Chicago Dramatists serves the American theatre community not only by nurturing playwrights and their plays but by facilitating the entire playwriting process. Part of that mission involves helping to form significant interconnections between playwrights, experienced dramaturgs, directors, producers, and teachers—thereby providing playwrights and theatres with tools and opportunities to discover and develop their shared artistic visions.

As part of this mission, we are proud to begin an ongoing partnership with the Goodman Theatre in 2011-12 to help provide critical new-play development support for the Goodman Playwrights' Unit—a season-long residency program designed to nurture Chicago's most promising playwrights. Each writer in the Playwrights' Unit will develop a new play over the course of his/her residency, and the development will culminate in a final reading of the work at the Goodman in spring of 2012.

The Playwrights' Unit is part of the Goodman's ongoing initiatives to commission and develop new plays. It is an ambitious program that has resulted in such plays as the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner Ruined by Lynn Nottage, Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl, and Mary by Thomas Bradshaw—as well as the annual New Stages Series. In the partnership, Chicago Dramatists will:

• Provide assistance and consultation on the selection of the writers invited to join the Playwrights' Unit
• Host a mid-commission reading of each work during its development
• Work with the Goodman artistic staff to offer the playwrights a menu of new play development services, including readings, special programs, and dramaturgical support.

We will also partner with the Goodman artistic staff on future collaborative projects, including a long-term project to develop an online companion tool that focuses on the development of playwrights and new plays. The Goodman and Chicago Dramatists will work together to assess and enhance tools that help theatres of all sizes  communicate effectively online with artists and students involved in their new-play development programs. This project has the potential to assist a variety of artists to better develop, market, and advocate their work, and to provide producers and theatres with greater access to a wider range of potential artists.

For more information about this exciting new partnership, contact Chicago Dramatists Managing Director Brian Loevner.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Goodman Theatre is Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for-profit theater and has won international renown for the quality of its productions, the depth and diversity of its artistic leadership, and the excellence of its many community and educational programs. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the Goodman is committed to producing both classic and contemporary works, giving full voice to a wide range of artists and visions. Central to that mission is the Goodman Artistic Collective, a diverse group of outstanding theater artists whose distinctive visions have given the Goodman an artistic identity of uncommon richness and variety. By dedicating itself to three guiding principles—quality, diversity, and community—Goodman Theatre seeks to be the premier cultural organization in Chicago, providing productions and programs that make an essential contribution to the quality of life in our city.