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

By now, you have probably read about, heard about, or seen parts of the national phenomenon known as 365 Days / 365 Plays. If you haven’t seen any of the 365 world-premiere plays that make up the Festival, don’t worry: you still have about 40 weeks.

Here’s the short version of how 365 began, from the Festival’s website: In November 2002, Pulitzer prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks sat down and committed to writing a play a day for the next 365 days. The world premiere of this play cycle, 365 Days/365 Plays, will be performed as a yearlong national festival simultaneously in major cities and communities around the country. From November 13, 2006 to November 12, 2007, over 600 theaters in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, Washington D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis, the Carolinas, Mississippi River towns, and university campuses will create the largest theater collaboration in U.S. History. (You can find out more about the Festival and its genesis at www.365chicago.org.) (more…)

Steppenwolf proudly announces six new ensemble members: Alana Arenas, Kate Arrington, Ian Barford, Jon Hill, Ora Jones and James Vincent Meredith. The Steppenwolf ensemble, the longest-existing theater ensemble in the United States, now totals 41 members.

“The greatest honor with which I am entrusted is that of naming new members to the Steppenwolf ensemble,” says Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. “I do so with the counsel of our founders, Gary Sinise, Jeffrey Perry and Terry Kinney and with the ensemble associate artists. Together, we have taken this moment to add a group of artists for whom we have great esteem, based on our work together. These six new members increase the range of Steppenwolf’s artistic core, representing a variety of age, experience, and casting possibilities but united in their improvisational and ensemble acting sensibility.

My great thrill, as an artistic director, is to present these artists as the newest members of the Steppenwolf family. My great thrill as an actor will be to occupy the stage with each of them. I hope you will join me and the entire Steppenwolf ensemble, in welcoming them to their new artistic home.”

So, here’s how the week started. I arrived at the office on Tuesday morning to an email from an actor in our Huck Finn cast. He regretted to inform me that he had been offered another job that conflicted with Huck Finn, and decided to accept it and drop out of our cast. Bear in mind, this actor was cast and committed to Huck Finn in October, and had participated in a workshop in early November, during which material was customized to his particular talents. He was now dropping out of the show 13 days prior to the first rehearsal.

It’s rare one is given a public forum, and I do not intend to abuse the privilege any more than I just have in exercise of vengeful feelings. But this incident points up some pretty interesting issues. Our play Huck Finn itself is at least in part about the formation of a system of values in a complicated reality, so I examine the event in that light. (more…)