses are free!” Although it
“A kiss is a lovely trick designed by
nature to stop speech when words
become superfluous.”
—Ingrid Bergman
6

cussed sequence takes place at the foot
of a giant staircase, where a frustrated
Rhett Butler suddenly and fiercely kisses
his vixenish bride, Scarlett O’Hara,
then whisks her up the stairs for a
presumably torrid reunion. Off screen,
there were few sparks between the two:
Leigh particularly hated her love scenes
with Gable, citing his continuing problem
with bad breath caused by a set of
ill-made dentures.
THE PLAYFUL KISS:
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)
In stark contrast, the seemingly unlikely
pairing of 19-year-old Lauren Bacall and
44-year-old Humphrey Bogart created
sparks both on- and offscreen. To Have
and Have Not told the story of a nightclub
singer named Slim (Bacall) and a heavydrinking
charter boat captain (Bogart),
and their first scene together became one
of film’s most erotic seduction sequences
ending with one of Bacall’s most famous
lines: “You know how to whistle, don’t
you, Steve? Just put your lips together—
and blow.” This exchange started a reallife
romance and marriage that lasted until
Bogart’s death in 1957.
THE NEVER-ENDING KISS:
NOTORIOUS (1946)
Although they were never a couple offscreen,
Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman
shared a lengthy, lingering smooch in
this Hitchcock classic that set the standard
for sophisticated lovemaking—and
still holds the record as the longest kiss
ever recorded on film (and one of the
most geographically complex—the lovers
began their tryst on a hotel balcony,
OPPOSITE: A movie poster for the 1926 film Son of the
Sheik, starring Rudolph Valentino in his last role.
“She had a very big mouth. When I was
kissing her, I was aware of a faint echo.”
—Hugh Grant, on kissing Julia Roberts
then moved to a telephone, and ended
at the front door of the hotel room).
Although industry censors forbade
kisses of more than three seconds in
duration, Hitchcock cleverly designed a
sequence in which the actors kissed for
the allowed length of time, then nuzzled
and whispered for a few seconds, then
returned to their lip lock. Total elapsed
time: nearly three minutes.
THE BEAUTIFUL KISS:
A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
For sheer physical beauty, few screen
kisses can match the wide-screen, intimate
close-ups of Elizabeth Taylor and
Montgomery Clift in their initial embrace
MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS FOUNDATION
CONNECTS AUDIENCES TO STAGE KISS
Goodman Theatre is delighted to recognize
Motorola Solutions Foundation as a Corporate Sponsor
Partner for Stage Kiss. Reflecting the company’s
vision to help people be their best in the moments
that matter, the foundation is pleased to partner
with the Goodman to bring this original work from
Chicago’s own Sarah Ruhl to the stage.
“The Motorola Solutions Foundation is thrilled
to support Goodman Theatre in its effort to promote
original works of art, such as Stage Kiss,”
as the doomed lovers Angela Vickers
and George Eastman, which climaxed
with Taylor’s immortal words, “Tell
Mama. Tell Mama all.” Now recognized
as one of Hollywood’s most incisive dissections
of the American dream, the film
(and the kiss) were career-changers for
both actors—the relative newcomer Clift
was established as the most sensitive
leading man of his era, and Taylor, wellknown
for her child and teenage roles,
became (at age 18) the epitome of
adult allure. Although never romantically
involved, the two were close friends
in private life, a relationship that gave
unexpected depth and feeling to their
onscreen passion.
said Matt Blakely, Director, Motorola Solutions
Foundation. “At Motorola Solutions, we promote
innovative thinking, encouraging creative development
among all individuals.”
The Goodman gratefully acknowledges Motorola
Solutions for its continued generous support
this season.
7

IN THE ALBERT
RIGHT: Marilyn Monroe
in the celebrated comedy
Some Like it Hot.
THE ICONIC KISS:
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
The adulterous affair between an army
sergeant and a captain’s wife culminated
in perhaps the best-known screen
kiss of all time: Burt Lancaster and
Deborah Kerr locked in a fervent seaside
embrace with the ocean’s waves
washing over them. Although torturous
to film, the scene was one of the
most erotically charged couplings yet
seen in an American film, and helped
make the movie one of the blockbusters
of its time. It also may have led to
an offscreen romance between the two
stars: although Kerr denied the rumors,
Lancaster eventually confirmed the affair.
THE COMIC KISS:
SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
Billy Wilder’s Prohibition-era farce—one of
film’s most celebrated comedies—featured
Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis (both donning
outlandish drag as two-bit musicians
fleeing a Mob hit) and the reigning sex
goddess of the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe. In
a movie dripping with innuendo, the most
erotically charged sequence came when
Monroe seduced Curtis (now disguised
as a rich oilman) in order to “cure” his
self-confessed impotence. Although tame
by today’s standards, the scene inflamed
moviegoers of the time, and helped make
the movie one of the most successful
screen comedies of all time. Alas, the
onscreen chemistry between the two stars
evaporated once the cameras stopped
rolling: Curtis, impatient with Monroe’s
habitual lateness and neurotic behavior,
famously told one reporter, “Kissing her is
like kissing Hitler.”
THE INTERSPECIES KISS:
PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
The screen has also seen a host of memorable
unconventional kisses: the tender
smooching of the two canine leads in
Lady and the Tramp, or the Sicilian “kiss
of death” between brothers Michael and
Fredo Corleone in The Godfather: Part
II. But perhaps the strangest coupling
came in the sci-fi hit Planet of the Apes,
when the displaced human astronaut
played by Charlton Heston bade farewell
to a comely scientist-ape, played by Kim
Hunter. Amid crashing waves (reminiscent
of From Here to Eternity), the two
engaged in a chastely romantic moment,
sparked by Heston’s line, “Doctor, I’d like
to kiss you goodbye.” Replied Hunter,
“All right—but you’re so damned ugly!”
THE SILHOUETTED KISS:
BUGSY (1991)
Lothario Warren Beatty is no stranger to
offscreen romance spawned by onscreen
liaisons, as evidenced by his torrid affairs
with such leading ladies as Natalie Wood
and Leslie Caron. But a more permanent
relationship began when Beatty was
“It was brief, swift, and then it
was done. It was a professional
job. I needed to be kissed, and
I was kissed.”
—Uma Thurman
paired with Annette Bening in the 1991
film based on the life of mobster Bugsy
Siegel. Among the first scenes filmed by
the pair was a lingering kiss in a shadow
against a movie screen. The screen lovers
soon became an offscreen couple;
today, they enjoy one of Hollywood’s
most enduring marriages.
THE REUNION KISS:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005)
Although the past decade has seen a host
of memorable cinematic pairings, perhaps
none was as fervent as the tortured
relationship between cowboys Ennis Del
Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake
Gyllenhaal) in Brokeback Mountain. After
an initial tryst in a secluded tent, the two
go their separate ways for four years;
when they finally come back together they
share a kiss of almost unbearable passion
and hunger. Although same-sex kisses
were far from unusual in mainstream
films, the romantic and erotic frankness of
this sequence was unprecedented; it was
voted “the best screen kiss of all time”
by the European website LOVEFiLM.com,
and immediately entered the pantheon of
legendary screen romances.
HAVE YOUR OWN FAVORITE
SILVER SCREEN SMOOCH?
Head to the Goodman’s blog
(Goodman-Theatre.Blogspot.com)
and tell us about your favorite
Hollywood kiss!
8

