f l o w n e p p ste 10/11 S EAS
ON
FIVE NIG HTS YO U WI LL NEVE R FO RG ET
FEAR LE SS ACTIN G LIN G L E T Y R O T S S U O R U T N ADVE TH R I LLI N G PL AYS
STEPPENWOLF’S 2010/11 SEASON: FIVE STORIES THAT NAVIGATE THE FLUID BORDERS OF OUR PUBLIC/ PRIVATE SELF AND ILLUMINATE THE MYSTERIOUS WAYS EACH ACTS UPON THE OTHER.
STEPPENWOLF’S NO FRILLS SAVER SERIES See all five plays of the 2010/11 season for only $135—a fantastic deal at only $27 per play! You’ll attend on Tuesday or Wednesday nights and add some culture to the middle of your week. We pick the night and give you the best available seats.*
* Exchanges/courtesy vouchers will both be for Tuesday/Wednesday nights only.
DETROIT
ensemble member Laurie Metcalf
A new play by: LISA D'AMOUR Directed by: ensemble member AUSTIN PENDLETON Featuring ensemble members: KEVIN ANDERSON, KATE ARRINGTON, IAN BARFORD, ROBERT BREULER & LAURIE METCALF
SEP 9 - NOV 7 2010
In a “first ring” suburb outside a mid-sized American city, Ben and Mary fire up the grill to welcome the new neighbors who’ve moved into the long-empty house next door. The fledgling friendship soon veers out of control, shattering the fragile hold Ben and Mary have on their way of life—with unexpected comic consequences. Detroit is a fresh, off-beat look at what happens when we dare to open ourselves up to something new.
EDWARD ALBEE’S
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Directed by: PAM MACKINNON Featuring ensemble members: TRACY LETTS & AMY MORTON
DEC 2 2010 - FEB 13 2011
ensemble members Amy Morton & Tracy Letts
On the campus of a small New England college, George and Martha invite a new professor and his wife home for a nightcap. As the cocktails flow, the young couple find themselves caught in the crossfire of a savage marital war where the combatants attack the self deceptions they forged for their own survival. Ensemble members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton face off as one of theatre’s most notoriously dysfunctional couples in Albee’s hilarious and harrowing masterpiece.
SEX WITH STRANGERS
ensemble member Sally Murphy with Stephen Louis Grush
By: LAURA EASON Directed by: associate artist JESSICA THEBUS Featuring ensemble member: SALLY MURPHY with STEPHEN LOUIS GRUSH
JAN 20 - MAY 15 2011
Ethan is a hot young writer whose online journals of “sexcapades” are the buzz of the blogosphere. Olivia is an attractive 30-something whose own writing career is fizzling. They hook up, sex turns into dating and dating into something more complicated. A break-out hit at Steppenwolf’s 2009 First Look Repertory, Sex with Strangers explores how we invent our identity–online and off–and what happens when our private lives become public domain.
THE HOT L BALTIMORE
ensemble member K. Todd Freeman
By: LANFORD WILSON Directed by: ensemble member TINA LANDAU Featuring ensemble members: ALANA ARENAS, K. TODD FREEMAN, YASEN PEYANKOV & MOLLY REGAN
MAR 24 - MAY 29 2011
The Hotel Baltimore used to be the swankiest place in town— now it has a date with the wrecking ball. Eviction notices just went out to its residents, who live on the fringes of society and call the seedy hotel home. This acclaimed play from the author of Balm in Gilead is filled with everyday humanity— unexpectedly intimate and moving. Helmed by visionary director Tina Landau, The Hot L Baltimore reveals the private lives of an unconventional community about to be turned inside out.
MIDDLETOWN
ensemble member Alana Arenas
A new play by: WILL ENO Directed by: LES WATERS Featuring ensemble members: ALANA ARENAS, FRANCIS GUINAN, TIM HOPPER, ORA JONES, MARTHA LAVEY & TRACY LETTS
JUNE 16 - AUG 14 2011
Mary Swanson just moved to Middletown. About to have her first child, she is eager to enjoy the neighborly bonds a small town promises. But life in Middletown is complicated: neighbors are near strangers and moments of connection are fleeting. Middletown is a playful, poignant portrait of a town with two lives, one ordinary and visible, the other epic and mysterious.
DINNER THEATRE SERIES
TEACHER DISCOUNT SERIES
Join the Dinner Theatre Subscription Series and each time you enjoy a Steppenwolf show, you will experience a delicious 3-course dinner at some of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants—all within convenient walking distance of the theatre. We will take care of the reservations & logistics, so you can just show up and enjoy the creations of the celebrated chefs from such restaurants as Adobo Grill, BOKA, Landmark and Vinci. Each evening, with a ticket to the show and a meal (including salad or appetizer, entrée, glass of wine or beer and dessert) is a $100 value—and you pay only $69!
In appreciation of all that you do, we offer a special series for you! For only $115 you can see all five Subscription Series plays with guaranteed seats. Please call Audience Services at 312-335-1650 and mention Teacher Discount Series to subscribe. Proof of employment is required.
