The Goodman Theatre is a theater located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit organization. The building occupies the site of landmark Harris and Selwyn Theaters property.
The Goodman was founded in 1925 as a tribute to the Chicago playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, who died of influenza in 1918. The theater was funded by Goodman's parents, Mr. and Mrs. William O. Goodman, who dona...
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The Goodman Theatre is a theater located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit organization. The building occupies the site of landmark Harris and Selwyn Theaters property.
The Goodman was founded in 1925 as a tribute to the Chicago playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, who died of influenza in 1918. The theater was funded by Goodman's parents, Mr. and Mrs. William O. Goodman, who donated $250,000 to the Art Institute of Chicago to establish a professional repertory company and a school of drama at the Institute. The theater was designed by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, although its design was severely hampered by location restrictions resulting in a lack of space for scenery and effects and poor acoustics.
The opening ceremony on October 20, 1925 featured three of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman's plays: Back of the Yards, The Green Scarf, and The Game of Chess. Two nights later the theater presented its first public performance...
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