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On the heels of an unprecedented Centennial Season, Goodman Theatre sets a bold stage for its second century. Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins announce the 2026/2027 Season line-up of world-class talent and first-rate artistry here at home, beginning this fall. With 12 productions—five world or Chicago premieres, a reinvestigated classic, a major musical revival of a generation-defining sensation, three long-running productions, plus two new plays for our youngest audiences (ages 0-5)—there is something for everyone, from longtime patrons to those discovering Chicago's largest not-for-profit resident theater for the first time.

"We are living in a moment of enormous catalysts. And while our self-preservation instincts tells us we ought to go numb, it's actually the most necessary time to feel big feelings. To be awake. To care deeply. To laugh loud and to cry hard so we stay fully human. We've strived to put together a season that evokes all of that—and more," said Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth.

Added Executive Director John Collins, "We launch our second century with a lineup of theatrical experiences celebrating Goodman's unparalleled scope and scale. We are excited to bring our 101st season of boundary-pushing theater to our beloved Chicago audiences."

Opening the 26/27 Season in the 856-seat Albert Theatre is the world premiere of The 7 Fingers' The Attic; Things I've Seen While Lying on My Back created and directed by Shana Carroll; next, Kimberly Belflower's Broadway smash sensation John Proctor is The Villain makes its Chicago debut, directed by Marti Lyons, produced in partnership with The Guthrie Theater; then, Marsha Norman's 'Night Mother appears in a major revival starring stage and screen actor S. Epatha Merkerson, directed by Michael Pressman; and Susan V. Booth directs a major musical revival of Green Day's American Idiot, music by Green Day, lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer. The three-production series in the 400-seat flexible Owen Theatre begins with two world premieres: Dead Girl's Quinceañera by Phanésia Pharel, directed by Melia Bensussen, produced in partnership with Barrington Stage and Hartford Stage, followed by Calamity West's FEAST!, directed by Susan V. Booth; the Chicago premiere of Kemp Powers' The XIXth (The Nineteenth) directed by Carl Cofield rounds out the series. 

The 49th annual production of A Christmas Carol, directed by Malkia Stampley, sees a new Scrooge: Chicago titan Tim Hopper assumes the role for the first time. Building on its success, Theater for the Very Young will debut two new productions—created by Marisa Carr, Ellie Levine and Jamal Howard; and the New Stages Festival returns for its 22nd year, offering the first look at the newest plays. In addition, The Goodman proudly continues two highly acclaimed off-shoot enterprises—David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar's immersive Theater of the Mind, directed by Andrew Scoville (333 N. LaSalle), and Dennis Watkins' The Magic Parlour, heading into its 4th year in partnership with Petterino's (50 W. Randolph).

The 2026/2027 Season begins September 2026 and continues through August 2027. Memberships, including flexible packages, are now available for purchase starting at just $54. Call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org/2627. Single tickets go on sale for select productions beginning next month.

About the Productions in Goodman Theatre's 2026/2027 Season
Plays are listed in chronological order by venue

The Goodman is grateful to Allstate, JPMorgan Chase & Co., The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, Northern Trust, Abbott Fund, Katten, PNC and Winston & Strawn LLP for their support of the 26/27 Season.

IN THE ALBERT THEATRE (856-SEAT PROSCENIUM STAGE)

The Goodman premieres The 7 Fingers'
The Attic; Things I've Seen While Lying on My Back
Written, Directed and Choreographed by Shana Carroll
September 5 – October 4 | A World Premiere 

The 7 Fingers is "pulse-raising magic" (The New York Times). 

From the primal vista of her childhood bedroom springs Shana Carroll's wildly imaginative, ground-breaking memoir that takes theater to new heights. Inspired by the Tony Award-nominated former trapezist's mesmerizing life story, a company of fearless performers transforms memory into daring aerial feats that are as moving as they are breathtaking. In the air, on the floor and from the heart, Montreal's multidisciplinary creative collective, The 7 Fingers, brings its "thrillingly modern brand of circus" (Time Out New York) to The Goodman in this moving new work that embraces the fear and courage of being human.  

49th Annual A Christmas Carol 
Adapted by Tom Creamer 
Directed by Malkia Stampley 
November 13 – December 31 | Starring Tim Hopper as Ebenezer Scrooge

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."  

