THE JEFF AWARDS ANNOUNCES 2023 NON-EQUITY THEATER AWARD NOMINATIONS

Kicking off the new year, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater. The Non-Equity awards presented in 2023 spotlight 167 theater artists across 28 categories of excellence in theater production among shows from 30 companies. During the most recent season extended due to the pandemic, which ran from July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, Jeff Awards members attended 106 Non-Equity productions. From these, 49 productions became “Jeff Recommended” and, therefore, eligible for award nominations.                                                           

Four theater companies were recognized for the upcoming Non-Equity awards with more than 10 nominations each. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre garnered the most honors, with 19 from five productions. Kokandy Productions received 16 nominations, followed by Blank Theatre Company (14) and Invictus Theatre (13). “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at Kokandy Productions drew the largest nominations for a single production (9).

Among New Work, seven world premiere plays and one new musical are in award consideration. In addition, the Jeff Awards expanded award categories this past season to include a new classification recognizing Short Run Productions (nine to 17 performances). Within this new category, the Jeff Awards recognize nominees for Best Production, Ensemble, Director, Performer – Principal Role, Performer – Supporting Role, Solo Performance, New Work, and Artistic Specialization.

 

2023 NON-EQUITY JEFF AWARD NOMINEES

Production - Play

"Botticelli in the Fire" - First Floor Theater

"Malapert Love" - The Artistic Home

"Ruined" - Invictus Theatre

"Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

"The Pavilion" - The Artistic Home

"White" - Definition Theatre

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre

 

Production - Musical or Revue

"8-Track: The Sounds of the ‘70s" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

"Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical" - Kokandy Productions

"She Loves Me" - Blank Theatre Company

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

"The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

 

Production – Short Run

"Buried Child" - AstonRep Theatre Company

"Hertha Nova" - The Impostors Theatre Company

"Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes" - The Story Theatre

"Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

"WILDCATS" - The Neo-Futurists

 

Ensemble - Play

"Medea Material" - Trap Door Theatre

"Refuge" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

"Ride or Die" - MPAACT - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre

"The Secretaries: A Parable" - First Floor Theater

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre

 

Ensemble - Musical or Revue

"8-Track: The Sounds of the ‘70s" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

"Godspell" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

"She Loves Me" - Blank Theatre Company

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

"The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

  

Ensemble -Short Run

"Boeing-Boeing" - Saint Sebastian Players

"Hertha Nova" - The Impostors Theatre Company

"Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes" - The Story Theatre

"Urinetown: The Musical" - Surging Films & Theatrics

 

New Work

Shepsu Aakhu - "Ride or Die" - MPAACT - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre

Siah Berlatsky - "Malapert Love" - The Artistic Home

Tina Fakhrid-Deen - "Pulled Punches" - MPAACT - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre

Karissa Murrell Myers - "On the Greenbelt" - Strawdog Theatre Company

Ed Rutherford & Jeff Bouthiette - "Mary Rose" - Black Button Eyes Productions

 

New Work - Short Run

Rachel Borgo - “Hertha Nova” – The Impostors Theatre Company

Ida Cuttler & Nick Hart - “WILDCATS” – The Neo-Futurists

Terry Guest - “Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes” – The Story Theatre

 

Director - Play

Charles Askenaizer - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre

Rinska Carraso-Prestinary - "Isaac's Eye" - Redtwist Theatre

Bo Frazier - "Botticelli in the Fire" - First Floor Theater

Julian Hester - "Malapert Love" - The Artistic Home

Ebby Offord - "Ruined" - Invictus Theatre

Ericka Ratcliff - "White" - Definition Theatre

Scott Weinstein - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

 

Director - Musical or Revue 

Adrian Abel Azevedo - "Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Jason A. Fleece - "The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

Landree Fleming - "Once Upon a Mattress" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Danny Kapinos - "She Loves Me" - Blank Theatre Company

Derek Van Barham - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

 

Director - Short Run

Sean Michael Barrett - "Boeing-Boeing" - Saint Sebastian Players

Terry Guest - "Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes" - The Story Theatre

Halena Kays - "WILDCATS" - The Neo-Futurists

Juan Parodi - "Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

Stefan Roseen - "Hertha Nova" - The Impostors Theatre Company

 

