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

Hello – Tina here, the director of The Tempest. I’m thrilled that this conversation is being had on our blog – so thank you to all of you who have contributed.

I’d like to respond with a general account of how I cast this play and why, and then by addressing some specific comments.

Brant Russell wrote in his entry, “Tina, when casting the play, looked at the ensemble and thought about who might be best for each role. Skin color was not a factor in these decisions.” Well, that is only partially true. First I thought about who might be best for each role – and then I thought long and hard about how cast members’ skin color might sway meaning, shape concept, and influence readings of the production. (more…)

Arima,

My soul, I write to you on the 4,380th flower petal that I will send over the waters. My longing for you is such that my kiss, bound to the soft skin of the flower, will carry the petal through wind and rain to rest in your hair.

Prospero is drunk with revenge. He enlists me to manage an epic charade in which people believe their loved ones to be dead, killed in a violent tempest. By some miracle I preserved all that suffered, but my soul! I ache with guilt knowing the pain I have caused. He uttered the witches name twice today when I reminded him of his freedom promise. Only the thought of you, my soul, restrained my lion rage from striking out against the wizard. His power has become too great to imagine, and despite years of promises, I am beginning to believe him. When this folly has ended that now we entertain, I will be in your arms with the light of the sun in my eyes. (more…)

Two weeks. Two weeks is a lifetime.

In my dressing room, unlacing my boots after a long week, I wonder how many shows like this my body can handle. Adrenaline has a way of making you forget.

Lois Smith, as Gonzalo, discovered each line in the moment as we do in life. With an exciting suspension before each little epiphany, I am held hostage by her bravery. With love and undying support, we miss you.

It is a cosmic joke that we should be so lucky to have Mike Nussbaum embody Gonzalo on our island. A Chicago Titan humbly embraces this beast and rambles with such innocence and genuine goodness that it humanizes the heart of a homesick spirit. A thousand, thousand thank yous. (more…)

The other night at a post-show discussion for The Tempest, a man, the only African-American person who’s stayed for a Tempest discussion of mine so far, mentioned that the black friends with whom he attended were offended by the portrayal of black people in the play.

He said that he wasn’t personally offended, and that his friends were still trying to parse out their own feelings as they left the theater. But he wanted to stay for the discussion to talk it through.

The topic hadn’t yet come up in my discussions, and I found myself at a bit of a loss. We talked for a bit, others weighed in, and then we moved on. But we developed a set of very interesting questions. I’d love your thoughts.

Should an actor’s skin color matter? And whether it should or it shouldn’t, is its salience unavoidable? (more…)

As I watch the printer spit out the 14th copy of my Up research packet, I’m struck by the ways the season’s theme of imagination is apparent in the pages accumulating in the copy room. As Steppenwolf investigates notions of imagination in its 08-09 season, I’ve found that thematic focus has permeated my world of library books and online sleuthing.

During my nine months at Steppenwolf (as Literary Apprentice) I’ve revisited some of the same subjects through the new lens of each show, and though the perspective is different, there are fascinating intersections. Sometimes these thematic links are obvious, but on other occasions there are subtle connections that surprise me. (more…)