REVIEW: The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview Now Playing at Trap Door Theatre Through April 25, 2026

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Trap Door Theatre Presents

The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview

Written by Stanisław I. Witkiewicz

Translated by Daniel Gerould

Directed by Nicole Wiesner

March 19–April 25, 2026

Run time: 1 hour and 20 minutes without an intermission. 

Tickets are $32 with two-for-one admission on Thursdays.

GUEST REVIEW

By Barbara Belcore

I walked into The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview at Trap Door Theater with no real sense of what I was about to see, and left a genuine fan. It is strange in a way that feels intentional rather than indulgent, fully committing to its own offbeat logic from the very beginning. Even before the play officially began, the actors were already on stage as the audience took their seats, moving slowly and deliberately, setting a tone that felt deeply ominous.

David Lovejoy (King Hyrcan IV) and Nicole Wiesner (Paweł Rockoffer). Credit for all production photos: Michal Janicki.

The production opens in a darker, more controlled space, but somewhere midway through it loosens its grip and transforms into something closer to an absurd fever dream. That shift could easily lose an audience, but here it has the opposite effect. The room stayed engaged, alive with reaction. There were gasps, giggles, and those involuntary sounds of agreement when something lands a little too well. It felt communal in a way that’s hard to manufacture, helped along by brief breaks of the fourth wall that ground the performance in flashes of real world context. In one moment, audience members are pulled in to serve bit parts, adding to the unpredictability and personal relevance of the experience.

At its core, the play explores the internal conflict of an artist being pulled to belong while still struggling to maintain control and individuality. That tension unfolds through a world where art, religion, philosophy, and identity are all pulled into orbit around a loud, self-proclaimed king of an imaginary kingdom. The metaphor is elastic enough to be interpreted in multiple ways, but grounded enough to keep you from drifting too far.

Keith Surney (Statue of Alice d’Or) and Nicole Wiesner (Paweł Rockoffer). 

What makes it work is the cast’s complete commitment. They lean fully into the absurdity without ever winking at it, which gives the production its weight. It is not always clean or straightforward, but it is compelling throughout. If you’re willing to meet it where it is, it becomes a genuinely memorable experience. This is the kind of theater that stays with you long after you leave your seat. Highly recommended. ★★★★ Four out of four stars.

Barbara is a Chicago-area home birth midwife, maker, theater enthusiast, avid reader, and mom of two quirky, creative teens. She is currently snuggling three cats who are perpetually convinced that they have never been fed. 

David Lovejoy (King Hyrcan IV) and Emily Lotspeich (Pope Julius II). 

Trap Door Theatre is thrilled to continue its mainstage work of their 32nd season with a production of Trap Door’s favorite playwright Stanislaw Witkiewicz’s The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview, directed by Nicole Wiesner. The Cuttlefish will play March 19 – April 25, 2026 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W Cortland St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at trapdoortheatre.com or by calling (773)-384-0494. 

The cast includes Venice Averyheart, Emily Lotspeich, David Lovejoy, Keith Surney, Gus Thomas, and Nicole Wiesner.

Part philosophical farce, part surreal fever dream—Witkiewicz’s The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview is a razor-sharp satire of art under pressure. In a world where creativity is consumed by control and individuality is crushed beneath the weight of conformity, an artist spirals into crisis—torn between integrity and survival, freedom and obedience. Witkiewicz exposes the seductive dance between artist and authority, where every act of creation risks becoming an act of submission. Decades ahead of its time, this anarchic comedy lays bare the modern artist’s impossible choice: stay true to your vision, or surrender it for comfort and applause.

The production team includes Merje Veski (Scenic Design), Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Design), Richard Norwood (Lighting Design), Danny Rockett (Sound Design), Kasia Olechno (Stage Manager), Zsofia Otvos (Make Up Design), Dan Cobbler (Assistant Director), Milan Pribisic (Dramaturg), Michal Janicki (Graphic Design), and Dan Cobbler, Juliet Kang Huneke, Mitchell Jackson, and Gracie Wallace (Understudies).

Location: Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St. Chicago, IL 60622

Dates: Regular Run: Thursday, March 19th –Saturday, April 25th, 2026Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, and Sundays 4/12 and 4/19 at 3PM.

Tickets: $32 with 2-for-1 admission on Thursdays. Tickets are currently available at https://our.show/the-cuttlefish or by calling (773) 384-0494. Group tickets: Special group rates are available. For information, call (773) 384-0494 or email boxofficetrapdoor@gmail.com.

