When Goodman Theatre opened its doors in fall of 1925, its first audiences were treated to ground-breaking new plays; now, one hundred years later, Chicago audiences are first to experience two world-premiere productions that launch the theater’s milestone Centennial 2025/2026 Season. The season opener, Ashland Avenue, is a new play by Lee Kirk, directed by Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and featuring Jenna Fischer (The Office’s Pam Beesly), Francis Guinan (The Cherry Orchard), Will Allan (The Cherry Orchard), Cordelia Dewdney (Drury Lane’s Steel Magnolias) and Chiké Johnson (Toni Stone) in the 856-seat Albert Theatre. Next, the world-premiere punk/metal/hip-hop musical Revolution(s) by Zayd Ayers Dohrn (Horton Foote New American Play Prize winner) with music by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and The Nightwatchman), rocks the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III (Broadway’s Thoughts of a Colored Man). Chicago’s favorite holiday tradition returns for its 48th year: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, directed for the first time by BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley, starring Christopher Donahue as Ebenezer Scrooge for his second season. Auditions for young performer roles—including Tiny Tim—take place September 20. The full cast of Ashland Avenue appears below; casting for Revolution(s) and A Christmas Carol will be announced soon.
Tickets are now on sale for all three productions: Ashland Avenue (September 6 – October 5, $33-$148); Revolution(s) (October 4 – November 9, $33-$103); and A Christmas Carol (November 15 – December 31, $33-$172). Visit the Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), call 312.443.3800 or purchase online at GoodmanTheatre.org/Ashland, GoodmanTheatre.org/Revolutions or GoodmanTheatre.org/Carol.
The Goodman is grateful for the support of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Lead Corporate Sponsor for Ashland Avenue); Edgerton Foundation (New Play Award for Ashland Avenue); Abbott Fund and Winston & Strawn LLP (Corporate Sponsor Partners for Ashland Avenue); The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust (Lead Sponsor of IDEAA Programming for Revolution(s); and PNC (Major Corporate Sponsor for A Christmas Carol).
The Goodman’s Centennial 2025/2026 Season continues through summer 2026.
ABOUT ASHLAND AVENUE
Directed by Susan V. Booth
Book by Lee Kirk
September 6 – October 5 | Albert Theatre
$33-$148
GoodmanTheatre.org/Ashland
Pete’s TV and Video has served Chicagoland for 40+ years, its plucky owner famous for his legendary commercials and customer care. But it’s a new era, and Pete’s last store location is struggling while Sam—his daughter and family business heir apparent—has different dreams. Starring Chicago’s Francis Guinan (The Cherry Orchard) and Emmy Award-nominee Jenna Fischer (The Office), this hilarious and moving new play asks what happens when we step outside of our parents' footsteps to follow our heart?
CAST
Will Allan…Charlie
Cordelia Dewdney…Jess
Jenna Fischer…Sam
Francis Guinan…Pete
Chiké Johnson…Mike
Understudies for the production include Daniel Ajak (Mike), Adam Benjamin (Charlie), Maura Kidwell (Sam), Hannah Ruwe (Jess) and Don Tieri (Pete).
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Access for more information about The Goodman’s accessibility efforts.
ASL-Interpreted: September 26 at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Audio-Described: September 27 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:30pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset.
Spanish-Subtitled: September 27 at 7:30pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Open-Captioned: September 28 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
ABOUT REVOLUTION(S)
Book by Zayd Ayers Dohrn
Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
Music and Lyrics by Tom Morello
October 4 – November 9 | Owen Theatre
$33-$103
GoodmanTheatre.org/Revolutions
When soldier and aspiring musician Hampton Weems comes home from Afghanistan, he finds the South Side of Chicago is also occupied territory—and he’s accidentally joined the resistance. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Morello brings a ground-breaking new musical to our intimate Owen Theatre 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.
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Access for more information about The Goodman’s accessibility efforts.
ASL-Interpreted: October 24 at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Audio-Described: October 25 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:30pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset.
Spanish-Subtitled: October 25 at 7:30pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Open-Captioned: October 26 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
ABOUT A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Book by Charles Dickens
Directed by Malkia Stampley
Adapted by Tom Creamer
November 15 – December 31 | Albert Theatre
$33-$172
GoodmanTheatre.org/Carol
Rediscover a Dickens classic with an adaptation that “makes you believe kindness can win” (Chicago Tribune). Follow Ebenezer Scrooge, a businessman whose disdain for the holidays is transformed on Christmas Eve. Malkia Stampley directs for the first time, with Christopher Donahue returning as Scrooge after a “historical standout” performance in his 2024 debut (WGNRadio.com). Featuring a “first-rate cast and marvelous staging” (Chicago Sun-Times), this tale remains “the best Christmas story ever told” (Time Out Chicago).
Calling all Tiny Tim hopefuls! The Goodman will hold an open call casting event on September 20 to fill youth performer roles. Registration begins at 8:30am and ends at 10:30am sharp, with auditions from 9am-2pm. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org or email Casting@GoodmanTheatre.org for more information. Members of the media who wish to cover this event should email Press@GoodmanTheatre.org to coordinate.
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Access for more information about The Goodman’s accessibility efforts.
ASL-Interpreted: December 5 at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Audio-Described: December 6 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:30pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset.
Spanish-Subtitled: December 7 at 7pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Open-Captioned: December 7 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
Sensory-Friendly: December 28 at 2pm – Lights and sounds are softened; sensory items available.
ABOUT THE GOODMAN
Since 1925, The Goodman has been more than a stage. 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 nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman is proud to be the first theater to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” In addition, the theater frequently serves as a production partner—with national and international companies to Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify theatrical voices.
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. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime; from Theater for the Very Young (plays designed for ages 0-5) to the long-running annual A Christmas Carol, which has introduced new generations to theater over five decades, The Goodman is committed to being an asset for all of Chicago. Education and Engagement programs led by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot and housed in the Alice Rapoport Center use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging. Each year, these programs reach thousands of people (85% from underserved communities) as well as educators, artists and lifelong learners across the city.
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.
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. In 2000, through the commitment of Mr. Goodman’s descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—The Goodman opened the doors to its current home in the heart of the Loop.