August Wins 5 Tony Awards
Posted by Joy Meads on 6/16/2008Last night, I joined a lively cross-section of the Steppenwolf community—including staff, ensemble, artists, trustees, and subscribers—to excitedly await the announcement of the seven Tony awards for which August: Osage County had been nominated. Although Superior Donuts is now in technical rehearsals, the cast and crew had graciously surrendered their theater for our celebration and we gathered to watch the awards on the two large projection screens that now obscured their set. Some brilliant soul in marketing had come up with the idea of distributing little pill bottles filled with blue jelly beans—an homage to the pills Violet Weston inhales over the course of the play—and we marked our excitement by shaking these noisemakers every time a member of the Steppenwolf family was mentioned.
Ten minutes in, Rondi Reed accepted the first award of the evening (for Best Featured Actress in a Play) by saying “Families. It’s about families for us,” and I think all of us in the theatre felt the truth of that statement. I moved to Chicago to join the staff here in November, and, as a new member of the Steppenwolf family, I was moved to hear how frequently our nominees mentioned the importance of our community in their speeches. The August nominees’ heartfelt expressions of gratitude painted an image of Steppenwolf’s uniquely rich artistic ecosystem that must have been clear to even the most disconnected observer. Anna Shapiro expressed it perfectly: “I’m pretty sure that the only way that you get to have a life in the theatre is if somewhere in your life you come upon a group of people who although they don’t need to, make room for you. And if you’re incredibly lucky, that group of people is the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.”
I couldn’t agree with her more. We won five awards last night! Best Play, Best Director of a Play (Anna Shapiro), Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Deanna Dunagan), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Rondi Reed), and Best Scenic Design (Todd Rosenthal). Although I’m thrilled about this recognition of our talented artists, the reason I could not stop smiling as I was biking home last night is that I am lucky enough to be able to be a member of this extraordinary community.
So, I want to end this post, as always, with a deep expression of gratitude to you, our patrons. Thank you for sharing our values of ensemble and risk. Thank you for being willing to go on our unusual journeys. Thanks for being part of our family.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Delighted with the results, but had to miss the ceremony itself. Any chance of the transcripts of the Steppenwolf folks’ acceptance speeches being posted here?
June 16th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Simply wonderful! You’ve made the entire Chicago theatre community proud. Congratulations to you all.
June 16th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Congratulations to all the Steppenwolf Family!!!!! Those who won and those who were nominated and did not win are ALL WINNERS. What a spectacular evening and the acceptance remarks by all STC folks were exciting and confirmed the value of a great theater company. Just the fact that Chicago’s own Steppenwolf Theatre Company was there, and well represented I must say, is truly a wonderful compliment to our town. Again congrats and thanks to all!
June 16th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Thank GOD for Steppenwolf theatre!!!
June 16th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Hey Ed,
You can find everyone’s Tony acceptance speeches on broadway.com.
June 16th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I saw the awards last night, and I am happy for the success of the show on Broadway. What are the chances the show will return to Steppenwolf?
June 16th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
We had a little champagne party for the Tony telecast, and it was wonderful to celebrate the astounding success of the Steppenwolfers. Loved Anna’s acceptance speech about finding people who make room for you when they don’t have to…and getting a look at her tattoo was a bonus! So happy for everyone involved with August, for the many years of great work by everyone at Steppenwolf, and for the work that’s yet come. A fantastic night for a fantastic organization…certainly one of Chicago’s greatest cultural riches!!
June 16th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I also watched the Tonys last night and cheered crazily every time the show won an award. “August:Osage County” was the first show I ever saw at Steppenwolf (last July 29) and will never forget it. It blew me away and showed me what really exceptional theater is capable of. As an actor, I now have a higher standard to shoot for. Special congratulations to Rondi Reed.
June 17th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Congratulations to everyone associated with Steppenwolf and Tracy Letts for giving us “August: Osage County”!
Just as I was thrilled to see the show, first at Steppenwolf, then at Broadway’s Imperial and then again at the Music Box, I was every bit as excited to see it win the hearts of Tony voters. And Rondi Reed rocks!
Can’t wait to cheer on Steppenwolf’s next production. Congratulations!
June 17th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Dear Patricia
Thanks for your comment, and warm words. The national tour of August: Osage County will begin in San Francisco and is expected to play in Chicago, though not at Steppenwolf, in the fall or winter of 2009.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
On behalf of Steppenwolf, and the artists involved in August: Osage County, please accept our thanks for the outpouring of good wishes over the last few days. The comments above, in addition to a flood of emails and phone calls, have been truly overwhelming.
Among the many blessings Steppenwolf has received, an appreciative audience demanding challenging work of the highest quality is certainly among those for which we feel most grateful every single day.
This has truly been a memorable week for us, for the Chicago arts community, and for the city as a whole. Thank you all for being our partners and joining in celebrating this success.