THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

With a large roster of ensemble participation, the highly anticipated 2020/21 Season launches with the world premiere stage adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck by Matt Charman ( Bridge of Spies ), based on the Oscar-nominated screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, directed by Tony-winning ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro ( The Minutes, August: Osage County ). A prescient story of media and censorship, the complete cast includes ensemble members Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, Audrey Francis, Tom Irwin and William Petersen with Jordan Brodess, Keith Gallagher and Joey Slotnick.

The 2020/21 season comes to a celebratory conclusion with an extraordinarily funny and magical world premiere adaptation of Seagull by Anton Chekov, translated, adapted and directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov. Stacked with an all Ensemble cast, Seagull will be the first show to open the stunning theatre-in-the-round and signal a new era of theater-making at Steppenwolf.

"This season marks a milestone that has been years in the making. In 1976, a small group of intrepid young people took over a church basement in Highland Park and started making plays because they needed, simply, to create. Over the next four decades this group would grow to include some of the most important theatre makers in the world, let alone the country, and together this ensemble of committed actors, directors and writers would become a Chicago treasure and help secure our city's legacy as the North Star of the American Theatre.

This season—and 45 years after the lights went on in Highland Park—Steppenwolf will open our new building, completing a campus worthy of the artists whose commitment to excellence, truth and bravery continues to inspire our city," shares Artistic Director and ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro.

The new 50,000 sq. ft building will feature a 400-seat theatre-in-the-round—only six rows deep—a manifestation of a recommitment to the Steppenwolf ethos of intimate and powerfully personal storytelling.

"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 to ourselves. Reading Yasen Peyankov's adaptation aloud as an ensemble was a truly unforgettable experience where everyone in the room said without a doubt, this is it—this is the play to launch our new space.

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. 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. We are at this seminal moment together—our ensemble and our audiences—we stand on the shoulders of those who brought us here and celebrate those who will lead us into the next 45 years," adds Shapiro.

The second phase of Steppenwolf's multi-year campus expansion will be visible at the start of the 2020/21 Season. Audiences will enjoy a renovated Downstairs Theatre lobby and new wine bar located on the second floor of the theatre just in time for the 2020/21 season opener, Good Night, and Good Luck( October 22 — December 20, 2020 ). The enhanced Downstairs Theatre lobby experience will be an exciting precursor to the new building, which once complete will connect the existing and new buildings, creating a seamless campus on Halsted Street.

Following Good Night, and Good Luck will be the world premiere of Bald Sisters by Vichet Chum ( December 3, 2020 — February 7, 2021 ). Two Cambodian-American sisters plan their mother's funeral in this sharp-edged, hilarious and ultimately poignant exploration of an American family finding its way. One of the most captivating new voices in the American Theatre, Vichet Chum receives his Chicago debut with Bald Sisters.

The new year brings the daring and provocative Chicago premiere of Barcelona by Bess Wohl, directed by Trip Cullman featuring ensemble member Caroline Neff in a play that will leave audiences questioning their eyes, ears and most of all their loyalties ( January 28 — March 14, 2021 ).

A second Chicago premiere takes the stage in the spring—Last Night and the Night Before ( April 1 — May 16, 2021 ) is a poetic and heartbreaking portrait of Black Love by Donnetta Lavinia Grays directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton. Ensemble member Namir Smallwood, who has received major critical acclaim for his work over the past two seasons in the revival of True Westand Steppenwolf's debut of Bug, returns to the stage for Grays's masterpiece.

Fresh off a hit Broadway run and Tony nomination, Choir Boy by Oscar-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney ( Moonlight, MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT ) and directed by Robert O'Hara ( Slave Play, Marie Antoinette ) makes its Steppenwolf debut featuring ensemble members James Vincent Meredith and Austin Pendleton ( June 10 — August 1, 2021 ). This elegy to quiet rebellion, filled with the sound of longing and aspiration, is a love song in pianissimo to the unseen heart that beats inside us all.

The new building—designed by world-renowned architect Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and London-based theatre design team Charcoalblue—features a 400-seat theatre-in-the-round, an education floor with classrooms and workshops, a new bar and sidewalk lounge. Christening the new theatre will be Seagull with an all ensemble cast taking the stage, August 1, 2021.

