Goodman Theatre Opens 101st Season With World Premiere of Dead Girl’s Quinceañera (Chicago, IL) – Goodman Theatre will launch its 101st season this fall with the world premiere of Dead Girl’s Quinceañera, a new comic thriller by Miami playwright Phanésia Pharel. The production, co-produced with Barrington Stage Company and Hartford Stage, will run Sept. 26 through Nov. 1 in the Owen Theatre.
Directed by Hartford Stage Artistic Director Melia Bensussen, the play follows three teenage friends who race to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of their friend Maria after her quinceañera abruptly ends in an unexplained emergency.
The production stars Carmen Berkeley, Ariana Burks, Andrea Ferro and Jacqueline Guillén. Understudies will be announced at a later date.
“Dead Girl’s Quinceañera is a celebration of young women’s imagination, initiative and courage,” Bensussen said. “Although all four identify as Latina, each one arrives with a different personal experience and history. In their collaboration and friendship, we see our own journeys reflected—as they harness their power and agency, we too, watching them, celebrate our own transformations and those of our neighbors.”
Pharel said the production’s opening at Goodman Theatre is especially meaningful.
“I’m in awe that my play appears at The Goodman at the start of their 101st Season and second century,” Pharel said. “I wrote this play for my best friend, to celebrate how much our relationship changed my life. It’s been a beautiful experience to see this coming-of-age story resonate with people who may have never been to Miami and/or who might not be of Hispanic descent. It reminds me that even at this moment where forces are hoping to divide us, theater can connect us all to our true humanity.”
Tickets, priced from $34 to $79, go on sale Aug. 7. They can be purchased by calling 312-443-3800 or visiting GoodmanTheatre.org/Quince.
The creative team includes set designer Sara Brown, lighting designer Dan Kotlowitz, sound designer Salvador Zamora, costume designer Raquel Adorno, movement choreographer Mayte Natalio and dialect coach Cynthia Santos Decure.
Goodman Theatre will also offer several accessible performances during the production’s run, including ASL-interpreted, audio-described, Spanish-subtitled and open-captioned performances in October.
Founded in 1925, Goodman Theatre is one of the nation’s leading regional theaters and has produced nearly 200 world or American premieres while earning two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards.
Goodman Theatre Opens 101st Season With World Premiere of Dead Girl’s Quinceañera
