Ensemble member Amy Morton’s production of The Pillowman is up and running. Amy has graciously agreed to answer questions from our blog visitors. If you have a question about The Pillowman or other directing/acting questions, feel free to post them here. We will post her replies.
We opened our production of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman last night. My passage through the evening felt like a tour of what makes this city such a great theater town.
The evening began with a pre-show dinner of Steppenwolf trustees. These are folks who dedicate their time and treasure to the cultural well-being of Chicago. Many of our Steppenwolf trustees sit on the boards of other cultural institutions, large and small, and feel an urgent need to share their resources with the not-for-profit sector of the city’s life. (more…)
Last night was an exciting and invigorating night for all of us at Steppenwolf. We welcomed the season’s first group of guests to a League of Chicago Theatre’s “Theatre Thursdays” event. This event coincided with the first preview of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. These LOCT events are held at theatres across the city and usually include some sort of social component in addition to the performance. We decided to expand the social component by inviting participants to view a screening of Six Shooter, the Academy Award-winning short film written and directed by Martin McDonagh. After a short reception with refreshments, we gathered in the Upstairs Theatre to watch the film. The screening was followed by a discussion of the film and the group went on for more food and drink.
The group of 80 or so then moved to the Downstairs Theatre for the first public performance of The Pillowman. A full house went on the topsy-turvy ride between the dark shadows and glimpses of light in which the playwright traffics. The playwright himself was present at the performance. He was recognized by a number of audience devotees at intermission who engaged him in conversation. Then all reconvened for the second act. Following the performance there was a post-show discussion attended by more than 50 people and as was our collective hunch - this play is fertile soil for conversation. (more…)
And we’re off! The Pillowman goes into tech on Saturday and starts previews on Thursday, September the 14th. Thus begins Steppenwolf’s 31st season.
It’s incredibly exciting, the start of a new season. We’ve been thinking about these plays for a long time–assembling the artistic and production teams, beginning the design processes, assembling the dramaturgical information and artists’ profiles for our magazines and programs, considering how to reach audiences who may have particular interest in each of the shows, creating events specific to each of the shows, and on and on. But all of the pre-planning simply anticipates THE DAY, the moment rehearsal begins and the production is given birth. It is when, finally, we meet YOU, our audience, that the real fun begins. As you know, we will be conducting post-show conversations for every performance this year. I hope that many of you will stay for a discussion–we dearly cherish your response to our work and appreciate, in the conversations you engender, the creation of a public square at Steppenwolf.
Last season, we dedicated ourselves to new work. We took the opportunity of our 30th season to foreground our role in the creation of new work and you responded with the sense of adventure and sophistication that distinguishes the Steppenwolf audience. (more…)
This morning at 9:45am the Steppenwolf staff gathered in Yondorf Rehearsal Hall for the all-staff run-thru of The Pillowman. This rehearsal is one of the last run-thrus the cast will have before they move on to the stage for technical rehearsals. In addition to the entire staff, the designers are also in attendance to see the shape of the show. Interestingly, the rehearsal hall is not located in the theatre but in a separate building where the administrative offices are located. There is something exciting about watching the actors in a rehearsal hall without a set, or lighting, or costumes. Makeshift furniture stands in for the real thing, the actors are in their street clothes – perhaps with a rehearsal jacket or shoes - and rehearsal props often bear no resemblance to the object they are standing in for. The focus goes to the actor and the imagination is engaged to supply the production elements.
After the run-thru, I went across the street to the theatre where the set is being loaded in. While it is not finished being installed, the majority of the elements are in place. I stood in the house and, in my mind’s eye, married the run-thru I had watched this morning with the set that was coming together on the stage. I imagined the costume renderings I had seen and tried to imagine how the production will be lit. It’s exciting to visit the different production elements as they come together.
The actors will move onto the stage on Saturday to begin the process of technical rehearsals, during which the scenic, lighting, and sound elements will be added. They will begin to wear the actual clothes they will wear in performance and begin working with actual props. They will rehearse five more days before the first preview when the final element will be added – the audience.