2020/21 Season Memberships are now available: Classic Memberships offer guaranteed seats to all main series shows in the 1650 N Halsted building plus the opportunity to unlock early-access to the new theatre-in-the-round when adding Seagull to a membership package at a members-only discount. Members enjoy savings of up to 60% off single ticket prices, exclusive invitations to behind-the-scenes events with artists, discounts at Front Bar and the Steppenwolf Gift Shop, unlimited guest tickets at the member rate and advance access to special events and performances. Memberships start as low as $130. To purchase Memberships, visit Audience Services at 1650 N Halsted St, call 312-335-1650 or visit steppenwolf.org/memberships .

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 2020/21 Season

( All plays, artists and dates are subject to change )

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

Produced with special arrangement by Jean Doumanian, Robert Fox, George Clooney and Grant Heslov

Complete cast features ensemble members Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, Audrey Francis, Tom Irwin and William Petersen along with Jordan Brodess, Keith Gallagher and Joey Slotnick

October 22 — December 20, 2020

In the Downstairs Theatre

1953: Dark days in Washington, D.C. 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..

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.

World Premiere

Bald Sisters

By Vichet Chum

December 3, 2020 — February 7, 2021

In the Upstairs Theatre

Two bald sisters at an impasse, an imperfect husband wrestling with his faith, a young immigrant hustling to pay for college and Ma—the matriarch whose sudden death has turned their world upside-down. How does this Cambodian American family plan a funeral for a force of nature who manages to bedevil them in death even more than she did in life? Do they honor the past from which she struggled to heal or the future she willed into existence? This world premiere play by Vichet Chum is a sharp-edged, hilarious and ultimately poignant exploration of an American family finding its way..

From the Wingfields to the Westons, Steppenwolf has always been drawn to the explosive collisions of the American family. Bald Sisters offers a refreshingly unique perspective on this time-honored tradition. The ensemble is excited to invite stories onto our stage where layers of the past pile onto layers of the present, weaving together a lush and complex fabric of American identity. While our differences exist, these iterations of the American family remind us of the commonalities we all share.

Bald Sisters was developed at Steppenwolf as part of the SCOUT new play series, which also developed La Ruta by Isaac Gomez.

Chicago Premiere

Barcelona

By Bess Wohl

Directed by Trip Cullman

Featuring ensemble member Caroline Neff

January 28 — March 14, 2021

In the Downstairs Theatre

Barcelona. Las Ramblas. Late night. A young American woman stumbles into the arms of an older handsome stranger. As the booze fades and the light gathers, their relationship grows murkier, darker and decidedly more dangerous and it becomes clear that these lovers are not who they seem. Bess Wohl's daring and provocative play is an expertly drawn battle of personal fantasy vs national truth that will leave audiences questioning their eyes, ears and—most of all—their loyalties..

One of this country's most exciting voices, Bess Wohl has created a play that speaks to the essentially American conundrum of accountability, both personal and political. With two astonishing roles for actors and an engaging and complex plot line, Barcelonacaptures every element of the Steppenwolf ethos in its taut and dangerous 90 minutes.

Chicago Premiere

Last Night and the Night Before

By Donnetta Lavinia Grays

Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton

Featuring ensemble member Namir Smallwood

April 1 — May 16, 2021

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's portrait of Black Love explores the complex forms family can take..

Donnetta Lavinia Grays's 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.

Choir Boy

By ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney

Directed by Robert O'Hara

Featuring ensemble members James Vincent Meredith and Austin Pendleton

June 10 — August 1, 2021

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..

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 Steppenwolf 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. The company is thrilled to bring this beautiful story "home."

World Premiere Adaptation

Seagull

By Anton Chekhov

Translated and adapted by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov

Directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov

Featuring ensemble members Ian Barford, Cliff Chamberlain, Francis Guinan, Tim Hopper, Sandra Marquez, James Vincent Meredith, Caroline Neff, Karen Rodriguez and Namir Smallwood

July 24 — September 12, 2021

In the 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 theatre-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..

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.

About Steppenwolf's New Theatre Building at 1646 N Halsted St

"The new building will be an open invitation to all—with performance, rehearsal and social places intentionally built to place artists, audiences and students in constant engagement with each other. The theatre-in-the-round design will highlight what makes our company unique—visceral, human and intimate experiences of incredible acting. Our first-ever purpose-built learning space, which is the crowning jewel of the building, will allow us to place education at the heart of our mission and increase the number of teens impacted by our programming from 15,000 to 40,000," shares Executive Director David Schmitz.

