Latest news with #TheateroftheMind
Axios
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
David Byrne's "Theater of the Mind" looks to transform a Chicago landmark
A new David Byrne immersive theatrical experience is skipping the theater entirely and setting up shop in a famous building along the Chicago River. The latest: Freidman Properties, a real estate and development firm, announced the exhibit, co-produced with the Goodman Theatre, will be housed in a 19,000-square-foot space inside the Reid Murdoch Building on LaSalle Street. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Zoom in: "Theater of the Mind" is an immersive experience based on life experiences of Byrne, Talking Head's frontman. It promises to engage all the senses and is inspired by "historical and current neuroscience research." What they're saying:"River North's dynamic spirit makes it the perfect setting for this one-of-a-kind exhibit, which will create yet another destination for both Chicagoans and visitors," Friedman Properties CEO Albert Friedman said in a press release. "This neighborhood has a rich history of celebrating and supporting the creative arts." By the numbers: The exhibit will feature 140 performances per week and is expected to attract 100,000 visitors in its first year, with an estimated economic impact of over $11 million. "Theater of the Mind" is expected to be a permanent exhibit, adding a cultural attraction adjacent to the River Walk and steps from Hubbard Street dining and nightlife. Chicago is the second city to host the exhibit, which first opened in Denver in 2022. The intrigue: The Reid Murdoch Building mostly houses international design companies, and isn't known for hosting public performances and exhibits. Yes, but: River North has been home to several immersive exhibits in recent years, using non-traditional performance venues. Zoom out: The Goodman Theatre is co-producing this exhibit as part of its lineup of events for its centennial season. Friedman Properties helped develop the theater's home space on Dearborn Street, just blocks from the Reid Murdoch Building. What's next: "Theater of the Mind" is set to open this fall.
Axios
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Goodman Theatre unveils star-studded centennial season
Goodman Theatre on Tuesday announced its 2025-2026 programming, which is a celebration of the downtown theater's 100-year anniversary. Why it matters: The Goodman is Chicago's oldest theater and it elevates local talent and attracts big names. Its productions and artists have received two Pulitzers and multiple Tony Awards. Zoom in: The theater's premiere production this fall, "Ashland Avenue," is locally inspired by a family business on the titular street and will star Jenna Fischer, who played Pam in "The Office." Other productions include August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" starring Chicago actors Chuck Smith and Harry J. Lennix, and the world premiere of the musical comedy, "Iceboy! or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O'Neill Came to Write The Iceman Cometh," anchored by Megan Mullaly. Zoom out: The theater company is also launching "100 Free Acts of Theater," which will feature free productions in all 50 wards. The intrigue: Goodman is leaving its home base on Dearborn to present "Theater of the Mind," from former Talking Heads leader and creative force David Byrne, at the Reid Building on LaSalle. Described as an experience rather than a show, "Theater of the Mind" promises to engage all the senses and is inspired by "historical and current neuroscience research." What's next: "Ashland Avenue" opens Sept. 6. Go deeper: See all Goodman's centennial celebration events.
