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

Director Hallie Gordon and Genevieve VenJohnson work on a monologue from Harriet Jacobs. See more photos of rehearsal.

It’s late at night, the evening after my first rehearsal. I’ve already gone to bed, but can’t sleep because I am excited, a little agitated, and full of thoughts about the play. I’m now back on the couch, Oprah’s talking about The Container Store, and I have an idea for a scene that may fix a clunky piece of expositional monologue that’s been bothering me for some time. I’ve spent lots of time thinking about Harriet Jacobs, this amazing woman, with this amazing life… To quote the beautiful, talented Nambi E. Kelly, “it is humbling,” telling this story. I want it to mean as much to my audiences as it does to me. I want my actors to feel safe as they embark on a journey that is at times emotionally harrowing, intensely spiritual, and oh so personal. I want to have earned the right to tell this story.

This, the beginning, is always the most exciting and most scary part of any process. (more…)

I am very excited to announce our 2007-2008 Steppenwolf for Young Adults season. Our season starts with The Elephant Man, a play by Bernard Pomerance, directed by Sean Graney. Sean directed Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis in the Garage Theatre in 2005, a Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative with The Hypocrites, for whom he serves as Artistic Director.

The Elephant Man tells the real-life story of John Merrick, a man suffering from extreme physical deformities and disabilities. Some may think this is an odd choice for young adults but this play raises a variety of themes that are well worth exploring for high school audiences such as: exploitation, identity, isolation, beauty, what society perceives to be normal and how we treat those who are unlike ourselves. The Elephant Man can be a starting place for a philosophical discussion around the idea of identity and illusion. What better place to start this discussion than at a theatre and in the classroom. (more…)