The parking garage at 1624 N. Halsted will remain and undergo cosmetic changes to its fa��ade to create symmetry across the campus. Increased valet service will be offered to continue to make parking easy, and accessible parking will be available next to Front Bar at 1700 N Halsted. During construction, the parking garage continues to be available to patrons.

"The expansion of Steppenwolf will introduce new relationships with its patrons, neighborhood and Chicago as a whole. Architecturally the design fits within the character of the neighborhood, recognizing the significance of its presence along Halsted Street while respecting our neighbors," shares lead architect Gordon Gill.

The new theatre will ultimately replace the Upstairs Theatre and will be the only in-the-round theatre space found in a major Chicago theatre. With 400 seats and only six rows deep, the ensemble is eager to have such an artistically different space that returns the company to its roots, where fearless acting is within arm's reach.

Rendering of Steppenwolf's New Theatre by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture ( Note: The production depicted is not representative of Seagull )

"It is so exciting to have an additional artistic home that enables the ensemble to have a closer connection to the audience, something the ensemble has wanted to return to since our days playing in small venues. I think this theatre will also be a great place for audiences and students to see our work in an up-close and personal way. A chance for them to feel a part of the whole experience," shares ensemble member Amy Morton.

For more details about Steppenwolf's Campus Expansion, visit steppenwolf.org/buildingonexcellence .

Artist Bios

Good Night, and Good Luck

Matt Charman ( Playwright ) is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and award-winning British playwright. His debut play, A Night at the Dogs premiered at the Soho Theatre and won the Verity Bargate Award 2004. He has had three world premieres at London's National Theatre, including The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder in 2007 and The Observer in 2011 ( directed by Sir Richard Eyre ), for which he won the Catherine Johnson Award. In March 2012, his play Regrets, starring Ansel Elgort, received its world premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club. This was followed by The Machine, which opened at the Manchester International Festival, before being staged in New York at the Park Avenue Armory. For the screen, Charman co-wrote Bridge of Spies ( 2015 ), a Cold War thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and film starring Tom Hanks, Alan Alda and Mark Rylance. It earned Charman a BAFTA, Academy Award and WGA nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Previously, he co-wrote Suite Francaise ( 2014 ) with director Saul Dibb, starring Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas and Margot Robbie. Charman's current film projects include his directorial debut for MRC Studios. He has written an adaptation of the Alan Gratz novel Refugeeand a feature, Honorable Exit, for Warner Bros. Charman is based in London working with established and emerging writers across a variety of TV and feature film scripts. He is producing these projects through his London-based production company, Binocular.

Anna D. Shapiro ( Director ) is a Tony Award-winning director and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2005 and was awarded the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for August: Osage County( Steppenwolf, Broadway, London ). She was nominated in 2011 in the same category for The Motherf**ker with the Hat ( Public Theatre, Labyrinth Theatre ). Other Steppenwolf directing credits include the world premiere production of The Minutes ( now on Broadway ); Mary Page Marlowe, Visiting Edna, Three Sisters, A Parallelogram, Up, The Crucible, The Unmentionables ( also at Yale Repertory Theatre ), The Pain and the Itch ( also in New York ), I Never Sang for My Father, Man from Nebraska, Purple Heart ( also in Galway, Ireland ), The Drawer Boy, Side Man ( also in Ireland, Australia and Vail, 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 Theatre ). She is directing the new Broadway musical The Devil Wears Pradawith music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub and book by Paul Rudnick. Shapiro is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia. She is a professor in Northwestern University's Department of Theatre.

Bald Sisters

Vichet Chum ( Playwright ) is a Cambodian-American playwright and theatre maker, originally from Dallas, Texas and now living in New York City. His plays have been workshopped at Steppenwolf Theatre, the Magic Theatre, the Alley Theatre, the UCROSS Foundation, Fault Line Theatre, Crowded Outlet, Second Generation Productions, Weston Playhouse, Cleveland Public Theatre, All For One Theatre, Amios, Florida State University, Merrimack Repertory Theatre and the New Harmony Project. He received the 2018-19 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting with New Dramatists, serves as an Associate Artist at Merrimack Repertory Theatre and is a current board member for the New Harmony Project. This season, Vichet is a part of the 2019 Resident Working Farm Group at Space on Ryder Farm, the 2020 Interstate 73 Writer's Group at Page 73 and the 2020 Ars Nova Play Group. He's currently working on a commission from the Audible Theatre Emerging Playwrights Fund and Cleveland Play House. He is a proud graduate of the University of Evansville ( BFA ) and Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company ( MFA ). He's represented by Beth Blickers at APA Agency. vichetchum.com