Sarah Ruhl’s
Comedic Cocktail
By Neena Arndt
BOTTOM: Alfred Lunt, Noël Coward and Lynn Fontanne
in Design for Living (1933). Photo courtesy of the Ten
Chimneys Foundation.
A butler named Jenkins. Songs, dances
and old lovers. Bubbly champagne and
bubbly repartee. It’s the stuff of 1930s
plays by writers like Noël Coward, George
S. Kaufman, Moss Hart and Edna Ferber.
It’s the stuff that cheered a nation in the
wake of the stock market crash of 1929,
keeping audiences entertained even as
their bank accounts dwindled. And it’s
stuff that often feels hopelessly dated
now, in an era when many theaters aim
to produce works with weightier themes.
The characters, plot lines and dialogue
can feel clunky and hackneyed in 2011,
and while 1930s audiences were laughing
with 1930s plays, 2011 audiences
might laugh at them. Like all decades,
the 1930s produced some memorable
hits that represented the best of their
genre—You Can’t Take It with You, The
Man Who Came to Dinner, Private Lives
and Design for Living, to name a few—
but also produced thousands of forgotten
flops by playwrights who lacked the verbal
agility of Coward, Kaufman and other
successful writers.
Enter Sarah Ruhl. In her new play Stage
Kiss, Ruhl creates a world in which two
present-day actors are cast in a (fictitious)
play called The Last Kiss that flopped on
Broadway back in 1932. The actors are
ex-lovers, but haven’t seen each other
in years; in a coincidence worthy of a
1930s comedy, the characters they are
playing are also reunited lovers. Realities
merge and soon the lines between actors
and characters are blurred; along the way
Ruhl provides delightful glimpses of The
Last Kiss, which she penned after reading
a selection of plays from the era. (The
Last Kiss does not exist in its entirety—
Ruhl only wrote the select scenes that
appear within Stage Kiss.) While the dialogue
she creates may be slightly exaggerated,
it is also hilariously accurate; with
her characteristic wit and and sly humor,
Ruhl creates a skillful parody of the kinds
of plays that triumphed or—more often—
bombed on 1930s stages.
Depression-era comedies trace their
roots at least as far back as the nineteenth
century, when song and dance
routines and smart-aleck dialogue ruled
the vaudeville stage. Those vaudevillian
elements, in slightly altered form, also
appeared in melodramas, which used
music and stylized movement to portray
intense emotions. In vaudeville and
melodrama, there was little attempt at
realistic dialogue; rather, the language
was heightened and ostensibly witty. As
the nineteenth century came to a close,
writers like Gerhart Hauptmann and
Henrik Ibsen began working towards a
new, more realistic aesthetic that would
come to define much of twentieth-century
theater, but the first half of the century
still carried traces of the old genres.
As any viewer of 1920s and ’30s films
can attest, the accepted acting style at
the time was more heightened and melodramatic
than today, and filmmakers
and playmakers alike still considered it
acceptable to throw in a musical interlude
that did little or nothing to advance
the plot; they valued entertainment over
storytelling. Goodman audiences will be
familiar with such interludes from the
2009 production of Animal Crackers,
the 1928 Marx Brothers Broadway hit.
Although Animal Crackers, like many
Broadway shows of its time, is a musical,
there also exists a poorly defined
genre called “plays with music”—that
is, plays with only a few musical numbers,
or plays with songs that were not
originally composed for the theater. The
Last Kiss, Ruhl’s play-within-a-play,
falls within this genre. A prime real-life
example of a play with music is Lynn
Riggs’ 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs,
now best known as the play on which
the musical Oklahoma! is based. Green
Grow the Lilacs features traditional folk
songs that enhance the atmosphere of
the piece, setting it firmly in the western
territory that would later become
Oklahoma. They do not, however, move
the plot forward or provide insight into
the characters. Famously, Rodgers and
Hammerstein adapted Riggs’ play into
a musical that synthesized storytelling,
song and dance into one cohesive
whole—but that wasn’t until 1943. In
the 1920s and ’30s, audiences were still
accustomed to plays in which characters
could inexplicably burst into song, and
Sarah Ruhl takes full advantage of this,
9

