Photo: Henry Godinez (Oscar Amalfitano) in the Goodman’s “2666” | Liz Lauren

The Goodman Theater’s “2666,” the 2016 production of Chilean author and poet Roberto Bolaño’s novel, co-adapted and co-directed by Robert Falls and Seth Bockley, is now streaming online free of charge at goodmantheatre.org/Watch2666.

Live streaming productions present many challenges due to union restrictions, but the Goodman has worked them out with the support of the Roy Cockrum Foundation, which also sponsored the 2016 premiere production. It’s presented through arrangements with the estate of Roberto Bolaño, Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and United Scenic Artists.

The Goodman says the epic scale of “2666” — with its five-and-a-half-hour running time, five sets and 15-member ensemble cast appearing in 80 roles — makes subsequent productions of the adaptation difficult. Now, anyone can access it online in a performance captured by Chicago’s HMS Media.

“We are proud to help provide global access to ‘2666,’ an exhilarating artistic triumph and once-in-a-lifetime theatrical event by Robert Falls, Seth Bockley and their enormously talented cast and creative team at Goodman Theatre,” said Roy Cockrum. “It is good fortune for everyone involved — artists, audiences and communities alike — any time a play can have a life beyond its closing night. It’s an absolute thrill to enable that future life in an exciting new medium, with unlimited access for audiences everywhere.”

“Adapting ‘2666’ for the stage with Seth Bockley, a strikingly imaginative writer and director, was one of the most extraordinary challenges of my artistic career—a project of love, discovery and passion,” said Falls. “It never would have been possible without Roy Cockrum, and I am enormously grateful to him, once again, for his unwavering belief in the power of this project and his generous support of its continued life online.”

The cast includes Charín Alvarez, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Yadira Correa, Sandra Delgado, Alejandra Escalante, Sean Fortunato, Henry Godinez, Larry Grimm, Eric Lynch, Mark L. Montgomery, Adam Poss, Demetrios Troy, Juan Francisco Villa, Jonathan Weir and Nicole Wiesner. The creative team includes designers Walt Spangler (sets), Ana Kuzmanic (costumes), Aaron Spivey (lights), Richard Woodbury and Mikhail Fiksel (sound and original music), Shawn Sagady (projections and video) and Tanya Palmer (Dramaturg).

“I’m delighted to share our adaptation of ‘2666’ with many more people in a digital form, and reach a whole new audience,” said Seth Bockley. “The collaborative adapting and directing process with Bob was the experience of a lifetime. This documentation is a testament to the generosity and brilliance of our production team, cast and crew at the Goodman, who made an extraordinary effort to manifest this mammoth work onstage. I hope folks who are interested or curious will spend time with it — and perhaps will even find it ‘binge-worthy’!”   

“We try to bring artistry and empathy to an archival capture like ‘2666’ that we do to large-scale broadcast specials,” said Scott Silberstein, of Emmy Award-winning HMS Media, which specializes in performing arts recordings. “We want someone who’s never seen this show, or been to the theater, to experience something analogous to what the live audience did. We’re thrilled to be in the middle of that.”