Performer in a Principal Role - Play 

Kim Boler (Anna) - "After the Blast" - Broken Nose Theatre

Kierra Bunch (Vanessa/St. Diana/Balkonae) - "White" - Definition Theatre

John Drea (Marc Chagall) - "Chagall in School" - Grippo Stage Company

Jacqueline Grandt (Ruth Steiner) - "Collected Stories" - Redtwist Theatre

Alex Benito Rodriguez (Sandro Botticelli) - "Botticelli in the Fire" - First Floor Theater

Ana Santos-Sánchez (Ana Morgana) - "La gran tirana (descarga dramática)" - Aguijón Theater Company

James Turano (George) - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre

Andrea Uppling (Martha) - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre

Rosario Vargas (The Painter) - "Cintas de Seda" - Aguijón Theater Company

Melanie Victoria (Isis) - "Pulled Punches" - MPAACT - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre

Tekeisha Yelton-Hunter (Mama Nadi) - "Ruined" - Invictus Theatre

 

Performer in a Principal Role - Musical or Revue 

Maddison Denault (Kathryn Merteuil) - "Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Sonia Goldberg (Princess Winnifred) - "Once Upon a Mattress" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Caitlin Jackson (Mrs. Lovett) - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

Joe Lewis (Will) - "Girlfriend" - PrideArts

Nikki Lynette (Nikki Lynette) - "Get Out Alive" - Haven Chicago

Brandy Miller (Amalia Balash) - "She Loves Me" - Blank Theatre Company

David Moreland (Sebastian Valmont) - "Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Anne Sheridan Smith (Miss Mona) - "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Peter Stielstra (Mike) - "Girlfriend" - PrideArts

Stephanie Stockstill (Mary Rose) - "Mary Rose" - Black Button Eyes Productions

Karylin Veres (Queenie) - "The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

Kevin Webb (Sweeney Todd) - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

 

Performer in a Principal Role - Short Run 

Ida Cuttler (Ida Cuttler) - "WILDCATS" - The Neo-Futurists

Jim Morley (Dodge) - "Buried Child" - AstonRep Theatre Company

Tommy Rivera-Vega (Martín) - "Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

Esteban Schemberg (S) - "Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

Keaton Stewart (Eve) - "Hertha Nova" - The Impostors Theatre Company

Joshua Paul Wright (Robert) - "Boeing-Boeing" - Saint Sebastian Players

 

Performer in a Supporting Role - Play 

JoAnn Birt (Mary Anne) - "When We Were Young and Unafraid" - AstonRep Theatre Company

Carley Cornelius (Jane) - "White" - Definition Theatre

Emilie Rose Danno (Esperanza) - "Malapert Love" - The Artistic Home

John Drea (Ray) - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

Courtney Gardner (Salima) - "Ruined" - Invictus Theatre

Stanley King (Christian) - "Ruined" - Invictus Theatre

Arielle Leverett (Arthur/Sam) - "After the Blast" - Broken Nose Theatre

Rachel Livingston (Honey) - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre

marssie Mencotti (Clara) - "Hay Fever" - City Lit Theater Company

Frank Nall (Phischbreath) - "Malapert Love" - The Artistic Home

Jackie Seijo (Actor/Dying Man Named Sam) - "Isaac's Eye" - Redtwist Theatre

Todd Wojcik (Narrator) - "The Pavilion" - The Artistic Home

 

Performer in a Supporting Role - Musical or Revue 

Bryce Ancil (Arpad Laszlo) - "She Loves Me" - Blank Theatre Company

LJ Bullen (Kate) - "The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

August Forman (Prince Dauntless) - "Once Upon a Mattress" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Andrew Fortman (King Sextimus) - "Once Upon a Mattress" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Rachel Guth (Ilona Ritter) - "She Loves Me" - Blank Theatre Company

Mia Nevarez (Lead Vocalist) - "8-Track: The Sounds of the ‘70s" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Anabella Oddo (Cecile Caldwell) - "Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Patrick O'Keefe (Tobias Ragg) - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

Anne Sheridan Smith (Queen Aggravain) - "Once Upon a Mattress" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Kevin Webb (Chaplain) - "Mary Rose" - Black Button Eyes Productions

 

Performer in a Supporting Role - Short Run 

Valerie Gerlock (Gretchen) - "Boeing-Boeing" - Saint Sebastian Players

Samm Hilger (Guide/Professor Simpkins/Head Waiter/Objector) - "Hertha Nova" - The Impostors Theatre Company