IN THE ALBERT
LEFT: Franchot Tone as Curly McClain & Helen Westley
as Aunt Eller Murphy in Green Grow the Lilacs (1931).
Photo courtesy of Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New
York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox
and Tilden Foundations.
giving the characters in the play-withina-play
song and dance numbers that
seem, to our modern sensibilities, to
come out of nowhere. Ruhl’s songs also
feature lyrics that echo the lyrics of popular
songs of the 1920s and ’30s. They
tend to be poetic but simple, and to deal
lightly with themes such as attraction
and love. Audiences who saw Animal
Crackers may recall lyrics such as:
In between the songs, the characters in
The Last Kiss are reminiscent of the characters
we might meet in a Noël Coward
play: well-coiffed, cocktail-consuming
members of the upper class. They have a
butler, a maid and a solarium. Although
they are not British, they refer to each
other using phrases like “old cad” and
“old man.” One character suffers from a
catastrophic illness, but Ms. Ruhl handles
the situation with such glib frivolity that
the illness adds to the humor rather than
casting a pall over the play-within-theplay.
Like Coward’s work, which often
deals with grave topics such as the dissolution
of marriages, The Last Kiss never
takes serious issues seriously: for careworn
audiences of the 1930s or 2011, that can
prove a welcome respite from reality.
After The Last Kiss closes, the two actors
find themselves cast in another play—a
“gritty, downtown New York kind of a
thing” called I Loved You Before I Killed
You, or, Blurry. This play thrusts them
into a wildly different theatrical aesthetic.
Its characters would be more at home in
a play by Edward Bond, Mark Ravenhill
or Sam Shepard than in a 1930s comedy:
they are down-and-out, disenfranchised
and working as whores and pimps.
But I Loved You Before I Killed You never
reaches the level of grittiness it aspires to,
as the dialogue is overwrought and clichéd.
It serves as another opportunity for
Ruhl to showcase her considerable skills
as a satirist—with hilarious effects.
In the theater, as in other aspects of
life, styles come and go. What seems
standard one decade may look ridiculous
the next, and in only a few decades the
conventions of an art form can transform
beyond recognition. And for every writer
whose name goes down in history, and
whose plays are produced long after their
lifetimes, countless writers fade into anonymity
soon after opening night. Many
1930s plays are not only never produced,
but their manuscripts have been lost,
rendering them inaccessible to the present
generation. But Stage Kiss opens up
the world of a long-ago era, allowing us
to revisit styles whose heyday may have
passed—but are still recognizable and
valuable, if only in comedic form.
Three little words—
Oh what I’d give for that wonderful
phrase.
To hear those three little words
That’s all I’d live for the rest of my days
And what I feel in my heart they tell
sincerely;
No other words can tell it half so clearly.
Three little words, eight little letters
That simply mean “I love you.”
Sarah Ruhl parodies this kind of love
song with lyrics like these:
Love me just shy of forever
Or love me till six o’clock.
Love me whatever the weather
Love me in afghan or sweater
Whether it’s May or December
Oh love me just shy of forever
Darling,
Love me past six o’clock.
GOODMAN SPONSORS EMBRACE STAGE KISS
The Goodman offers special thanks to the following
individuals for sponsoring the world premiere of
Sarah Ruhl’s romantic comedy Stage Kiss.
The Edith-Marie Appleton Foundation
Patricia Cox
Shawn M. Donnelley and Christopher M. Kelly
Andrew “Flip” Filipowski and Melissa Oliver
Sondra and Denis Healy/Turtle Wax, Inc.
Alice Rapoport and Michael Sachs, Sg2
Merle Reskin
Richard and Sheryl Weisberg
10th Anniversary Season Sponsors
Julie M. Danis and Paul F. Donahue
Leon and Joy Dreimann
Sara F. Szold
Women Playwrights Season Sponsors
Commitments as of March 22, 2011
Roger and Julie Baskes
Joe and Palma Calabrese
Joan and Robert Clifford
James and Kathleen Cowie
Brett J. Hart and Dontrey Britt-Hart
Andrew and Cindy Kalnow
Eva and Michael Losacco
M. Ann O’Brien
Neil Ross and Lynn Hauser
Alice and John J. Sabl
Shaw Family Supporting Organization
Beth and Alan Singer
Orli and Bill Staley
Randy and Lisa White
New Works Season Sponsors
Bill and Linda Aylesworth
Doris and Howard Conant
Denise and John Ginascol
Linda and Peter Krivkovich
Orli and Bill Staley
Stage Kiss Director’s Society Sponsors
10

Theater, Diversity and
the Social Contract
By Jonathan Abarbanel
PART FOUR OF FIVE CELEBRATING A DECADE ON DEARBORN
It should come as no surprise to Chicago
audiences that the Goodman is committed
to diversity in both principle and
practice. You need only look at who they
are—from the Board of Trustees, to the
staff, to the artists who bring the work to
the stage. Though “diversity” has become
a very popular buzzword today, a mere
declaration of diversity may represent very
little—so spend a few minutes to consider
what it means in a theatrical context, and
particularly in action at the Goodman.
Diversity is a manifestation of the familiar
phrase “art mirrors life,” which means
that theater has an obligation to reflect
the society in which it exists, not merely
in form but also in content. Some academics
call this “the social contract,”
holding theater accountable for creating
dialogue about matters spiritual, ethical,
moral and/or political. As a leadership
cultural institution in a multi-ethnic
metropolis, the Goodman has the desire
and duty to uphold the social contract,
by telling the stories and exploring the
themes of the many communities represented
by the varied and diverse ticketbuying
public they perform for.
Truth be told, 50 years ago American
theater didn’t speak of the diversity of
the American people. An awakening in
the arts coincided with the civil rights
movement and with the growth of nonprofit
regional theaters from the 1960s
onwards. Goodman Theatre was created
in 1925, but the re-establishment of a
Goodman professional company dates
only from 1967, so it was perfectly in
sync with American professional theater
as it marched through “multi-culturalism”
and “color-blind casting” on its way to the
more profound diversity embraced today.
The Goodman’s commitment to multiculturalism
was born under the artistic
leadership of Gregory Mosher and has
grown broader and deeper under the
direction of Robert Falls, artistic director
since 1986 (both Mosher and Falls have
had Executive Director Roche Schulfer as
their “business” partner). Mosher introduced
Goodman audiences to the works
of Richard Wright and Wole Soyinka
(among other artists of color) and oversaw
a 1979 production of Arthur Miller’s
stage adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s An
Enemy of the People with an all African
American cast. His legacy of diversity
continued with the implementation of
color-blind casting for the Goodman’s
annual production of A Christmas Carol,
a tradition still maintained after nearly 35
years. There weren’t any black or Latino or
Asian citizens of early nineteenth-century
London, but the Goodman chooses to
ignore that fact in telling a universal story
But it goes deeper than putting on a
show. The Goodman also approaches
diversity through the vertical structure of
its administration and staff, its outreach
programs (see the last issue of OnStage)
and its creative commitments. In these,
too, the Goodman strives to keep the
social contract alive and well.
RIGHT: John Judd, Michael Perez and Lisa Tejero in the
2010 production of A Christmas Carol. Photo by Liz Lauren.
11