Millions have rediscovered Dickens' classic at The Goodman over the past five decades—and know why it's "the best Christmas story ever told!" (Time Out Chicago). Follow the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge as ghostly intervention transforms his holiday disdain into delight one fateful Christmas night. Chicago favorite Tim Hopper—"for whom a furrowed brow and serious visage comes easily" (Chicago Tribune)—makes his debut as Scrooge. This timeless production, long heralded for its "first-rate cast and marvelous staging" (Chicago Sun-Times), is not to be missed. 

John Proctor is the Villain 
By Kimberly Belflower 
Directed by Marti Lyons 
January 23 – February 21, 2027 | A Chicago Premiere

The kids are not only all right, they're on fire. 

Fueled by pop music, optimism and fury, five young women are about to light up some of the darkest secrets of their one-stoplight town. The Chicago premiere of the Tony Award nominated Broadway smash sensation—hailed as "the new era of cool-girl theater" (BrooklynRail.org) "igniting its own cultural moment" (Variety)—pulses with humor and energy. Heroes, villains and who gets blamed when the hysteria starts are up for debate in this "vital, hilarious, thrilling and urgently necessary" (The New York Times) unflinching perspective of a generation staking its claim. A co-production with Guthrie Theater. 

'night, Mother
By Marsha Norman
Directed by Michael Pressman
March 27 – April 25, 2027 

How well do we know the ones we love most?  

Four decades after its astonishing debut, Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning darkly comic landmark drama returns in a new, of-the-moment production—starring Emmy- and Golden Globe-award winner S. Epatha Merkerson (Law and Order, Chicago Med, the HBO film Lakawanna Blues, Broadway's Come Back Little Sheba). When a daughter makes a life-altering confession to her mother, their ordinary evening exchange gives way to a breathtaking roller coaster ride—gripping, profoundly relevant and "more harrowing than even its plot suggests" (The New York Times). With unblinking honesty, Emmy Award-winner Michael Pressman directs this profound reckoning about choice, care and what it means to be truly heard. 

Green Day's
American Idiot
Music by Green Day
Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer
Directed by Susan V. Booth
June 18 – July 25, 2027  

"A global knockout" (Rolling Stone). 

Tune in, wake up, fight back! With urgent new creative force, Green Day's two-time Tony Award-winning smash sensation that defined a generation roars back to the stage—for the first time in Chicago in more than a decade—in Susan V. Booth's major new production. Three lifelong friends search for meaning in a world that never stops demanding it, each pulled deeper into chaos—of war, of responsibility, of escape. Every song from the band's eponymous Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum album and hits from 21st Century Breakdown punctuate this high-octane, adrenaline-fueled experience about the ever-elusive promise of the American dream. 

IN THE OWEN THEATRE (400-SEAT FLEXIBLE STAGE)

Dead Girl's Quinceañera
By Phanésia Pharel
Directed by Melia Bensussen
September 26 – November 1, 2026 | A World Premiere

Detective skills: unverified. Determination: unmatched.  

FACT: Maria was last seen at her Quinceañera. FACT: The party ended early due to an unknown emergency. FACT: Maria has not responded to any messages in 36 hours. Now, her three best friends—armed with confidence, questionable clues, and zero adult supervision—are on the case, racing against the clock to find out what happened. Half-baked theories, big feelings and the pressures of Latine girlhood punctuate this joy ride through the power and pleasure of adolescent friendships—a comic thriller of secrets, sisterhood and solving crime. A Collective World Premiere with Barrington Stage Company and Hartford Stage. 

FEAST!
By Calamity West
Directed by Susan V. Booth
February 27 – March 28, 2027 | A World Premiere

Nothing spoils faster than pride. 

Carol has just been fired. Meantime, her husband Michael has bought and paid for her company's $12,000 dinner. Instead of canceling, they decide to go through with it to prove they still have a place at the table. But when no guests arrive, the evening unravels into a darkly funny collision of money and marriage that asks what we are prepared to normalize in exchange for belonging. Susan V. Booth directs this smart, searing new satire that serves up a slice of privilege and power from "one of the best playwrights in Chicago. Or maybe the country. Or the universe" (Chicago Reader). FEAST! is the recipient of the 2026 Laurents / Hatcher Foundation Award. 

