The story of The Theatre School is as multi-faceted as any we've ever told onstage.
The Theatre School at DePaul University was founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925. Our history begins with three seemingly separate events occurring in Chicago in the early 20th century: DePaul's Department of Drama is created; a magnificent Broadway-style theatre is built; and a young playwright's passions for theatre lead to his memorialization in a school and a professional stage. These events set into motion a story that defines The Theatre School today — a story not just of institutions, but of the passionate people who shaped them.
A Gift to the City: The Goodman Family and the Founding of a School
Every great institution begins with a vision. For The Theatre School, that vision belonged to Kenneth Sawyer Goodman — a Chicago playwright of tremendous promise whose life was cut short by the influenza pandemic in 1918. In his memory, his parents, William O. and Erna Goodman, made a remarkable gift: a $250,000 donation to the Art Institute of Chicago to establish both a professional repertory theatre and a school of drama in their son's name.
When the Goodman Theatre was dedicated on October 20, 1925, it opened with performances of three one-act plays written by Kenneth Sawyer Goodman himself — a fitting tribute to the man who inspired it all. The Goodman School of Drama opened alongside it, admitting its inaugural class under the direction of Thomas Wood Stevens with a mission rooted in hands-on, professional training. Student actors trained and performed alongside seasoned professionals from the affiliated Goodman Theatre, establishing from the very beginning the production-centered philosophy that defines us to this day.
Among the school's earliest and most enduring achievements was the launch of the country's first planned children's theatre season in 1926–1927 — a pioneering effort that would eventually grow into the beloved Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences program, still a cornerstone of The Theatre School's work.
The Itkins: A Family Woven into Our History
If any family embodies the deep, generational ties between the Goodman School and DePaul University, it is the Itkins. David Itkin joined the faculty at the Goodman School of Drama in 1931, bringing with him a rigorous, Russian conservatory-style approach to actor training that would shape the school's identity for decades. Remarkably, David Itkin taught simultaneously at both the Goodman School and at DePaul University — a living bridge between the two institutions long before they were formally joined.
His daughter, Bella Itkin, followed in his footsteps and became one of the most influential figures in the school's history. A gifted teacher and theatre artist in her own right, Bella helped cement the conservatory tradition that the Goodman School of Drama became known for, earning a national reputation for producing exceptional theatre artists. Among the distinguished alumni shaped during this era are actors Geraldine Page and Karl Malden — names that would go on to define American stage and screen.
Today, three of Bella Itkin's chairs sit in the offices of Theatre School faculty — a quiet, enduring reminder that the people who built this place are never truly gone. “There is a weave between the two institutions,” associate dean Dean Corrin has said. “That's one of the things about history.”
A New Home: The Transition from the Art Institute to DePaul University
By the late 1970s, the Goodman School of Drama faced an uncertain future. The Art Institute of Chicago made the difficult decision to discontinue the school, leaving its faculty, students, and supporters searching for a path forward. What could have been the end of a 50-year legacy instead became a turning point.
On February 8, 1978, DePaul University officially incorporated the Goodman School of Drama into its structure, welcoming the school as its ninth college. More than 100 students and 25 faculty members joined DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus, moving into the McGaw Fine Arts Building and carrying with them the full weight of the school's remarkable history. The move gave the Goodman School a permanent home — and gave DePaul a theatre program with deep roots in Chicago's cultural life.
The years that followed brought new energy and renewed purpose. In the early 1980s, performances moved to the Cortelyou Commons building, expanding the school's presence on campus. Then, in 1982, came the name that has defined us ever since: The Theatre School at DePaul University, a change made official in 1985 when the license to use the Goodman name expired. A new chapter had begun — one that honored everything that came before while looking boldly toward the future.
In 1988, DePaul took on another act of institutional rescue, investing $1 million to renovate the historic Blackstone Theatre in downtown Chicago, now known as the Merle Reskin Theatre. As Chicago's first lady Maggie Daley would later observe: “As if they were two abandoned or orphaned children, the Goodman School in 1978 and the Blackstone Theatre in 1988 were adopted and given homes by DePaul University. As if they were long-lost siblings meant for each other, the now-66-year-old theatre school and the 80-year-old theatre have since been able to enjoy prolonged and productive lives.”
One Hundred Years — and Counting
Today, The Theatre School at DePaul University stands as the Midwest's oldest theatre conservatory, training the next generation of theatre artists with the same dedication to craft, community, and storytelling that has guided us since 1925. We carry Kenneth Sawyer Goodman's name in our hearts, David and Bella Itkin's teaching in our practice, and DePaul's mission of service in everything we do.
The story continues. We are grateful you are part of it.
“The core of institutional history has as much to do with people as it does with dates and programming. To share your story about the collaborators — peers, faculty, or staff — who defined your experience at the school, please feel free to email TTS. Your story can be added to the archives.”
— Andrea Tichy, alumna