I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT
MEXICAN DAUGHTER
WELCOME TO I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez, adapted by Isaac Gómez for the stage, is such a beautiful theatrical story. 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. Sánchez has created an indelible protagonist in high school 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 being 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. Julia’s story is about opening yourself up to and reaching out for help when you need it, while also seizing the ability to believe in yourself, even when that’s the hardest thing to do. The book and play ask: how do you navigate family history while trying to write your own? Hallie Gordon, Artistic Director, Steppenwolf for Young Adults
CONTENTS 6 R EHEARSAL PHOTOS by Lowell Thomas 8 Q UINCEAÑERA by Erika L. Sánchez 10 B IOS 18 F INDING LAS MALCRIADAS: GETTING TO KNOW ERIKA L. SÁNCHEZ By Education Apprentice and former Young Adult Council Member Elon Sloan 21 S TEPPING INTO JULIA’S SHOES: AN INTERVIEW WITH KAREN RODRIGUEZ By former Chicago Public High School Student and Young Adult Council member Ines Garcia-Valdivia
SHARE ON SOCIAL FOR A CHANCE TO BE REPOSTED Make sure to tag @steppenwolfthtr and #mexicandaughterSYA in order for us to see it. Reminder - No photography is permitted during the show. You are welcome to take photos before or after the performance.
Tag and/or credit our designers to show them the love they deserve—and for a better chance of getting reposted!
EDITOR Corinne Florentino
CONTRIBUTORS Natasha Freeman Ines Garcia-Valdivia Hallie Gordon Claire Haupt Madeline Long John Rooney A.J. Roy Elon Sloan Lowell Thomas Jessica Van Winkle
DESIGN Rudy Schultz Donovan Foote
COVER Illustration by Donovan Foote
TO ADVERTISE Contact: Bryan Dowling 708-434-5869 bryan@media8midwest.com smARTmagazines/ smARTsponsorships
Arnel Sancianco @arneldesigns Scenic Design Uriel Gómez @gomezandco Costume Design Heather Sparling @sparlingdesigns Lighting Design Matthew Chapman Sound Design STEPPENWOLF SOCIAL facebook.com/SteppenwolfTheatre youtube.com/user/steppenwolftheatre @steppenwolfthtr @steppenwolfthtr steppenwolf.org
1
STEPPENWOLF SALUTES THE SPONSORS OF I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER
LEAD TOUR UNDERWRITER Ralla Klepak Trust for the Performing Arts MAJOR PRODUCTION SPONSOR
LEAD SUPPORTER OF STEPPENWOLF EDUCATION
MAJOR SUPPORTERS OF STEPPENWOLF EDUCATION
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTERS OF STEPPENWOLF EDUCATION Ann and Richard Carr Robert and Louise Sanborn Andrew and Amy Bluhm Lynn Lockwood Murphy and Barrett B. Murphy Anne and Don Phillips Cari and Michael J. Sacks Nina B. Winston and Norman V. Kohn Steppenwolf’s young professionals board, the Steppenwolf Associates, dedicates its support to Steppenwolf Education. Steppenwolf Education is a citywide partner of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) School Partner Program.
2 I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Anna D. Shapiro† Artistic Director
David Schmitz Executive Director
Hallie Gordon Artistic Director of SYA
STEPPENWOLF FOR YOUNG ADULTS PRESENTS
I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT
MEXICAN DAUGHTER By Erika
L. Sánchez Gómez Directed by Sandra Marquez† Adapted by Isaac
FEATURING Charín Alvarez , Eddie Martinez , Peter Moore, Leslie Sophia Perez, Robert Quintanilla, Dyllan Rodrigues-Miller, Karen Rodriguez†* and Harrison Weger *
*
PRODUCTION Arnel Sancianco+ Scenic Design Uriel Gómez Costume Design Heather Sparling Lighting Design Matthew Chapman Sound Design Rachel Flesher Intimacy & Fight Choreographer Polly Hubbard Dramaturg Hallie Gordon Artistic Producer Claire Haupt Production Manager JC Clementz, CSA Casting Director Michelle Medvin* Production Stage Manager Jacqueline Saldana Assistant Stage Manager
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter was commissioned by Steppenwolf for Young Adults, Chicago; Anna D. Shapiro, Artistic Director, David Schmitz, Executive Director. Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for nonprofit professional theater. † member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble. * member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. + member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829 of the IATSE.
3
CAST AND CONTRIBUTORS CAST (in alphabetical order)
Charín Alvarez* Amá Eddie Martinez* Apá Peter Moore Mr. Ingman Leslie Sophia Perez Lorena Robert Quintanilla Juanga Dyllan Rodrigues-Miller Olga Karen Rodriguez†* Julia Harrison Weger Connor UNDERSTUDIES (in alphabetical order)
Patrick Byrnes Mr. Ingman Jazmín Corona Amá Leonel Garza Apá Mateo Hernandez Juanga Bianca Phipps Olga/Lorena Isaac Snyder Connor Jocelyn Zamudio Julia SETTING
Chicago, IL. Present Day. Entry and re-entry to the theater after this performance begins is not guaranteed.
There will be a post-show discussion immediately following the performance.
† member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble. * member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. + member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829 of the IATSE.
4 I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
ADDITIONAL STAFF
Brenna Barborka Script Supervisor Ismael Lara, Jr. Assistant Director Conchita Avitia Assistant Sound Designer Thomas Russell Intimacy/Fight Assistant Joan Marie Freeburg Cox Assistant Dramaturg Emily Fergus Stage Crew Emma Schoenfelner Dresser Anisha Banerjee Stage Management Apprentice/Fellow Dana Nestrick Costume Crafts Artisan Alfredo Aguilar, Devin O’Leary, Carolyn Voss Additional Carpenters Claudia Quesada Spanish Language Translation for Spanish Language Captioned Performance Tiffany Fulson, Greg Geffrard, Lavina Jadhwani, Lauren Katz, Derek Matson, NeelMcNeill, Wilfredo Ramos, Jr. and Leean Kim Torske Post Show Discussion Moderators
The theater reserves the right to limit admission of children younger than the age of six. As a courtesy to the actors and your fellow patrons, please turn off your cell phones before the performance. The taking of photographs and the use of any type of recording device are not allowed in the theater during performances and is a violation of state and federal copyright laws. Digital media will be deleted, and tape or film will be confiscated.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We recognize that Steppenwolf Theatre sits on Native land. This area is the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, including the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa. Although for over 200 years Native Nations have been forcibly removed from this territory, we must acknowledge that this land continues to be a site of gathering and healing for more than a dozen other Tribal Nations and remains home to over 100,000 tribal members in the state of Illinois. What is a land acknowledgement? A land acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and honors the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous communities and their traditional homelands. The purpose of recognizing the original inhabitants of this land is to show respect, gratitude and appreciation to those whose land we reside on, as well as raise awareness about histories that are often erased or forgotten. It is important to understand the longstanding history that has brought us to reside on land currently occupied by non-Indigenous communities, and to pursue an understanding of everyone’s place within that history. It is important to note that land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense: colonialism still lives with us today in various forms, and we hope you join us as we consider and interrogate our present participation.