Chicago Tribune
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Goodman Theatre's big 100th season: David Byrne, an ‘Office' star and the return of Robert Falls
The Goodman Theatre has announced a celebrity-crusted Centennial Season with a remarkable six world premieres, a pre-Broadway tryout and an overall level of ambition that surpasses the previous 99 seasons. Attractions for the upcoming slate include an off-site immersive show, 'Theater of the Mind,' as created by David Byrne of Talking Heads fame and the writer Mala Gaonkar. The show, which premiered in Denver, features multiple casts performing day and night, with scattered starting times for groups of around 16 patrons at a time. It's billed as 'an intimate and immersive journey inside how we see and create our worlds.' As directed by Andrew Scoville, the show is slated for an open run (perhaps of a year or more) inside the renovated Reid Building (333 N. La Salle St.), potentially a boon for downtown tourism. Goodman executive director John Collins said in an interview that Chicago will have the piece exclusively 'for at least a year.' Dates have yet to be announced. Collins said he hopes the show will begin in the fall but the construction timeline may mean it will open in the spring. Byrne attended a press event Tuesday at the theater announcing the 2025-26 season, led by Collins and artistic director Susan Booth. The Albert Theatre mainstage will feature several familiar names and Chicago-centric works. In the fall, Jenna Fischer (of television's 'The Office') will star in the world premiere of a new play by Lee Kirk (Fischer's husband) titled 'Ashland Avenue' (Sept. 6 to Oct. 5) and named after the prosaic but essential Chicago street. Set in a creaking TV and video store of the old-school, the drama will also star Francis Guinan and be directed by Booth. Then former artistic director Robert Falls returns to the Goodman for the first time since his exit to direct a new contemporary adaptation of Philip Barry's 'Holiday' (Jan. 31 to March 1, 2026), a 1928 farce that was twice adapted to film, one starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. The new comedy, set in the present day, is the work of Richard Greenberg, a familiar though recently absent writer for Chicago audiences, and is likely to feature at least one well-known star, although casting has yet to be announced. Veteran Goodman artistic associate Chuck Smith continues his series of new productions of August Wilson plays with 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' (March 28 to April 26, 2026), this time with Harry J. Lennix, currently on Broadway with Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 'Purpose,' serving as both associate director and music director. 'Ma Rainey' is the only Wilson play set in Chicago. Next summer will continue the Goodman's recent tradition of presenting pre-Broadway musicals, with Kathleen Marshall directing the world premiere of the musical comedy 'Iceboy! or, The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O'Neill Came to Write 'The Iceman Cometh'' (June 9 to July 19, 2026), with a book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Jay Reiss, score by former Chicagoan Mark Hollmann ('Urinetown') and lyrics by Hollmann and Reiss. Megan Mullally will star in a story of a 40,000-year-old Neanderthal discovered frozen in the Arctic and adopted by a Broadway star. Broadway producer Barbara Whitman also attended Tuesday's event. Goodman will, as ever, stage its annual production of 'A Christmas Carol' (Nov. 15 to Dec. 31). Christopher Donahue returns as Scrooge and Malkia Stampley becomes the show's new director, likely for longer than just this coming holiday season. The Goodman's smaller Owen Theatre also has high-profile works of a scale not seen in years. The fall begins with 'Revolution(s)' (Oct. 4 to Nov. 9) another new musical, this one commissioned by the Goodman. It's penned by Northwestern professor Zayd Ayers Dohrn (the son of the radical activists Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers of the Weather Underground), and features music and lyrics by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. Steve H. Broadnax III directs (as he does the upcoming 'The Book of Grace' at Steppenwolf Theatre). The show is billed as 'a groundbreaking new punk/metal/hip hop musical … about a young artist finding his voice, why violence is as American as cherry pie, and how young radicals across generations are still motivated by love.' Morello performed a song from the show on Tuesday. 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' (Feb. 21 to April 5, 2026) by Marco Antonio Rodriguez follows in the Owen. This is a world-premiere adaptation of the semi-autobiographical novel by the Dominican American writer and college professor Junot Díaz, a coming-of-age story set in New Jersey where Díaz was raised. In May, longtime Goodman-affiliated solo artist Dael Orlandersmith returns with a new work, 'Blood Memory' (May 2-31, 2026), directed by Neel Keller. It will focus on division and decision-making and the pressure point between unity and ideological retreat. Finally, the Goodman continues its association with the magician Dennis Watkins and the venue known as The Magic Parlour, and its New Stages Festival next season will offer shows in a new Theater for the Very Young initiative. Also, a year-long program titled '100 Free Acts of Theater ' will offer the arts for free across Chicago's 50 wards, produced in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, details to be announced. 'The beauty of the Chicago audience is what a rich stew of beings comprise it,' said Booth when asked about such an expansive and extensive season. 'The gift and the challenge of curating for that wildly diverse group of people is immense.'