Dakota Hughes (Hunchback) - "Frankenstreisand" - Hell in a Handbag Productions

Nolan Robinson (Reuben) - "St. Sebastian" - Refracted Theatre Company

Korinne Yonan (Little Sally) - "Urinetown: The Musical" - Surging Films & Theatrics

 

Solo Performance - Short Run 

Flaco Navaja (Flaco Navaja) - "Evolution of a Sonero" - UrbanTheater Company

 

Scenic Design 

Jeremiah Barr - "When We Were Young and Unafraid" - AstonRep Theatre Company

Jonathan Berg-Einhorn - "Isaac’s Eye" - Redtwist Theatre

Kevin Rolfs - "Ruined" - Invictus Theatre

Kevin Rolfs - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre

Joe Schermoly - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

 

Costume Design 

Uriel Gómez - "Once Upon a Mattress" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Jessie Gowens - "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" - Idle Muse Theatre Company

Beth Laske-Miller & Bill Morey - "A Fine Feathered Murder" - Hell in a Handbag Productions

Cindy Moon - "She Loves Me" - Blank Theatre Company

Hilary Rubio - "Botticelli in the Fire" - First Floor Theater

Rachel Sypniewski - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

 

Sound Design  

Eric Backus - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

Danny Rockett - "Medea Material" - Trap Door Theatre

Willow James - "Botticelli in the Fire" - First Floor Theater

L.J. Luthringer - "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" - Idle Muse Theatre Company

Petter Wahlbäck - "The Pavilion" - The Artistic Home

 

Lighting Design  

Benjamin Carne - "Botticelli in the Fire" - First Floor Theater

G. "Max" Maxin IV - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

Brandon Wardell - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

Hannah Wein - "Medea Material" – Trap Door Theatre

Levi J. Wilkins - "The Pavilion" - The Artistic Home

Marcela Muñoz & Augusto Yanacopulos - "Cintas de Seda" - Aguijón Theater Company

 

Choreography

Keeley B. Morris & Jacinda Ratcliffe - "Get Out Alive" - Haven Chicago

Laura Savage - "Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Lauryn Schmelzer - "The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

Jenna Schoppe - "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Jenna Schoppe - "Godspell" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

 

Original Music in a Play  

Eric Backus - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

Satya Jnani Chávez & Andrew Rosendorf - "Refuge" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Jonathan Guillen - "Medea Material" - Trap Door Theatre

L.J. Luthringer - "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" - Idle Muse Theatre Company

Danny Rockett - "The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey" - Trap Door Theatre

 

Music Direction 

Satya Jnani Chávez - "Refuge" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Isabella Isherwood - "Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Aaron Kaplan - "The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

Jeremy Ramey - "8-Track: The Sounds of the ‘70s" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Jeremy Ramey - "Godspell" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Nick Sula - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

 

Projection Design  

Yeaji Kim - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

Abboyé Lawrence - "Pulled Punches" - MPAACT - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre

G. "Max" Maxin IV - "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" - Black Button Eyes Productions

Chris Owens - "Get Out Alive" - Haven Chicago

Erin Pleake - "Chagall in School" - Grippo Stage Company

  

Artistic Specialization 

The Ensemble (Movement) - "Medea Material" - Trap Door Theatre

Jabberwocky Marionettes (Puppet Design) - "After the Blast" - Broken Nose Theatre

Jabberwocky Marionettes (Puppet Design) - "A Fine Feathered Murder" - Hell in a Handbag Productions

Royen Kent (Wig Design) - "The Secretaries: A Parable" - First Floor Theater

Adolfo Romero (Puppet Design) - "Refuge" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Augusto Yanacopulos (Properties Design) - "La gran tirana (descarga dramática)" - Aguijón Theater Company

 

Artistic Specialization - Short Run  

Daphne Agosin (Lighting Design) - "Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

Dominick Vincent Alesia (Original Music in a Play) - "Hertha Nova" - The Impostors Theatre Company

Tim Huggenberger (Choreography) - "Urinetown: The Musical" - Surging Films & Theatrics

Darwin Noguera (Music Direction) - "Evolution of a Sonero" - UrbanTheater Company

Emil Zbella (Set Design) - "Boeing-Boeing" - Saint Sebastian Players

 