The land acknowledgment shared in the pre-show recording is spoken by June Thiele. June Thiele is an Indigenous, two-spirit/queer/non-binary actor, writer and storyteller. Indigenous to Alaska (Athabascan and Yup’ik), June traveled to Chicago some years ago to attend Columbia College. They have been lucky enough to work with some incredible artists in Chicago. June hopes to further their indigenous and queer culture by creating modern narratives through theatre, performance art and storytelling.
For further resources around Land Acknowledgements, please visit: American Indian Center www.aicchicago.org Native Land Digital https://native-land.ca/about/ Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group A politically-oriented, social justice organization connected to Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Ontario) lspirg.org/knowtheland “Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, Explained” Teen Vogue Article (February 2018) We are very grateful to our friends at the American Indian Center—Chicago, specifically Fawn Pochel, for their guidance on Steppenwolf’s new practice around Land Acknowledgements.
I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER IN REHEARSAL Photography by Lowell Thomas
Cast member Dyllan Rodrigues-Miller
Cast members Karen Rodriguez* and Harrison Weger
6 I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
*Steppenwolf ensemble member
Cast member Robert Quintanilla
Cast members Karen Rodriguez* and Harrison Weger, with director Sandra Marquez*
Cast member Leslie Sophia Perez
Cast member Peter Moore
Visit steppenwolf.org for videos, production images and more rehearsal images. 7
Quinceañera By Erika L. Sánchez
Summer boredom flutters its
the soft and constant vertigo, to stitch
sticky wings. You guzzle
a spirit so riddled with leeches.
cooking wine, gag on the old whiskey
Some evenings you brim
you find in the pantry.
with the sky’s quiet bruising—
In the warmth of your bedroom,
colors as beautiful as the spilled
you pierce your navel
brains of a bird. Such a fucked
with a safety pin, slice
holiness, you think. Weeping,
the skin you hide beneath
you read Walt Whitman—the blow,
your billowy dresses. Glitter-eyed
the quick loud word,
in the murky dance clubs,
the tight bargain, the crafty
you snort blow until the dregs
lure. You hold a mirror to study
trickle down your throat and
your tender socket. May we eat
shock your sluggish heart.
and drink in remembrance
You dance in the frenetic
of the body. Oh how the salt sings.
lights, the untz untz vibrating
One morning you cut your hair
your face and skull until
slowly then shear it altogether.
morning. But everywhere,
Whether that which appears
the pain suckles you. Everywhere,
so is so, or is it all flashes
you hold its lumpy head to your breast
and specks? In that slurry
like a saint. A fat man in a basement
of August, the silence climbs you
tattoos a scraggly moon
like a man until you hear
on your hip, anything to smother
the meaty flaps of God inside you.
"Quinceañera" was originally published in the Boston Review.
Steppenwolf is pleased to partner with the Poetry Foundation, which awarded Erika L. Sánchez a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship in 2015. For more poems and information about the playwright, including podcasts and videos, please visit poetryfoundation.org.
8 I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Big Read of The Round House
by award-winning author Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe) Special FREE Public Reading as part of Steppenwolf's LookOut Programming Tuesday, March 10, 7 PM in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre Steppenwolf Education is partnering with the National Museum of Mexican Art's Yollocalli Arts Reach, the American Indian Center, Mujeres Latinas en Acciรณn and the Lozano Branch of the Chicago Public Library to offer a series of programs related to author Louise Erdich's (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe) award-winning novel The Round House. Audience members will experience the incredible story of Erdich's novel, which transports readers to the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota. It is an exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.
AD
Stop by the National Museum of Mexican Art to pick up a free copy of the book! NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. For more information on events and book discussions, please visit nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org.
I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER BIOS Charín Alvarez (Amá) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: La Ruta, Infidel, Ordinary Yearning, Fermi. Chicago: Lettie, Mojada, Oedipus El Rey, Anna in the Tropics, A Park in the House (Victory Gardens Theater); The Scene (Writers Theatre); 2666, Pedro Paramo, El Nogalar, Dollhouse, Electricidad (Goodman Theatre); In the Time of the Butterflies, Our Lady of the Underpass, I Put the Fear of Mexico in ‘Em, Dreamlandia, Another Part of the House (Teatro Vista); Water by the Spoonful (Court Theatre). Film: St. Frances, Arc of a Bird, Were the World Mine, Signature Move, Hala, Princess Cyd, A Place to Be, Olympia. Television: Easy, Shameless, Chicago Fire, Mob Doctor, Boss. Eddie Martinez (Apá) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Our Lady of 121st Street. Chicago: Parachute Men, Fade, In the Time of the Butterflies (Teatro Vista, ensemble member); Big Lake Big City, Cascabel (Lookinglass Theatre); Rightlynd (Victory Gardens Theater); Romeo y Julieta (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Regional: Native Gardens (The Old Globe); Fade (Denver Center, Cherry Lane, TheaterWorks); As You Like It (Denver Center). Film: The Dilemma. Television: Sense8, Sirens, Chicago Fire. Peter Moore (Mr. Ingman) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Crucible, August: Osage County (u/s). Chicago: Pomona, Linda, Birdland, Hinter, The Few, The Cheats, Brilliant Adventures, among others (Steep Theatre); Ma Rainey’s Black 10 Bios
Bottom (Writers Theatre); In the Canyon (Jackalope Theatre); The Downpour (Route 66 Theatre). Film: Convergence, Dhoom 3. Television: The Red Line, Chicago P.D., Chicago Justice, Chicago Fire. Education: The School at Steppenwolf, Bowdoin College. He is Artistic Director and a founding member of Steep Theatre and is represented by Paonessa Talent. Leslie Sophia Perez (Lorena) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: La Ruta (workshop). Chicago: Project Potential (Theatre on the Lake); Assumptions and Forgiveness (American Blues Theatre); The River Bride (The Theater School). Television: Chicago PD. Education: BFA, The Theatre School of DePaul University; professional training at Goodman Theatre, Second City Chicago and Fine Arts Stageworks. She was born and raised in Near South Side of Chicago. “She is funny, outgoing and full of wit.” Robert Quintanilla (Juanga) Chicago: I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble); For Services Rendered (Griffin Theatre); Big Fish (Boho Theatre); United Flight 232 (The House Theatre); 1776, Woman of the Year, Fade Out, Fade In (Porchlight Music Theatre); The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre). “Robert would like to thank Isaac Gómez and Sandra Marquez for this incredible opportunity. He sends his love to his family and Shirley Hamilton Talent for their never-ending support. Si se puede!” @princequesadilla. robertquintanilla.com
Dyllan Rodrigues-Miller (Olga) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Burn. Chicago: Gawi (Something Marvelous); In Sarah’s Shadow (Prop Thtr). Regional: The Wolves (TheatreSquared). “She would like to thank her Stewart Talent family, her huge Rodrigues-Miller family and her partner, Harrison, for all of their love and support.” Karen Rodriguez (Julia) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2018. Steppenwolf: Dance Nation, La Ruta, The Doppelgänger (an international farce), The Rembrandt. Chicago: Breach (Victory Gardens Theater); the way she spoke (Greenhouse Theater Center); The Displaced (Haven); Hookman (Steep Theatre); Blue Skies Process, Another Word for Beauty (Goodman Theatre); good friday (Oracle - Jeff nomination for Best Ensemble); Don Chipotle (The Storefront Theater); Graveyard of Empires, Our Holiday Stories (16th Street Theater); Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista). Television: Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice. Awards: Make a Wave 3Arts Award (2017). Harrison Weger (Connor) Chicago: Defiance (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble); Proof (MadKap Productions); Fight City, Born Ready (Factory Theater); Scarcity (Redtwist Theatre); Charlotte’s Web (Emerald City Theatre). Television: Chicago Fire. Education: BFA Acting, DePaul University. “I’m forever grateful to Stewart Talent, my family and my partner, Dyllan, for all their love and support.”
