May 31, 2024
Across two decades Idris Goodwin has forged an impactful and diverse career as a multiple award-winning playwright, breakbeat poet, director, educator, and culturist. Idris is a 2021 United States Artist Fellow, recognized as one of the most compelling artists living and working in the country, and The New York Times has hailed his work as “incisive and moving.”
Idris is the author of over 50 original plays ranging from his Hip Hop inspired breakbeat series to historical dramas to works for young audiences. Goodwin has appeared on or created content for HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, NPR, BBC Radio, Nickelodeon and the Discovery Channel. His plays include And In This Corner Cassius Clay, How We Got On, Hype Man and This is Modern Art. Idris is the co-host The Same Old New School Podcast on Vocalo Radio.
Idris is currently the Artist Director for the Seattle Children’s Theater. Previous to that, he was the Director of The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, the first Black man to hold the position in its 100-year history and served two seasons as Producing Artistic Director at StageOne Family Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky. Supported by prestigious institutions like The Kennedy Center, The Eugene O'Neill Conference, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, and The Playwrights’ Center, Goodwin uses his full creative powers to galvanize people into the community square to sculpt better tomorrows. Find him at idrisgoodwin.com.
Goodwin’s debut children’s book YOUR HOUSE IS NOT JUST A HOUSE was published by Harper Collins on May 7, 2024.
About YOUR HOUSE IS NOT JUST A HOUSE One rainy day, a kid opens their closet to discover a teleportation chamber. In the adventure of make-believe that follows, we are invited to see our homes as more than places to live—they are vessels for creativity and joy. With whimsy and musicality, Idris Goodwin calls on his theater and hip-hop backgrounds to deliver an irresistible read-aloud, inviting us to see that our homes are more than places to live—they are vessels for creativity and joy. It’s a rainy summer day, and one child is about to go on an adventure of the imagination, as illustrated by Lorraine Nam’s beautiful and vivid cut-paper artwork.
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