AT THE GOODMAN
Asian, Native American). Among the
theater’s Board of Trustees, 17 percent
represent minorities, and of the 106 fulltime
employees, 15 percent represent
Chicago-area minority communities.
These statistics suggest the Goodman is
doing something right, keeping in mind
that their approach to diversity has two
prongs: the artistic and the administrative.
You can’t really be successful in one
unless you are successful in the other.
Crisply put, if a large urban theater
company expects to engage and hold a
diverse audience—and it must if it expects
to have a future—it must be pertinent to
that audience not only in talking the
talk but also in walking the walk, both
onstage and backstage.
A leadership theater needs to address
racism, ageism, sexism, gender identification,
spirituality, opportunity and
much more, and it needs to do so in
its corporate structure as well as its
public product.
of redemption and the human spirit. The
terminology has evolved, too: color-blind
casting has yielded to “non-traditional
casting” which implies a variety of
options beyond skin color. A female
Scrooge? It hasn’t happened yet but it
could, and the Goodman wants audiences
to appreciate the possibilities.
Of course, diversity today is measured by
far more than race alone. A leadership
theater needs to address racism, ageism,
sexism, gender identification, spirituality,
opportunity and much more, and it
needs to do so in its corporate structure
as well as its public product. Under Falls’
direction the Goodman has achieved truly
structural diversity, which is apparent
from the make-up of the Artistic Collective
with which Falls creates artistic policy.
The seven Collective members include
men and women of various races, religions,
ethnic heritages, ages and sexual
orientations. Ditto the Goodman staff
from department heads to those in the
box office, the concession stands and at
the security desk.
The Goodman can throw figures at you
to toot its horn. For example, the Goodman
will employ 165 artists during the 2010 –
2011 Season (actors, designers, directors,
musicians and so on) of whom 31 percent
will be persons of color (black, Latino,
The Goodman’s longstanding relationship
with the late August Wilson is a good
example of the theater’s commitment to
walking the walk. Artistic Director Robert
Falls first brought Wilson’s work to the
Goodman in 1986 with a production of
Fences, and fostered a 20-year relationship
with the venerated playwright that
resulted in the Goodman staging all 10
plays in Wilson’s Century Cycle—an
impressive artistic achievement never
before accomplished. A more recent
example of the theater’s commitment to
representing the contemporary experience
of minorities onstage exists in the
world premiere of Thomas Bradshaw’s
Mary, which appeared in the Owen
Theatre in February. The Goodman commissioned
the play from Bradshaw and
anticipated the controversy and commotion
it raised in addressing racism, sexism,
do-goodism and LGBT acceptance.
That’s the social contract at its best: a
work that stimulates discussion from
many perspectives, rather than playing
to an audience’s comfort zone.
The Goodman also maintains a long
tradition of showcasing smaller off-Loop
theater companies, a history that began
back in the 135-seat studio theater of
the old Goodman where the then-young
12

DIVERSITY IN ACTION
SILK ROAD THEATRE PROJECT
Lookingglass and Remains companies were seen. In the wonderful
new Goodman complex, partnerships have been forged with
Albany Park Theatre Project, Congo Square Theatre Company,
Teatro Vista, Silk Road Theatre Project and other outstanding off-
Loop companies devoted to the stories and themes of particular
racial or ethnic communities.
Another obvious example of diversity is the biennial Latino Theatre
Festival, curated by Artistic Collective member Henry Godinez,
which has brought to the Goodman not only numerous Chicagobased
artists but also outstanding Latino theater companies from
throughout the Americas. Last summer’s Latino Theatre Festival
presented a staged reading of a new play by Chicago author Tanya
Saracho. Now Teatro Vista’s production of Saracho’s El Nogalar
is being presented in association with the Goodman in a worldpremiere
production in the Owen Theatre (March 26 – April 24).
As for the administrative prong of the Goodman’s commitment
to diversity, much of it was detailed in the third article (this
is the fourth) in this series celebrating the 10th anniversary
of the new Goodman Theatre Center on Dearborn Street. That
article addressed education and community development, and
highlighted such initiatives as the Student Subscription Series,
the Cindy Bandle Young Critics program (for 11th grade girls),
the General Theatre Studies program, the CONTEXT Series and
GeNarrations, a new program designed to help seniors shape
and perform their life’s stories. Broadly speaking, all of these
programs embrace diversity as a means of developing not only
the next generation of audiences, but also the next generation of
artists, managers and even critics.
With the continued commitment of its Board of Trustees, its staff
and its audiences, the Goodman intends to make itself a model
of diversity not just for Chicago, but for theater in America.
OPPOSITE: Ivanesa Cabrera in Teatro
Buendía’s La Visita de la Vieja Dama.
Photo by Liz Lauren. LEFT: James Earl
Jones in Goodman Theatre’s 1986
production of August Wilson’s Fences.
Photo by William B. Carter.
The Goodman Theatre first partnered
with Silk Road Theatre
Project in 2008 and then again in
2010. Such affiliations often extend
beyond presenting a single show in
the Owen. This June, for example,
both the Goodman and Silk Road
will cross-promote their simultaneous productions of works by
Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang. The Goodman
offers the world premiere of Chinglish (June 18 – July 24)
while Silk Road presents the Chicago premiere of Yellowface
(June 14 – July 17). Further, the Silk Road show will be directed
by Goodman Artistic Collective member Steve Scott, who
has directed several previous Silk Road productions.
BELARUS FREE THEATRE
In January and February the
Goodman was one of several
Chicago theater organizations to
host a month-long visit by Belarus
Free Theatre—political refugees
from the oppressive regime in their
native land. The troupe performed
its award-winning piece, Being Harold Pinter, which has been
staged previously in London and New York among other cities.
The Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) does not directly represent
a Chicago community; still, Goodman’s decision to support
the company’s visit is another example of keeping the social
contract alive and well by engaging Chicago audiences in a
political debate at the very moment that unexpected freedom
movements were exploding around the globe (“even in
Wisconsin” as Robert Falls joked in speaking about the BFT).
Photo of Yana Rusakevich in Being Harold Pinter by Liz Lauren.
CONGO SQUARE THEATRE COMPANY
Congo Square Theatre Company
first mounted a Christmas show in
the Owen Theatre in 2004—the
poet Langston Hughes’ Black
Nativity, offering an African
American gospel holiday production
at the same time as A
Christmas Carol played in the Albert. Congo Square has
returned with different versions of their concept each year
(but one) since 2004, this year calling the show simply The
Nativity. The Goodman is particularly pleased to have been
able to partner with Congo Square again this past December
as Congo Square emerged from nearly a year of major reorganization
and inactivity, providing marketing and box office
support along with the Owen Theatre, helping them remain
part of the fabric of Chicago’s theater life.
13

