Goodman names Rebecca Gilman to artistic collective

The long-standing collaboration between Rebecca Gilman and Goodman Theatre was formalized Monday when artistic director Robert Falls named the Chicago playwright to the company's artistic collective.

Goodman has staged six Gilman plays since Falls commissioned “Spinning Into Butter,” an unflinching look at racial bias and political correctness that premiered there in 1999. The premiere of “Boy Gets Girl,” Gilman's famed stalker play about a blind date gone terribly wrong, followed in 2000. Falls directed “Blue Surge” in 2001 and “Dollhouse,” Gilman's take on Henrik Ibsen's groundbreaking drama, in 2005.

Last year saw the Chicago-area premiere of “The Crowd You're In With,” a taut, telling examination of the pros and cons of procreation. It was followed earlier this year by the ambitious but flawed “The True History of the Johnston Flood,” also directed by Falls.

“I am so fortunate for the relationship I have with the Goodman,” said Gilman in a prepared statement. “To join Bob Falls and the other artists of the Artistic Collective is a true honor.”

Gilman joins actor Brian Dennehy; director/actor Henry Godinez; directors Steve Scott, Chuck Smith and Mary Zimmerman; and actor/playwright/director Regina Taylor.