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS  

By Company  

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre 19

Kokandy Productions 16

Blank Theatre Company 14

Invictus Theatre 13

The Artistic Home 8

Griffin Theatre Company 8

First Floor Theater 7

The Impostors Theatre Company 7

AstonRep Theatre Company 5

Chicago Latino Theatre Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art 5

MPAACT - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre 5

Redtwist Theatre 5

Saint Sebastian Players 5

Trap Door Theatre 5

Aguijón Theater Company 4

Black Button Eyes Productions 4

Definition Theatre 4

The Neo-Futurists 4

The Story Theatre 4

Broken Nose Theatre 3

Haven Chicago 3

Hell in a Handbag Productions 3

Surging Films & Theatrics 3

Grippo Stage Company 2

Idle Muse Theatre Company 2

PrideArts 2

UrbanTheater Company 2

   

By Production  

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” 9

“Solaris” 8

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” 8

“Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical” 7

“Hertha Nova” 7

“Ruined” 7

“She Loves Me” 7

“The Wild Party” 7

“Once Upon a Mattress” 6

“Boeing-Boeing” 5

“Botticelli in the Fire” 5

“Malapert Love” 5

“Tebas Land” 5

“8-Track: The Sounds of the ‘70s” 4

“Isaac's Eye” 4

“Madea Material” 4

“Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes” 4

“The Pavilion" 4

"Refuge" 4

“White” 4

“WILDCATS” 4

“After the Blast” 3

"Get Out Alive” 3

"Godspell" 3

"Mary Rose" 3

“Pulled Punches” 3

“Urinetown: The Musical” 3

“When We Were Young and Unafraid” 3

“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” 2

“Buried Child” 2

“Chagall in School” 2

“Cintas de Seda” 2

“Evolution of a Sonero” 2

“A Fine Feathered Murder” 2

“Girlfriend” 2

“La gran tirana (descarga dramática)" 2

“Ride or Die” 2

“The Secretaries: A Parable” 2

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” 2

   

   

By Individual  

Eric Backus 2

Satya Jnani Chávez 2

Ida Cuttler 2

John Drea 2

Terry Guest 2

L.J. Luthringer 2

Jabberwocky Marionettes 2

G. “Max” Maxin IV 2

Jeremy Ramey 2

Danny Rockett 2

Kevin Rolfs 2

Jenna Schoppe 2

Anne Sheridan Smith 2

Kevin Webb 2

Augusto Yanacopulous 2

 

ABOUT THE JEFF AWARDS

The Jeff Awards is one of the most active and engaged theater awards organizations in the country evaluating hundreds of theatrical productions annually and holding two awards ceremonies highlighting work over the past Equity and Non-Equity seasons. Through our recommendations, awards, and honors we help foster the growth of companies, encourage artists, bring new appreciation for diverse storytelling, and cultivate civic pride in the achievements of the Chicago theater community. Originally chartered in 1968 to recognize Equity productions, the Jeff Awards Non-Equity Wing was established in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre. For more information, visit www.jeffawards.org.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON NOMINATIONS AND THE AWARDS PROGRAM 

The Jeff Awards website lists all current nominees, previous recipients and nominations, and other Jeff Awards information and news. Visit www.jeffawards.org.

The 2023 Jeff Awards for Non-Equity Theater will be held Monday, March 27, 2023, at Park West in Chicago, IL.  Doors will open at 6:00pm with light food and a cash bar available, and the awards program will begin at 7:30pm. General Admission tickets are $65 (includes $50 ticket + required fees) and available now at www.jeffawards.org. A group rate of $54 (includes $40 ticket + required fees) is available for parties of 10. Festive cocktail attire is suggested, and the public is cordially invited. For more information, contact AJ Wright, Non-Equity Wing Chair, at nonequitywing@jeffawards.org.

Names of award recipients will be released immediately following the program on March 27th by e-mail and on our website under Non-Equity Awards at www.jeffawards.org. 

EXTENDED: Princess Ivona at Trap Door Theatre Thursday, January 12, 2023 Through Saturday, February 18, 2023

Trap Door Theatre is proud to present  

Princess Ivona

Written By: Witold Gombrowicz

Translated By: Krystyna Griffith-Jones and Catherine Robins

Directed By: Jenny Beacraft

By popular demand, Trap Door will be adding 4 performances to the run of Princess Ivona at 7PM on Sundays through February 19th.