RE
THE 2011/12 SEASON IS
Creating much excitement, demand or discussion; character
IN THE ALBERT
14
“RED HOT” is the very definition of the Goodman’s 2011/12 Season.
Featuring two brilliant Broadway hits (Red and Race); Tennessee
Williams’ fiery Camino Real; Regina Taylor’s incandescent musical,
Crowns; Danai Gurira’s ardent world premiere, The Convert—
and more! It’s a sizzling combination of hits, classics and new
works, from artists that set the theater world on fire.
RENEW TODAY AT
GoodmanTheatre.org/Subscribe
or 312.443.3810
DON’T DELAY! YOUR RENEWAL DEADLINE
IS SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2011
Owen Season Sponsor
Principal Support of Artistic Development
and Diversity Initiatives
HAROLD AND MIMI STEINBERG
CHARITABLE TRUST
Support of New Work Development
Exclusive Airline of
Goodman Theatre
ROBERT FALLS
RED
BY JOHN LOGAN
DIRECTED BY ROBERT FALLS
Starts September 17, 2011
Full-blooded and visceral, the Tony
Award-winning Red takes you into the
mind of abstract expressionist Mark
Rothko, for whom paintings are “pulsating”
life forces and art is intended
to stop the heart. Red chronicles the
tormented painter’s two-year struggle
to complete a lucrative set of murals
for Manhattan’s exclusive Four Seasons
restaurant, and his fraught relationship
with a seemingly naïve young assistant
who must choose between appeasing
his mentor—and changing the course
of art history. Set amid the swiftly
changing cultural tide of the early
1960s, Red is a startling snapshot of a
brilliant artist at the height of his fame,
a play hailed as “intense and exciting”
by The New York Times.
Official Lighting Sponsor

D HOT (adj. red-hot):
ized by intense enthusiasm or passion; very fresh or new.
IN THE OWEN
DAVID MAMET
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
REGINA TAYLOR
DANAI GURIRA
RACE
BY DAVID MAMET
DIRECTED BY CHUCK SMITH
Starts January 14, 2012
This latest work by Pulitzer Prize winner
David Mamet ruthlessly examines guilt
and oppression, via a compelling crime
mystery. Two high-profile lawyers—one
black, one white—are called to defend
a wealthy white client charged with the
rape of an African American woman,
but soon find themselves embroiled in
a complex case where blatant prejudice
is as disturbing as the evidence at
hand. With characteristic bluntness,
Mamet leaves nothing unsaid in this
no-holds-barred suspense story which
the Chicago Tribune declared “intellectually
salacious.”
CAMINO REAL
BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
DIRECTED BY CALIXTO BIEITO
Starts March 10, 2012
Tennessee Williams’ hauntingly poetic
allegory takes us to the mysterious
Camino Real, a surreal netherworld
populated by a colorful collection of
lost souls anxious to escape but terrified
of the unknown wasteland lurking
beyond the city’s walls. When Kilroy,
an American traveler and former boxer
inadvertently lands in Camino Real, he
sets off on a phantasmagoric venture
through illusion and temptation in an
attempt to flee its confines—and defy
his grim destiny. Called “one of Williams’
most imaginative plays” by The New
York Times, Camino Real is a sensual
carnival of desire and desperation.
PLUS ONE MORE ALBERT AND TWO MORE
OWEN THEATRE PLAYS STILL TO COME!
CROWNS
ADAPTED AND DIRECTED
BY REGINA TAYLOR
Starts June 16, 2012
Regina Taylor’s gospel musical sensation
returns to the Goodman, promising
audiences a rollicking good time. 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.
Corporate Sponsor Partner
THE CONVERT
BY DANAI GURIRA
DIRECTED BY EMILY MANN
Starts February 25, 2012
Set amid the colonial scramble for
southern Africa in 1895, The Convert
tells the tale of Jekesai, a young
girl who escapes a forced marriage
arrangement with the help of a stalwart
black African catechist, Chilford
Ndlovu. Caught between her loyalties
to her family and culture but indebted
to this new Christian god, she becomes
Chilford’s protégé; but when an anticolonial
uprising erupts she is forced
to decide which side of the conflict
she will choose—and where her heart
truly belongs. The Convert explores
the untold cultural and religious collisions
caused by the British colonists
in this section of southern Africa (now
Zimbabwe) with wit and compassion,
and the reverberating effects still felt in
the region today.
15

IN THE WINGS
NINA CHIN
Local Seniors Find Their Inner Voice
Through GeNarrations Writing Program
In September of 1941, my family was returning to Shanghai
from a year’s sabbatical in Sydney, Australia. The air was thick
with the threat of war, but Bebe and I were oblivious to the
seriousness of the situation. We busied ourselves with the fun
and excitement of travel as we met new playmates while playing
onboard the ship.
As we left Sydney Harbour, the ship docked next to ours was
painted battleship gray. She was a gigantic ship that towered
over ours and dwarfed it. At her bow, the words “Queen Mary”
filtered faintly through the gray. Even she, England’s proudest
and largest passenger liner, was dressed for war and waiting in
Sydney Harbour to carry Australian soldiers off to England to
help in her fight against Germany. Our ship, the Nellore, sailed
to Shanghai under strict “black-out” enforcement. Our porthole
windows were painted black. How exciting to be sailing the
Pacific at night in total darkness! Our imaginations ran wild as
we conjured up visions of pirates, intrigue and suspense! We
wondered why the adults seemed so serious and concerned.
So begins “The Baptism,” written by Nina Chin—a story of
life in Shanghai under the World War II-era Japanese occupation.
It is just one of more than 75 memoirs developed as part
of the Goodman’s newest educational program, GeNarrations.
GeNarrations, a storytelling and writing program for adults 55 and
older, enables seniors to draft and tell the stories of their lives.
Workshops, which were developed in partnership with the City
of Chicago’s Senior Services Area Agency on Aging, are held
in senior centers across Chicago and Evanston. Teachers use
techniques and curricula developed in the Goodman’s General
Theater Studies (GTS) program, which helps young people
explore the power of their own stories.
Each six-week workshop series takes its theme from a mainstage
production at the Goodman. In the inaugural session,
writers were inspired by our production of Hughie/Krapp’s Last
Tape. Our second series took its theme from Candide. Both
series culminated with storytelling performances at Renaissance
Court in the Chicago Cultural Center.
The next round of workshops, which begins in April, is
inspired by the world premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Stage Kiss
and will examine the joys and pangs of first love, a theme the
seniors will share with students in the Goodman’s General
Theater Studies program over the summer. Students in GTS,
who are accustomed to oral history narrative and devising theatrical
scenes, will be paired with senior writers to teach the
adults how to dramatize their stories for the stage. The scenes
they create will be incorporated into the final production GTS
devises in July.
Adults interested in participating in GeNarrations can check
the Goodman website under the Education tab (Education.
GoodmanTheatre.org) for workshop locations.
JPMORGAN CHASE BECOMES PRINCIPAL
SUPPORTER OF SIGNATURE EDUCATION
PROGRAM
Goodman Theatre is thrilled to recognize JPMorgan Chase as the Principal
Corporate Sponsor of its Student Subscription Series.
JPMorgan Chase—committed to being a catalyst for economic and cultural
development in the communities it serves—is teaming up with the Goodman
to support professional development for educators that enhances learning
opportunities in the classroom and gives Chicago Public School students a
rich theatergoing experience. In addition to strengthening the critical thinking
and communication skills that are important tools for lifelong learning, the
program fosters creativity, promotes self expression and celebrates diversity.
“JPMorgan Chase is committed to building vibrant communities, focusing on
community development, education and the arts. We are honored to have
been a partner with the Goodman for many years. This year, we proudly
support the 2010/2011 Student Subscription Series, as well as the 10th
Anniversary Season,” said Amy Fahey, President, Midwest Middle Market,
Commercial Bank, JPMorgan Chase and a Goodman trustee.
Goodman Theatre extends sincere thanks to JPMorgan Chase for including the
Goodman in its vision for outstanding corporate citizenship in Chicago, and
thanks the bank for its generous leadership support.
16

