TONY AND GRAMMY AWARD-WINNER LESLIE ODOM, JR.
TO HEADLINE GOODMAN THEATRE’S CENTENNIAL GALA
CO-CHAIRED BY JILL JAVORS, SWATI MEHTA, JACKIE ROBINSON AND LEADERSHIP CHAIR JOAN E. CLIFFORD, AT THE FAIRMONT CHICAGO ON SATURDAY, MAY 17
**PROCEEDS BENEFIT EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING “THEATER FOR THE VERY YOUNG” (THE LIZARD Y EL SOL, THRU FEB. 2); A MODERNIZING SHAKESPEARE WORKSHOP FOR TEENS (FEB. 15); THE “ALICE ACTIVATION” SERIES; AND MORE**
Goodman Theatre announces that Tony and Grammy Award-winning performer Leslie Odom, Jr., known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton, will headline the Goodman Theatre Centennial Gala, performing a set of favorites from his wide-ranging and critically acclaimed stage and recording career. Celebrating 100 years, the black-tie event begins with a cocktail reception, followed by the performance and an elegant three-course dinner, and concludes with dancing to the sounds of The Gentlemen of Leisure. Gala Co-Chairs are Jill Javors, Swati Mehta and Jackie Robinson; Lester N. Coney and David Fox, Jr. are Gala Trustee Co-Chairs; the Benefits Events Leadership Chair is Joan E. Clifford, Board of Trustees Past Chair and Life Trustee.The 2025 Goodman Theatre Centennial Gala starring Leslie Odom, Jr., takes place on Saturday, May 17 at The Fairmont Chicago (200 N. Columbus); tickets start at $1,000; call 312.443.3811 ext. 220 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org. All proceeds benefit Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust.
Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted Tony and Grammy Award-winning, three-time Emmy and two-time Academy Award-nominated vocalist, songwriter, actor, and New York Times bestselling author. With a career that spans all performance genres, Odom has received recognition for his excellence and achievements in Broadway, television, film, and music. Most recently, Odom made his long-awaited return to Broadway starring in, and co-producing, the six-time Tony-nominated Broadway production of the classic American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by the legendary Ossie Davis, which opened in September 2023 to widespread critical acclaim and earned Odom a Tony nomination for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.” In January 2024, PBS recorded the play live at the Music Box Theatre, and Great Performances: Purlie Victorious premiered on PBS stations nationally on May 24. Additionally, Odom recently starred in the highly anticipated sequel to the original iconic film The Exorcist for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures in October 2023, as well as in Rian Johnson’s 2022 Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which broke records for Netflix. In 2020, he starred as legendary singer Sam Cooke in the award-winning Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami…, directed by Regina King. His critically acclaimed and highly lauded portrayal of the soul icon and musical performance of original song “Speak Now” earned him multiple awards and nominations. He also starred in The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase’s award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, released in October 2021. Well known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom hosted “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!” on CBS in September 2021 (2022 Emmy nomination). Additional film and television credits include Apple TV+’s Central Park (2020 Emmy nomination), Hamilton on Disney+ (2021 Emmy nomination), Abbott Elementary, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Love in the Time of Corona, Harriet, and many more. Co-written with Nicolette Robinson, Odom’s first children’s book, I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know, was published by Feiwel & Friends on March 28, 2023. The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at #7 in its first week. Odom is a BMG recording artist and has released five full-length albums. Released in November 2023, Odom’s fifth full-length album and his first of all-new original music since 2019, When A Crooner Dies, features a collection of 10 newly penned, original tracks that mark his most personal body of music to date.
Proceeds from this major fundraiser benefit Goodman Theatre’s Education and Engagement programming, led by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot and offered year-round for participants from birth through life. Upcoming opportunities for audiences to engage at the Goodman beyond the stage include:
· The Lizard Y El Sol (appears through February 2) After drawing more than 2,800 to Chicago Parks this summer, the family-friendly musical event returns to the Loop. This 60-minute play about a lizard in search of the sun is the Goodman’s second “Theater for the Very Young” production, programming developed for audiences aged 0-5 and their adult friends and family. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Lizard
· All The World’s A Stage: Finding Your Voice in Shakespeare (February 15; FREE) Chicagoland teens join Fat Ham director and founding Artistic Director of Definition Theatre Tyrone Phillips for an immersive exploration of what it means to perform Shakespeare and classical texts in the modern day. Participants learn how to make Shakespeare’s words their own and discover their unique voice within the story.
· Alice ACTivation Series (8-week classes offered twice a year) Lifelong learners can experience a series of curated workshop intensives at the Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement. Participants can unlock their creative potential and experience the transformative power of theater through art. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Activation
ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades.
The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.
Using the tools of theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
Goodman Theatre was built on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten and remains home to many Native peoples today. The Goodman is proud to have a relationship with Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum. Located in Evanston, the Museum honors the survival and perseverance of Indigenous communities and promotes a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples: gichigamiin-museum.org.
Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.
Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.
