A RESET SEASON AND A RENE ED COMMITMENT TO YOU
2 O /21 SEASON
Thank you.
PRESENTING
THE 20/21 SEASON
Dear Member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company,
SEAGULL
When I introduced our 20/21 season a week before the COVID-19 crisis unleashed itself throughout Chicagoland, I shared my profound gratitude for your membership. Since then, we have cancelled 183 performances, including final weeks of Bug and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, as well as the entirety of The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, King James and Catch As Catch Can. With our stages dark and future murky, you have continued to stand by our side. Perhaps you have renewed your membership, donated tickets from cancelled performances, made a generous contribution or maybe even sent us a note saying you missed us. And we miss you. We hope you feel our efforts to stay connected. Without you there would be no work. Our virtual offerings have assembled more of our ensemble in one season than in the entire history of Steppenwolf! The ensemble knows who keeps this theatre company alive: it’s you. And they are stepping up to say thank you with virtual content exclusively made for you, our members. Without you there would be no groundbreaking work, no stunning storytelling and no magical art making. Recognizing your role in the restoration of our theatre-making, I need to share changes to our 20/21 season. Acknowledging the uncertainty that lies ahead, we revisited our season to allow flexibility should we need to be nimble when and how we fill our theatre. We made the difficult decision to remove Barcelona and Bald Sisters from the 20/21 season. After a terrific gala to support the return of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter we are thrilled to bring this piece to you as one of our Main Stage offerings. We will also be including Seagull in ALL 20/21 membership packages. For those of you yet to renew, we hope a review of the season will bring you back. We have included FAQs and details about our RISK FREE MEMBERSHIP to help you continue standing by our side in this unprecedented time. Thank you for securing the legacy of America’s great ensemble theatre.
Fondly, Anna D. Shapiro
By Anton Chekhov Translated and adapted by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov
Directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov
Now included in all membership packages!
I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER Based on the book by Erika L. Sánchez Adapted by Isaac Gómez
NEW!
Directed by ensemble member Sandra Marquez
Returning as a main series play after a sold-out run!
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK By Matt Charman Based on the screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro
LAST NIGHT AND THE NIGHT BEFORE By Donnetta Lavinia Grays Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton
CHOIR BOY By ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney
NO
...and Introducing Steppenwolf NOW is a new virtual programming stream, of fering opportunities to bring innovative and provocative art to you. Recent productions, like the (Virtual) Seagull reading and the radio play The American Clock have allowed us to bring more ensemble members together in one production than have ever come together on our stage! As our virtual projects continue,
Steppenwolf NOW will include commissioned work EXCLUSIVELY created for the virtual platform. Programming from ensemble members Bruce Norris and Rajiv Joseph, as well as James Ijames, Mia Chung, Donnetta Lavinia Grays and Isaac Gómez, has already begun!
NE ORK FOR OUR NE
ORLD
RENEW TODAY. RISK FREE. As the country, Illinois and our precious Chicagoland continue to navigate a return to normalcy following COVID-19, it’s difficult to understand exactly how that might unfurl in a world that remains riddled with uncertainty. As excited as we are to welcome you back to the theatre, that will not happen until the health and safety of our artists and our audiences are assured. We recognize that you also have many concerns and questions about what our return to the theatre might look like. We have a plan.
Our risk free membership guarantee: If COVID-19 circumstances impede our 20/21 season by either NOT allowing us to perform or by making YOU feel uncomfortable returning to the theatre, we will be prepared to offer you 3 alternatives: • Call Audience Services for a refund of your ticket value • Put your membership dollars on account to be used for a future Steppenwolf production • Donate your ticket value in your continued investment in Steppenwolf’s future
Renew by JULY 15 to keep your current seats. 1. Online
at steppenwolf.org/restore. Click on “Renew Now!”
