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

When Justin Kaufmann of Schadenfreude opened last night’s Traffic show – A Celebration of Chicago Sketch Comedy - by classifying his troupe as “regular” (compared to kevINda which is, umm, African-American), it was pretty clear that I had better loosen up and pluck that pin out of my — well, you know.

And yet, nothing (let me repeat: nothing) could have prepared this genteel Southerner for the spate of offensive, appalling, embarrassing and (ultimately) hysterical sketches presented last night. Even I couldn’t keep a straight face when kevINda offered a theory on the private sex life of Martin and Coretta King. And, yes, actually, it is totally obvious that Curious George is shrewdly designed to indoctrinate children towards pro-slavery political views. (more…)

April and May will be very busy months for everyone who works on the Traffic series, but right now is a bit like the calm before the storm. So I have a few minutes for reflection on my start here at Steppenwolf, including when I first met ensemble member Tracy Letts as I worked on my first show as a staffer. I was so excited, proud and a little nervous about bringing the Blues/Hip-Hop Intersection to Millennium Park, so naturally I invited my mom to come out from our hometown in Erie, PA and see the show. She hemmed and hawed and finally said, “I don’t want to see your damn show. I’m 70 years old and I’m just not interested.” This is a woman with enough moxie to work in the church food pantry for 12 hours on one day, and shop the mall in her stilettos the next. She has the energy of person decades younger, and the will to do anything she wants to do. The fact that she did not want to do this with me hurt. But I had just seen Violet Weston, the pill popping manipulator and matriarch of August: Osage County, a character with an arsenal of venom carefully aimed to inflict maximum damage on her family. I owe a debt of gratitude to Tracy Letts for creating Violet Weston, and for context on what makes a truly bad mother. My mom is loving and supportive, really. Her only brutality comes in her honesty about how she wants to use her time. (more…)

On February 4, singer Maggie Brown was joined by her sister Africa, Jeff Baraka and Keith M. Kelley for a one-night only Traffic at Steppenwolf. Check out more photos from A Legacy of Jazz & Poetry.

One of the joys of live theater is that anything can happen. Each night is a little different – based on a magical confluence of events, personalities and moods. David Sedaris is an artist who courts chaos with a free wheeling, no-holds-barred, question and answer session after each show. There is something brave – and sweet – about one man (small enough to shop in the ladies section, at sister Amy’s prompting) taking on any and all questions. And somehow, night after night, it works. Sure, you get some predictable questions (”How’s your brother Rooster?” “Do you ever have writer’s block?”) And during his 8-show run I learned the answers: Rooster was recently the only one at the ballet wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and David has a special approach for occasional bouts of writer’s block. However, one man’s question stood out: “So we know who Oprah (the rarely seen but omnipresent Goddess of Chicago) has endorsed. What about you?” David paused a bit and basically replied that if the election were held now, Obama would get his vote. He remarked that “this president has proven that experience is not an issue,” adding “the Democrats have an embarrassment of riches,” unlike past elections when the nominees were “blocks of wood.” With every interaction on stage, and later as he signed books, David Sedaris proved that he is not only the funniest man in America but also accessible, and genuinely interested in others. (more…)