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

1) Acting is re-acting. It’s true. Don’t react to anything on stage. You are dead.

2) All great actors listen to their scene partners. You can listen, but you can’t hear. Once again, you are dead.

3) Pee before you take the stage.

4) Use the 3 seconds of blackout left after you get on stage to find the most comfortable position possible.

5) If you have an itch, tough. See rule number one.

I play Gordon, the “dead man” of Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Except for the long monologue that opens Act II and the scene I have to do, it’s the best job I’ve ever had in the theatre: no lines, no blocking, no work. Just praying I don’t have to sneeze. But the real gift of the role is having the other actors talk about me so much that by the time I do make an appearance, it seems that the audience really wants to hear what I have to say. Plus I’m dead–and who wouldn’t want to hear from a dead guy? That doesn’t happen every day.

Next week: HOW TO PLAY A MAN IN HELL.

Thanks for reading.

The Traffic season is done, we’re well into the run of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and we’re gearing up for Superior Donuts and First Look . Hmmm, this seems like the perfect moment to hop on the train (that’s how we roll) and head down to the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center to hear the Mayor and others talk about the importance of theater in Chicago. The official purpose of the occasion on Monday, June 9, 2008 was a salute to Chicago’s award-winning theater community and the Tony nods for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Steppenwolf. However, Cultural Programming Deputy Commissioner Janet Carl Smith played host to a line up of beloved icons including Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg, CST Artistic Director Barbara Gaines, and our own Artistic Director Martha Lavey; the event turned into a love fest for everyone in the artistic and cultural community. (more…)

One of the moving things about life in the theatre is that there is this great sense of synchronicity: as I move into a new (small) space, in these past two days, I’ve been roaming through the streets and the spaces at the Yale School of Drama where Sarah Ruhl has already been; I’ve been passing by the theatre where soon Polly will set up residence (and someday, I hope, I’ll get to see Jessica’s work–). Yesterday, in a break, I had a dinner with my new second year playwrights; out of the corner of my eye, I watched the senator from Illinois’s delegate count edge towards the nomination, as we talked about the upcoming Yale Rep production of Passion Play.

The overlapping circles of connection, influence, missed connection, my best friend from school knows your best friend from school kind of layers, I’m in New Haven thinking of the performance at the Steppenwolf tonight–these levels of human complexity are exactly what Dead Man’s Cell Phone celebrates, and mourns the slide into solipsism that an addiction to technology brings. We must treasure the overlapping circles, and here, at a school where there have been generations of theatre artists, I do. (more…)

Hello everyone! The unpredictable spring weather brought colds and the flu to our production of Dead Man’s Cell Phone. A bunch of us have been sneezing and sniffling, and yours truly got so sick that I missed 5 performances. While sick, I suffered through a performance and got another bloody nose while on stage. Thank goodness I happened to have a tissue in my purse. I’m curious to know if anyone in the audience noticed. Thank goodness for Cora who took over the rest of the week on short notice. I am so grateful to her, and of course to the rest of the cast for their patience and forgiveness. It is pretty exciting when an understudy goes on, but it is also harder work for everyone, because anything can happen. I wish that I could have snuck out of my sick bed, put on a big hat and sunglasses and watched the show. I heard from a number of sources that Cora was wonderful.

My first shows back were on Mother’s Day. The matinee show had a smaller crowd, but it was full of sweet laughers. The Sunday night show was full of college students who arrived from Wisconsin (?) on a bus. They were lively and wonderful. It is a pleasure to HEAR the audience each night. One person I did not see or hear (because she was elsewhere) was my own mother. Happy belated Mother’s Day, Mom! (more…)

Hey, it is beautiful outside! And it’s WEEK FOUR of Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Funny to think about us still wearing these rainy day costumes when summer comes! The excitement so far: one understudy has gone on (bravo Dana), one onstage bloody nose (me), several uninvited phone rings during performance (hello audience!). WOW, live theatre!

We bought our crew dinner between shows this Saturday. The weekends are long; two shows both days, so it was lovely to have dinner in the building. Mary Beth made brownies and I scrambled to a store to grab strawberries. Our stage manger Chris had a visit from her baby Joan and her husband, actor Tom Cox. When we first met Joan she was crawling, but by the time our show closes she will be walking! (more…)