Goodman Theatre announced today the lineup of its 14th annual New Stages Festival. Over the course of three weeks, the annual festival offers Chicago theatergoers a first look at eight new works, free of charge. The festival features three developmental productions (fully staged and performed in repertory), including: LOTTERY DAY by Ike Holter, a new work that weaves together characters from Holter’s previous plays EXIT STRATEGY, Sender and more; CONTINUITY by Bess Wohl, a comic look at a female director’s attempts to bring climate change to the forefront of a Hollywood blockbuster; and TWILIGHT BOWL by Rebecca Gilman, a look at two young women facing different futures. Four staged readings appear during the final weekend of the festival (“Professionals Weekend”), including: EDEN PRARIE, 1971 by Mat Smart, the story of a young draft dodger returning home; HOW TO CATCH CREATION by Christina Anderson, an ode to the art of creating; THE UNTRANSLATABLE SECRETS OF NIKKI CORONA by José Rivera, a supernatural tale of a woman’s attempt to communicate with her deceased twin; and WE’RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME by David Cale, a musical reflection of the playwright’s childhood. Plus a sneak peek at an immersive work-in-progress—POSTNATION conceived by Mikhael Tara Garver, an exploration of immigrants’ roles in the creation of the U.S. Postal Service.

New Stages runs September 20 – October 8 in the 350-seat Owen Theatre; free reserved tickets are available now at GoodmanTheatre.org/NewStagesFestival  For more information about “Industry Professionals Weekend,” visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Professionals.

“Each year the New Stages Festival offers us the opportunity to work with some of the most inventive and insightful storytellers working in the theater today. I’m thrilled to share this exciting lineup of new plays with Chicago audiences,” said Tanya Palmer, Director of New Play Development. “From a backyard in Chicago to a small town bowling alley in rural Wisconsin to a windswept movie set in the New Mexico desert, this year’s plays invite us into the lives of characters struggling to make change–large and small–that will make a lasting impact on a world desperately in need of transformation.”