Erika L. Sánchez (Author) is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. A poet, novelist, and essayist, her debut poetry collection, Lessons on Expulsion, was published by Graywolf in July 2017, and was a finalist for the PEN America Open Book Award. Her debut young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, published in October 2017 by Knopf Books for Young Readers, is a New York Times Bestseller and a National Book Awards finalist. She is currently a 20172019 Princeton Arts Fellow, and a recent recipient of the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry. Erika grew up in Cicero, IL and is currently Chicago based. Isaac Gómez (Adapter/ Playwright) is an awardwinning, Chicago-based playwright originally from El Paso, Texas/Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. His play La Ruta received its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company last winter. His one-woman show the way she spoke received its Off Broadway premiere at the Minetta Lane Theatre (produced by Audible, directed by Jo Bonney, starring Kate del Castillo) this summer. He is currently under commission from South Coast Repertory, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Steppenwolf, Alley Theatre and StepUp Chicago Playwrights. His plays have been supported by Steppenwolf, Primary Stages, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens, City Theatre, Artists Rep, Northlight Theatre, Albany Park Theater Project, WaterTower Theater, Haven Theater, Teatro Vista,
Bios 11
…cont’d Bios
Greenhouse Theater Center, Jackalope Theater Company, Pivot Arts, Definition Theater Company, Broken Nose Theatre, Stage Left, The VORTEX and Something Marvelous. He is the recipient of the 2018 Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award, the 2017 Jeffry Melnick New Playwright Award at Primary Stages and an inaugural 3Arts “Make A Wave” grantee. Gómez is a Co-Creative Director at the Alliance of Latinx Theatre, a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an Artistic Associate with Victory Gardens, an Ensemble Member with Teatro Vista, an Artistic Associate with Pivot Arts, an advisory committee member of the Latinx Theatre Commons and a core producer with the Jubilee. He is a Professional Lecturer at The Theatre School at DePaul University, and is represented by The Gersh Agency and Circle of Confusion. Sandra Marquez (Director) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2016. Last season she played Nora in A Doll’s House, Part 2 and directed the acclaimed production of La Ruta by Isaac Gómez. Other Steppenwolf credits include The Roommate, The Doppelgänger (an international farce), Mary Page Marlowe, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, A Streetcar Named Desire, Sonia Flew and One Arm. At Teatro Vista, where she is a longtime company member and former Associate Artistic Director, she directed Fade, My Mañana Comes, Breakfast Lunch & Dinner and the Jeff nominated production of Our Lady of the Underpass. She is the recipient of a Jeff Award for her work in Teatro Vista’s A View from the Bridge. Marquez completed
12 Bios
a three-year arc playing Clytemnestra in Court Theatre’s Iphigenia Cycle (Iphigenia at Aulis, Electra and Agamemnon). Film and television credits include Red Line, Boss, Empire, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice and Timer, among others. She is on the theater faculty at Northwestern University. Arnel Sancianco (Scenic Design) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: We Are Proud to Present…, The Crucible. Chicago: A Doll’s House (Writer’s Theatre); The Color Purple (Drury Lane Theatre); Lottery Day (Goodman Theatre); Landladies, Into the Breeches (Northlight Theatre); Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Raven Theatre); Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt, Empower (Lyric Unlimited); Something Clean (Sideshow Theatre); The Cake (Rivendell Theatre); Master Class, Boy (TimeLine Theatre); Photograph 51, The Belle of Amherst (Court Theatre); The Wiz, Little Fish (Kokandy Productions); Wolf Play, Hangman, Pilgrims (The Gift Theatre); Hookman, Earthquakes in London (Steep Theatre); Peerless (First Floor Theatre); The Total Bent, The Displaced, How We Got On (Haven Theatre Company). Regional: The Lifespan of a Fact (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis); Twelfth Night (American Players Theatre); Put Your House in Order (La Jolla Playhouse); The Nerd, The All Night Strut (Milwaukee Repertory Theater). He is an awardwinning Chicago-based designer. Uriel Gómez (Costume Design) Chicago: Boys in the Band (Windy City Playhouse); Head Over Heels (Kokandy Productions); The Madres, The Wolf At The End Of The Block, Parachute Men (Teatro Vista); Small World, Punk! (The New Colony); De Troya, The River Bride (Halcyon Theatre); Mike Pence Sex Dream, Refrigerator,
Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea (First Floor Theatre). Awards: ALTA Award for The Madres (Teatro Vista). ugomez.com, @gomezandco Heather Sparling (Lighting Design) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: We Are Proud to Present…, The Burn, Bug (assistant lighting design). Chicago: Tasters, Scientific Method (Rivendell Theatre); The Fly Honey Show (The Inconvenience); If I Forget (Victory Gardens Theater); La Havana Madrid (Teatro Vista); The Grelle Duvall Show (The Hideout); First Love is the Revolution (Steep Theatre); Longer! Louder! Wagner! (Lyric Opera of Chicago). Regional: Labapalooza (St. Ann’s Warehouse), Twelfth Night (Door Shakespeare), Maria de Buenos Aires (Florida Grand Opera), The Pigeoning (HERE Arts Center). Education: BFA, Boston University. sparlingdesigns.com, facebook.com/sparlingdesigns Matthew Chapman (Sound Design) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: You Got Older, The Burials. Chicago: Earthquakes in London, The Few, Posh, The Cheats, The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, Motortown, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, The Knowledge, 2000 Feet Away, Harper Regan (Steep Theatre Company); Give It All Back, Mai Dang Lao (Sideshow Theatre Company); Prowess (Jackalope Theatre); Doubt (The Gift Theatre); Chicago Voices (Lyric Unlimited), Kill Floor (American Theatre Company); Balm in Gilead (Griffin Theatre). He is also Steppenwolf’s LookOut Production Supervisor and a company member at Steep Theatre Company. “This one is for Maria.”
