I ‘ve been looking over the list of plays presented by Goodman Theatre’s New Stages initiative since its inception ten years ago. Pretty impressive. The roughly annual festival offers staged readings and—since 2011—workshop productions of new work by interesting playwrights, and some of the free performances have that retrospective shoulda-been-there mystique theatergoers both love and dread. Just for example: the 2005 New Stages featured an early look at Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated first third of a trilogy by Quiara Alegría Hudes (who went on to win a Pulitzer for the next third, Water by the Spoonful); 2006 saw The Brothers Size from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s great “The Brother/Sister Plays“; and the 2007 edition gave us Lynn Nottage’s devastating (and, yes, Pulitzer-winning) Ruined.
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12/7-12/22: Tue-Sun, various times Goodman Theatre 170 N. Dearborn 312-443-3800goodmantheatre.org free (staged readings sold out as of press time)