Cast: Cat Evans, Bill Gordon, Joan Nahid, Laura Nelson, Manuela Rentea, Keith Surney, Gus Thomas, Kevin Webb, and Robert Wilson.

Cast: Cat Evans, Bill Gordon, Joan Nahid, Laura Nelson, Manuela Rentea, Keith Surney, Gus Thomas, Kevin Webb, and Bob Wilson.

Runs:  By popular demand, Trap Door will be adding 4 performances to the run of Princess Ivona at 7PM on Sundays through February 19th. Now running Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM, and Sundays at 7PM through 2/19.

What: Ivona, a woman of few words, is forcibly entangled into the intrigues of a dysfunctional royal court when she becomes Prince Philip’s fiancée. Soon, Ivona becomes a royal spoiler revealing to each courtier their vices and blemishes.

Originally from Chicago, Jenny Beacraft returns from Spain to direct this Gombrowicz piece confronting ideas of personal identity, and the failure of existing value systems. Princess Ivona is a meditation on status, cruelty, and desire.

Set Designer: J. Michael Griggs / Lighting Design: Richard Norwood / Costume Design: Rachel Sypniewski / Sound Design: Przemyslaw Bosak / Make-Up Design: Zsófia Ötvös / Graphic Design: Michal Janicki / Dramaturg: Milan Pribisic / Assistant Director: Micah Mabey / Stage Manager: James “Napoleon” Stone / Swings: Emily Nichelson and Joseph Jenkins

Opens: Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 8PM

Closes: Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 8PM

Runs: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8PM

Run time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Admission: $25 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with 2-for-1 Admission on Thursdays

https://trapdoor.ticketleap.com/princess-ivona/

Dance Like There Are Black People Watching: A Black Excellence Revue At Chicago's UP Comedy Club at The Second City February 3-April 1, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Dance Like There Are Black People Watching: 

A Black Excellence Revue

At Chicago's UP Comedy Club at The Second City

 

Directed by Rob Wilson, Dance Like There Are Black People Watching: A Black Excellence Revue begins performances February 3 with an all-Black ensemble of writers and performers that includes Kennedy Baldwin, Karl Bradley, Arlieta Hall, Spencer Hodges, Adonis Holmes, and Jason Tolliver. Bryon Henderson is Production Manager, with Devonte E. Washington joining Second City as Stage Manager and Tony Belsito returning as Musical Director. Sabrina Odigie is Assistant Director.

Click the link for discount tickets! Chicago Theatre Week participant 

Let Second City deliver a dose of brilliant Black Joy to melt the icy Chicago winter! With an ensemble of rising comedy stars, Dance Like There's Black People Watching: A Black Excellence Revue is bursting with brand-new sketches, songs, and our world-famous improvisation, here to warm your soul and make you laugh out loud.

LOCATION 

UP Comedy Club at The Second City

230 W North Avenue, Chicago, IL

3rd Floor of Piper's Alley

Click HERE for TICKETS

PERFORMANCE TIMES

Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM

FOOD & BEVERAGE INFO

In Theater Dining | We offer small bites and a wide selection of drinks–including a good dose of local craft beers.

REVIEW: “TALES FROM THE WANDERING WYVERN INN” EXTENDED UNTIL FEBRUARY 19th, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Otherworld Theatre Company's

The Wandering Wyvern Inn Now Extended Due To Popular Demand

Guest Review 

by Dugan Kenaz-Mara

When traveling through the realm of Amelor, my party of five adventurers came across a cozy inn. Some invited there by old friends, some seeking answers, and others just looking to have a good time. Little did we know that in the span of 90 minutes, we would make decisions that could change the fate of the world…

Tales From The Wandering Wyvern Inn is a fun, immersive experience where you and your party get to gather information from the characters, find clues, solve puzzles, and decide on a path to follow to solve a mystery about a fantasy world. 

The show is a fun activity for everyone regardless of previous LARP (live action role play) experience. My party consisted of a good mix of people with a wide variety of experiences. A few of us have worked at Bristol Renaissance faire and had plenty of background in immersive theatre. Others are experts at TTRPGS but had never experienced them in person, and others still are not involved in theatre whatsoever. All of us had a fantastic time. 