Rachel Flesher (Intimacy & Fight Choreographer) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Burials, Constellations. Chicago: Twilight Bowl (Goodman Theatre); How To Defend Yourself (Victory Gardens Theater); Kill Move Paradise, Rutherford and Son, In the Next Room… or the Vibrator Play (TimeLine Theatre); Hoodoo Love, How I Learned to Drive (Raven Theatre); Wolf Play, Hang Man, The Pillowman (The Gift Theatre); The Dutch Masters (Jackelope Theatre); First Love is the Revolution (Steep Theatre); The Displaced (Haven Theatre Company). Awards: Jeff Recommended - Artistic Specialization for The Displaced (Haven). Television: NETFLIX, FX, FOX, HBO, HBO MAX, MGM PARAMOUNT, CBS, SHOWTIME. She is an Intimacy Director, Intimacy Coordinator, and Lead Instructor with Intimacy Directors International, Intimacy Directors and Coordinators and a Certified Fight Instructor with the Fight Directors Canada. Michelle Medvin (Production Stage Manager) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: We Are Proud to Present…, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, two versions of The Crucible, August: Osage County, Purple Heart (also at Ireland’s Galway Arts Festival), The Pillowman and many others. Chicago: Northlight Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago Children’s Theatre. Regional: Hartford Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage. Education: Smith College. Michelle serves as Production Manager and Adjunct Faculty at Governors State University. She is proud to be a member of Actors’ Equity Association and wife to Mary, and mama to Elliott, Lena and Samuel.
Bios 13
...cont’d Bios
Jacqueline Saldana (Assistant Stage Manager) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Dance Nation, Lindiwe, The Roommate, The Doppelgänger (an international farce),
Rudnick. Shapiro is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia. She is a professor in Northwestern University’s Department of Theatre.
David Schmitz (Executive Director) has worked at Steppenwolf Theatre Company for 14 years, serving in the roles of Director of Finance and Administration, General Manager and currently as Executive Director. Prior to working at Steppenwolf, David was the General Manager at Lookingglass Theatre Company, Associate Anna D. Shapiro (Artistic Director) is a Tony Artistic Director of Stage Left Theatre and Award-winning director and Artistic Director Business Manager at the entertainment of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She agency Adair Performance. Currently, he joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2005 serves as Vice President of the Board for and was awarded the 2008 Tony Award The House Theatre of Chicago as well as for Best Direction of a Play for August: on the boards of the League of Chicago Osage County (Steppenwolf, Broadway, Theatres and Arts Alliance Illinois. David London). She was nominated in 2011 in the is a former board member for the Lincoln same category for The Motherf**ker with Park Chamber of Commerce and has the Hat (Public Theater, Labyrinth Theater). worked as a strategic planning, business Other Steppenwolf directing credits include practices, finance and hiring consultant the world premiere production of The for numerous Chicago organizations, Minutes (opening on Broadway February including The House Theatre of Chicago, 2020); Mary Page Marlowe, Visiting Edna, The Hypocrites and Stage Left Theatre, Three Sisters, A Parallelogram, Up, The among others. He holds a BA in theatre Crucible, The Unmentionables (also at Yale from the University of Northern Colorado, Repertory Theatre), The Pain and the Itch an MFA from the Theatre Conservatory (also in New York), I Never Sang for My at the Chicago College of Performing Father, Man from Nebraska, Purple Heart Arts, Roosevelt University and a Certificate (also in Galway, Ireland), The Drawer Boy, in Non Profit Management from Side Man (also in Ireland, Australia and Vail, Roosevelt University. Colorado), Three Days of Rain, The Infidel and This Is Our Youth (which transferred to Broadway). Additional Broadway credits include Of Mice and Men (with James Franco) and Fish in the Dark (with Larry David), and Off Broadway Domesticated (Lincoln Center Theater). She is directing the new Broadway musical The Devil Wears Prada with music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub and book by Paul BLKS, The Crucible. Chicago: The Music Man, The Winter’s Tale, Sweat, How to Catch Creation, A Christmas Carol, We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time (Goodman Theatre). Education: University of Michigan. Saldana is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
14 Bios
STEPPENWOLF'S MAJOR CAMPUS EXPANSION IS UNDERWAY!
AD Renderings by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
What this means for our education programming: NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART THEATER welcoming more teen audiences than ever before FIRST-EVER EDUCATION WING tripling impact and reach of Steppenwolf’s education programming SOCIAL SPACE inviting teens and community partners to gather and engage To play a part in shaping the next 40 years of social and cultural life in Chicago, contact Mercedes Rohlfs at 312-654-5694 or mrohlfs@steppenwolf.org
steppenwolf.org/buildingonexcellence
Steppenwolf Education annually reaches 20,000 students, teachers and community members. We celebrate the learner, maker and appreciator in each of us. We commit to breaking down barriers to ensure access and equity for all. We emphasize rigorous exploration, intentional mentorship and the cultivation of meaningful relationships in our work. We use theater to promote compassion, encourage curiosity and inspire action as we work together towards a more empathetic tomorrow.
TEEN PROGRAMS Steppenwolf Education invites Chicagoland teens to engage with us beyond the stage through unique, artist led workshops and our Young Adult Council, an award-winning afterschool program for burgeoning theatre enthusiasts. Our free programming encourages teens to learn alongside some of Chicago’s biggest artists at exciting monthly teen events.
IN SCHOOL PROGRAMS Steppenwolf Education works closely with teachers in 100+ classrooms each school year to offer rigorous arts based learning to Chicago Public School high school students. Our cohort of professional teaching artists work to ensure that our Steppenwolf for Young Adults productions are brought to life beyond the stage and activate the learner, maker and doer in each student and teacher.
500+
TEENS ENGAGED ANNUALLY
UPWARDS OF
2,500
STUDENTS REACHED EACH SCHOOL YEAR
90
UP TO HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFERED TO CLASSROOM TEACHERS EACH SEASON
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Steppenwolf Education collaborates with youth empowerment organizations throughout the city to build authentic and mutually beneficial long-term partnerships. We take no-cost, barrier-free, artistic and educational programming into communities we don’t currently serve, with the hope that youth feel inspired to come to Steppenwolf and experiment here as artists and arts appreciators.
PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS
OVER
400
NEW YOUNG PEOPLE SERVED THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF CHICAGO ANNUALLY
PAID
S TICESHIP APPREN OWSHIPS LL E F AND
Steppenwolf Education provides mentorship opportunities for 35+ early career professionals annually through our internships, apprenticeships, and fellowships. As members of the Steppenwolf team, these emerging professionals work closely with our staff to receive uniquely hands-on experiences and professional development workshops to launch them into the next phase of their careers.