Barcelona

Bess Wohl's ( Playwright ) plays include Small Mouth Sounds, Make Believe, Continuity, American Hero, Barcelona, Touched, In, Cats Talk Back and the musical Pretty Filthy with composer/lyricist Michael Friedman and The Civilians ( Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Musical ). Her play, Grand Horizons, is currently running at the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway. Her plays have been produced or developed at theatres in New York and around the country, including Second Stage, Ars Nova, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Goodman Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, People's Light and Theatre Company, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Vineyard Arts Project, Pioneer Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Northlight Theatre, TheatreWorks New Works Festival, Ojai Playwright's Conference, Cape Cod Theatre Project, PlayPenn and the New York International Fringe Festival ( Award for Best Overall Production ). She currently holds new play commissions from Lincoln Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage, and Williamstown. She also writes screenplays and has developed multiple original television projects for HBO, ABC, USA, FOX, Disney, Paramount and others. In her previous life as an actress, she appeared onstage in New York and regionally, and in numerous films and TV shows where she has given birth, solved crimes, committed crimes, been wrongly accused, and come back from the dead. She is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama.

Trip Cullman ( Director ) Broadway credits include Rose Tattoo ( Roundabout ), Choir Boy ( MTC ), Lobby Hero( Second Stage ), Six Degrees of Separation( Barrymore ), Significant Other ( Booth ). Select Off Broadway credits include Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, YEN, Punk Rock ( Obie award ), A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Gynecologic Oncology Unit At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Of New York City ( MCC ); Days Of Rage, The Layover, The Substance of Fire, Lonely I'm Not, Bachelorette, Some Men, Swimming In The Shallows ( Second Stage ); The Pain Of My Belligerence, Assistance, A Small Fire ( Drama Desk nomination ), The Drunken City ( Playwrights Horizons ); Choir Boy ( MTC ); Murder Ballad ( MTC and Union Square Theatre ); The Mother, I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard ( Atlantic );Roulette ( EST ); The Hallway Trilogy: Nursing( Rattlestick ); The Last Sunday In June ( Rattlestick and Century Center ); Dog Sees God ( Century Center ); US Drag ( stageFARM ); and several productions with The Play Company. London credits include The Colby Sisters of Pittsburgh, PA ( Tricycle ). Regionally he has worked with Geffen, Alliance, Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Bay Street, Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Last Night and the Night Before

Donnetta Lavinia Grays ( Playwright ) was raised in Columbia, South Carolina and is a Brooklyn based playwright and actor. Plays include Where We Stand ( The Public Theatre's Mobile Unit commission, world premiere co-production with WP Theatre and Baltimore Centerstage, O'Neill Center Semifinalist ); Warriors Don't Cry ( Theatreworks USA/Bushnell commission ); Last Night and the Night Before ( world premiere Denver Center for the Performing Arts, National Theatre Conference Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwright Award, Kilroys List, Todd McNerney National Playwriting Award, O'Neill Center Semifinalist ); Laid To Rest ( O'Neill Center Finalist, Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep ); and The Review ( WP Pipeline Festival, O'Neill Center Finalist ). She is an alumna of Space on Ryder Farm's Working Farm Residency, Time Warner Foundation WP Playwrights Lab, Civilians R&D Group and terraNova Collective's Groundbreakers Playwright group. She is the inaugural recipient of the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. Gray's works have been developed with New Harmony Project, Labyrinth Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Portland Stage, Pure Theatre, Naked Angels and Classical Theatre of Harlem. She holds Commissions from Steppenwolf, Denver Center for the Performing Arts and WP Theatre. She is a Staff Writer for Y: The Last Man on FX and Manhunt: Lone Wolf on Spectrum Originals. Donnettagrays.com

Valerie Curtis-Newton ( Director ) is the Head of Directing at the University of Washington's School of Drama. She also serves as the Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, an African American theatre lab. Curtis-Newton has worked with theatres across the country including The Guthrie Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Actors' Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Children's Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop, among others. She has been awarded the National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Career Development Grant for Directors, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation's Gielgud Directing Fellowship, Theatre Puget Sound's Gregory Fall Award for Sustained Achievement, Seattle Times' 13 Most Influential Citizens of the last decade, the Seattle Stranger Genius Award in Performance and the Crosscut Courage Award for Culture.

