Robyn Goodman Steps Down as Founding Artistic Producer of Roundabout Underground | Playbill

Industry News Robyn Goodman Steps Down as Founding Artistic Producer of Roundabout Underground Longtime literary and artistic department team member Jill Rafson will assume the role.
Robyn Goodman Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Robyn Goodman, the founding artistic producer of Roundabout Theatre Company's Roundabout Underground program, has stepped down after a decade at the helm. Longtime literary and artistic department team member Jill Rafson will take over as artistic producer.

//assets.playbill.com/editorial/4e883dfb0ab4ab98242527eb515d7d93-jillrafson-headshot-2.jpg
Jill Rafson

Goodman, who launched the Underground initiative in 2007 with the support of Roundabout’s artistic director Todd Haimes, will continue to consult Roundabout’s artistic team with colleague Josh Fiedler.

“13 years ago Todd Haimes gave me the gift of working with him on new plays produced at the Steinberg Center,” Goodman said in a statement. “Josh Fiedler and I deeply thank him and the Roundabout for underwriting this very worthy project that has launched many young writers’ careers.”

Roundabout Underground showcases new plays in Roundabout’s 62-seat Black Box Theatre. The initiative is dedicated to introducing and cultivating emerging writers by giving them their first Off-Broadway production. The program kicked off its 11th season this fall with Jireh Breon Holder’s play about the Civil Rights Movement Too Heavy for Your Pocket. Other Underground alumni include Stephen Karam (The Humans on Broadway), Joshua Harmon (Significant Other on Broadway), Meghan Kennedy (Napoli, Brooklyn), and Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone).

“Robyn’s passion and dedication to young writers as well as her extraordinary taste has made the Underground more successful than I ever dreamed possible,” said Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO. “Roundabout is forever in Robyn’s debt and I am happy she and Josh Fiedler will continue on as consultants to Roundabout. I have no doubt that Jill will continue to find the best new voices in American theatre. Over the past 10 years, Jill and her team have tirelessly and successfully worked with me on developing new works with an increasing emphasis on young playwrights and diversity.”

In addition to serving as artistic producer, Rafson will continue to serve as director of new play development. She will continue to run the annual Roundabout Underground Reading Series, the multi-faceted Space Jam program built to support playwrights’ need for work space, 20 playwriting commissions, and 25 workshops and readings annually.

For more information on the initiative visit RoundaboutTheatre.org.

LOVE THE THEATRE? CHECK OUT THE PLAYBILL STORE FOR MERCHANDISE!

 
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!