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

Talkbacks are such an odd thing, eh? I remember my own time in high school, and being asked to share my opinion on anything in front of a sea of my peers was such a harrowing experience. And I’ve always been proud of my opinions. I don’t know why we always felt that keeping silent, shoe-gazing and playing at disinterest was cool – hiding who we truly are or what we truly feel because we fear so much turning the herd against us. I’m just as guilty of it as anyone else, so please don’t read this as an attack. It starts in high school, though it isn’t confined to this period in our lives. I’ve taken part in talkbacks filled with people from college through retirement, both as an artist and audience member, and heard the same uncomfortable silence when asked “Well, what did you think?” Is it just that we fear being “wrong?” Though what is “wrong” in a theatrical process and experience where so much is subjective? They’re our opinions and feelings on what we just saw and took part in, so how can they be wrong? (more…)

Well, this is our first week of the run of Huck Finn and it has been quite fun. It has been an ongoing process of changing lines to make the script clearer or changing blocking in order to tighten up the length of the play. I have luckily been a part of new plays before, so having to constantly change a line or a movement is not foreign to me; still, it presents its challenges. For actors, I think the most challenging part of creating new plays is having to stay on your toes and constantly be open to change. For example, you have a scene that you have been working on for two or three weeks and all of a sudden, a small change in the script or in blocking deems that your scene is totally cut out of the play. You have to deal or come up with a really good reason to keep the scene. On the other hand, you might have something added, which most people might think an actor would want (”More lines! Hell yeah!”) but it is not always like that. Eventually things come together and whether the public likes it or not, you mold a unique story that is ready to be told. What I love about working on new plays is, of course, originating a role. We all know that Huck Finn is not a new story and that Jim has been played by many other actors in many different versions of the story of Huckleberry Finn. But this Jim is reborn in the eyes of Laura Eason and so in my mind, I get to breathe that fresh, new breath of air into his lungs.

Well, I’ve found the joy again! I think I lost some of it in the post-tech jitters, but putting Huck up in front of an audience has really brought it back to an infectious degree. I didn’t stop smiling for quite a few hours after we came down today. Performing for high schoolers is such a welcome challenge, because in many ways they seem to be your most honest critics. They know when you’re bluffing and won’t ever let you get away with a rather half-assed performance, and I love it. It just brings up your consciousness of those not only on stage with you, but also watching you from the seats. But the show is just such a joy to perform and the three audiences who’ve seen it so far have been really taken with it…fantastic questions in the talk-backs and hopefully that’ll continue.

This has been such an amazing process and I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by such talented and friendly folk. It’s been different from any production I’ve worked on in awhile in its sense of collaboration, almost. Having the adapter, Laura Eason, there in the room with us for a good chunk of the process and back in the workshop was new. Seeing our choices and delivery directly influence a change here and there was as exciting as watching the musicians (and sweet lord are these guys too talented for their own good) building upon the groundwork laid out by Rick Sims. The music created for the show in that it doesn’t so much comment on but rather set the mood/scene and inform the action of the play just gives that much more life to the production – pretty darn infectious songs too. It’s turned me on to bluegrass more, I’ll say that much. (more…)

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…)