THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE SEASONS - Goodman Theatre

4
From the
Chairman
Because of you, our “Decade on Dearborn”
season was a smash!
As Chairman of Goodman Theatre, I am proud
to share our Annual Report from the 2010/2011
Season—our 10th year on Dearborn Street, and
85th season overall— including the wonderful
productions, artists and audiences who contributed
to its success. To mark the occasion, Artistic
Director Robert Falls and Executive Director
Roche Schulfer delivered a signature nine-play
line-up of a size and scope possible only at
the Goodman.
We launched the celebratory season in the
“best of all possible” ways, with a bold new
adaptation of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide from
Tony Award winner and Manilow Resident
Director Mary Zimmerman. Following its criticallyacclaimed
extended run at the Goodman,
Candide proceeded to delight audiences at
Washington, DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company,
claiming numerous Jeff and Helen Hayes awards
for excellence. Our Season Opening Celebration
included a festive pre-show dinner at the Modern
Wing of the Art Institute—the original site of
Goodman Theatre—and a special tribute to
Founding Chairman Stanley Freehling and
Honorary President Lewis Manilow. Without
their contributions, the Goodman would not
be where it is today.
Robert Falls’ spellbinding interpretation of
The Seagull opened next, followed by our
33rd annual production of Charles Dickens’
A Christmas Carol—a cherished holiday tradition
whose magic has won the hearts of more than
1 million Chicagoans over three decades.
Five world-premiere productions in 2011
contributed to the impressive statistics we’ve
amassed over the past decade, including 16 world
premieres by artists of color, 20 premieres by
female writers and the completion of August
Wilson’s 20th Century Cycle. The new year
began with The Trinity River Plays, Regina Taylor’s
lyrical triptych, and Thomas Bradshaw’s provocative
Mary, followed by God of Carnage, a broad
popular success, hot on the heels of its Broadway
bow. Next, the Goodman was pleased to present
Tanya Saracho’s moving El Nogalar, followed
by Stage Kiss, the latest work from MacArthur
Fellowship winner Sarah Ruhl. In addition,
the world premiere of David Henry Hwang’s
Broadway-bound Chinglish drew new audiences
to the Goodman: more than one-third attended
for the first time.
To promote the Goodman during this exciting time
we formed the 10th Anniversary Civic Committee,
a diverse group of more than 65 corporate and
civic leaders representative of Chicago’s multicultural
landscape. Together they endorsed the
Anniversary and helped to raise the Goodman’s
visibility to an all-time high during the 2010/2011
Season. Our ticket sales and fundraising goals
also reflected this increased national interest,
reaching all-time highs in many areas.
With our inaugural August Wilson Awards, we
recognized those who have demonstrated an
exemplary commitment to advancing diversity at
the theater: Life Trustees Peter C.B. Bynoe and
María Bechily and Past Chairman Lester N.
Coney, as well as JPMorgan Chase and The Joyce
Foundation. We bestowed these awards at our
fall Diversity Breakfast—a moving event in which
we fondly remembered August Wilson as well as
Irv Markin, whom we lost too soon.
Aptly titled “One Enchanted Decade,” our May 21
black-tie Gala event featured Broadway superstar
and Glee heartthrob Matthew Morrison, who
brought the crowd to its feet with a memorable
program of song and dance. We paid tribute to all
of the Past Chairmen of Goodman Theatre’s Board
of Directors, as well as our Honorary Chairman,
Stephen Louis Grush and Mary Beth Fisher in The Seagull. Photo by Liz Lauren.