SETH BOCKLEY LAURA JACQMIN ROHINA MALIK LISA DILLMAN
Meet the Playwrights Unit
Since its founding in 1925, Goodman Theatre has maintained
a commitment to producing new plays. Works like Ruined,
American Buffalo, Seven Guitars and Spinning Into Butter premiered
at the Goodman before receiving productions across the
nation as well as widespread recognition as some of the most
important works of our era. The process of creating a play, from
inception to fully realized production, is often long and arduous,
and writers typically revise their work through a series of
workshops and readings. Aiding playwrights in the development
of new work is one of the key components of the Goodman’s
mission; each year audiences get a behind-the-scenes peek into
that process with the New Stages Series—a series of new works
performed in staged readings. This year, the theater has added
a fresh element to its new play development programming: the
newly formed Playwrights Unit, which is comprised of four local
writers—Seth Bockley, Laura Jacqmin, Rohina Malik and Lisa
Dillman—who meet once per month to discuss their plays in
progress. All four of these writers possess unique voices and
each approaches writing differently; it is precisely this diversity
that leads to fruitful discussions. At each meeting, two of the
writers come prepared with the latest installment of the play
they are working on. The group reads the play, and conversation
commences. Each writer receives valuable feedback and support
from peers and benefits from a structured writing process.
Come June, each play workshopped by the Playwrights Unit will
be presented in a staged reading format, allowing the writers to
hear their plays read aloud by actors. This program, along with
the New Stages Series, the Goodman’s frequent new play commissions,
and the year-round activities of the Goodman’s Literary
Department, provides much-needed support for writers—the first
step on the long road to producing stellar world premieres.
Goodman Scenemakers Take the Stage
Make a Scene at the Goodman! The Goodman Theatre
Scenemakers—a passionate group of young professional theater
fans—relaunched in January with a new membership structure.
The Scenemakers now offer two levels of membership—the
Scenemakers Board and Scenemakers Associates—and the
group is rapidly expanding with several exciting upcoming events.
The Scenemakers Board provides emerging leaders with the
opportunity to gain non-profit arts leadership experience, while
Associates enjoy the benefits of the Scene subscription package—
three Owen Theatre plays and three pre-show parties—while
gaining the opportunity to delve deeper into the art.
On March 10, 2011, more than 100 Scenemakers and guests
attended Cocktails and Carnage. Potential members heard
a pre-show presentation from God of Carnage director Rick
Snyder and costume designer Birgit Rattenborg Wise as they
sipped cocktails and enjoyed appetizers. After the performance,
they mingled with the cast of God of Carnage and learned firsthand
the benefits of becoming a Scenemaker.
ABOVE (left to right): New Scenemaker Jason Knupp with his wife, Deborah Knupp.
Scenemakers President Aaron Davidson speaking at the event. Photos by Allie Wigley.
If you are interested in becoming a Scenemaker, please visit
GoodmanTheatre.org/Scenemakers.
17

SCENE AT THE GOODMAN
Auction an
Amazing Success
This year’s Fame, Fantasy, Food, Adventure Auction, held on
February 7 at The Peninsula Chicago, was a smashing success,
raising over $300,000 for the theater. Many thanks to
the event co-chairs who worked so hard to make the evening
happen: Women’s Board President and Trustee Joan Clifford,
Women’s Board members Mary Ann Clement and Stacy Devine
and Board of Trustees Chair Jaime Viteri. The lively and entertaining
combination of auctioneers Trustee Leslie Hindman and
Life Trustee Peter C.B. Bynoe kept the energy up and the prizes
moving. Special thanks to Event Sponsor and Exclusive Airline
of Goodman Theatre American Airlines, Sponsor Partner Leslie
Hindman Auctioneers and Supporting Sponsors Citi Private
Bank and Joan and Robert Clifford.
AMERICAN AIRLINES SUPPORTS THE
GOODMAN AT HOME AND ABROAD
This season, American Airlines is pleased to continue its 28-year sponsorship
of Goodman Theatre, an award-winning and beloved Chicago institution.
Like the Goodman, American Airlines, an 85-year institution in Chicago, is
a leader in its field. From its “Gateway to the World” hub at Chicago O’Hare
International Airport, American, along with regional carriers American Eagle
and AmericanConnection, offers an average of 3,400 nonstop flights to nearly
500 destinations every day, including Beijing, China and—starting May 1—
Helsinki, Finland.
This longstanding partnership between pillars of the community allows the
Goodman to present the finest theater artists from across the globe to its
Chicago audiences and demonstrates American Airline’s strong commitment
to the city of Chicago.
TOP (left to right): Auction Co-Chairs and Women’s Board members Stacy Devine and
Mary Ann Clement. Auctioneers Trustee Leslie Hindman (Leslie Hindman Auctioneers) and
Life Trustee Peter C.B. Bynoe.
Goodman Celebrates
Premiere Supporters
On March 16, more than 150 guests gathered at Petterino’s for an
exciting pre-show dinner to celebrate the Goodman’s committed
Premiere Society members. Members of the Goodman’s Artistic
Collective and the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees had the
opportunity to thank our donors for their tremendous support. After
dinner, donors went to the theater for a performance of Yasmina
Reza’s hilarious God of Carnage. It was a wonderful evening!
RIGHT (top to bottom): Premiere Society member John Jelinek and Dolores Jorgensen
with Trustee Linda Hutson and Women’s Board member Joan and Warwick Coppelson.
Luminary member Mary Bishop and Trustee Kristin Anderson–Schewe. Director’s Society
Sponsor and Trustee M. Ann O’Brien with guest Ron Sipiora.
18

