Welcome back from the holidays, and back to major changes around the world of Chicago theatre. The most obvious place to start is with the major announcement that longtime Goodman Theatre executive director/CEO Roche Schulfer is headed into retirement at the end of the season. Though Schulfer will still be around the company as an advisor for a bit longer as the organization heads toward its centennial season kickoff in 2025, Schulfer joins quite a lengthy list of long-term Chicago theatre leaders who have hung up their hats in recent years.
Schulfer is also one of the many leaders who, when the slew of op-eds hit the internet trying to parse what exactly was wrong with theatre’s business model, threw his hat into the ring in a Chicago Tribune opinion piece. Schulfer’s piece actually wound up being one of the few I thought about the most after it came out, alongside thoughts from Michael Bobbitt in our own reporting on the crisis facing the theatre industry. In his piece, Schulfer posited that nonprofit theatres and commercial theatres need to work together; for his part, Bobbitt wondered what a theatre would look like if it was allowed more flexibility in its season planning, potentially opening the door for popular shows to run and run and run.
Those thoughts were both published around the time the Goodman was experiencing a gangbusters revival of The Who’s Tommy, now on its way to Broadway. I started to wonder: What if the Goodman had the ability to run Tommy right here at home until it couldn’t run any longer? What if there was a world where Tommy could have transferred to one of the four theatres in the city that host Broadway in Chicago productions, both touring and pre-Broadway shows? After all, Chicago successfully hosted years-long runs of Hamilton, Wicked, and Book of Mormon. And while Tommy isn’t quite any of those, it still stings a bit as a Chicago theatre lover to lose shows to Broadway when Chicago has continually proved that it can bring in audiences for smash hits.
Now, no amount of smash hits will solve theatre’s problems, and I’m not proposing that they could. But I can’t help but wonder what it would do for Chicago if massively popular shows could run open-endedly, without concern over the next show that needs to hop onstage. How much longer might we have seen Bug at Steppenwolf, which was remounted in 2021 after a 2020 run starring Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood? I admittedly don’t know exactly how this would work. But I do wonder if there’s a world where Chicago theatre can evolve to a point where popular, local-brewed shows can reach Broadway-level peaks, with hefty runs feeding back into the local economy and theatre ecosystem, without having to actually leave the city.
In any case, as you continue on your week, I encourage you to take a look at this wonderful bit of reporting from Gabriela, who wrote about her trip to her home country of Brazil, and what we might learn from Brazilian theatres and theatremakers. (Speaking of Gabriela, don’t miss her cover story in American Theatre‘s new Winter issue, available only in print, about healing high school theatre spaces, illustrated by some beautiful Joe Mazza photos.)
And I also hope you take a moment to read the numerous tributes that have come out about local actor Mike Nussbaum following his death in late December. For our pages, two longtime collaborators, playwright David Mamet and Northlight Theatre artistic director B.J. Jones, remembered Nussbaum, once was touted as the oldest working actor in the country by Actors’ Equity, in this in memoriam.
One final bit of business is to draw your attention to Theatre Communications Group’s Rising Leaders of Color program. This year’s cohort focused on theatre journalists and writers, whose work you’ve seen in previous newsletters, on the AT site, and in our print magazine. Next year’s cohort is slated to consist of six early-career leaders of color from Chicago. So if you or someone you know should be considered for this professional development program, head over to TCG’s website for more information.
NOW SEE THIS
In case you missed it, we had the chance to chat with director and choreographer Justin Peck and playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury on Offscript about their musical Illinoise, a new show crafted around the music of the Sufjan Stevens album Illinois. (Watch the interview to find out why there’s an “e” at the end of one of those titles and not the other.) And check out the sneak peek below as the show readies to hit the stage at Chicago Shakespeare Theater (now through Feb. 18).
AROUND TOWN
Gabriela catches us up on a few items you may have missed!
When it’s this cold and gray out, my Brazilian family asks me “why Chicago?” Indoor kaleidoscopes of human experience—this is why.
- Just days before a planned strike, the comedy teachers’ union AICE reached a tentative contract agreement with the Second City and called off the Jan. 16 picket lines. In December, the Reader’s Kerry Reid investigated the issues surrounding two years of negotiations.
- Invictus Theatre Company is moving to Windy City Playhouse, BroadwayWorld’s Stephi Wild reported, where they’ll kick off the season on Feb. 13 with Suzan-Lori Parks’s Topdog/Underdog. In recent years, Invictus “has been one of the most notable [storefront] success stories,” said Wild.
- American Blues Theater has launched a new pay-what-you-can performance series called The Commons, Block Club Chicago’s Joanna Hou reported. “On one Monday each month the theatre at 5627 N Lincoln Ave. will open to the community for an artistic event, whether that be a reading, spoken word, or karaoke.”
- Ahead of upcoming renovations, Kayleigh Radar wrote for Block Club Chicago, “neighbors can support Steep Theatre at its Demolition Party,” in which attendees could take a hammer to the building.
- The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, which wrapped up over the weekend, has reminded Chicago of its strong historical ties with puppetry, empowered global exchange, and shared a wide variety of stories/aesthetics, Emily McClanathan wrote for the Tribune.
- Kerry Reid and Kimzyn Campbell’s preview of the festival in the Reader highlighted Manual Cinema’s multimedia delight for youth about Leonardo, “a terrible monster.” In an interview, Manual Cinema’s Sarah Fornace said, “It’s a really fertile and exciting time to be a puppeteer and be part of the puppet scene.”
