The Cast Of The Goodman S Disgraced Takes A Field Trip To The Art Institute

On the third day of rehearsal for the Goodman Theatre’s new production of Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced, the director Kimberly Senior took her cast and stage managing crew on a field trip to the Art Institute.

“The landscapes are very fertile,” says Bernard White, who plays Amir, as he examines a drawing by Constable. It’s a line from the play, and everyone snickers.

“In the museum, there’s this idea of continuity,” says Senior. “You can look at Bonnard and Islamic tiling.”

“It’s like colonization,” says Crane. “Like with the Elgin Marbles. Like, ‘We’ll take care of it better.’”

“We can only be from where we’re from,” says Senior. “It doesn’t mean your opinion is less valid, or that you can’t have empathy for another point of view. But there’s a lot of guilt. You have to remember people’s intentions and the place where they came from.