PicksInSix Review: Theater of the Mind - Goodman Theatre
Heads Are Talking: Is Perception Reality?
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Sarah Frances Fiorello
David Byrne is simultaneously everywhere and nowhere at the Reid Murdoch Building on 333 N. Lasalle, where his and co-creator Mala Gaonkar’s immersive production “Theater of the Mind” has built a 15,000 sq ft home. Presented by the Goodman Theatre and running now through July 12, leave your preconceived notions of reality at home for a mind-bending 75 minutes of scientific-artistry or artistic-science experiment, I’m not exactly sure which. But that feels to be precisely the point.
Arrive early to lock up your personal belongings as no bags, electronics, or given name will follow you across the threshold of this journey with a group of 16 strangers. What follows is a neuroscience-backed exploration of all five senses—and maybe a sixth—lead by “David” who has gathered you all together as his former friends. Together you will explore, through David’s world, the pliability and changeability of your senses—the very things you use to form an understanding of reality and the people and things inside of it. If that sounds trippy, it is. But it’s also a beacon of hope: you are always free to change your mind.
“Theatre of the Mind” comes to the Goodman after its 2022 World Premiere at Denver Center of the Performing Arts Off-Center. It is produced by DCPA Off-Center founder Charlie Miller, who serves as consulting producer on the Chicago production. Radiolab fans will appreciate this episode, “The Theater of David Byrne’s Mind” from October 2022 which captures a live conversation between the Talking Heads front man and neuroscientist Thalia Wheatley on the magic of the mind at play in the immersive experience.
The creative and technical team of “Theater of the Mind” shine here and have produced a sensationally unique experience. Technical Director Dr. Heidi Boisvert and Technical Producer LeeAnn Rossi give us a world of wonder and awe, where one space seems more exciting and interesting than the next. Scenic Designer Neil Patel brings to life this imaginative immersion right down to every minute detail. Lighting Designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew and Sound Designer Cody Spencer ensure our total sensory experience hits the mark. All under the expert direction of NYC-based-Chicago-suburb native, Andrew Scoville, who brings together every production component without so much as a seam showing.
“David” is played by one of nine actors, one of the many reasons that no two performances—or personal experiences—will be exactly alike. James Earl Jones II guided my Friday evening group of sensory explorers and skillfully delivered as storyteller, entertainer, and provocateur.
“Theater of the Mind” is a personal exploration with coordinates in River North, but if you lean in, it’s sure to take you well beyond the confines of Chicago. The best theatre leaves us changed with an open invitation to think differently as a result. At the Reid Murdoch Building on N. Lasalle, you’ll get exactly that—a door opening to not just think differently about life but think differently about thinking. Are you ready for it?
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SARAH FRANCES FIORELLO is a graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory with a BFA in Music Theatre and a Chicago-based poet, writer, and performer. Instagram: @writtenbysarahfrances
PHOTO|Todd Rosenberg
Goodman Theatre
presents
Theater of the Mind
Reid Murdoch Building
333 N. LaSalle
EXTENDED through July 12, 2026
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