80%
OVER HAVE OBTAINED JOBS OR CONTINUED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES UPON COMPLETING PROGRAM
JUST BRING YOURSELF Learn more about Steppenwolf Education by visiting steppenwolf.org/education
FINDING LAS MALCRIADAS: GETTING TO KNOW ERIKA L. SÁNCHEZ By Education Apprentice and former Young Adult Council Member Elon Sloan
WHO IS ERIKA L. SÁNCHEZ? career in writing, and eventually Erika L. Sánchez, author of The she found her voice as a poet. New York Times Best Seller I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican A POET FIRST Daughter, grew up in Cicero, Writing I Am Not Your Perfect Illinois, a suburb located Mexican Daughter was a new immediately west of Chicago’s kind of endeavor for Erika Little Village neighborhood. The Sánchez, who had mostly daughter of two undocumented written poetry in the past. In her Mexican immigrants, Sánchez poetry Sánchez uses lyricism to describes her paint carefully younger self as crafted images. I wanted to see an avid reader, In her recently myself in literature. writer and an published As an avid reader, overall nerdy kid. book, Lessons I looked everywhere. on Expulsion, Sánchez credits Where were all her teachers Sánchez paints for fostering images of the messed-up her passion young people Brown girls? for writing and growing up Las malcriadas? seeing her “weird near the border The Latino weirdos? interests” and in Mexico encouraging and young them. She fondly remembers women traversing Chicago’s one teacher who assembled many environments side by packets of poetry for her to side. Descriptions of young read, gifts she’s kept since her women as they learn to deal youth. This support from her with violence, sexism, and teachers led her to pursue a new experiences of sexuality 18 Features
are common throughout her poetry. In I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Sánchez brings together many perspectives on what life is like for young people. The novel feels like an expansion of some of the moments captured in Sánchez’s poetry and it similarly feels informed by her experience of growing up as a child of undocumented Mexican immigrants in Cicero.
something wrong or bad about someone’s personality or way of being.) When she found Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street she loved it, but she felt like it was the only book she had which she could relate to. As well written as it was, it was also published the year she was born.
Sánchez’s favorite writer is Toni Morrison, an author famous for writing about the historical THE NOVEL SHE experiences of Black women. One WISHED SHE HAD of Morrison’s best know quotes is Sánchez’s love of reading as a “If you find a book you really want student led her to notice gaps in to read but it hasn’t been written the works she had access to as yet, then you must a young person. write it.” After She felt like she going through a If you find a was unable to time of difficulty find very much book you really with her mental in classic or want to read but health and her young adult career in writing it hasn’t been literature which and publishing, written yet, reflected her Sánchez came own experiences then you must back to that quote back to her. She write it. and took it as recalls “I wanted inspiration. She – Toni Morrison to see myself remembered in literature. her desire to read books which As an avid reader, I looked reflected her contemporary lived everywhere. Where were all experiences as a young person. the messed-up Brown girls? And part of what was missing Las malcriadas? The Latino from that picture for her was weirdos?” (Malcriada is a an honest depiction of the word in Spanish which can be struggles so many young translated as “badly raised girl”. It can mean spoiled or women of color face. pampered but it can also be used to say that there’s Features 19
HONESTY IN EXPERIENCE person, Sánchez hopes to help Sánchez wants I Am Not Your young people who went through Perfect Mexican Daughter to similar experiences as she did. be meaningful to everyone who She also hopes that learning reads it, but especially to young through a character’s journey women of color. Sánchez said this can help people understand about who she wanted her book those experiences better even if to speak to: “Most important for they don’t have them directly. me, I want young girls to feel like they matter. And that I see them. And that they are entitled to want THE IMPORTANCE more and to dream and to, you OF BEING NOT PERFECT know, be who they are.” The book Sánchez takes a lot of joy in her includes experiences which can protagonist Julia’s imperfections. feel huge and insurmountable. When talking about her own From making decisions about experience, Sánchez said, “I think sex, to understanding her that’s a common story for young family members’ experiences of women, that so much is expected trauma, to dealing of them, and we don’t with serious always want to live up mental health Sometimes, to those expectations. struggles, I Am Not Your Perfect Sometimes, we’re not Mexican Daughter we’re not what our what our takes these big parents expected, at parents topics seriously all.” and explores expected them fully. at all. Sánchez believes that an important part of The commitment telling stories to young to tackling all of people is telling stories which can these topics in one story seems reflect the complexity of their to come from Sánchez’s own sense that teen girls of color lives. At an event when asked need stories which affirm that what she wanted people to take their lives and their struggles away from this story she said this: are normal and navigable, “I just hope that, the way that I’ve even if that might not feel true. been so influenced by books, ... Many topics she writes about others will be as well by my book. in the book are related to And I hope that even if it doesn’t... real experiences she had as a change who they are as a teenager, and had to navigate person... it starts a conversation, without guidance. In creating the or some sort of questioning..." book she never had as a young
20 Features
STEPPING INTO JULIA’S SHOES An Interview with ensemble member Karen Rodriguez by former Chicago Public High School student and Young Adult Council member Ines Garcia-Valdivia
INES GARCIA-VALDIVIA: Thank you so much for taking some time to talk about I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter and your role in it. First, I want to know, what was your initial reaction to the story?
that she does, her love of tacos, her awkwardness around boys, her dry humor, and her honestto-a-fault type of candor. On the outside, I try to be like Lorena [Julia’s best friend], but my true and private internal life is very intensely Julia. I love that Julia KAREN RODRIGUEZ: It’s my doesn’t back down, even in the pleasure! Honestly, I was face of immense pressure and shocked reading it! I don’t think strife. She wants to take a bite I’ve ever read a character in a out of life. What I envy of her is novel that felt like it had been how much she notices. She’s an written just for me. astute observer of I love Julia, she is the world. So that’s I love that Julia my 15-year-old what I noticed in my doesn’t back self. As I read the initial reading: how novel the first time, down, even in the very much I relate I cried with her face of immense to Julia. and wanted to hug pressure and her and wanted strife. She wants IG: At times, Julia her to get out and can come off as to take a bite be a writer all at a bit abrasive or out of life. the same time! I impertinent. How think I relate the did you feel about most to Julia’s keen sense of those aspects of Julia? self-awareness (and sometimes lack thereof), the embarrassing KR: I actually don’t think of her things that happen to her and like that. Before reading the Features 21
book, I knew that was a main KR: To be kinder to myself. I criticism of our heroine. But see how Julia feels that no one when I read it, I completely really gets what she’s going understood her choices. We’re through. But the thing is, people seeing someone go through do try to reach out to her, like immense grief and immense her teacher Mr. Ingman. I think I loneliness. She feels very unseen am trying now to live in a place and misunderstood by her where I allow others to reach family, even by her best friends. out to me and actually take their And that’s because she herself hand when they do. The story is lacking language to articulate has also magnified for me the her depression, even to herself. I importance of talking about think happens to and taking care a lot of people, of our mental I think it’s especially health. I know important for us young people for sure in my and especially own Mexican to destigmatize in the Latinx going to therapy, family that is not community. I a thing. If you doing meditation get depressed or think Julia is and attending brilliant and with are in a state of brilliance comes immense grief, to our mental a sensitivity people will say health. We go to the world to get over it or to the gym to around you. She “se te va a pasar” take care of our is trying to make (“it will eventually sense of a world bodies. Our minds go away”). without her sister And I think it’s need that, too. in it. How could important for us someone that to destigmatize young just die? And would it have going to therapy, doing been different if [she] had done meditation and attending to our something different that day? mental health. We go to the gym Those are very hard questions to to take care of our bodies. Our grapple with. minds need that, too. IG: This story has many complex themes and perspectives. What are some things that you’ve learned from this story?
