CHICAGO (March 20, 2012) — Steppenwolf Theatre Company concludes its 2011/12 season with Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, adapted by Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by Tony Award-winning ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Three Sisters features ensemble members Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, Francis Guinan, Tom Irwin, Ora Jones, Sally Murphy and Yasen Peyankov with Usman Ally, Chance Bone, B. Diego ColĂ"n, Maury Cooper, Caroline Neff, Mary Ann Thebus and Dan Waller. Three Sisters begins previews June 28 (Opening Night is July 8; Press Performances are July 7 at 3pm and July 10 at 7:30pm) and runs through August 26, 2012 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Tickets ($20 — $78) go on sale April 27 at 11am (prices are subject to change).
The Prozorov family chafes at the constraints of life in their small provincial town, once a bustling army garrison where their late father served as general. Attempts to shore up their crumbling social status lay bare the larger forces of unrest that will soon engulf them all. Tony Award-winning ensemble members Tracy Letts and Anna D. Shapiro continue their celebrated collaboration, bringing fresh insight to this classic story of a privileged family's changing fortunes.
Tracy Letts received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for August: Osage County. His other plays include Killer Joe, Bug, Man from Nebraska and Superior Donuts. Anna D. Shapiro received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction for Letts' August: Osage County. Other recent Steppenwolf directing credits include A Parallelogram, Up, The Crucible, The Unmentionables and The Pain and the Itch.
Steppenwolf's 2011/12 season, Dispatches from the Homefront, explores how everyday lives are touched by war. In each of the five plays, war exerts a pressuresometimes centrally, sometimes obliquelyon the lives of the charactersand moves them to action. The plays are alive with the humor, the tenderness and the urgency of lives struggling to find home.
The production team for Three Sisters includes: Todd Rosenthal (scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design),Donald Holder (lighting design), Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (sound design) and David Singer (original music). Additional credits include: Erica Daniels (casting), Cecilie O'Reilly (vocal coach), Laura D. Glenn (stage manager) andDeb Styer (assistant stage manager).
Title: Three Sisters
Author: Anton Chekhov
Adaptor: Ensemble member Tracy Letts
Director: Ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro
Featuring: Ensemble members Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, Francis Guinan, Tom Irwin,Ora Jones, Sally Murphy and Yasen Peyankov with Usman Ally, Chance Bone, B. Diego ColĂ"n, Maury Cooper, Caroline Neff, Mary Ann Thebus andDan Waller
Location: Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N Halsted St
Dates: Previews: June 28 — July 7, 2012. Press Performances: July 7 at 3pm and July 10 at 7:30p. Opening: July 8 at 6pm. Regular Run: July 10 — August 26, 2012
Accessible Performances: Open-captioned performance: August 11 at 3pm
Sign language-interpreted performance: August 5 at 7:30pm
Audio-described performance and touch tour: August 19 at 1:30pm (3pm performance)
Curtain Times: Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30pm. (Sunday evening performances through July 12 only)
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3pm. Wednesday matinees at 2pm on August 8, 15 and 22. Note: There is no 7:30pm performance on July 3 and 4; there is no 3pm performance on July 8; and the evening performance on July 8 is at 6pm and is by invitation only.
Ticket prices: Previews: $20 — $56
Regular Run: $20 — $78, 20 for $20: Twenty $20 tickets are available by phone or in person beginning at 11am on the day of each performance (1pm for Sunday performances).
Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.Student Discounts: Limited $15 student tickets are available online using promo code: "SISTERS15" beginning April 27, 2012. (Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket). For additional student discounts, visit steppenwolf.org/students.
Audience Services: 1650 N Halsted St, 312-335-1650
Online ticketing available at steppenwolf.org
Free post-show discussions are offered after every performance.
Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available for every performance.
Northern Trust is the Corporate Production Sponsor of Three Sisters. The production is made possible through the Artistic Development Fund, which is supported by The Davee Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation. ComEd is the 2011/12 Season Lighting Sponsor. Partial support for open captioning provided by Theatre Development Fund.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, IL (Martha Lavey, Artistic Director; David Hawkanson, Executive Director) is one of the nation's leading ensemble theaters, producing up to 16 productions each year in its three Chicago theater spacesincluding programming dedicated to the development of new plays and theater for young adults. Steppenwolf's productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including off-Broadway, Broadway, London, Sydney and Dublin. Formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an ensemble of 43 actors, writers and directors. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre andtwitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.
Currently on stage are Time Stands Still by Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies, directed by ensemble member Austin Pendleton (through May 13, 2012) in Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St); and Garage Rep in The Steppenwolf Garage (1624 N Halsted St), featuring Oohrah! by Bekah Brunstetter, directed by Brad Akin, presented by LiveWire Chicago (through April 8, 2012); Hit the Wall by Ike Holter, directed by Eric Hoff, presented by The Inconvenience (extended through April 22, 2012); and He Who, written and directed by Michael Montenegro, presented by Theatre Zarko (through April 8, 2012).
Upcoming productions in the 2011/12 season include The March, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, adapted for the stage and directed by ensemble member Frank Galati (April 5 — June 10, 2012) in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre; andNext Up (June 5 — 24, 2012) in The Steppenwolf Garage, featuring Life and Limb by Keith Reddin, directed by Emily Campbell; South of Settling by Emily Schwend, directed by Adam Goldstein; and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by Laley Lippard.
The 2012/13 Subscription Season includes Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman (September 13 — November 11, 2012) in the Downstairs Theatre; The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro (December 27, 2012 — March 3, 2013) in the Downstairs Theatre; The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter, directed by ensemble member Austin Pendleton (January 24 — May 19, 2013) in the Upstairs Theatre; Head of Passes by ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney, directed by ensemble member Tina Landau (April 4 — June 9, 2013) in the Downstairs Theatre; and Belleville by Amy Herzog, directed by Anne Kauffmann (June 27 — August 25, 2013) in the Downstairs Theatre.