Steppenwolf Theatre Company Blog – Chicago Theater, World-Class Ensemble

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.

Outside of the theater, just before the show, I greeted a host of fellow theater colleagues and avid theater-goers. People who make theater in a vast diversity of circumstances–from Bob Falls who begins his 20th year as the artistic director at the esteemed Goodman Theatre to Sean Graney, the artistic director of the intrepid and itinerant Hypocrites Theatre. Russ Tutterow, the artistic director of Chicago Dramatists, the developmental home to Chicago playwrights. Sharon Evans and John Ragir, leaders of the Live Bait Theatre, a premiere theater for solo artists. Phil Smith, an artistic director of the Lookingglass Theatre, home to an ensemble of artists who create original work in their new home on Michigan Avenue. Todd Douglas and Ann Joseph, of the Congo Square Theatre, pregnant with their first child (and with Todd having just given birth to his production of Caryle Brown’s The African Company Presents Richard III). Beethoven, a recent graduate of the School at Steppenwolf, tending bar at Steppenwolf’s concession counter, and reporting that the had just been cast at Victory Gardens. A host of former Steppenwolf interns now working in fellow Chicago theaters. Actors and directors, folks from Foundations, people who work in a variety of professions and simply love Chicago theater.

And then, to the show. The Pillowman is a wild ride–smart, funny, dark, complex. I was reminded, again, of how fortunate we are to live in a city where work like this can be received with enthusiasm and negotiated with sophistication. I have been part of the artistic team conducting post-show converstions throughout our preview proces and am constantly impressed and informed by their insights into the play.

At intermission, the lobby has a muted, restrained tone. People are talking about the play, grappling with its themes. I talk to Richard Christiansen, former critic for the Chicago Tribune, and continuingly, an observer of the Chicago theater scene. Richard is, characteristically, deeply engaged in the play’s emotional weather and line of thought. His forty years of theater-going have not dimmed his curiosity about and engagement with the work.

To me, opening night is a kind of fast-forward through my own many years of association with the artists and supporters, patrons, and audiences to our city’s unique theater life. We are enormously fortunate to live in a town that values theater and the entirety of its cultural life as an essential component of its quality of life. I hope that as you experience The Pillowman, you will feel welcome to share your thoughts with all of us at Steppenwolf. Call, write, e-mail, blog your responses. We welcome your engagement with our theater and thank you for your support of our work. Check out the work of our colleagues–the Chicago Reader and Time Out/Chicago are especially good in their listings. Take advantage of the bounty that Chicago offers–we’re lucky to be here.

This entry was posted by Martha Lavey on Monday, September 25th, 2006 at 9:48 am and is filed under The Pillowman. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.