Plan your visit:

Free street parking is available.

Buses: #9 (Ashland), #50 (Damen), #72 (North), #73 (Armitage).

Metra: Clybourn metra stop.

Accessibility:

Trap Door Theatre is wheelchair accessible.

About the Artists

Stanislaw I. Witkiewicz (1885-1939) is one the most brilliant figures of the European avant-garde. Witkiewicz was a poet, painter, playwright, an expert on drugs, an early spokesman for a radically non-realistic theatre and an original philosopher and social critic of mass culture, post-industrial society, and the rise of totalitarianism. He was also a pioneer in serious experimentation with narcotics and prophetically recognized the growing importance that they would have on Western civilization. Witkiewicz committed suicide shortly after the outbreak of War in September of 1939. He is best knownfor his plays The Madman and the Nun, The Mother, The Water Hen, The Anonymous Work, and The Shoemakers.

Nicole Wiesner (she/her) joined the Trap ensemble in 1999, and currently serves as the Managing Director. Directing credits for the company: Minna, The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, Phedre, Monsieur D’eon is a Woman, The Old Woman Broods, The White Plague, Decomposed Theatre Episode 5, The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey, Joan and the Fire, Nana, and The Mannequins’ Ball. Some of her favorite Trap acting credits include First Ladies (dir. Zeljko Djukic, Joseph Jefferson Citation: Outstanding Actress); OVERWEIGHT, unimportant: MISSHAPE (dir. Yasen Peyankov); and the title roles in The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant; Nana (dir. Beata Pilch) and Alice in Bed. (Director Dado). Regionally, she has appeared at the Goodman Theatre in 2666, directed by Robert Falls and Seth Bockley; Shining City directed by Robert Falls; and Passion Play, directed by Mark Wing-Davy (After Dark Award, Outstanding Performance). Other credits include Shining City at the Huntington Theatre in Boston; Passion Play at Yale Repertory Theatre and Epic Theatre NYC; The Book Thief (dir. Hallie Gordon), South of Settling (dir. Adam Goldstein) and Dublin Carol (Dir. Amy Morton) at Steppenwolf Theatre; Dying City (dir. Jason Loewith) at Next Theatre, Great Men of Science (dir. Tracy Letts) at Lookingglass Theatre; and Phedre (dir. JoAnn Akalitis) at The Court Theater.

About Trap Door Theatre

Founded in 1994 by Artistic Director Beata Pilch, Trap Door Theatre is dedicated to seeking out challenging, obscure, and culturally significant works rooted in political outcry that address timeless and borderless existential themes. Our mission is to provide a platform for voices that confront and question social norms, inspire dialogue, and foster understanding across diverse cultures and perspectives. Through bold, imaginative productions, we strive to push artistic boundaries and create transformative experiences for our audiences. We are committed to serving as a cultural hub for our community, supporting artists through equitable practices, and engaging audiences with works that illuminate the human condition in innovative and thought-provoking ways.

Trap Door Theatre is funded in part by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Bayless Family Foundation, a CityArts Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The John R Halligan Charitable Fund, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, The Reva and David Logan Foundation, and the generosity of individuals like you.

For additional information, visit trapdoortheatre.com 

Gus Thomas (Ella) and Venice Averyheart (Mother I/II and Foley Artist). 

Lyric Opera of Chicago Presents El último sueño de Frida y Diego March 21 – April 4, 2026

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar: 

When art transcends death: What you need to know about 

El último sueño de Frida y Diego

the new Spanish-language opera at Lyric

Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz’s rapturous opera brings Frida Kahlo’s art and world to vivid operatic life, March 21 – April 4, 2026

Language: Sung in Spanish, with easy-to-follow projected English titles above the stage.
Running time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), on stage March 21 – April 4, 2026. This new opera poses an impossible question: How would you spend a single day reunited with lost love? On the Day of the Dead, three years after her death, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo crosses over from the underworld for 24 fleeting hours with husband and artist Diego Rivera. What unfolds is a dreamlike journey through memory, passion, and everything they created together — both on canvas and in life.

I'll be there this Saturday for opening night, reviewing for ChiIL Live Shows. Check back soon for my full review. We've long adored Frida Kahlo's art and have seen several other iterations of her life and relationship with Diego Rivera on stage. We're excited to see Lyric's operatic take on this iconic couple.  

