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

There are two prominent, passionate complaints from playwrights: they want their work produced, not just developed, and once produced want a second or third production rather than just one. Steppenwolf’s First Look Repertory of New Work is designed to directly address those two concerns. First Look provides a model for developing plays that combines the process-orientation of a workshop with the result-orientation of actual rehearsal for production. And it provides a national platform for the plays, in the interest of gaining attention for the writers and future productions of their work.

The program has been strikingly successful thus far. In its first two years, First Look has provided developmental opportunities to twelve new plays. Seven of those have been or will soon be receiving productions at other theaters. To highlight a few: Jason Wells’ play Men of Tortuga received an acclaimed production at the Asolo Theater in Florida, Marisa Wegrzyn’s The Butcher of Baraboo will open Off-Broadway at Second Stage this spring. Kate Fodor’s 100 Saints You Should Know will be Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in the fall. (more…)