The adventure starts with a quest board, listing the names of the NPCs you will encounter once the experience starts. The participants are given a brief insight into who the characters are and what they are like before choosing one of the quests to follow. This gives the participants an easy entrance into the world of the show and gives each one a sort of NPC companion to start off the show with. Nobody feels left out, and because everyone chooses which questline to follow, they often end up with an NPC who they feel like they can trust and identify with. One friend who was new to immersive experiences ended up getting to just hang out with one NPC who was just in the story to have fun and didn’t have to get wrapped up too tightly in the lore of the world. 

Anyone looking for a well-constructed world can find that here too. The Wandering Wyvern Inn’s characters have secrets, conflicting motivations, and lore about themselves and the world that the players get to discover through conversation. They also bring some of that character lore to the whole group after it’s revealed, heightening the tensions and helping nudge the story along naturally. With 5 players maximum and 5-6 NPCs, the world feels full without being too chaotic, and intimate without being overbearing. 

The set is very fun and quite immersive, including a bar where you can exchange fantasy coins for real drinks, shelves of magical trinkets, and additional spaces that get revealed as the story progresses. Some characters even grow and change as you progress their individual questlines! While it’s marketed as a hybrid LARP/escape room/immersive theatre experience, I would say that it skews more heavily into LARP than the other two. While there are still puzzles to solve it’s much more story driven than an escape room, and while it is completely immersive, the main focus is building relationships and interacting with characters rather than following a plot. 

On top of all of that, there are multiple storylines (some apparently covering more intense material than others), so players who enjoyed the experience can return to the world to solve new puzzles and interact with new characters, making each adventure unique. I would highly recommend this show to anyone who enjoys role-playing or audience-centered experiences. ★★★★ Four out of four stars. 

Dugan is an actor, designer, and photographer studying theatre and psychology at Northwestern University. Contrary to popular belief, he is not a time traveler.

Audiences Embark on Ever-Changing Quests, 

Ensuring No Two Shows are the Same

Don't miss this! Shows are selling out fast. Get your tickets today. 

Otherworld Theatre Company has announced the extension of TALES OF THE WANDERING WYVERN INN: A One-Shot Immersive LARP, a hybrid Live Action Role Play (LARP), escape room, and immersive theatre that has enjoyed a sold-out run since opening December 9. The show, originally slated to close January 29, will now run through February 19, 2023 at their storefront at 3914 N. Clark St. 

TALES FROM THE WANDERING WYVERN INN: A One-Shot Immersive LARP is a 90-minute adventure set in the world of the popular multi-day CHRONICLES OF THE REALM LARP series. Rumors abound about the quaint Wyvern Inn, nestled quietly at the foothills of the Alden's Gate Mountains in Amelor. It is the first stop for many who make the pilgrimage up to Heightswatch. The tavern itself seems unassuming - without the smoke stack you might even miss the structure. However, at night, there is no mistaking the glow from a single orb that beckons travelers to its doors. As you approach, you see the famed Wyvern himself to greet you, holding his magical sphere and whispering through the winter wind that you should come inside for at least the night. 

Grab a quest off the wall, an adventure awaits! Be a mage outlaw, a Strykarrian assassin on the job, a Druid on a journey to find the life-saving antidote for your feverish friend, and more - the Quest Board changes daily so no two experiences are ever the same. Limited to five players, this intimate experience is a hybrid between LARP, escape room, and immersive theatre. Shows run Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5:30 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m.; tickets are $65 and include a beverage (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available). The next installment in the LARP series, CHRONICLES OF THE REALM: LEGIONS & LIAISONS, is a weekend-long event July 21 - 23, 2023, held in Monticello, Illinois.

TALES FROM THE WANDERING WYVERN INN features a cast of Non-Player Characters (NPCs), whose roles change show by show depending on that evening’s Quests. The cast includes Blake Hood, Ross Myers, Lilly Bolduc, Shaun Hayden, Sean Buckley, Kyra Young, Vhenan Strange, Ginny Weant, Jono Mammel, Jenna Kappers, Abbey Schnell, Alex Campbell, Chelsea Cox, and Sam Santos. Players are guided on their quests by these NPCs, with new storylines unfolding based on the players’ choices.

Tickets for TALES OF THE WANDERING WYVERN INN and CHRONICLES OF THE REALM: LEGIONS AND LIAISONS are available at www.otherworldtheatre.org. 