22 Features
IG: I just graduated high school last spring and am now a freshman in college. Something I think will really resonant for high school students are the challenges Julia faces trying
to apply to college and how she navigates her senior year. Do you have any advice for high schoolers who are in this moment of life?
your future...but it’s not. Go with your gut. Meet yourself where you’re at, okay? Because that is all you can do. And if that changes? THAT IS OKAY. Life should change because YOU change. So, trust yourself.
KR: Senior year is stressful! Fun fact about me: I was valedictorian of my class. IG: Final question! Considering And with that came an added how many high school students pressure in terms of “what Ivy will be seeing the show, is there League school was I going to anything you hope audiences go to?!” And I think applying to take away from seeing this college can be a culmination of story? all these really big questions: WHO ARE YOU GOING TO KR: I just hope BE, WHAT ARE young people see YOU GOING TO Love yourself, themselves; that BECOME, WHAT let people hold they laugh and DO YOU WANT you up, and cry with Julia. And TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE? It’s that through Julia’s ultimately, do a lot of pressure, mistakes, they learn what it is that on its own. And what not to do. you want to do even more so, if And in that same with your life. like Julia, there breath, that even are other outside when you do make factors affecting one’s decision, mistakes, compassion towards the pressure only builds. So, my oneself is key. So often we’re advice? Research, research, taught to have compassion for research. Research schools, talk others, but I think this play is to your teachers/counselors, also about radical self-love and talk to people who went to the the ongoing journey of it. Love schools you’re most interested yourself, let people hold you up, in, talk to people who have and ultimately, do what it is that the career you are interested you want to do with your life. in pursuing. Also, ask for help! People often have a plethora of wisdom just waiting to be mined. So, reach out! Also, when you’re applying for college it can feel like you’re deciding Features 23
THE STEPPENWOLF ENSEMBLE Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead and August: Osage County to Pass Over and Downstate—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a sevenplay season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 20,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees.
JOAN ALLEN
KEVIN ANDERSON
GARY COLE
CARRIE COON
FRANCIS GUINAN
MOIRA HARRIS
TINA LANDAU
TRACY LETTS
SALLY MURPHY
CAROLINE NEFF
MOLLY REGAN
KAREN RODRIGUEZ
JIM TRUE-FROST
ALAN WILDER
ALANA ARENAS
RANDALL ARNEY
K ATE ARRINGTON
IAN BARFORD
ROBERT BREULER
CLIFF CHAMBERLAIN
CELESTE M. COOPER
GLENN DAVIS
K ATHRYN ERBE
AUDREY FRANCIS
K. TODD FREEMAN
FRANK GALATI
JON MICHAEL HILL
TIM HOPPER
TOM IRWIN
ORA JONES
RAJIV JOSEPH
TERRY KINNEY†
JOHN MALKOVICH
SANDRA MARQUEZ
TARELL ALVIN McCRANEY
JAMES VINCENT MEREDITH
LAURIE METCALF
AMY MORTON
BRUCE NORRIS
AUSTIN PENDLETON
JEFF PERRY†
WILLIAM PETERSEN
YASEN PEYANKOV
RONDI REED
ANNA D. SHAPIRO°
ERIC SIMONSON
GARY SINISE†
NAMIR LOIS SMALLWOOD SMITH
RICK SNYDER
IN MEMORIAM
MALCOLM GLENNE EWEN HEADLY
MARTHA LAVEY
† CO-FOUNDER
JOHN MARIANN MAHONEY MAYBERRY ° ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
STEPPENWOLF STAFF Anna D. Shapiro Artistic Director
Artistic
Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise Executive Artistic Board
Cameron Harrie Dani James Maggie Malaney Jack Newton Madison Serrett Kyla Spencer Julia Toney Rosemary Vigil Baristas Emma Casey Sydney Charles Taylor Craft Brian Keys Marshall Kious Georgette Kirkendall Walker Lee Administration Patty Malaney and Operations Jay Mast Greg Mehl Karena Fiorenza Bran Moorhead General Manager Davey Weston O’Dell LaDonna Lane Lindsay Stock Human Resources Shannon Vogt Director Toby Walters Maria Nondorf Bartenders Finance Director Barbara Casey Cory Jeanes Administrative Director of Operations Volunteer Nic Andrews Jenny Goyer IT Administrator Interim Office Connor Pickett Manager IT Coordinator Will Gaines Kate Lerner Yale Fellow Food and Beverage Director Development Ashley Schilling Education Leslie Bradberry Food and Beverage Director of Megan Shuchman Manager Development Director of Education James Heppler Kristy Conway John Rooney Facilities Supervisor Grants Specialist Education and Leadership Programs Joshua Philoon Eric Evenskaas Facilities Coordinator Senior Development Coordinator Sam Lounsbury Director Abhi Shrestha Day Porter Education Associate Mercedes Rohlfs Irukia Ahmed Ali Campaign Director Amanda Dunne Tul Ghaley Acevedo Courtney Anderson Madan Gurung Donor Engagement Interim Senior Director Manager of Education Rina Gurung Makassa Jabateh Programs Lupe Garcia Quiles Ababe Mekonen Events Director Cara Greene Epstein Shamshuddin Suzanne Miller Facilitator of Mohamed Shofi Individual Giving Curriculum and Aminata Talawally Director Instruction Custodial Staff Jessica Gretch Sheila Chapman Emma Casey Individual Giving Education Volunteer Annie Cleveland Manager Peter Andersen Omar Dyette Leelai Demoz Associate Artistic Director Jonathan Berry Artistic Producer and Director at the School at Steppenwolf Hallie Gordon Artistic Producer and Artistic Director, Steppenwolf for Young Adults JC Clementz Casting Director Polly Hubbard Director of New Play Development Greta Honold LookOut Director Patrick Zakem LookOut Producer Kenya Hall Artistic and Literary Coordinator Glenn Davis Audrey Francis Tracy Letts Sandra Marquez Amy Morton Caroline Neff Yasen Peyankov Artistic Associates
Jazmín Corona Tina El Gamal Monét Felton Tiffany Fulson Charles Andrew Gardner Greg Geffrard Lauren Katz Sonya Madrigal Airos Sung-En Medill Anastacia Narrajos Jeremy Ohringer Wilfredo Ramos, Jr. Fatima Sowe Teaching Artists
David Schmitz Executive Director
Max Lando Institutional Partnerships Manager A.J. Roy Board Relations Manager Gabriel Alaniz Donor Engagement and Events Coordinator Tina El Gamal Prospect Development Analyst Natasha Freeman Donor Services Assistant Charlie Stock Campaign Assistant Deanna Finley Development Volunteer
Marketing, Communications & Audience Services Kara Henry Director of Marketing and Communications Madeline Long Senior Communications Director Erika Nelson Senior Marketing Director Joel Moorman Creative Director Lead Designer Christopher Huizar Lowell Thomas Video Content Producer Kerstin Adams Digital Marketing Manager Javier Dubon Marketing Manager Corinne Florentino Social Media and Communications Assistant Gin To Marketing Assistant Derek Van Barham Marketing Assistant
