Chicago's Goodman Theatre has announced complete casting for two of its upcoming productions: Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's Inherit the Wind and Eboni Booth's Primary Trust.
Directed by Goodman Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez, Lawrence and Lee’s 1955 drama will play the Albert Theatre September 14-October 13 with an official opening September 23. Science and religion go head-to-head in the courtroom showdown, where a small-town educator is on trial for teaching the theory of evolution.
Joining the previously announced Harry Lennix as attorney Henry Drummond and Alexander Gemignani as prosecuting attorney Matthew Harrison Brady will be Charín Álvarez as Mrs. Brady, Terry Bell as Sillers, Hamid Dehghani as Storekeeper, William Dick as Mayor, Meighan Gerachis as Elijah, Lawrence Grimm as Dunlap, Kevin Gudahl as Judge, Presley Rose Jones as Melinda, Christopher Kale Jones as Tom Davenport, Mi Kang as E.K. Hornbeck, Ryan Kitley as Reverend Jeremiah Brown, Tyler Meredith as Rachel Brown, Thomas Murphy Molony as Howard, Christopher Llewyn Ramirez as Bertram Cates, Robert Schleifer as Meeker, Eric Slater as Mr. Bannister, and Penelope Walker as Mrs. Krebs.
Understudies include Chase Clevenger, Theo Gyra, Hannah Kato, John Lister, Michael Milligan, Kailey Danielle Morand, Aila Peck, Alex Benito Rodriguez, Eric Slater, and Cedric Young.
The production will also feature set design by Collette Pollard, costume design by Jessica Pabst, lighting design by Jason Lynch, sound design and music by Richard Woodbury, casting by Lauren Port, and dramaturgy by Neena Arndt. Nikki Blue is the production stage manager, and Krista Kanderski and Beth Koehler are the stage managers.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Primary Trust, directed by Malkia Stampley, will play the Owen Theatre October 5-November 3 with an official opening October 14.
The cast includes Christiana Clark as Corrina/Wally’s Waiter/Bank Customers, Charles Andrew Gardner as Bert, Mike Przygoda as Onstage Musician, Namir Smallwood as Kenneth, and Fred Zimmerman as Clay/Sam plus understudies Daniel Ajak, Victoria Angelica Cruz, Sam Hyson, Christopher Meister, and Keith Surney.
The play follows the reclusive Kenneth, whose job loss prompts him to step out of his comfort zone in a journey of self-discovery.
The creative team also includes associate director Ericka Ratcliff, set designer Lex Liang, costume designer Yvonne Miranda, lighting designer Heather Gilbert, sound designer and composer Brandon Reed, composer Mike Przygoda, casting director Lauren Port, and dramaturg Lena Romano. Pat Fries is the production stage manager.
For tickets and more information about the 2024-2025 season, visit GoodmanTheatre.org.