Following its critically praised 2022 world premiere in San Diego, this opera, steeped in magical realism, arrives as the second full-length Spanish-language opera presented by Lyric, following Daniel Catán and Marcela Fuentes-Berain’s Florencia en el Amazonas in the 2021/22 Season. With vivid colors, music inspired by Mexican folk traditions, and staging that transforms the Lyric Opera House into a portal between worlds, this production brings Frida Kahlo’s artistic vision to theatrical life. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack stars as Frida in her return to Lyric, joined by baritone Alfredo Daza in his Lyric debut as Diego, soprano Ana María Martínez as Catrina, and countertenor Key’mon W. Murrah in his Lyric debut as Leonardo. Director Lorena Maza and conductor Roberto Kalb, both in their Lyric debuts, lead a creative team that honors the Mexican culture and artistry at the opera’s heart.

A love story that transcends death. El último sueño de Frida y Diego unfolds in 1957, three years after Frida Kahlo’s death. Diego Rivera, aging and consumed by grief, longs for one final moment with Frida. In Mictlán, the Aztec underworld, Frida has found peace, free from the physical pain and heartbreak that defined her earthly life. But Catrina, Keeper of the Dead, insists she must accompany Diego as he nears the end of his life, while Leonardo, the spirit of a young actor, urges her to return — not just for Diego, but for herself and her art.

Frida agrees to return for 24 hours with one unbreakable rule: she cannot touch the living. Her reunion with Diego unfolds in magical realism as the two artists wander through Alameda Park and Casa Azul, rediscovering joy and trying to heal old wounds, both physical and emotional. When Frida breaks the rule and touches Diego, the memories of pain and trauma come flooding back. Yet even in suffering, she finds clarity: Art is the only way to outlive death.

Authors who capture the soul of the story. The creative partnership between composer Gabriela Lena Frank and librettist Nilo Cruz brings extraordinary credentials and deep cultural understanding to El último sueño de Frida y Diego. Their opera functions as both an intimate character study and a vibrant celebration of Mexican artistic heritage while speaking to universal themes of love, loss, and artistic legacy.

Grammy Award-winning composer Gabriela Lena Frank, recently named Musical America’s 2026 Composer of the Year, is one of America’s most celebrated living composers, known for music that explores her multicultural heritage — Peruvian, Chinese, Lithuanian, and Jewish — with particular focus on Latin American musical traditions. Born with high-moderate/near-profound hearing loss, Frank has become a powerful voice for disability representation in classical music, demonstrating that composers can create extraordinary work through different ways of experiencing sound. Frank has received numerous honors including the Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition; the 2020 Heinz Award recognizing her for breaking gender, disability, and cultural barriers in classical music; a Guggenheim Fellowship; and commissions from major orchestras and opera companies worldwide. Her music weaves together orchestral colors with rhythms and melodies inspired by Mexican folk music, capturing the surrealist beauty of Frida’s visual art while honoring the emotional depth of her lived experience.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz created the libretto, bringing his gift for poetic, emotionally resonant language to Frida and Diego’s story. His Spanish text moves fluidly between the real and the imagined, the painful and the joyful, giving voice to Frida’s fierce independence, her artistic vision, and her complex relationship with Diego — a love marked by both deep devotion and profound betrayal. In 2003, Cruz became the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Anna in the Tropics. His work is known for its lyrical beauty, its exploration of Latin American and Cuban-American experience, and its ability to find magic in everyday moments. Cruz previously collaborated with Lyric and composer Jimmy López in the 2015/16 Season for the world premiere of Bel Canto, based on the Ann Patchett novel.

A singing actress who embodies Frida’s fire and fragility. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack returns to Lyric to star as Frida Kahlo, bringing to the role her acclaimed artistry and commanding stage presence. Mack recently appeared at Lyric as Angela in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s The Listeners in the 2024/25 Season, earning praise for her dramatic intensity and vocal beauty. Her international career includes performances at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and major European houses. Known for her ability to inhabit complex, unconventional characters, Mack possesses both the rich, warm timbre ideal for Frank’s melodic writing and the dramatic fire needed to capture Frida’s indomitable spirit. Stephanie Sanchezsings the role of Frida on Wednesday, April 1.

A cast that brings passion and artistry to every role. Colombian baritone Alfredo Daza makes his Lyric debut as Diego Rivera, the legendary muralist whose tumultuous marriage to Frida forms the opera’s emotional core. Daza has performed at major opera houses throughout Latin America, Europe, and the United States, earning particular acclaim for his portrayals of complex, larger-than-life characters. His rich baritone and powerful stage presence make him ideal for Diego, whose outsized personality and artistic genius were matched only by his capacity for passionate and perilous living.