The XIXth (The Nineteenth)
By Kemp Powers
Directed by Carl Cofield
April 17 – May 16, 2027 | A Chicago Premiere

"Visual pop, fleet pacing, muscular energy, welcome humor" (San Diego Union Tribune). 

In Mexico City, 1968, courage comes with a price. When two Black American sprinters deliver a protest seen around the world, what followed was more complex—and far more dangerous. With a blend of sharp wit and searing emotion, Academy Award-nominee Kemp Powers explores what it truly costs to speak out when everyone is watching in this gripping Chicago-premiere production. 

22nd Annual New Stages Festival
December 5 – 13

Offered free of charge, the annual New Stages Festival is designed to give playwrights an opportunity to experience their work in front of an audience. New Stages offers Chicago theatergoers a first look at dozens of plays, many of which have gone on to become successful full productions—including three plays featured in the Centennial season, Ashland Avenue, Revolution(s) and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao—as well as Noah Haidle's Smokefall, Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning Ruined and more.

HERE, AROUND THE CORNER AND IN THE COMMUNITY

Theater for the Very Young Productions

In the Loop
Created and Directed by Jamal Howard and Ellie Levine
Co-Produced by The Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Northwestern University
January 30 – February 28, 2027 | Performed in the Alice Center and at locations citywide

Set aboard Chicago's trains and buses, In the Loop invites audiences on a playful journey across the city celebrating the sights, sounds and communities that connect our city's neighborhoods. In the Loop will also include a multi-week tour to classrooms and early childhood spaces across the city. On the heels of their successful collaboration with Splish Splash: A Day on the Lake, Jamal Howard and Ellie Levine reunite to create and direct this interactive production, developed in collaboration with Northwestern undergraduate students and 2- to 5-year-olds from Total Child Preschool in Evanston. 

A World Premiere "Theater for the Very Young" production
By Marisa Carr
Summer 2027 dates TBA

Next summer, The Goodman expands its investment in "Theater for the Very Young" with its first direct commission—a new production by award-winning playwright Marisa Carr, alum of The Goodman's 2020/2021 Playwrights Unit. 

Theater for the Very Young (TVY) programming offers immersive theatrical experiences—produced and performed by professional artists—designed for children ages 0–5 years old to experience alongside the grown-ups in their lives. Created in 2023 by Goodman Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth in response to research demonstrating the profound impact the arts can have on early childhood development and long-term learning outcomes, TVY introduces Chicagoland's youngest audiences to live theater through storytelling, music, movement and sensory-rich play produced and performed by professional artsts. Curated by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot, TVY productions support early literacy, creativity and social-emotional learning while aiming to initiate a lifelong love of the arts. Over the past three years, TVY has served thousands of children and families in Chicago parks, theaters, schools and community spaces with productions of the plays Splish Splash: A Day on the Lake (2026); Book Up! (2025); The Lizard y El Sol (2024); and Pearl Cleage's In My Granny's Garden (2023). Schools, daycares and community organizations interested in bringing "Theater for the Very Young" programming to their spaces are invited to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for pricing, scheduling and more information.

Theater of the Mind
Created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar
Directed by Andrew Scoville
Produced by Goodman Theatre at the Reid Murdoch Building (333 N. LaSalle)
TheaterOfTheMindChicago.com

Co-created by Academy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning artist David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar, Theater of the Mind is an only-in-Chicago theatrical experience you'll see, feel, taste and hear.  Already a hit cultural attraction, Theater of the Mind is a 75-minute mind-bending sensory journey for 16 audience members at a time. Led by a Guide whose stories are inspired by the creators' lives, audiences explore how they perceive the world through sensory experiments derived from both historical and current neuroscience research that reveal the inner mysteries of the brain. Theater of the Mind debuted in March 2026 as a centerpiece of The Goodman's Centennial 25/26 Season and continues to amaze audiences at its River North location in the Reid Murdoch Building. 

Dennis Watkins' The Magic Parlour
Produced by Goodman Theatre and Petterino's (50 W. Randolph)
TheMagicParlourChicago.com

Step into The Magic Parlour, where the impossible becomes reality, right before your eyes—and sometimes in your own hands. ​Join award-winning magician Dennis Watkins as he delivers his signature blend of sharp sleight-of-hand, sophisticated mind-reading and personal storytelling to rekindle your sense of wonder. Now in year three at our cozy speakeasy theater, the premiere show offers brand new magic along with the return of Watkins' The Spirit Cabinet Halloween event, and some of the nation's greatest magicians as guest artists-in-residence. 