Mary Opens at the Goodman
On Monday, February 14, artists, sponsors and guests gathered
at Club Petterino’s to celebrate the opening of Thomas
Bradshaw’s new play, Mary. Following cocktails and dinner,
guests made their way to the Owen Theatre to watch the world
premiere. Thank you to the sponsors who made this production
possible: Major Production Sponsor The Edith-Marie
Appleton Foundation; Prince Charitable Trusts, Prince Prize for
Commissioning Original Work for Mary; Principal Supporter
of Artistic Development and Diversity Initiatives The Joyce
Foundation; 10th Anniversary Season Sponsors (listed on page
10) and Director’s Society Sponsors Roger and Julie Baskes.
RIGHT (top to bottom): Mary Playwright Thomas Bradshaw and Director May Adrales,
Goodman Executive Director Roche Schulfer, Benna Wilde (Prince Charitable Trusts) and
Director’s Society Sponsors Trustee Roger and Julie Baskes. Goodman Life Trustee and
Honorary Chairman Albert Goodman (The Edith-Marie Appleton Foundation) and Maria
Goodman. The Edith-Marie Appleton Foundation was the Major Production Sponsor of Mary.
A Joyous Night of Carnage
More than 250 guests attended the opening of God of Carnage
on Monday, March 14. The evening began with a sophisticated
dinner at Club Petterino’s, followed by the performance in
the Albert Theatre. Special thanks to Lead Corporate Sponsor
Allstate, Corporate Sponsor Partners Fifth Third Bank and Katten
Muchin Rosenman LLP, 10th Anniversary Season Sponsors and
Women Playwrights Season Sponsors (listed on page 10) and
Director’s Society Sponsors Jill and Richard Almeida, Roger and
Julie Baskes, Marcia S. Cohn, Amy and Thomas Fahey, Lindy
and Mike Keiser, M. Ann O’Brien, Michael and Christine Pope,
Linda and Mitchell Saranow, Cynthia and Michael R. Scholl and
Lorrayne and Steve Weiss.
RIGHT (top to bottom): Goodman Trustee Patty VanLammeren (Allstate), God of Carnage
Director Rick Snyder and Chairman Patricia Cox. Allstate is the Lead Corporate Sponsor
of God of Carnage. Sponsors of God of Carnage (back row) Jill and Richard Almeida,
Roger Baskes, Albert and Maria Goodman, guests, Director Rick Snyder, Steve Weiss,
Christine and Michael Pope, Executive Director Roche Schulfer, Michael Scholl, Chairman
Patricia Cox, Alice Rapoport, (front row) Julie Baskes, Cynthia Scholl and Lorrayne Weiss.
Goodman Executive Director Roche Schulfer with Alvin Katz (Katten Muchin Rosenman
LLP.) Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is a Corporate Sponsor Partner of God of Carnage.
God of Carnage Director’s Society Sponsors Jill and Richard Almeida with Keith Goldstein.
19

OFF STAGE
Stage Kiss Events
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLAY, THE PLAYWRIGHT AND THE WORK ON OUR STAGES
AT THESE THOUGHT-PROVOKING PUBLIC PROGRAMS.
STAGE KISS ARTISTS TALK
Featuring Playwright Sarah Ruhl
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
6 – 7pm | Healy Rehearsal Room
The Artists Talk series connects theater audiences with Goodman
artists in conversations about their process held in an intimate
environment. Learn about Sarah Ruhl’s world premiere Stage
Kiss from the playwright herself before a 7:30pm performance.
$10 general admission; $5 Subscribers, students with ID,
and Goodman donors.
STAGE KISS POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS
April 30 – June 5, 2011
On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, stay after the performance
for a post-show discussion with members of the Goodman’s
artistic staff and cast members. No reservations necessary.
FREE
EVER FORGET A PERFORMANCE? RUN INTO
UNEXPECTED CONSTRUCTION? MISS A SPECIAL
DISCOUNT? NEVER AGAIN, WITH ENEWS!
Join Goodman Theatre eNews and you’ll receive special
Subscriber-only benefits and important information.
YOU’LL BE SENT:
• Performance reminders
• Front Row, the Subscriber-only e-newsletter
• Traffic and construction updates
• Special ticket offers and discounts from the Goodman
and other arts groups
• Restaurant offers—and more!
To join eNews, simply give us your email address when you
call, or access your account at GoodmanTheatre.org/access
and provide your email when prompted.
This will also enable you to complete free online exchanges*—
anytime, anywhere!
*Free online exchanges for the 11/12 Season will be available in September 2011. You can exchange your 10/11 tickets
online now. Free exchanges can only be made up to 24 hours in advance of your performance. Upgrade charges may apply.
STUDENT SUBSCRIPTION SERIES
THRIVES WITH SUPPORT OF
POLK BROS. FOUNDATION
As one of the first funders of Goodman Theatre’s Student Subscription Series,
the Polk Bros. Foundation has provided stalwart support for 25 years, allowing
the program to blossom into its current form: an award-winning program
which sets the bar for arts education nation-wide and serves 2,700 Chicago
Public School students and their teachers annually through world-class
programming. Goodman Theatre salutes the Polk Bros. Foundation for its
dedication to making Chicago a place where all people have the opportunity
to reach their full potential, and thanks the Foundation for its long history of
commitment to and leadership support for quality education programs like the
Student Subscription Series.
ANNOUNCING AN EXCITING NEW SUBSCRIBER
BENEFIT—FREE UNLIMITED EXCHANGES!
Now Goodman Subscribers receive free unlimited ticket
exchanges by phone, at the box office—or now online 24/7
at GoodmanTheatre.org! Exchanging tickets has never been
easier—or more convenient.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE
STAGE OR SCREEN KISS?
Did “Reel vs. Real: Iconic Kisses on the Silver Screen” (page 6)
miss your favorite film kiss? Keep the conversation going on the
Goodman’s blog. Visit Goodman-Theatre.Blogspot.com to post
your thoughts, pictures, clips or memories of the silver screen’s
most legendary lip-locks.
GOODMAN THEATRE PRESENTS
Downtown Dream Date
The perfect night on the town for one lucky couple, chosen
by fans of the Goodman!
Goodman Theatre is throwing a Chicago dream date for one
couple—and the details of their date are up to you! We’re offering
a lavish night on the town centered around a performance
at the Goodman of Sarah Ruhl’s Stage Kiss, and each week on
our Facebook page fans will get to vote on a different romantic
element of the evening—where they’ll enjoy a pre-show dinner
or post-show cocktails, for example. By May 16 we’ll have the
whole date planned, and the only thing left to do will be to
pick the lucky couple!
Head to Facebook.com/GoodmanTheatre for more information
and to help us plan our mystery date.
20