ABOUT OTHERWORLD THEATRE COMPANY

Otherworld Theatre Company (3914 N Clark St.) was founded in 2012 to bring a theatrical experience to the science fiction and fantasy genre. The Company’s work celebrates the depth of human imagination by engaging spectators in high quality storytelling. Otherworld Theatre Company stages original works in its pay-what-you-can Chicago, Illinois venue, presents virtual programming online, and produces immersive Live-Action Role Playing events through its partner company, Moonrise Games. For more information: www.otherworldtheatre.org

FREE With RSVP: Queer Theatre Workshops Via About Face Theatre every Saturday from January 28 – March 18, 2023, at The Den Theatre

  About Face Theatre to present

a public intergenerational workshop series 

Re/Generation Studio

charting the future of Queer Theatre

About Face Theatre continues its 28th season with Re/Generation Studio, a series of innovative, intergenerational workshops focused on new works and the future of queer theatre. The goal of the workshops is to bring together people of diverse ages and backgrounds to reconnect and imagine new ways of producing theatre. Each workshop will be grounded by staged readings of sections of new plays that invite conversation, collaboration, and creation in a shared space. Facilitators will offer key questions and considerations raised by the playwrights and directors and encourage participants to work together to brainstorm and develop creative solutions.

All workshops are free and open to the public. Workshops will be presented every Saturday from January 28 – March 18, 2023, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, in Wicker Park (subject to change). More information can be found at aboutfacetheatre.com.

The artistic producer of Re/Generation Studio is theatre artist AJ Schwartz. Schwartz is a theatre director and producer who has previously worked with About Face on Time Is On Our Side and This Bitter Earth, as well as curating AFT’s OUT Front play reading series. They have also worked with Haven Chicago, Steep Theatre, First Floor Theatre, The New Coordinates, SideShow Theatre, and The Syndicate. The creative team for the series additionally includes casting director Catherine Miller and stage manager Rebecca Walker. Featured artists include Dionne Addai, Kirsten Baity, Mikael Burke, Roger Q. Mason, Derek Lee McPhatter, Lucky Stiff, and Steven Strafford.

“One of the major issues that has come up for theatre artists over the last few years is having regular shared space where we can collaborate,” said About Face Theatre Artistic Director Megan Carney. “We know we are stronger together. So Re/Generation Studio addresses that need. It is an invitation to gather across generations and explore the stories we want to tell going forward. This is just one of the ways About Face Theatre is dedicated to the future of the field. “

Re/Generation Studio

January 28 – March 18, 2023

Saturdays 2:00-5:00pm

All workshops are free and open to the public. 

Reservations are recommended and can be made at aboutfacetheatre.com.

This winter, About Face Theatre opens its doors for people across generations to gather in a series of public workshops exploring new plays and new models of play production. This will be a collective dreaming space for connecting with each other, learning about new plays, world-building, and exploring new production models. Each session will feature a new play and invite conversation, collaboration, and creation around key questions it raises. We’ll also have some food and time to catch up with each other.

 

Individual events:

Re/Generation Studio: Love and Nappiness

Saturday, January 28, 2023, 2:00-5:00pm

at About Face Theatre rehearsal studio, 5252 N Broadway Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Featuring readings from Love and Nappiness by Kirsten Baity, directed by Dionne Addai.

In Love and Nappiness, when Meraki’s girlfriend brings her to a queer owned hair salon as a bonding exercise, the experience quickly devolves into an exercise in dealing with micro-aggressions and the intricacies of interracial dating.

 

Re/Generation Studio: Lavender Men

Saturday, February 18, 2023, 2:00-5:00pm

at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Featuring readings from Lavender Men by Roger Q Mason, directed by Lucky Stiff.

Lavender Men is a genre-pushing play that courageously re-imagines one of America’s most beloved historical icons, President Abraham Lincoln, through a queer person of color’s storytelling lens. Taffeta, a self-proclaimed "fabulous queer creation of color," invades Honest Abe’s private world to confront issues of visibility, race, and LGBTQ+ inclusion that still challenge us today. Lavender Men is an embrace to every queer, fat person of color who has been ignored, neglected, or erased for being themselves unapologetically in this world. They are beautiful; they are essential; they are perfect - just the way they are.

 

Re/Generation Studio: The Model Congressman

Saturday, February 25, 2023, 2:00-5:00pm

at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Featuring readings from The Model Congressman by Steven Strafford, directed by AJ Schwartz.

