Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre (Chicago). Founded in 1925 with a memorial gift from the family of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, who had been active in little theatre movements and had written some plays before being killed in World War I, the 683‐seat theatre was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw and built alongside the Art Institute of Chicago on Lake Shore Drive, where city ordinances relating to height forced it to be placed underground. The house opened in 1925 with the first American performance of Galsworthy's The Forest, and its resident company continued to mount original plays and classics until it was forced to disband temporarily in 1930 because of the Depression. It served as a drama school before it was reactivated in 1969. Under the direction of Gregory Mosher and then Robert Falls, the company became nationally known for premiering such works as Glengarry Glen Ross and Hurlyburly and presenting sterling revivals, some of which transferred to Broadway with success, such as the 1999 mounting of Death of a Salesman. It has continued to mount a responsible repertory in both the original auditorium and its smaller, more experimental Stage 2. The school was dissociated from the organization in 1978 and was moved to DePaul University, and today the Goodman operates independently from the Art Institute. Most recently it has become a favorite tryout theatre for New York–bound productions, such as Hollywood Arms (2002) and Bounce (2003). In 1992 the Goodman won the regional theatre Tony Award.