Puerto Rican soprano Ana María Martínez, on stage at Lyric this winter as Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, sings the role of Catrina, the skeletal Keeper of the Dead who bridges the worlds of the living and the departed. Martínez last appeared at Lyric in the title role of Florencia en el Amazonas in the 2021/22 Season. Her luminous soprano and elegant stage presence have made her one of the leading interpreters of Latin American opera, with performances at the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, and internationally. As Catrina, Martínez brings both authority and compassion to this figure drawn from Mexican Day of the Dead traditions.

Rising-star countertenor Key’mon W. Murrah makes his Lyric debut as Leonardo, the spirit who encourages Frida to return to the living world. Winner of Washington National Opera’s Marian Anderson Award in 2024, Murrah’s burgeoning career includes performances at major American opera companies, where his distinctive countertenor voice and natural charisma have earned critical praise. His portrayal of Leonardo provides a crucial voice urging Frida toward life and art, even as she resists.

The production also features Ensemble members from Lyric’s acclaimed artist-development program, The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, including tenor Finn Sagal as 1st Villager, tenor Daniel Luis Espinal as 2nd Villager & A Young Man, bass-baritone Benjamin R. Sokol as 3rd Villager, soprano Adia Evansas 1st Frida Image, mezzo-soprano Alexis Peart as 2nd Frida Image, and mezzo-soprano Camille Robles as 3rd Frida Image. Mezzo-soprano Corinne Wallace-Crane sings the role of Guadalupe Ponti.

A conductor who honors the music’s cultural roots. Mexican-born conductor Roberto Kalb makes his Lyric debut leading El último sueño de Frida y Diego, bringing a deep understanding of both Latin American musical traditions and contemporary opera. He conducted the opera's world premiere at San Diego Opera and subsequent performances at San Francisco Opera. Music Director of Detroit Opera since 2022, Kalb has built an international career conducting orchestras and opera companies throughout the Americas and Europe. He has particular expertise in contemporary repertoire and works that incorporate folk music traditions into classical forms. His leadership ensures that Frank’s score receives performances that honor both its Mexican folk inspirations and its sophisticated orchestral writing. Under Kalb’s baton, the Lyric Opera Orchestra becomes an essential character in the storytelling, painting Frida’s emotional journey through sound. Chorus Director Michael Black leads the 44 members of the Lyric Opera Chorus.

A director who brings Frida’s visual world to life. Director Lorena Maza makes her Lyric debut with El último sueño de Frida y Diego, bringing her distinctive theatrical vision to this production. A native of Mexico, Maza brings cultural authenticity and deep understanding of the artistic traditions that shaped both Frida and Diego’s work. Her direction emphasizes the opera’s magical realism, creating a production where the boundaries between life and death, memory and reality, past and present, all dissolve into dreamlike theatrical poetry. Maza’s staging honors the surrealist touches that made Frida’s paintings so distinctive while ensuring the emotional truth of the story remains central.

A production that dazzles the eye. The creative team includes set designer Jorge Ballina in his Lyric debut, whose designs evoke both the vivid colors of Frida’s paintings and the liminal space between worlds; costume designer Eloise Kazan in her Lyric debut, whose creations honor Mexican traditional dress and incorporate surrealist elements; lighting designer Victor Zapatero in his Lyric debut; and choreographer August Tye, a longtime Lyric collaborator who has participated in more than three dozen productions. Together, they create a visual experience as rapturous as Frida’s own canvases — a production where endlessly blooming marigolds, skeletal Catrinas, and the jewel-toned walls of Casa Azul transport audiences into Frida’s artistic vision.

When art becomes the bridge between worlds. Beyond its story of love and loss, El último sueño de Frida y Diego is a celebration of Mexican culture and the Day of the Dead traditions that honor the continuing connection between the living and those who have passed. Like the candlelit ofrendas offered on Día de Muertos, this opera doesn’t simply portray two artists’ fantastical reunion but honors the rituals of remembrance that keep memory and love alive. Frank’s sweeping music and Cruz’s poetic libretto create an operatic experience as emotionally rich as the lives that inspired it — a work that affirms art’s power to transcend death and keep our most important connections alive forever.

Performance Dates: Six chances to see El último sueño de Frida y Diego:

Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Pre-performance talks: Ticketholders are invited to a free pre-opera talk on El último sueño de Frida y Diego's composition history and cultural context; the talks begin one hour before each performance in the theater’s Steiner Parquet (the main floor).