- In the Sun-Times, Stefano Esposito covered the extraordinarily intricate, colorful, and agile world of Song of the North, created/directed/designed by Hamid Rahmanian, which tells sweeping Iranian stories. “Iran is like a symphony—a grand, opulent symphony,” said Rahmanian.
- Third Coast Review’s Puppet Theater Festival preview by Nancy C. Bishop commented on the adult, “sophisticated themes and productions,” with words from festival founder and artistic director Blair Thomas.
- A few hours away, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is abuzz with the hire of new managing director Megwyn Sanders-Andrews. A press release in the Urban Milwaukee emphasized her career-long commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
- In Rogers Park, Lifeline Theatre’s 27-year-old Fillet of Solo festival ran through Jan. 21. Jack Helbig shared there would be around 100 solo performance artists this year, “which packs so many lively true-life tales into the bleak reality of Chicago midwinter.”
- “The covid generation speaks out at the 37th Annual Young Playwrights Festival,” at Pegasus Theatre Chicago, reported Kerry Reid for the Reader. Following the selected high schoolers’ journeys with their script/subject matter, Reid said the festival offered an intensive revision workshop to finalists plus an alumni group to encourage participants’ writing.
- If you haven’t gotten to it, I recommend you check out Reid’s reflection on 2023 Chicago theatre, which named some entrances and exits and applauded titles like The Nacirema Society at the Goodman, First Floor’s Hatefuck, Court’s The Gospel at Colonus, and Port of Entry at Albany Park Theater Project.
- Looking ahead, BorderLight Theatre Festival at Playhouse Square in Cleveland is seeking artist submissions for 2024. For Cleveland Scene, Jeff Niesel wrote about “one of the newest fringe festivals worldwide,” which launched back in 2019.
CHICAGO CHISME
Every month, Jerald and Gabriela check in with Chicago/Midwest theatre artists about what’s getting them out of bed in the morning and keeping them up at night. This winter, we’re fending off the cold by holding tight to our inspirations. More below from Owais Ahmed, who is playing Taroon in Sylvia Khoury’s Selling Kabul at Northlight Theatre (through Feb. 25) and Mikael Burke, who’s directing Notes from the Field at TimeLine Theatre (Jan. 31-March 24) and Short Shakespeare! Romeo & Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Feb. 24-March 16).
What piece of art has inspired you recently (theatre or otherwise)?
Owais: I was lucky to catch director Jamie Lloyd’s Cyrano in 2022. That production is still on my mind. Rap battles and beatboxing, while upholding the beauty of the language—I loved it. To me, it reignited what the possibilities of expression a theatre space can hold. Also, James McAvoy’s performance was so powerful. He’s always been one of my favorite actors. There were moments where James whispered into a mic and I could feel the audience hold their breath. Instant goosebumps. It’s definitely been a dream of mine to act with James McAvoy since I was a teenager.
Mikael: I recently saw the film Godzilla Minus One and had an absolute blast. I didn’t have “crying to Godzilla” on my 2023 bingo card, but I sure did. Delicious storytelling. They served up such a gripping tale of war, grief, and redemption, while also delivering on everything you’d want out of a kaiju film. I laughed, I cried, I cheered. Just a well done bit of cinema.
What are you most looking forward to in this upcoming year in theatre?
Owais: I was really excited to see a beautiful play like English by Sanaz Toossi being done in theatres everywhere. Now it will be going to Broadway. I can’t wait. Sanaz’s writing is just so beautiful and complex. I loved reading a play that explores the identity of the characters without the trauma that we’re so used to seeing with MENASA stories. My director for Selling Kabul, Hamid Deghani, will be directing a production at the Goodman and the Guthrie. Being in the room with Hamid has been such a gift. He’s such an intelligent creative artist. I can’t wait to see what he does with English.
Mikael: I’m most looking forward to seeing and championing more stories on our stages that are Black and brown and queer AF, and witnessing my friends’ and collaborators’ stars continue to rise while we’re all out here hustling to live this dream. Also, over the next season, I’m directing in Chicago, Madison, Colorado Springs, Sarasota, Minneapolis, and Atlanta (so far!), so I’m jazzed about getting to know the new-to-me cities and folks along the way. And I just can’t wait to check out Teeth this spring (running at Playwrights Horizons Feb. 21-March 31). My college roommates and I watched the movie semi-regularly when it first came out, screaming at the TV like we were watching football or something, so I’m very looking forward to seeing what they do with it.
Shoot your shot. What artist or company are you dreaming of working with, or what show are you dreaming of working on?
Owais: I would love to create with Jamie Lloyd. I’ve now seen three of his productions and I find them so captivating. There is also so much beauty in the stillness of the performances. The stillness allows the depth of the story to really radiate. It’s really invigorating to see plays being done in a minimalist manner while holding such complexity. So, Jamie? When are we getting in a room together?
Mikael: Well, I’m gonna shoot a few, cuz you gave this mouse a cookie: I want to direct at NYTW. I want to direct at Woolly Mammoth. (I’m a local hire in D.C.!) I want to direct the Chicago premiere of A Strange Loop at Steppenwolf. I want to direct Harrison David Rivers’s The Sea & the Stars, and Dave Harris’s White History, and James Ijames’s Abandon, and Christian St. Croix’s Monsters of the American Cinema. And finally: Terry Guest’s The Magnolia Ballet is a stunning and hilarious play that deserves a Broadway run. So, any producers out there looking for your next runaway hit, call me. We could do the pre-Broadway run at Woolly.