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

Whenever Steppenwolf jumps onto the national radar as it has, most recently, with the success of August: Osage County, journalists from the national press ask to speak to various of us at Steppenwolf about the company and its history. Inevitably, arises the question, “what is the ‘Steppenwolf style’?” They trying to get a handle on what it is that characterizes a Steppenwolf production and what produces it. Is it a characteristic acting style? Is there a method to the madness? How are ensemble members chosen? What does being an ensemble member entail?

I find myself rehearsing the history of the company, the personalities that created it, the early productions that went on to national prominence and cemented an image of Steppenwolf as a fearless, virtuostic ensemble acting.

The other day, Ed Sobel, our Director of New Play Development, Tracy Letts and I were talking to a journalist from Playbill. He was asking all of the questions about the company and its style that we have come to expect and that are almost impossible to answer in any formulaic way (because there is no formula, there was no syllabus). Tracy, Ed and I talked about Steppenwolf’s history but immediately found ourselves talking about the whole of the Chicago theater scene–the storefront theaters that harbored the companies and actors so germane to the “Chicago style.” We talked about ensemble, we talked about intimate theaters, we talked about actors and directors working for each others’ approval (instead of for the approval of some great, career-determining outside eye). (more…)

It’s a gray day as I look out my window, but I feel like the sun is shining on Steppenwolf. I’m excited by the Tony nominations, and though it may sound cheesy, I think the big honors and the national headlines are just part of the story. Here are a few of the little moments that make Steppenwolf a magical place.

I hate to embarrass him, but House Manager Evan Hatfield is a beautiful young man with eyes like a policeman. He’s always watching to see what needs to be done. Last Friday, just before a Traffic performance by at the fantastic Tatsu Aoki and his Miyumi Project, I was moved to see a multigenerational tableau – tall, lean Evan giving his arm to a small, elderly Japanese-American man. The gentleman took his arm with a dignity and comfort that was so natural. (more…)

The Tony Award nominations were announced today, and I’m happy to say that Steppenwolf’s production of August: Osage County was well-represented, garnering nominations in the following categories:

• Best Play (Tracy Letts)
• Best Direction of a Play (Anna Shapiro)
• Best Performance by a Leading Actress (Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton)
• Best Performance by a Featured Actress (Rondi Reed)
• Best Scenic Design of a Play (Todd Rosenthal)
• Best Lighting Design of a Play (Ann G. Wrightson)

I was thrilled when the awards were announced this morning. Like perhaps many people in the American theater, I’ve got a starry-eyed little teen-aged drama geek hidden away inside of me. I’ve covered her up over the years with layer upon layer of theatrical sophistication, but deep down she’s still there, practicing her Tony Award acceptance speech in the mirror. For that girl, the fact that I’ll see my theater and people I know at the televised Tony Awards Ceremony represents the pinnacle of achievement. (more…)

Since the beginning of the Young Adult Council we have wanted to put together a play writing workshop and on May 10th from 11 to 3, it will come to pass. Aaron Carter, no not the singer, will be our leading playwright for the day. He is an awesome guy who I’ve been able to work with before and I’m really happy that he agreed to lead the workshop. The council had wanted to put one together, a workshop, for the longest time because writing, at least for the joy of writing, has kind of faded to the background of most teens. Plus, it not only builds on writing skills but on confidence. Sharing your written work is almost as difficult as getting on stage and reciting someone else’s.

It doesn’t seem difficult to do, trying to organize a workshop, but arranging space, marketing and contacting writers is a mite tougher then we had originally thought. No worries though, because we have had a lot of help from the Steppenwolf staff, like Ed Sobel, who gave us names and e-mails of writers. We drafted proposal after proposal, corrected them, and then began on flyers. Soon, after most of the council had run out of ink in their pens, we had it. This is the Council’s first public workshop and it is bound to be good. I actually can’t wait for it, I’m so excited.

Hi everyone, my name is Safiya and I’m part of the Young Adult Council. I’ve never written a blog before and I’m not exactly sure how this works, but I’ll give it my best shot.

For the past month or so, 3 members of the Young Adult Council have worked with CPS teachers in the Immersion 2 workshop, “The Chicago Ethnography Project”. The Chicago Ethnography Project interviews people about their culture (ethnicity-aha! Word roots!) and puts those interviews together to create an original piece of theatre. Since we were working with teachers, Emilio, the workshop director, spent some time talking about how to apply the theatre or writing exercise in the classroom. We learned and participated in fun warm-ups. We learned new catchphrases, like “marinate” and “juice”. Both students and teachers felt that the role of “student” or “teacher” really didn’t apply and everyone was just a person. In the final performance, the casting was pretty colorblind (or… ageblind…?). Our ‘informance’ (our purpose was to INFORM, not PERFORM) about class, family, and race, was pretty successful. And we had some awesome Mediterranean food.