Accessibility: Audio description, a guided touch tour of the set, and SoundShirts are available at the Sunday, March 29 matinee performance. Braille and large-print programs, high-powered opera glasses, assistive listening devices, and booster seats are available from the theater’s Steiner Parquet coat checks at all performances. For more information on these and other accessibility assets, visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.

Production history: A co-production of San Diego Opera (world premiere, 2022) and San Francisco Opera.

Location: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois.

For more information and tickets, visit lyricopera.org/frida or call 312.827.5600.

Lyric’s 2025/26 Season is presented by the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.

Lyric’s presentation of Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego is generously made possible by the Zell Family Foundation, the Pritzker Foundation, and Ethel Gofen.

Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, United Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.

About Lyric
Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists — magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.

Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.

Join us @LyricOpera on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Facebook. #LongLivePassion

For more information, visit lyricopera.org.

ICEBOY! Premieres at Goodman Theatre JUNE 20 – JULY 26, 2026

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

NICK OFFERMAN SET TO JOIN MEGAN MULLALLY 

FOR THE MUSICAL EVENT OF THE SUMMER: 

ICEBOY! 

OR THE COMPLETELY UNTRUE STORY OF HOW EUGENE O’NEILL CAME TO WRITE THE ICEMAN COMETH

**WITH MUSIC BY MARK HOLLMAN, LYRICS BY HOLLMAN AND JAY REISS, BOOK BY ERIN QUINN PURCELL AND REISS, DIRECTED BY MARC BRUNI**

***TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 20 AT 10AM*** 

The new musical that will melt your heart just got even hotter! Emmy Award-winning actor Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) returns to his hometown this summer to join his wife, Emmy Award winner Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), for Iceboy! Or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write The Iceman Cometh. With music by Mark Hollman, lyrics by Mark Hollman and Jay Reissand book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Jay Reiss, the Tony Award-winning creators behind Urinetown (Hollmann, with Greg Kotis) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Reiss, with Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn) premiere their newest musical in The Goodman’s Centennial Season, directed by Marc Bruni (Broadway’s The Great Gatsby and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical). 

Individual tickets ($44 – $164) go on sale Friday, March 20 at 10am for Iceboy! Or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write The Iceman Cometh, which appears in the 856-seat Albert Theatre June 20 – July 26, 2026* (opening night is June 29); call 312.443.3800 or GoodmanTheatre.org/Iceboy. *NOTE: The production dates for Iceboy! have shifted due to scheduling. Goodman Members or groups holding tickets will be contacted to make arrangements.

“We are thoroughly excited to bring the heat of our marriage back to Chicago, the city where we both cut our theatrical teeth many years ago. Although we were hoping to mount a Tennessee Williams title, city officials reminded us that Chicago has developed an historical aversion to catching on fire and so we have agreed to this considerably less spicy but hilarious new musical called Iceboy!,” said Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman in a joint statement. “Everybody knows this is the best theater town in the country, and the prospect of working together at the venerated Goodman Theatre, which was so important to both of our early careers—especially during its Centennial Season—is just a very special full-circle moment, but within the bounds of the fire code."

Broadway’s brightest star of 1938, Vera Vimm (Megan Mullally), is at the top of her game. But when she adopts a 40,000-year-old Neanderthal discovered frozen in the Arctic, the spotlight begins to shift. As Iceboy thaws, he unexpectedly becomes a theatrical sensation, inspiring the “father of the American drama” Eugene O’Neill (Nick Offerman) and challenging his legendary mother for center stage. It’s All About Eve...if only Eve was a caveman. Complete cast and creative team will be announced soon.

“If you're really lucky, a musical comes your way that makes you breathless with laughter as it captures your heart. And the only thing better than concluding our Centennial Season on a literal high note, is the opportunity to welcome home two virtuoso actors, both of whom have deep Chicago roots,” said Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth. “Megan and Nick together on our stage is nothing short of a dream come true. We can’t wait to begin collaborating with them and the phenomenal Iceboy! creators to make something wholly new and special for our city this summer.”

The Goodman is grateful for the support of Edgerton Foundation (New Play Award), Mayer Brown (Lead Corporate Sponsor) and Athletico (Physical Therapy Provider).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Megan Mullally (Vera Vimm) created the role of Karen Walker on Will & Grace, a role for which she went on to win two Emmys and four SAG awards. On Broadway, she has starred in How to Succeed in Business, Young Frankenstein, and Grease, in addition to Guys and Dolls at Carnegie Hall, opposite Nathan Lane. On-screen credits include Chasing Summer, Dicks: The Musical, The Righteous Gemstones, Party Down, Reservation Dogs, Bobs’s Burgers, Childrens Hospital, Parks and Recreation, and the upcoming film Goodbye Girl. She tours worldwide with her band Nancy And Beth as creator, lead singer and choreographer.

