May 18--The writer-performer Dael Orlandersmith is to be the first artist in residence at the Goodman Theatre's new Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement, a new suite of classrooms, rehearsal space and other learning resources focused on preparing teachers and students to work with the Goodman's mainstage productions, which are the core of the theater's long-established education program.
Known colloquially as "The Alice," the 10,000-square-foot center was dedicated and officially opened on Wednesday. The second-floor expansion of the theater's downtown facility cost $15 million, including new programming and personnel expenses. The Goodman claims it is the only Chicago theater to have such a center, although many Chicago theaters have programs dedicated to education.
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The Goodman also announced at the event that Orlandersmith ("Yellowman") will join its artistic collective, and that it will partner for the next three years with the Center for Performance and Civic Practice, a nonprofit run by Michael Rohd, a member of the faculty at Northwestern University, that aims to promote social change by connecting the values of the theater with outside community members.
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