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

I attended the New York opening of our production of The Sunset Limited at the 59E59 Theatre this past Sunday with our Executive Director, David Hawkanson, and our publicist, Will Nedved. Written by Cormac McCarthy, Sunset, you’ll remember, played in the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre this past summer and it moved to 59E59th with its creative team intact: director Sheldon Patinkin; the actors, Austin Pendleton and Freeman Coffey, and the design team of Scott Neale, Tatjana Radisic, Martha Wegener, and Keith Parham.

59E59th is a complex of three theaters. located, naturally enough, at 59 East 59th Street in Manhattan. The Sunset Limited plays in the 99-seat theater of the complex through November 19th. I’m happy to report that the play has been well received and that the theater is a very fit setting for the production–an intimate, focused space for a play that turns on an engagement with a complex text and the intricate, layered performances of the actors. (more…)

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Black Theatre Alliance Awards at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. Pictured with me from l. to r. are actress Ora Jones, Steppenwolf Donor Steward Coordinator, Colette Gregory, and actress Penelope Walker. Penelope last appeared at Steppenwolf in Love-Lies- Bleeding. Ora Jones was nominated for her work in the Steppenwolf production of The Unmentionables as was Kenn E. Head. Jon Hill also appeared in that production and was nominated as Most Promising Newcomer. In addition, Cedric Young was nominated for his work in the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of “MASTER HAROLD”…and the boys. Steppenwolf is proud to have had these accomplished actors on our stage and we congratulate them on their artistry, performances, and nominations.

The evening was a strong tribute to the extraordinary Chicago community of African American theatre artists, to their art, and to the American Theatre.

I’m thinking a lot about actors at the moment. Two reasons: yesterday, I attended and participated in something called the Actors’ Congress; and today, I watched two groups of scenes by actors in the School at Steppenwolf.

The Actors’ Congress was a day-long seminar organized by Michael Miller, the director of the Actors’ Center in New York and Chicago actors Carmen Roman and Kate Buddeke of the American Theatre Company. The day consisted of a series of panels featuring: Chicago drama critics; long-time Chicago actors; early-career Chicago actors; and artistic directors of Chicago theaters who are also actors. The audience was comprised of Chicago actors and much discussion was encouraged of topics important to actors in the conduct of their careers. (more…)

We completed our run of Love-Lies-Bleeding at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, June the 25th. In total, we did 11 performances – from Saturday, June the 17th through our closing on Sunday, the 25th. We were there at the invitation of the Kennedy Center as the inaugural production in their New Fund for American Plays initiative. We performed in the Terrace Theatre, a 472-seat proscenium on the Rooftop level of the Center.

I had a terrific time doing the Kennedy Center run. For one thing, it’s been awhile since I have had the experience of centering my days around the day’s performance(s). When I am in a play at Steppenwolf, my day is split between life as the artistic director, and my life as an actor. That split life is an enormous privilege – and a deep pleasure – but there is a particular charm in thinking exclusively as an actor. This is especially true when the site of the performance is a city as rich in urban and cultural life as Washington, D.C. We stayed at the George Washington University Inn in Foggy Bottom, close to the Kennedy Center and so strolled by the Watergate Hotel on our walk to the theater every night. Georgetown was a short walk away and it was an easy hop onto the Metro to reach the Mall (with all of its great memorials and museums). (more…)

As the cast of The Unmentionables spends their last day in the rehearsal hall before moving over to the theatre, the technical crews for that show are busy onstage having just completed running a forty-minute rain sequence. Actual rain - onstage. Even as the exciting preparations for The Unmentionables move forward, this weekend three Steppenwolf productions will have their final performance. Sunday will mark the closing of The Sunset Limited in our Garage Theatre, Red Light Winter at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York City, and Love-Lies-Bleeding at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Both Red Light Winter and Love-Lies-Bleeding were produced here in Chicago before moving on to their out of town runs. So as we gear up for our conversations about The Unmentionables – and given the way Bruce Norris writes plays, they should be exciting – I offer any of our blog readers out there to comment on any the three closing productions. Did any of our readers see the same production in two cities? Any final thoughts? Memories? Highlights?