2. By Phone
at 312-335-1650
3. By Mail
Attn. Memberships Steppenwolf Theatre Company 1650 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
MEMBERS will be the first to sit in our brilliantly designed theatre-in-the-round. The highly anticipated new theatre opens in Fall 2021 and your 20/21 membership saves your spot today and ensures you get member priority seating when the theatre opens. While COVID-19 has pushed our anticipated July 2021 opening to the Fall—this delay only increases our enthusiasm to invite you to be the first to join the opening of the new theatre.
World Premiere
Good Night, and Good Luck By Matt Charman Based on the screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro In the Downstairs Theatre 1953: Dark days in Washington, DC. Senator Joseph McCarthy wages his ruthless campaign against all those he deems “Un-American,” public trust in the institutions of government is in perilous decline and a panicked gloom grips the nation. All that stands in the way of the continued disintegration of the American body politic is Edward R. Murrow, his room of intrepid journalists and one black-and-white newscast destined to change the course of this country’s civic life. This world premiere adaptation of George Clooney’s Oscar-nominated film is a stark, fast-moving and timely look at the treacherous business of telling truths in dark times.
Featuring Ensemble Members Alana Arenas Ian Barford Audrey Francis Tom Irwin William Petersen Anna D. Shapiro With Joey Slotnick Jordan Brodess Keith Gallagher
Why we chose this play Fifteen years after the release of the much-lauded film, this world premiere will hit Steppenwolf’s stage at the height of 2020’s election cycle. Against the backdrop of this highly charged political atmosphere, Steppenwolf’s Ensemble and Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro are eager to tell this prescient tale about a heroic moment in American history where those with everything to lose decided to stand up and call out injustice.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Based on the book by Erika L. Sánchez Adapted by Isaac Gómez Directed by ensemble member Sandra Marquez In the Upstairs Theatre An adaptation of Erika L. Sánchez’s award-winning novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter follows Julia, a Chicago high school student as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed. Sánchez has created an indelible protagonist in student Julia Reyes, who searches for her truest self while navigating the struggles of adolescence—depression, grief, self-doubt—in addition to the anxieties unique to a child of immigrants with a foot in two very different worlds. Julia is torn between a future limited by the same socioeconomic forces that curtail the opportunities open to her parents and her fervent ambitions to seek a more expansive life for herself as a writer.
Why we chose this play We are thrilled to return I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter to Steppenwolf Theatre after its sold-out world premiere for Steppenwolf for Young Adults was cut short in March. At its heart, this is a Chicago story about family, community and coming together even when that feels impossible. It’s a timeless reminder that no matter one’s country of origin, no matter what language one speaks, or what status one occupies, we all have dreams. The opportunity to re-imagine this play for our members allows us to share the beauty and complexities within our beloved city with a wider audience: a Chicago story bringing us back together at Steppenwolf.
Featuring Ensemble Members Sandra Marquez Karen Rodriquez
Chicago Premiere
Last Night and the Night Before By Donnetta Lavinia Grays Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton In the Downstairs Theatre A young woman is on the run. From what, she will not say. Arriving on the doorstep of her older sister’s Brooklyn brownstone with her ten year-old daughter Sam, but without her loyal husband, her presence asks more questions than it answers as everyone in her orbit is thrown off balance and into one another. As Sam becomes increasingly haunted by the life she was forced to leave in Georgia, the adults are forced to consider what they must sacrifice to break a cycle of despair. Stunning, poetic and heartbreaking, Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ portrait of Black Love explores the complex forms family can take.
Why we chose this play Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ play is a perfect example of the kind of New American Realism that speaks to both the Steppenwolf Ensemble and its audiences. Exquisitely drawn characters, perfectly structured narrative and a truly original voice inhabit the world of Sam, the young narrator, as she stands in the middle of a familial web whose truth is ever-changing and for whom salvation is elusive. To inhabit this world as theatre makers and to witness it as theatre goers will be something none of us will soon forget.
