CASTING NOW COMPLETE FOR THE FIVE PLAYS SCHEDULED MARCH THROUGH JULY 2015 AT GOODMAN THEATRE

CASTING NOW COMPLETE FOR THE FIVE PLAYS SCHEDULED MARCH THROUGH JULY 2015 AT GOODMAN THEATRE 1 Award-winning Chicago favorites take the Goodman stage from March through July 2015 in the five plays that round out the theater’s 90th Anniversary “Season to Celebrate.” Artists’ names in red below were not announced in the September 2014 casting press release. Note: one previously-announced actor, Ron OJ Parson, is replaced by Terry Bellamy in the role of Memphis in Two Trains Running by August Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith. Individual tickets are now on sale for Two Trains Running, The Upstairs Concierge by Kristoffer Diaz and stop. reset. by Regina Taylor; tickets for The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman go on sale February 20 and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang go on sale March 20.Call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org. For groups 10+, call 312.443.3820 or e-mail Groups@GoodmanTheatre.org. Bios and images of the artists are available in the Press Room. Plays, dates and artists are subject to change.

unnamed (1)Award-winning Chicago favorites take the Goodman stage from March through July 2015 in the five plays that round out the theater’s 90th Anniversary “Season to Celebrate.” Artists’ names in red below were not announced in the September 2014 casting press release. Note: one previously-announced actor, Ron OJ Parson, is replaced by Terry Bellamy in the role of Memphis in Two Trains Running by August Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith. Individual tickets are now on sale for Two Trains Running, The Upstairs Concierge by Kristoffer Diaz and stop. reset. by Regina Taylor; tickets for The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman go on sale February 20 and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang go on sale March 20.Call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org. For groups 10+, call 312.443.3820 or e-mail Groups@GoodmanTheatre.org. Bios and images of the artists are available in the Press Room. Plays, dates and artists are subject to change.

Two Trains Running
By August Wilson, Directed by Chuck Smith – Centerpiece of the citywide August Wilson Celebration
March 7 – April 12; Press Nights are March 15 and 16 (Opening) in the Albert Theatre

The cast includes Alfred Wilson as Holloway; A.C. Smith as West; Nambi E. Kelley as Risa; Ernest Perry Jr. as Hambone; Anthony Irons as Wolf; Chester Gregory as Sterling; and Terry Bellamy as Memphis. Goodman Theatre honors August Wilson’s legacy with his Tony-winning masterpiece, praised by Variety as “perfection…[a] work by a writer at the peak of his powers.” In 2007, the Goodman became the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in Wilson’s 20th Century Cycle,” of which Two Trains Running is a part (the Goodman previously produced this play in 1993, directed by Lloyd Richards). The civil rights movement is sweeping across Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1969, but the promise of a better tomorrow hasn’t quite reached all of the city’s residents, some of whom gather daily at Memphis’ diner to gossip about the neighborhood, dream about their futures and confront the brutal realities of the present. Now Memphis must decide if he should allow the government to take over his building or sell the property to a ruthless businessman.

The Upstairs Concierge
By Kristoffer Diaz, Directed by KJ Sanchez – A world premiere Goodman co-commission with Teatro Vista
March 28 – April 26; Press/Opening Night is April 6 in the Owen Theatre

The cast includes Tawny Newsome as Ella; Gabriel Ruiz as Harvey; John Stokvis as Kaz; Travis Turner as Royals Guy. Theo Allyn as Mark Merriman; Sandra Delgado as Shivery; Alejandra Escalante as Rebecca; Jose Antonio Garcia as BB; Annie Henk as Dia; Cedric Young as Jeffrey. The Upstairs Concierge is a world-premiere comedy spoofing today’s scandalous celebrity culture by Pulitzer Prize-finalist Kristoffer Diaz, “who seems to have invented a brash new theatrical form” (Variety). Ella can’t wait to start her new job as the upstairs concierge at a sleek hotel. Catering to celebrity guests is her dream—but it’s hard to keep track of which guests are in which room, which guest is the biggest celebrity and which party-loving guests need extra supervision. Diaz gleefully skewers today’s fame-obsessed society in this off-kilter new farce.

The Little Foxes
By Lillian Helman, Directed by Henry Wishcamper
May 2 – June 7; Press Nights are May 10 and 11 (Opening) in the Albert Theatre

The cast includes Michael Canavan as William Marshall; Rae Gray as Alexandra “Zan” Giddens; Dan Waller as Leo Hubbard; Shannon Cochran as Regina Giddens; Cherene Snow as Addie; Larry Yando as Benjamin Hubbard; Mary Beth Fisher as Birdie Hubbard; Dexter Zollicoffer as Cal; John Judd as Horace Giddens; and Steve Pickering as Oscar Hubbard. Director Henry Wishcamper revives Lillian Hellman’s classic turn-of-the century study of family greed, praised as “one of the most enjoyably chilling chapters in the history of melodrama” (The New York Times). Benjamin and Oscar Hubbard stand to earn millions funding an industrialized cotton mill, and seek help with the initial investment from their sister Regina. The refusal of Regina’s dying husband to finance the scheme sets off an explosive series of betrayals, shattering the Hubbard clan’s genteel façade and exposing their ruthless pursuit of wealth. Ferocious, funny and enduringly relevant, The Little Foxes is a chronicle of the dark side of the American Dream and wealth’s corrupting power.

Written and Directed by Regina Taylor – A Chicago premiere
May 23 – June 21; Press/Opening Night is June 1 in the Owen Theatre

The cast includes Eugene Lee as Ames; Jacqueline Williams as Jan; Eric Lynch as Chris; Tim Decker as Tim; Edgar Sanchez as J; and Lisa Tejero as Deb. Golden Globe winner and Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate Regina Taylor directs her mind-bending, provocative new play about modern technology’s impact on the Boomer generation.  As e-books and digital technologies transform the literary world, Chicago businessman Alex Ames must confront the likely demise of his long-standing African-American book publishing company. While his employees fret over losing their jobs, Alex finds unlikely inspiration from a mysterious teenager, whose inventive, forward-thinking ideas may provide the solution to preserving Alex’s legacy.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
By Christopher Durang, Directed by Steve Scott – A Chicago premiere
June 20 – July 26; Press Nights are June 28 and 29 (Opening) in the Albert Theatre

The cast includes Ross Lehman as Vanya; Janet Ulrich Brooks as Sonia; Mary Beth Fisher as Masha; E. Faye Butler as Cassandra; Rebecca Buller as Nina; and Jordan Brown as Spike. Steve Scott directs the Chicago premiere of Christopher Durang’s 2013 Tony Award winner for Best Play. Siblings Vanya and Sonia have spent their adult years trapped in mundane lives at their family’s cottage, caring for their ailing parents. Meanwhile their self-involved sister Masha, a glamorous movie star, has traveled the world in decadent style. After their soothsayer/cleaning woman Cassandra warns Vanya and Sonia of impending doom, Masha arrives unannounced, accompanied by her hunky young lover Spike. When Masha reveals plans that will upend the family, long-repressed resentments bubble over in a weekend full of wild costume parties, voodoo dolls and surprise romance.