In the Albert
STAGE KISS APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2011
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
PREVIEWS
8:00pm
4/30
2:00pm
7:30pm
5/1
5/2
5/3
7:30pm
5/4
7:30pm
5/5
8:00pm
5/6
2:00pm
8:00pm
5/7
2:00pm
7:30pm
5/8
Opening
7:00pm
5/9
Sold Out
5/10
7:30pm
5/11
2:00pm
7:30pm
5/12
8:00pm
5/13
8:00pm
5/14
CENTER STAGE
Scenemakers Vice President Craig McCaw shares
why he supports Goodman Theatre.
How did you become involved with the Scenemakers
Board? How long have you been on the Board?
A coworker of mine had a friend on the Board and
recommended it to me. I met with some of the
Goodman development staff and it seemed like a
great fit. I have been on the board since early 2007.
2:00pm
7:30pm
2:00pm
7:30pm
2:00pm
2:00pm
7:30pm
5/15
5/22
5/29
6/5
5/16
5/23
5/30
7:30pm
7:30pm
7:30pm
5/17
5/24
5/31
7:30pm
7:30pm
7:30pm
5/18
5/25
6/1
2:00pm
7:30pm
2:00pm
7:30pm
7:30pm
5/19
5/26
6/2
8:00pm
8:00pm
8:00pm
5/20
5/27
6/3
2:00pm
8:00pm
2:00pm
8:00pm
5/21
5/28
6/4
Why do you support the Goodman?
The Goodman is the oldest nonprofit theater in
Chicago. It is a very significant part of the Chicago
cultural scene and is something I am honored to
be a part of.
What other nonprofits do you support?
I am on the Young Leadership Council at the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation Illinois Chapter, which
is another group similar to the Scenemakers Board.
What has been your favorite production
in our recent history? Why?
The Long Red Road. It was the Goodman directorial
debut of Philip Seymour Hoffman and the world
premiere of the play by Brett C. Leonard. It was my
favorite because of the effect it had on me long after
the show. It was a very powerful production and one
I will never forget.
Why would you recommend joining
the Scenemakers?
It is a great group of young professionals that is in a
transition stage so there are some very exciting initiatives
for new members to get involved in. Twenty
years from now when hopefully the group is still
thriving you can look back and say, “I was part of
the group that created this.” That’s an exciting thing
to be a part of.
To learn more about the Scenemakers, please
visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Scenemakers or email
Scenemakers@GoodmanTheatre.org.
Top: Catherine Warren and Scenemakers Vice President Craig McCaw.
HOTEL MONACO CHICAGO—
A GOODMAN THEATRE PREFERRED HOTEL
Step into Chicago at the Hotel Monaco Chicago, a Kimpton hotel. Hotel Monaco Chicago is situated in the heart
of downtown Chicago, conveniently located near Goodman Theatre.
Guest rooms at Kimpton’s boutique Hotel Monaco Chicago have been remodeled and feature design elements
from around the globe. Additionally, Hotel Monaco Chicago now offers guests a host of new and exciting programs
unlike those at any other Chicago hotel. Now when you stay at Hotel Monaco Chicago you can partake in
Glide with GM, a bi-weekly Segway tour hosted by a hotel manager; or borrow a Flip camera on loan from the
hotel; or take part in Step into Chicago—a new program in which Hotel Monaco Chicago teams up with Chicago
Greeter to offer iPods with customized, guided walking tours.
Goodman patrons receive rates from $155 – $195 at this pet-friendly, four-star hotel, which features
complimentary wine bar for guests after 6pm. These rates are good through August, 2011, so be sure to
take advantage of them now. Don’t forget to tell your family and friends who are looking for a place to
stay during the spring and summer months. Call 312.960.8500 and mention Goodman Theatre and the
code GMT. While staying at the hotel, guests can also dine on the classic home-style American cooking at South
Water Kitchen. Goodman patrons who show their ticket stubs will receive a complimentary dessert with the purchase
of an entrée. Hotel Monaco Chicago is located at 225 North Wabash Street.
21

WHAT GREAT THEATER SHOULD BE
170 NORTH DEARBORN
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60601
Non-profit Org.
U.S. Postage
P A I D
Chicago, IL
Permit No. 2546
ONE ENCHANTED
DECADE
Saturday, May 21, 2011
5:30pm Cocktail Reception
6:30pm Matthew Morrison Performance
Goodman Theatre
Followed by dinner and dancing
to the Al Sofia Orchestra
Fairmont Chicago
Black Tie
Goodman Theatre Gala
Featuring Matthew Morrison
Roche Schulfer
Executive Director
Patricia Cox
Chairman,
Board of Trustees
Margaret M. Janus
Swati Mehta
Gala Co-Chairs
Robert Falls
Artistic Director
Joan Clifford
President,
Women’s Board
James E. Annable
Deborah A. Bricker
Lester N. Coney
Shawn M. Donnelley
Albert Ivar Goodman
Sondra A. Healy
Carol Prins
Honorees
Gala Sponsor Partners
Sharon and Charles Angell
Joan and Robert Clifford
Patricia Cox
Shawn M. Donnelley and
Christopher M. Kelly
Ellen and Paul Gignilliat
Sondra and Denis Healy/Turtle Wax, Inc.
Wayne and Margaret Janus
Swati and Siddharth Mehta
Michael and Kay O’Halleran
Carol Prins and John Hart
Alice and John J. Sabl
Gala Benefactors
Albert and Maria Goodman
Exclusive Airline of
Goodman Theatre