Featuring Ensemble Member Namir Smallwood With Ayanna Bria Bakari Sydney Charles Jessica Dean Turner
Choir Boy By ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney In the Downstairs Theatre Pharus Young, now a senior at the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, an institution committed to building “strong, ethical black men,” endeavors to be the best leader of the school’s prestigious choir in its 50-year history. But in a world built on rites and rituals, should he conform to the expectations of his peers in order to gain the respect he desperately seeks? Written by Oscar-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), this Tony-nominated play—threaded throughout with soul-stirring a cappella gospel hymns—is the story of a young gay black man and his battle between identity and community.
Why we chose this play Tarell Alvin McCraney is one of our country’s most important voices. Speaking as he does for both the unseen masses and the spectacularly singular, there is simply no journey he goes on that we would not want to follow. Choir Boy is an elegy to quiet rebellion, filled with the sound of longing and aspiration. It is a love song in pianissimo to the unseen heart that beats inside us all. We are so thrilled to bring this beautiful story “home.”
Featuring Ensemble Members Tarell Alvin McCraney James Vincent Meredith Austin Pendleton With Daniel Kyri
Seagull By Anton Chekhov Translated and adapted by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov Directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov Fall 2021 In our NEW theatre-in-the-round In a giant country house filled to overflow on a long summer weekend in the Russian countryside, three generations collide in Yasen Peyankov’s extraordinarily funny and magical adaption of Anton Chekhov’s Seagull, the play that will open our new theater-in-the-round. In classic Chekhovian style, an all Ensemble cast will wrestle with the eternal questions that haunt the intellectual artist class: What is Love? What is Art? When is Lunch? Please join us for this historical moment in Steppenwolf’s journey as we explore the work that inspired us, laugh at the battles that consume us and celebrate, together, all that makes us grateful for each other.
Why we chose this play We chose Seagull to open the new theatre for so many reasons. There is, first and foremost, the play itself: a timeless look at how aspiration and desire infect and inform our relationship, not just with others, but with ourselves. Its compassionate and loving examination of both the futility and necessity of longing in our lives is shown through the exquisitely etched cast of characters that inhabit this impossibly humor-filled world. But also, at its heart, the story of Seagull is deeply meaningful to us, wrestling as it does with generational battles about not just the meaning of art but its necessity at all. And of course, all of this plays out within a group of people who love each other more than they don’t and who need each other more than they know. At this moment, this play, and our company, are together. We want to share that with our audiences.
Featuring Ensemble Members Ian Barford Cliff Chamberlain Francis Guinan Tim Hopper Sandra Marquez James Vincent Meredith Caroline Neff Yasen Peyankov Karen Rodriguez Namir Smallwood
Our membership packages.
FAQs
Classic membership
We want to give you a little peace of mind.
Classic membership includes all 3 plays in the Downstairs Theatre, 1 play in the Upstairs Theatre and Seagull in our brilliant new theatre-in-the-round.
What is a Risk Free Membership Guarantee?
Regular Run
5-Play
Per Play
Typical non-member price
Tues Eve/Wed Mat/Sun Eve
$225
$45
$65—$84
Wed/Thurs/Fri Eve
$275
$55
$72—$100
Sat Mat/ Sun Mat
$325
$65
$84—$98
Sat Eve
$385
$77
$89—$110
5-Play
Per Play
Typical non-member price
Wed/Thurs/Sun Eve
$130
$26
$58—$74
Fri Eve/Sat Mat/Sun Mat
$265
$53
$58—$80
Sat Eve
$305
$61
$76—$86
Preview Run
You asked, we listened.
Your total package price now includes handling fees and expanded payment plan options.
Specialty Packages (Available for select series only)
Accessible Series
$105 • Utilize Audio Description, Open Captioning or American Sign Language-Interpretation services • For more information visit steppenwolf.org/accessibility or e-mail access@steppenwolf.org
Student | Teacher Series $105—$225 • One seat per valid ID
• For more information call Audience Services at 312-335-1650 Over 65? Save $10 on your membership package by calling Audience Services
If COVID-19 circumstances impede our 20/21 season by either NOT allowing us to be able to perform or causing YOU to feel uncomfortable returning to the theatre, we will be prepared to offer you 3 alternatives:
ORIGINAL virtual content to connect in new ways with our audience
Is the building still on track to open Seagull?
