Goodman Theatre rings in 100 years with an anniversary season packed with nods to its hometown and an assist from a pair of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. WTTW News sat down with artistic director Susan Booth.

The fall arts season is getting into gear. Consider a day trip to Plano to see a masterwork of modernity. Get an early taste of Lyric Opera’s season. Upend country music cliches. Visit an immersive exhibit about family and culture. When in doubt, you can always see a play. Your couch will still be there when you get back.

If you’re spending money at Lollapalooza, enjoy yourself and skip this week’s list. But if you plan to avoid the raucous caucus in Grant Park, please read on.

There are lots of celebrations on the horizon in Chicago — openings, closings, anniversaries, festivals — but’s it’s only a party if you show up. With a boatload of entertainment options out there, hop on board and grab a paddle.

A new drama from a Pulitzer Prize winner is now running at the Goodman Theatre, plus Irish dancing and hip hop-infused ballet.

Beat the January blahs with some blues — or a prize-winning play or an art show. In a few months when everyone is complaining about the heat, you’ll recall that time in the dead of winter when you bundled up and defied the season.

Eboni Booth’s deeply moving 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Primary Trust” is now receiving its Chicago premiere at the Goodman Theatre.

Secrets and lies hide in plain sight in “Highway Patrol,” a can’t-miss mystery at the Goodman Theatre, writes WTTW News reporter Marc Vitali. It tells a true story centered around a puzzle that seems easy enough to solve. As the mystery morphs and raises new questions, it makes for a riveting evening of storytelling.

Back in 1993, the musical version of “Tommy” won five Tony Awards. Now, that director is re-imaging the stage production at the Goodman Theatre with input from Pete Townshend.

“The Cherry Orchard,” Anton Chekhov’s masterful play, is about change — social, historical, financial and emotional. And change is of the essence at the Goodman Theatre too, with this production marking the retirement of artistic director Robert Falls.

The Goodman Theatre's “Toni Stone” tells the story of the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues.

"Swing State" is the 10th play by Rebecca Gilman to be staged at the Goodman Theatre in the past 25 years, and one of the last plays to be directed there by her long-time champion, Robert Falls, who is now working his way through his final season as the Goodman's artistic director.

When the COVID-19 lockdown hit in March 2020, Chicago’s artistic productions were abruptly placed on hold. Now more than two years later, theater companies are evaluating a path forward with an audience that has new expectations. 

Lynn Nottage’s most recent play, “Clyde’s — a nominee at last year’s Tony Awards that is now receiving a production at the Goodman Theatre — deals with a rarely explored but crucial issue. It’s the matter of the extreme difficulty faced by those who have been incarcerated and who, upon release, find it all but impossible to find a job.

A combination of admiration, disillusionment, guilt and pain drives “Life After,” the musical with a book, music and lyrics by the young Canadian-bred Britta Johnson. The 90-minute show is now running at the Goodman Theatre.

A new show at the Goodman Theatre is exploring what the Victorian era was like for Black Americans.