Steppenwolf will make a 5:30 p.m. dinner reservation at each restaurant, and while the tickets are exchangeable, the dinner is not. No other discounts apply—gratuity not included.
WINE TASTING SERIES Steppenwolf has invited the renegade storytellers from 2nd Story to join us in livening up our Wine Tasting Series. These events will combine wine tasting, delicious food pairings, music and stories inspired by the themes and ideas from the plays in our season. A typical event goes something like this: you hang out in the private Steppenwolf Balcony Lobby with your friends and eat and drink and make merry. Once in a while, the lights go down, a spotlight comes up on somebody—maybe the person sitting next to you!—and they tell you a story. It’s a great way to ease out of the workday and ease into the fantastic stories on the Steppenwolf stage.
STUDENT HALF-PRICE SERIES Love world-class theatre but live on a work-study budget? Students of any age may purchase one half-price subscription for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday evening performances—for as little as $23 a play! Limit one subscription per student with a current and valid student ID. Please call Audience Services at 312-335-1650 and mention Student HalfPrice Series to subscribe.
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCE SERIES Audio Description & Touch Tours On selected Sunday matinees, Steppenwolf offers an audiodescribed performance, pre-show touch tour and artistic conversation for patrons who are blind or visually impaired. (We also offer just the audio description—without the touch tour and chat—on selected Thursday evenings.) Patrons participating in the audio-described series may also receive the playbill in Braille, large print and audio formats.
DIRECTORS CIRCLE
Sign Language Interpretation A sign language-interpreted performance for patrons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing is scheduled for a selected Sunday evening during each play in our subscription series.
Join Steppenwolf’s family of donors with a $1,500 contribution and enjoy exclusive benefits including two complimentary subscriptions as well as VIP ticketing services, invitations to intimate events with the artists and your choice of one poster signed by the cast from the Steppenwolf season.
Discounted subscriptions of $135 are available for patrons who utilize our audio described and sign language-interpreted services.
For more information call 312-654-5672 or email directorscircle@steppenwolf.org.
Subscribe now at steppenwolf.org/subscribe or call 312-335-1650.
STEPPENWOLF SUBSCRIBERS ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO GET INSIDER STATUS AND VIP TREATMENT ALL SEASON LONG. Whether you want to enjoy a discounted dinner at one of our partner restaurants in Lincoln Park before a show, or have exclusive access to pre-sales for special theatrical events, we make sure our subscribers get the inside scoop and the best deal. We couldn’t do it without you.
STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY’S 35TH SEASON IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY: GRAND BENEFACTORS
BENEFACTORS
Benefits include: • Guaranteed seats to five plays a year • Easy ticket exchanges • Advance sale opportunities and discounts • Special offers at restaurants & retailers • Special series options, including new revamped Wine Series and “No Frills” Saver Series at only $27 a play • Conveniently located near public transportation and plenty of parking • World class customer service from Steppenwolf Audience Services and Front of House staff
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK SEASON PHOTOGRAPHER SAVERIO TRUGLIA Photographer Saverio Truglia makes pictures
Subscribe Now at steppenwolf.org/subscribe or call 312-335-1650.
that tell unexpected stories about people and things out-of-place. Producing this season’s images capitalized on his talent for digital image making and love for offbeat portraiture and dark humor.
The Steppenwolf Ensemble first began performing in the mid-1970s in the basement of a Highland Park church, the ambitious brainchild of three high school and college friends: Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney and Gary Sinise. Fast forward 35 years and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company has become the nation’s premier ensemble theater—redefining the landscape of acting and performance. The ensemble has grown to 43 members who represent a remarkable generation of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions from Balm in Gilead and The Grapes of Wrath to August: Osage County—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and nine Tony® Awards—have made the theatre legendary. Steppenwolf ’s artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its sharp appetite for groundbreaking, innovative work.
Steppenwolf Theatre founders: Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney and Gary Sinise Photo by: Sandro
Steppenwolf Ensemble Members: Joan Allen, Kevin Anderson, Alana Arenas, Randall Arney, Kate Arrington, Ian Barford, Robert Breuler, Gary Cole, Kathryn Erbe, K. Todd Freeman, Frank Galati, Francis Guinan, Moira Harris, Jon Michael Hill, Tim Hopper, Tom Irwin, Ora Jones, Terry Kinney, Tina Landau, Martha Lavey, Tracy Letts, John Mahoney, John Malkovich, Mariann Mayberry, Tarell Alvin McCraney, James Vincent Meredith, Laurie Metcalf, Amy Morton, Sally Murphy, Austin Pendleton, Jeff Perry, William Petersen, Yasen Peyankov, Martha Plimpton, Rondi Reed, Molly Regan, Anna D. Shapiro, Eric Simonson, Gary Sinise, Lois Smith, Rick Snyder, Jim True-Frost, Alan Wilder
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1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60614 312-335-1650 steppenwolf.org
steppenwolf 10/11 season