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

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.

After introducing myself as Steppenwolf’s Literary Manager during a recent post-show discussion for The Unmentionables, the first question directed at me was, “What does a Literary Manager do?” For the sake of your sanity, I’ll be brief: my job entails reading the roughly 500 new scripts we receive each year and making recommendations to Ed Sobel, our Director of New Play Development, as to works and writers we ought to consider when programming our season. Today, for example, I’ll be reading a few scripts in consideration for our 2007-08 season – all before our 2006-07 season officially commences. Meanwhile, on our Downstairs Theatre, our 2005-06 season is about to end, as The Unmentionables closes this Sunday.

As a subscription series show winds down its run, two things typically happen. First, friends contact us in larger numbers in an attempt to secure seats to a performance. Second, and more importantly, we are able to take full stock of the production, having seen it from its conception (in the case of The Unmentionables, cutting the check to Bruce Norris that instigated the commissioned play) through its development and growth (initial “table readings” of successive drafts, meetings with designers, rehearsals, previews), and culminating in its birth: performances in front of our audiences over a seven-week run.

Through this blog and our post-show discussions - two-way avenues of communication in service of a medium that is traditionally a one-way conduit - you are able to take stock with us. The Unmentionables closes out our 30th anniversary season, a season dedicated to producing entirely new works. Though this was a giant leap for us - a “normal” season sees us produce between 10-12 works in our 3 performance spaces, of which roughly half is comprised of new plays - we’ve been heartened by the ways in which our audiences were willing to take this trip with us.

In our all-staff meetings, departmental meetings, even around the water cooler (in our case, a Pepsi machine we’ve desperately been trying to get switched to a Coke machine), we’ve been discussing what a slate of exclusively new plays meant to us as a theatre company. But this is a two-way sharing of information, of course, and we’d like to know how you’ve reacted to this past season of work.

Taken as a whole, what, if anything, did this season’s plays mean to you? What, to your mind, is the importance of new work (if any) in the theatre these days?

I wonder if any of you who have seen The Unmentionables noticed the “Questions For” feature in the New York Times Magazine of July 23, 2006. The “Questions For” is a weekly feature of the Magazine. In it, Deborah Solomon, a writer for the Times, interviews a public figure. Her subjects include politicians, artists, academics, media and sports figures – interesting people doing interesting things. One of the virtues of the “Questions For” format is its brevity: the interview occupies one page and the back-and-forth between Solomon and her subject is vigorous. She cuts to the chase.

In the July 23rd issue, Solomon interviews John Wood, a former Microsoft executive, who has parlayed his Microsoft earnings into a philanthropic foundation called Room to Read. Room to Read defines its mission as “to educate the world’s children.” As Wood states, “We’re trying to open libraries and schools, mostly for kids K to 5, in the developing world at a pace that emulates Starbucks‘.” (more…)

I’ve had the pleasure of conducting a number of the post-show conversations for The Unmentionables and I must say, I find it a very rich experience. I am impressed (once again) by how smart the Steppenwolf audience is. The play is challenging—it requires interpretation in the sense that it offers a kind of allegory: the playwright is asking that the circumstances of the play be read in a wider context. Our audience makes the leap into that interpretive space with real vigor and insight. It’s always interesting to feel the shifts in emphasis that happen in any given audience.

Last Saturday, one member of the audience seized on the character of Dave, the young man who identifies himself as a Christian. This audience member was candid to say that he, himself, is a Christian and he didn’t find Dave to be conducting himself in a Christian manner. He said, “Why are people with religious identity made the targets of a lampooning?” Several other members of the audience pointed out that the critique was not exclusive to Dave—that the behavior of all of the characters is put under review—that each of them is operating out of a form of hypocrisy or a lack of honest self-reflection. (more…)

This past Thursday, we began preview performances of The Unmentionables by Bruce Norris. This is the fifth play by Bruce that Steppenwolf has produced. Previous productions include Purple Heart, The Infidel, We All Went Down To Amsterdam, and most recently The Pain and the Itch. A post-show discussion was held after the preview on Saturday afternoon. Of the 326 people who attended the performance, 115 stayed to participate in a conversation with Artistic Director, Martha Lavey and Bruce. The conversation was extremely lively, as is to be expected after one of Bruce’s plays, and it is deeply fortifying to our commitment to post-show discussions to have had one third of the audience in attendance. The opportunity for conversation is extended now into a virtual discussion here on the blog. If you saw the show, if you attended a post-show discussion, feel free to express your reactions here and continue the conversation with us and with each other.

The Unmentionables will open this Sunday, July 9th. Post-show discussions are held Tuesday thru Friday evenings and after the Saturday and Sunday matinee performances.