• Call Audience Services for a refund of your ticket value
YES! Seagull is absolutely going to open the new theatre. The schedule has been pushed to Fall of 2021, and member seat assignments will be anticipated in June 2021.
• Put your membership dollars on account to be used for a future Steppenwolf production
How will the theatergoing experience change?
• Donate your ticket value in your continued investment in Steppenwolf’s future
What happens if social distancing ordinances impact my seats or dates? Our greatest hope is that we welcome you back as you last visited us! However, if social distancing ordinances or the general care and abundance of caution for the health of our artists and audience demand otherwise, we will find comparable seats and dates to the best of our ability and communicate any changes with you in a timely manner.
What is Steppenwolf’s view on virtual content? Steppenwolf NOW, our new virtual programming stream, is our commitment to creating and programming distinctive, groundbreaking
Our priority has always been to create a safe, inviting and relaxed environment for everyone who comes through our doors. We are working with experts to determine what modifications will keep our spaces safe for audiences. We’re taking our time to craft a thoughtful plan for safety, and you’ll be the first to know what steps we’re taking!
I don’t see play dates listed in any of your materials—where can I find those? While we anticipate Good Night, and Good Luck to kick-off our season in the middle of October, we are not solidifying play run dates until closer to the fall. This will allow us more flexibility as we follow recommended guidelines from local government and health officials. We will include final performance dates in ticket communications that members are expected to receive in early fall.
Up next on
Some of the ensemble you’ll see this season...
Joan Allen
Kevin Anderson
Alana Arenas
Randall Arney
Kate Arrington
Ian Barford
Robert Breuler
Cliff Chamberlain
Gary Cole
Carrie Coon
Celeste M. Cooper
Glenn Davis
Kathryn Erbe
Audrey Francis
K. Todd Freeman
Frank Galati
Francis Guinan
Moira Harris
Jon Michael Hill
Tim Hopper
Tom Irwin
Ora Jones
Rajiv joseph
Terry Kinney
Tina Landau
Tracy Letts
John Malkovich
Sandra Marquez
Tarell Alvin McCraney
James Vincent Meredith
Laurie Metcalf
Amy Morton
Inspiration and education from the industry’s best
Sally Murphy
Caroline Neff
Bruce Norris
Austin Pendleton
Jeff Perry
William Petersen
The Steppenwolf Education team is creating a dynamic slate of unique online workshops. Featuring Steppenwolf ensemble members, established industry professionals and educators, these workshops are designed to educate and inspire the curious learner in all of us.
Yasen Peyankov
Rondi Reed
Molly Regan
Karen Rodriguez
Anna D. Shapiro
Eric Simonson
Gary Sinise
Namir Smallwood
Lois Smith
Rick Snyder
Jim True-Frost
Alan Wilder
NO
The American Clock
In The Red and Brown Water
More than 30 Steppenwolf ensemble members tackle more than 50 roles in this radio play rendition of Arthur Miller’s kaleidoscopic view of the resilient, joyful spirit of the American people.
Written by ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by his longtime collaborator, ensemble member Tina Landau, this virtual reading will feature many ensemble members reprising their roles along with some very special guests—and highlight the music and sounds of this magical world.
An American epic, Steppenwolfstyle
A reimagining of a Steppenwolf favorite
Other ways we’re staying connected with you: Half Hour An intimate, behind the scenes ensemble spotlight Half Hour is a Steppenwolf Theatre produced, ensemble member hosted, interview-style podcast that sits down and makes connections between artists in the Steppenwolf family. To hear their stories. To learn about their processes. And to discover what motivates them to create theatre.
Virtual workshops
GO SEE A PLAY