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

“Playing John Merrick will save my life.” That’s what I wrote in my notebook one week into rehearsals of The Elephant Man. Flashback to 13 years earlier: I am a gangly and disproportionally excited high school freshman leaning out of my balcony seat—eyes bulging, jaw dropped, heart pounding—furiously clapping for the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of Twelve Angry Men. Acting at Steppenwolf became a goal for me as an actor and (perhaps more importantly so) as a Chicagoan. I have spent much time since that experience in the balcony chasing that feeing and failing in articulating it. I would dream of myself playing delicate & intellectually touché-ing scenes with Malkovich, and oh, who’s this beautiful woman I love entering with tea? And a knife? Why that’s Joan Allen! And here’s Jeff Perry playing my good buddy dropping over for a late-night/rain-soaked/kitchen table with copious empty bottles of beer/confessional betrayal scene.

Those were my dreams. I’ve had lots of them. Most have come true. But never—never—in my wildest dreams did I see myself taking the stage at Steppenwolf in a wheelchair. (more…)

Michael Patrick Thornton and Thomas J. Cox. Check out more scenes from The Elephant Man.

Hello Everyone,

How are you? I am going to write a little, teeny blog entry about working on The Elephant Man. I hope you find it interesting.

Do you read many blogs? I don’t. So bear with me.

We are at the end of the second week of rehearsal. And it is going great, except that a few days ago, one of our actors accidentally set herself on fire.

That’s not true.

I am really enjoying working with everyone. They are all really dreamy! We all seem to be speaking the same language and have a strong desire to make this play work. Next week we go into tech. And all of us will probably start to hate each other. (more…)

Director Sean Graney works with actor Michael Patrick Thornton.

Want to see more? Step inside the rehearsal room.

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…)