Choir Boy

Tarell Alvin McCraney ( Playwright ) is an acclaimed writer. His script In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue is the basis for the Oscar-winning film Moonlightdirected by Barry Jenkins, for which McCraney and Jenkins won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He wrote the film High Flying Bird, which premiered on Netflix directed by Steven Soderbergh. McCraney's plays include MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT ( co-written with fellow Steppenwolf ensemble member Tina Landau ), The Brother/Sister Plays trilogy, Head of Passes, Wig Out!, and Choir Boy, which was nominated for four Tony Awards. McCraney is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Grant, the Whiting Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, the Evening Standard Award, the New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award, the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, the Windham Campbell Award, and a USA Artist Award. He is currently Chair of Playwriting at Yale School of Drama; an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre; and a member of Teo Castellanos/D-Projects. McCraney is currently working on an original scripted TV series, David Makes Man, for Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network, produced by Michael B Jordan and Page Fright Productions.

Robert O'Hara ( Director ) has received the NAACP Best Play and Best Director Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two Obies and the Herb Alpert Award. Broadway credits include Slave Play. Off Broadway he directed the world premieres of Jeremy O. Harris's Slave Play, Nikkole Salter and Dania Guiria's In the Continuum, Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/ Sister Plays ( Part 2 ), Colman Domingo's Wild with Happy, Kirsten Childs's Bella: An American Tall Tale, as well as his own plays, Mankind, Bootycandy andInsurrection: Holding History. His plays Zombie: The American and Barbecue world premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theatre and The Public Theatre, respectively. His recent directing projects include, Baum and Cheri's Gun and Powder at Signature Theatre, Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Aziza Barnes' BLKS at MCC, Inda Craig-Galvan's Black Superhero Magic Mama at The Geffen Theatre, the Universes' Uni/Son, inspired by the poetry of August Wilson at OSF and Shakespeare's Macbeth at Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Seagull

Yasen Peyankov ( Translator, Adaptor and Director ) who last directed at Steppenwolf the world premiere of Erika Sheffer's The Fundamentals has been an ensemble member since 2002. Other Steppenwolf main stage directing credits include Between Riverside and Crazy ( Jeff Nomination for Best Production 2016 ), Grand Concourse, Russian Transport, as well as Hushabye for First Look and The Glass Menagerie for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. Other directing credits include Macbeth, Uncle Vanya, Go Away Go Away, Stars in the Morning Sky ( European Repertory ), Ladybird ( The Evidence Room, Los Angeles ), Overweight, Unimportant, Misshape: A European Supper ( Trapdoor Theatre ). His translations/adaptations of Chekhov plays include Ivanov, Uncle Vanya and Seagull as well as Zoyka's Apartment by M. Bulgakov, Ladybird, Plasticine and Black Milk by V. Sigarev, Stars in the Morning Sky by A.Galin, Go Away Go Away by N. Kolyada. He also translated and directed the Bulgarian premiere of August: Osage County at the National Theatre in Sofia. He has appeared in 20 productions at Steppenwolf, some of which include Time of Your Life ( also in Seattle and San Francisco ), Morning Star ( Jeff Award ), Hysteria, Lost Land, Cherry Orchard, Frankie and Johnny at the Claire De Lune ( also in Dublin ), Superior Donuts ( also on Broadway ), Three Sisters, A Doll's House Part 2, The Children, Lindiwe and others. Some of his many film and television appearances include Captive State, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, Gifted Hands, Alias, The Practice, The Unit, Numb3rs, Madam Secretary, Stranger Things and others. Peyankov is a Full Professor and the Head of Theatre at the School of Theatre and Music at UIC where he teaches acting and directs plays.

Accessibility

Committed to making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each play. Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance and the Downstairs and 1700 Theatres are each equipped with an induction hearing loop. All theaters feature wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, and Front Bar features a push-button entrance, all-gender restrooms and accessible counter and table spaces.

Sponsor information

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. ComEd is the Official Season Lighting Sponsor.

Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks

Connected to the main lobby is Steppenwolf's own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks, offering an inviting space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Open Tuesdays — Sundays, Front Bar serves locally roasted coffee and espresso by Passion House Coffee Roasters and features food by The Goddess and Grocer. The menu focuses on fresh, accessible fare, featuring grab-and-go salads and sandwiches for lunch and adding shareable small plates and desserts for evening and post show service. front-bar.com

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble members represent a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gileadand August: Osage County to MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT—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 programming includes a seven-play 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 15,000 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.

Steppenwolf's mission

Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world.