Nick Offerman (Eugene O’Neill) is an actor, author, humorist and woodworker whose credits include the Emmy award-winning role of Bill in The Last of Us (HBO), Ron Swanson on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Forest in Devs (FX), and Jinx in Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple). Stage credits include the role of Ignatius J. Reilly in A Confederacy of Dunces at the Huntington Theatre, Ulysses in Sharr White’s Annapurna, opposite Megan Mullally as Emma at The Odyssey/Evidence Room in LA and The New Group Off-Broadway, Adding Machine at The Minetta Lane (Off-Broadway) and many Chicago credits at Defiant Theatre (Founding Member), Steppenwolf, A Red Orchid, Wisdom Bridge, Chicago Shakespeare and, of course, his 1994 Goodman debut as The Keeper/Fight Captain in Richard II. Recent screen projects include Death by Lightning (Netflix), Sovereign, Voicemails For Isabel (Netflix), Civil War (written and directed by Alex Garland), The Pout Pout Fish, Origin (written and directed by Ava DuVernay), Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Fargo (FX), Smurfs, The Umbrella Academy (Netflix), and NBC’s Making It (co-host and executive producer). He is the voice of Beef Tobin in the FOX animated series The Great North and audiobook narrator for Wendell Berry’s latest, The Need to Be Whole.

Mark Hollmann (Music and Lyrics) won the Tony Award®, the Obie Award, and the National Broadway Theatre Award for his music and lyrics to Urinetown The Musical, which went from the 1999 New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) to receive 10 Tony Award® nominations and 11 Drama Desk Award nominations and win the Outer Critics Circle, the Drama League and the Lucille Lortel Awards for best musical. His other shows as composer/lyricist include The Sting (Paper Mill Playhouse), ZM (Village Theatre Beta Series), Yeast Nation (FringeNYC), Bigfoot and Other Lost Souls (Perseverance Theatre), and The Girl, The Grouch and The Goat (University of Kansas Theatre and Chance Theatre). For TV, he has written songs for the Disney Channel’s Johnny and the Sprites. He received his A.B. in music from the University of Chicago, where he won the Louis J. Sudler Award in the Performing and Creative Arts. He has taught at Princeton University, Columbia College Chicago and the Dramatists Guild Institute. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Dramatists Guild of America, and has served on the council of the Dramatists Guild as well as on the Tony Award® Nominating Committee.

Jay Reiss (Book and Lyrics) is one of the creators of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which won two Tony awards, and made his Broadway acting debut as the Bee’s word pronouncer, Vice Principal Douglas Panch. He co-wrote the screenplay for The Oranges, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and starred Hugh Laurie, Allison Janney, Oliver Platt and Catherine Keener. He wrote the documentary New Wave: Dare To Be Different, about legendary NY radio Station WLIR. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and later on Showtime. Reiss is a graduate of The Juilliard School’s playwriting program.

Native Illinoisan Erin Quinn Purcell (Book) has been a mainstay in New York’s downtown theater scene for more than 30 years. She was one of the founding members of the critically acclaimed adobe theatre company, and participated as an actor, writer and/or director in countless productions. Writing credits include Duet! A Romantic Fable (Broadway Play Publishing) The Fiona Apple Kwanzaa Explosion (PSNBC) the musical A Fish Story (Jonathan Larson Foundation award) and the Russ Meyer inspired Go-Go Kitty, Go! (Outstanding Play, 2005 New York Fringe Festival).

Marc Bruni (Director) helmed The Great Gatsby (Broadway, West End, Korea) as well as the Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Broadway, West End, US and UK Tours, and in Australia- Helpmann Award Best Director). Other credits include Billie Jean (Chicago Shakes), The Sound of Music (Chicago Lyric), Bull Durham (Paper Mill), A Little Night Music (Geffen Hall), Trevor: The Musical (Stage 42, Disney+), Bye Bye Birdie, Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, How to Succeed in Business..., 50 Years of Broadway (Kennedy Center), and Hey, Look Me Over!, Paint Your Wagon, Pipe Dream and Fanny (City Center Encores!), Tale of Despereaux (Old Globe, Berkeley), Love All (La Jolla), The Explorers Club (MTC), Ordinary Days (Roundabout), 9 shows for the St. Louis MUNY.


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.

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.