Leean Kim Torske PR Associate Corinne Neal Audience Services Director Stephanie Heller Audience Services Membership Manager William Benjamin Audience Services Manager Jimmy Freund VIP Liaison to Audience Services Mike Brunlieb Data Developer Rukmini Girsh Audience Services Supervisor Molly Layton Group Sales Coordinator Craig Barnes Willow Dawson Kat Davis Elizabeth Ellis Kenya Hall Greg Glomb Hanna Kime Connor Lifson DJ Shafer Julia Waits Audience Services Associates
Audience Experience Aaron Aptaker Audience Experience Director Megan Kaminsky Audience Experience Manager Paige Ward Front of House Manager Donald Coulson Parking Manager Jake Green Taylor Hobart Caitlyn Johnson Laura LoChirco Alexi Lewis Nora Manz Claudia Price Rio Ragazzone
Hoot Sanders Hilary Schwartz Jessica Smith Kyla Spencer Audience Experience Associates Angel Aguilar Mustafa Chaudry Sam Morales Gabriel Sanchez Parking Associates Lauren Louer, The Saints Volunteer Usher Coordination
Production Tom Pearl Director of Production Erin Cook Company Manager and Assistant to the Artistic Director Claire Haupt Elise Hausken Assistant Production Managers Mike Donohue Technical Director Chad Hain Associate Technical Director Lydia Strini Assistant Technical Director Tom Egan Scene Shop Supervisor Nathaniel Feit Kyle Land Russell Scott Brophy Tolbert Scenic Carpenters Zoe Shiffrin Scenic Charge Artist Sarah Lewis Assistant Scenic Charge Jenny DiLuciano Properties Director Melissa Centgraf Jay Tollefsen Associate Properties Directors
Charles Moser Master Properties Artisan Victoria Ross Props Artisan Shannon Higgins Wardrobe, Hair and Make Up Supervisor Melissa Motz Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor Daisy Lindas Costume Director Angela Enos Assistant Costume Director Mae Haskins Assistant Costume Designer Lynae Vandermeulen Work Room Supervisor and Draper Emily Wacker Draper Melissa Humbert First Hand Megan Turner Outside Projects Coordinator J. R. Lederle Lighting Supervisor Karen Thompson Light Board Operator Rick Haefele Stage Operations Supervisor Vanessa Retzlaff Assistant Stage Supervisor Martha Wegener Sound Supervisor Gregor Mortis Associate Sound Supervisor Matthew Chapman LookOut Production Supervisor Christine D. Freeburg Laura D. Glenn Michelle Medvin Production Stage Managers Kathleen Barrett
Mary Hungerford Jaclynn Joslin Jacqueline Saldana Stage Managers
Professional Leadership Program Nina Attinello Anisha Banerjee Brenna Barborka Amanda Barth Sarah Beck Grace Burns Sophia Deck Daniel Etti-Williams Johan H. Gallardo Ada Gรถktepe Maranda Jenkins Kevin Karn Nikki Konomos Zoe Lesser Nadya Naumaan Elon Sloan Jessica Van Winkle Courtney Winkelman Rafael Zhang
Agency of Record Grip
Production Counsel provided by Rick Pappas
Organizational Counsel provided by the attorneys at Schiff Hardin, LLP
27
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Committee Eric Lefkofsky, Chair Keating Crown, Vice Chair Deborah H. Quazzo, Secretary Verett Mims, Treasurer Henry S. Bienen Douglas R. Brown Elizabeth H. Connelly Nora Daley Amy Eshleman Rich Feitler Paul W. Goodrich Lynn Lockwood Murphy Bruce Sagan Stephanie B. Smith Matthew Shapiro Bryan Traubert John R. Walter Helen Zell Trustees Sarah Beardsley Michael W. Bender Susan O. Berghoef Amy Bluhm Meredith BluhmWolf Marlene BreslowBlitstein Carole L. Brown Ebs Burnough Beth Boosalis Davis Glenn Davis D. Cameron Findlay Robert J. Greenebaum, Jr. John Hart Jon Michael Hill Dennis D. Howarter Rebecca L. Johnston Mary Ludford
Ronald J. Mallicoat, Jr. Holly Maloney Tarell Alvin McCraney David E. Mendelsohn L. Heather Mitchell Christopher M. Murphy Pam Netzky Yasen Peyankov Anne M. Phillips Robert Rivkin Karen Rodriguez Shilpa Rupani Cari B. Sacks Robert Sanborn Manuel “Manny” Sanchez Anna D. Shapiro Colette Cachey Smithburg Elliot A. Stultz Emeritus Trustees J. Robert Barr Lawrence Block Michael Cahan John N. Fox, Jr. Lawrence M. Gill Donna La Pietra Kenneth J. Porrello Merle Reskin Randall K. Rowe Gloria Scoby Past Chairpersons William L. Atwell Larry D. Brady Douglas R. Brown Nora Daley Laurence Edwards John N. Fox, Jr. Elliott Lyon Gordon Murphy William H. Plummer Bruce Sagan Gloria Scoby Donna Vos
WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THOSE WHO PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT FOR STEPPENWOLF FOR YOUNG ADULTS DURING THE 2019/20 SEASON.
Grand Benefactors $100,000+ Allstate Insurance Company The Crown Family ‡ Paul M. Angell Foundation‡ Polk Bros. Foundation Ralla Klepak Trust for the Performing Arts United Airlines
Benefactors $50,000 – $99,999 Anonymous Ann and Richard Carr Robert and Louis Sanborn Steppenwolf Associates*
Producers $25,000-$49,999
American Express Archer Daniels Midland Company Andrew and Amy Bluhm‡ Walter E. Heller Foundation Fry Foundation JPMorgan Chase Liz and Eric Lefkofsky ‡ Lynn Lockwood Murphy and Barrett B. Murphy ‡ The Oppenheimer Family Foundation Anne and Don Phillips‡ Poetry Foundation Cari and Michael J. Sacks‡ Stephanie Smith and Gerald Smith Zell Family Foundation
Patrons $10,000 – $24,999
Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc. The Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation Caroline and Keating Crown Mary and Paul Finnegan Illinois Tool Works Foundation Ms. Anne Kaplan Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker Deborah and Stephen Quazzo Dr. Scholl Foundation Siragusa Family Foundation Nina B. Winston and Norman V. Kohn
Sustainers $5,000 – $9,999
Marlene Breslow-Blitstein and Berle Blitstein The Boeing Company Helen Brach Foundation Michael and Cathy Brennan Douglas R. Brown and Rachel Kraft Cheryl Lynn Bruce and Kerry Marshall Philip H. Corboy Foundation Brian Duwe ComEd John Hart and Carol Prins Karkomi Family Foundation John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Malkin Family Mesirow Financial The Orlebeke Foundation Louis & Nellie Sieg Fund Tom and Blaine Wells A. Montgomery Ward Foundation
Funder Spotlight
A special bequest from longtime patron Ralla Klepak will allow Steppenwolf to tour I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter to area juvenile justice facilities this March, in partnership with Storycatchers Theatre. A trailblazing attorney, advocate and educator, Ms. Klepak was driven by a passion for social justice and believed in the power of the performing arts to promote world peace. Steppenwolf is grateful to the Ralla Klepak Trust for the Performing Arts for their generous partnership in expanding youth access to the arts.
