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

ABIGAIL: “Give me a word, John. A soft word.”
JOHN: “No, no, Abby. That’s done with.”

Uncover more moments from The Crucible.

The night before the first day of The Crucible rehearsals felt a lot like the night before the first day of school. I would wake up every few hours, worried I had overslept and missed the day entirely. I was so excited, but it would be a lie to say I wasn’t nervous. The Crucible is one of the most iconic and astonishing works of American theatre, and basically, you don’t want to screw it up. I walked into the rehearsal hall and saw four huge tables arranged in a circle to accommodate our sizable cast. There are about 20 people in our show, and a group that large is rare for a non-musical. Actors whom I deeply admire began to arrive and take their seats. Everyone who works on the administrative side of things came down to say hi and introduce him/herself. Gorgeous design presentations were made, and slowly our little play began to feel like a big freakin’ deal. Which of course it is! You just don’t want to be hyper-aware of that during the first read through.

Luckily, Ms. Anna D. was there to quell our nerves. She gave an opening address that was inspired and heartfelt, explaining why doing the play at this moment is so important to her. She told us to let go of any preconceived notion or pressure of doing THE CRUCIBLE. The people onstage have to be as real and recognizable as the people walking around today. The characters may speak differently, but they experience the same emotions and are as susceptible to fear and personal agenda as we are now. No good guys, no bad guys, just folks making mistakes and trying to get by - trying to survive. Which is the only way the play is worth doing or seeing at all, right? (more…)

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This is a wonderfully exciting moment for all of us at Steppenwolf–the time when we announce our new season. We have been reading and discussing plays for months now in preparation for just this moment. Those of us in the artistic office have been framing the issues of the season and balancing the interaction of the plays in creating a lively and vigorous conversation on those themes. We have been in discussion with our ensemble artists, assembling the directors and actors for the productions. We use the forum of our blog to announce those plays and artists first to you, our dedicated patrons. You have the inside scoop.

When we began shaping our thoughts about 2007-2008, we were galvanized by the knowledge that we are in the midst of an important presidential election. Change is in the air. Issues of American identity, questions about what constitutes American citizenship and responsibility are being vigorously discussed and debated. We felt it was crucial for Steppenwolf’s season to participate in this discussion. We look to the 2007-2008 season as one that foregrounds the American voice. Five playwrights: one, an elder statesman of the American theater who spent his artistic life interrogating the question of citizenship; two, ensemble members who make vivid and specific the articulation of the personal with the political; two, new voices in the American theater who are gaining prominence as important chroniclers of how we live now. (more…)