ABOUT THE GOODMAN

Since 1925, The Goodman has been a theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for Chicagoland, where bold stories spark connection, conversation and change. Now, as it enters its second century, The Goodman builds on that legacy with an eye toward the future. Under the leadership of Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater continues to champion new work—following hundreds of plays developed and a national reputation for commissioning and premiering original stories by living writers—while reimagining classics and produce large-scale musicals.

But The Goodman's reach today extends beyond its home in the heart of the Loop. From the intimate magic of The Magic Parlour, now in its third year, to the boundary-pushing world of Theater of the Mind—an immersive experience that blurs the lines between science, storytelling and sensation—and from citywide initiatives like 100 Free Acts of Theater to partnerships with artists and companies across Chicago and around the world, The Goodman is expanding what theater can be, and where it can live.

At its core, The Goodman is driven by a belief that a more empathetic, more connected city is built one story at a time. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime—from babies and young children to teens, adults and seniors—including Theater for the Very Young (ages 0–5) and the beloved annual A Christmas Carol, which has welcomed audiences for five decades. Education and Engagement programs, led by Clifford Director Jared Bellot and based in the Alice Rapoport Center, use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging—reaching thousands each year, the majority from underserved communities.

With nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman remains a defining force in American theater—and the first to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson's American Century Cycle. The theater also frequently serves as a production partner—from national and international companies to Chicago's Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify a wide range of theatrical voices.

Founded by William O. Goodman and his family in memory of playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, the theater carries forward a legacy of artistic ambition and civic generosity. With the help of Mr. Goodman's descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—that spirit continues to shape its future as The Goodman expands its impact across Chicago and beyond. Marsha Cruzan is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees; Diane Landgren is Women's Board President; and Kelli Garcia is president of the Scenemakers Board for Young Professionals.

The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.

Goodman Theatre announced today that its highly-anticipated presentation of Theater of the Mind, by Academy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist David Byrne (Broadway’s Here Lies Love with Fatboy Slim, American Utopia and the renowned group Talking Heads) with writer Mala Gaonkar, will make its Chicago debut March 11 – May 31, 2026 (opening night is March 25, 2026) at the Reid Murdoch Building, 333 N. LaSalle. Tickets ($66-$96, subject to change) will be available for sale starting Friday, November 7 at 10 am, at the Goodman Theatre Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), by calling 312.443.3800 or by purchasing online at TheaterOfTheMindChicago.com. The Goodman is grateful for the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Illinois Office of Tourism, Northern Trust, and Friedman Properties.

“The Goodman is thrilled to introduce Theater of the Mind to Chicago audiences and to showcase the singular creativity of David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar,” said Goodman Theatre Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth. “Our Centennial Season welcomes audiences to experience all of the ‘feels’ and Theater of the Mind engages all of the senses, making it a perfect addition to our landmark season. We hope for this production to be an ongoing attraction that sparks joy, conversation and community.”

A one-of-a-kind theatrical experience audiences will see, feel, taste, and hear, this intimate and immersive journey of how we perceive and create our worlds is inspired by both historical and current neuroscience research. Under Director Andrew Scoville and Technology Director Heidi Boisvert, PhD, Theater of the Mind is a 15,000-square-foot immersive experience taking just sixteen audience members at a time through a 75-minute journey of self-reflection, discovery, and imagination, inspired by and grounded in neuroscience.

"Mala and I have long been fascinated by the science behind these experiences; though reading about the phenomena involved is exciting, it’s quite something else to actually experience it,” said co-creator David Byrne. “It’s a different level of understanding, a different kind of knowledge—visceral, immediate, and profound. The film and theater adage ‘show, don’t tell’ became a guiding principle in discovering a way to include these experiences in an entertaining and engaging show. A show in which the audience makes many of the inferences for themselves, without being told by us what it means. For me, the broader implications that these phenomena have in our lives, our sense of the world, and our sense of self is key.”

“For a few years, David and I partnered with several cognitive neuroscience labs to see how some of the most basic human intuitions determine how humans react," said co-creator Mala Gaonkar. "What we concluded was that the experiments and ideas of the labs we partnered with, several of which we embedded in our narrative, seemed as engaging as any piece of theater. We began referring to this project as a ‘Neuro Funhouse,’ but as we worked on it, we came to realize that it was evolving to be something more than that. It has made us rethink some of our own beliefs and assumptions, to see ourselves and the world in a different way. We hope that it might have a similar effect on our audience—and think of science and theater in a new way."