‡ Multi Year Pledge * The Steppenwolf Associates is a community of more than 100 dynamic young professionals who work each season to raise funds for Steppenwolf for Young Adults.
29
ON TOUR Following its four-week run at Steppenwolf, and working in collaboration with Storycatchers Theatre, Steppenwolf Education will tour for a week to three Juvenile Justice Facilities in Illinois. Building on the success of past collaborations with Storycatchers, during which Steppenwolf Education toured its productions of Monster and The Burn, this tour will provide detained and incarcerated youth a chance to see the production and share their stories with professional artists involved with the play. Storycatchers Theatre, winner of the 2013 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, guides young people to transform their traumatic experiences into powerful musical theatre, developing the courage and vision to become leaders and mentors. By creating support for youth within the criminal justice system, Storycatchers prepares them to change their lives and emerge successfully from court involvement.
Storycatchers is excited to bring I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter into the facilities. In this year’s writing sessions, the youth have been intrigued by the book’s themes of family secrets, sudden loss, and hidden identities. Looking at their own family relationships, the boys at Illinois Youth Center-Chicago have asked the question, “Am I your perfect son?” They are eager to share their work and discoveries and have the play come to them. - M eade Palidofsky Founder and Artistic Director of Storycatchers Theatre
THE TOUR WILL: • Reach 350+ Youth and Staff • P rovide 20 Hours of instructional time co-led by Steppenwolf and Storycatchers teaching artists • Feature tour performances with the full cast at: 0
Illinois Youth Center Chicago
0
Illinois Youth Center Warrenville
0
Cook County Juvenile Detention Center
AD
A WARM, CREATIVE SPACE TO GRAB A DRINK, HAVE A BITE, OR MEET UP WITH FRIENDS AND COLLABORATORS, DAY OR NIGHT. COFFEE BY
FOOD BY
1700 N HALSTED ST
Accessibility at Steppenwolf Committed to providing services and programming that enhance the experience of guests with disabilities, Steppenwolf is proud to feature: • Assistive listening devices in our Downstairs, Upstairs and 1700 Theatres • Audio-described performances, artistic conversations and touch tours of the stage for patrons who are blind or have low vision. • Sign language-interpreted and open-captioned performances for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Induction hearing loops in the 1700 and Downstairs Theatre
If you use a hearing aid or cochlear implant that has a T-Coil, feel free to turn it on for the performance! The 1700 Theatre and both levels of the Downstairs Theatre are equipped with induction loops. Individual portable neck loops are available in our Upstairs Theatre—just ask any member of the house staff if you’d like to use one. Steppenwolf’s induction loop was made possible in part by a generous gift from John Hart and Carol Prins. Would you like to utilize or learn more about these services? Audience Services 312-335-1650 | TTY 312-335-3830 | E-mail access@steppenwolf.org John Hart and Carol Prins are Steppenwolf’s Lead Underwriters for Accessibility Programs
Steppenwolf Customer Service Tips Driving to the theater? Rather than arriving to discover that our garage has reached capacity (which can happen during busy performances), please enter the Steppenwolf Parking Hotline (312-335-1774) into your cell phone and call us when you’re a few minutes away from the theater—we’ll tell you if there’s still space available in our facility, or suggest the most convenient alternative. Spending your intermission in line at the bar? Enjoy the entire break by ordering and paying for your intermission refreshments before the show. When you exit the theater at the end of the first act, your drinks will be waiting for you. Need restaurant information or the score of the ballgame? Please visit our book shop and information desk at the south end of the main floor lobby.
ask a member of the house staff; we’re happy to help. Lost or Found? On-site? Please check in with a member of the house staff. Already left? Call the Front of House office at 312-932-2445. Want to provide feedback? Your input is always valuable to us. Have an opinion about the play or artistic content? Stick around for the post-show discussion featured after every performance or join the conversation at facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre. Have a comment about your overall experience at the theater? Please ask us for a customer service form to fill out, or e-mail us at customerservice@steppenwolf.org.
Hailing a cab after the play? This is typically an easy affair—Halsted is a busy street and sees a fair amount of taxi traffic. If you’d like assistance hailing a cab or calling a company, though, just
Need to contact a patron during a performance? If you need to contact a patron during a performance in our Downstairs or Upstairs Theaters, please call our Concierge Desk at 312-932-2476. Hours: one hour prior to curtain until 15 minutes after curtain call.
Photo/Video Disclaimer: During your visit, you or members of your family may be filmed, videotaped and/or photographed by a Steppenwolf employee, contract photographer or the media. Your attendance at Steppenwolf events serves as permission for the use of your image, or the image of your family members, by Steppenwolf.
Content Disclaimer: Steppenwolf does not offer advisories about subject matter, as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have any questions about content, ageappropriateness or stage effects (such as strobe lights or theatrical fog) that might have a bearing on patron comfort, please contact the box office at 312-335-1650.
Join Us THE SCENE Curated by Steppenwolf’s own Young Adult Council, The Scene is an exclusive opportunity for teens to score a cheap ticket to a Steppenwolf production, meet the artists involved with the play, and connect with like-minded teens. Each ticket includes dinner and a post-show discussion with the actors.
YOUNG ADULT COUNCIL Join our council of teens from across the Chicagoland area! Be a part of Steppenwolf and get an inside look at how it all happens. Applications open March 1 for the 2020/2021 cohort!
TICKETS ARE JUST $5 Purchase tickets at the door one half-hour before the show, in advance online, or in advance by calling Steppenwolf Audience Services at 312-335-1650 and use code YACSCENE. Teens can also use their Teen Arts Pass (TAP) to purchase tickets.
UPCOMING EVENTS The Scene: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Saturday, March 14, 2020 Performance at 7:30pm with event to follow
STEP IN Step In workshops are a free series that offer teens the chance to participate in hands-on theatre workshops led by some of the hottest theater artists we know, all while getting to learn more about Steppenwolf’s Young Adult Council, an afterschool program for teens interested in careers in the arts.
ADMISSION IS FREE! To reserve your spot, please RSVP to Education Associate Abhi Shrestha at ashrestha@steppenwolf.org
UPCOMING EVENTS Step In: VOICE Wednesday, March 19, 2020 Step In: DIRECTING Wednesday, May 6, 2020