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

Closing a show is much like ending a relationship. Or maybe it’s like meeting someone, deciding to really give it everything you have, and then, at a pre-set date, say goodbye to each other. Forever.

There’s sifting through the acquired detritus, looking at old photos, recalling good times, recalling BAD times. There’s the initial relief, enjoying the freedom that you relinquished during your time together. Seeing the friends you neglected. Paying the bills that just didn’t seem all that important. Returning countless emails.

There’s the shedding period. Getting rid of the dialogue that has inhabited a significant portion of your brain and heart. Getting your hair cut (in my case, a WELCOME relief, as all 80s references in the play became unnecessary once the audience saw my giant hair.) Putting all of your keepsakes in a shoebox next to important mementos from other relationships, not to be looked at, possibly, for years to come. (more…)

It’s a great pleasure to be on stage every night with my fellow cast members in Good Boys and True. Being on stage is a less frequent experience now that I am an artistic director and one that I tend to appreciate more as a result. (My appreciation is abetted, no doubt, by the reality that I still have a job when the show closes–not something that every freelance actor can enjoy.)

I conduct some of the post-show conversations for Good Boys and every time, I’m refreshed in the knowledge of what a smart, engaged audience we have at Steppenwolf. Our audiences are so discerning in their reading of the play and so generous in their willingness to review the play against their own experiences. It’s what all of us theater practitioners hope for–that our work provides a sort of reflecting pool, a way to discover and engage the underlying issues of our lives. And further, that the play, and its performance, provokes a conversation about those issues that is informed by the thematic integrity of the play and its author’s point of view. (more…)

Where’s the one place in Chicago teenagers can see a play for $15 and chat intelligently with the actors in a private setting about what they just saw? Steppenwolf’s MaTEENe series, of course! As you may have heard, or seen (our poster crews are spread out across the city), the series is definitely and officially up and running. Our first event was centered on Good Boys and True and was a great success; especially considering it took place during winter vacation! Many of the participants were first-time theatergoers and loved the show, and almost all expressed an interest in returning for the Harriet Jacobs event on February 9.

Steppenwolf artistic apprentice Michael Vinson also attended our first event. While most of us were relaxing with our pizza and Pepsi, Michael was armed with a digital camera, video camera, and a MacBook. Much of his time was spent taking pictures and recording the council’s thoughts on Steppenwolf for Young Adults, the MaTEENe series, and theater itself. Listen to the result. You’ll find out who theater really belongs to. (more…)

Hey everyone! It’s Gaby here, along with Clifton, Majdi and Raquel. We’re four returning members of the Young Adult Council, and we just thought we’d write a blog to let all of you know what those pesky (a.k.a AWESOME) teenagers at Steppenwolf are up to.

So, in case you don’t know who or what we are (besides hormonal); we are a group of teenagers from different high schools from the Chicago-land area that gather twice a week to LEAD. CREATE. and COLLABORATE (as our motto says) in forming new ways to attract other teenagers to see and participate in different aspects of theater.

We are known to…
-Lead post-show discussions
-See diverse works of theater around the city
-Create workshops and events
-Learn from talented actors, artists and writers
-Collaborate with the staff to explore exciting opportunities for our own future and well as the future of the audience

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Kelly O’Sullivan, who plays Cheryl in Good Boys and True (and who plays her like a violin, in case you haven’t had the opportunity to see her), and I were talking about when the previews and knocking knees and expectations and overwhelming excitement and opening are over, you’ve got a job to do. This is where the real job starts. Keeping the story and your character fresh. Every single performance.

When you’re getting ready for your big scene and you feel dry as a bone inside. Nothing’s working. All your emotional songs on your ipod have lost their juice. And you’re so terrified to let down all the people waiting in the audience that when you walk on stage, you just know that your scene partner sees the terror in your eyes and is saying to you, “Hey, I got you. We’re OK.” And you breathe easy because you know you’re working with the best. (Thanks, Stephen.) (more…)