Led by a Guide whose stories are inspired from the creators' lives, audiences will explore how they perceive the world through sensory experiments that reveal the inner mysteries of the brain. Casting for the multiple roles of the Guide will be announced after the new year.

Caution: the brain may wander! Side effects may include a distrust of your own senses, a disorientation of self, and a mild to severely good time. You may not be who you think you are. But we're all in it together.

Theater of the Mind had its World Premiere on August 31, 2022, at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Starting March 11, Theater of the Mind will be staged Tuesday evenings starting at 6 pm; Wednesday afternoons starting at 2 pm and evenings starting at 6 pm; Thursday evenings starting at 6 pm; Friday evenings starting at 5 pm; Saturday afternoons starting at noon and evenings at 6 pm; and Sunday afternoons starting at 12:30 pm. Performances begin every 15 minutes, and each includes 16 audience members. A complete schedule can be found at theaterofthemindchicago.com.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

David Byrne (Co-Creator) is a musician, performer, writer, and multidisciplinary artist whose creative ventures have captivated audiences since 1975, when he co-founded the renowned group Talking Heads. In addition to Theater of the Mind, recent works include Here Lies Love, a musical with music by Byrne and Fatboy Slim (2023), SOCIAL! at The Park Avenue Armory, the Broadway production of Byrne’s American Utopia (2019) as well as the Spike Lee-directed film version (2020), the launch of his Reasons to be Cheerful online magazine (2019), and the solo album American Utopia (2018). To date, Byrne has published five books including How Music Works (2012).

Mala Gaonkar (Co-Creator) has more than 20 years of experience investing behind technology trends. She was a founding partner of the investment management firm Lone Pine Capital in 1998. In 2022, Gaonkar launched her own firm, SurgoCap Partners, focused on the disruptive effects of technology within broad industry categories. Gaonkar’s focus is on multi-disciplinary thinking, including using the tools of data science, artificial intelligence, and behavioral science to solve problems.  She has embraced this approach both through her investing career as well as through Surgo Ventures, a foundation that she co-founded in 2015. Gaonkar is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Business School.

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

Andrew Scoville (Director), a native of west suburban Elmhurst, is a New York-based theater director specializing in immersive layouts, technological landscapes, and hybrid-genre theater-making with an emphasis on integrating science ideas into theatrical experiences. Credits include The Brobot Johnson Experience (Bushwick Starr, The New York Times Critics' Pick), Escape the Planet (NY Hall of Science commission with astronomer Moiya McTier),  People Doing Math podcast and, as Associate director: Here Lies Love (dir. Alex Timbers, Public Theater, National Theater UK, Seattle Rep), Sweeney Todd (dir Bill Buckhurst, Barrow Street Theater), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (dir Alex Timbers, Broadway).

Heidi Boisvert, PhD (Technology Director) is an interdisciplinary artist, experience designer, creative technologist, and researcher investigating the neurobiological and socio-cultural impacts of media and technology. Her work focuses on how the body, senses, and emotions influence perception and social change. She is currently mapping the world’s first media genome with careful attention to its ethical implications. She founded future Perfect lab, a creative agency and think tank that works with social justice organizations to design playful emerging media campaigns to transform the public imagination. She also co-founded XTH, a company developing novel forms of expression through biotechnology and the human body.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

As previously announced, Theater of the Mind makes its Midwest debut during The Goodman’s Centennial 25/26 Season. Since 1925, The Goodman has been a theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for community. It’s where stories come to life—bold in artistry and rich in history, deeply rooted in the city it serves. Led by Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, The Goodman sparks conversation, connection, and change through new plays, reimagined classics, and large-scale musicals. With distinctions including world and American premieres, Pulitzer Prizes, Tony Awards, and Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman is proud to be the first theater to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” But The Goodman believes a more empathetic, more connected Chicago is created one story at a time and counts as its greatest legacy the community it’s built. The Goodman was founded by William O. Goodman and his family to honor the memory of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman—a visionary playwright whose bold ideas helped shape Chicago’s early cultural renaissance. That spirit of creativity and generosity endures today.