In The Model Congressman, it’s 1994, and Kevin’s just a kid hoping to win a big scholarship and get enough money to go to the school of his dreams. It’s 1994, and Kevin’s just a closeted kid who secretly goes on adults-only chat rooms looking for men. It’s 1994, and Kevin’s just an ambitious, closeted kid who has to decide how far he’s willing to go to impress the man who can change or ruin his life. It’s time to go to the 1994 Model Congress!

 

Re/Generation Studio: underdrown

Saturday, March 4, 2023, 2:00-5:00pm

at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Featuring readings from underdrown by Derek Lee McPhatter, directed by Mikael Burke.

As climate catastrophe reshapes Chicago, a queer black intellectual confronts a lover, a computer, and a mysterious visitor on his quest for truth in virtual worlds. The lines between the digital world and “real life” blur as our blackademic grows obsessed with researching a problematic video game.

 

Re/Generation Studio: TBA

Saturday, March 11, 2023, 2:00-5:00pm

at  The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Featuring readings from a new play; title and director to be announced soon.

 

Re/Generation Studio: TBA

Saturday, March 18, 2023, 2:00-5:00pm

at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Featuring readings from a new play; title and director to be announced soon.

  

ARTIST BIOS

DIONNE ADDAI (she/they), Director (Love and Nappiness)

Dionne Addaiis a director, actor, writer, and teaching artist local to Chicago. Their artistic practice centers on educating in order to encourage political action and mutual aid. As a director, she’s worked on Meeting Our Desires, Botticelli, and Sexuality Out Loud. Recent acting credits include Nina Simone: Four Women (Merrimack Repertory Theatre), The Secret Yes (Filament Theatre), Eclipsed (Pegasus/Theater on the Lake), and We are Pussy Riot (Red Tape Theatre). She is represented by Actor’s Talent Group.

KIRSTEN BAITY (they/them), Playwright (Love and Nappiness)

Kirsten Baity is a Chicago-based playwright, deviser, and intimacy director. Their work mainly explores race and gender politics within queer spaces. Their plays include Forest Friends & the First Day of Spring (Theatre Between Addresses), This Is Normal (Quaranstream Theatre Festival), Rage Isn’t Free: A participatory play (Youth Empowerment and Performance Project), and Tonin Town, Minstrelsy 2.0 (Columbia College Chicago). They have devised plays with  Goodman Theatre's Playbuild and Intergen Ensembles, About Face Youth Theatre, For Youth Inquiry, and Free Street Theater. Kirsten is a proud member of the Intimacy Coordinators of Color cohort and an About Face Theatre Green Room Collective alum. For more info, check out kirstenbaity.com

MIKAEL BURKE (he/him), Director (underdrown)

Mikael Burke is a Chicago-based director and educator and served as Associate Artistic Director with About Face from 2020 through 2022. A Princess Grace Award-winner in Theatre and Jeff Award-nominated director, Mikael’s worked with Goodman Theatre, About Face Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Raven Theatre, Jackalope Theatre Company, First Floor Theater, American Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, The Story Theatre, and Windy City Playhouse in Chicago, and regionally with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis. Recent credits include the American premiere of Routes by Rachel De-Lahay, The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler, Shakespeare’s Richard III, The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest (2022 Jeff Award Winner - Production, Short Run); Fireflies by Donja R. Love (Black Theatre Alliance Award - Best Direction of an Ensemble). | mklburke.com

ROGER Q. MASON (they/them), Playwright (Lavender Men)

Roger Q. Mason was dubbed by Theatre Mania as "a major voice in the theatrical vanguard."  Their playwriting has been seen on Broadway (Circle in the Square Reading Series); Off and Off-Off-Broadway; and regionally.  Mason's critically-acclaimed world premiere of Lavender Men was recently lauded by the LA Times as "a daring theatrical talent on display...evoking the mingled visions of Suzan-Lori Parks, Jeremy O. Harris and Michael R. Jackson."   As a filmmaker, Mason has been recognized by the British Film Institute, Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, SCAD Film Festival, AT&T Film Award, and Atlanta International Film Festival. Their films have screened in the US, UK, Poland, Brazil, and Asia.  Mason holds degrees from Princeton University, Middlebury College, and Northwestern University. They are a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Page 73’s Interstate 73 Writers Group, and Primary Stages Writing Cohort; the co-host of Sister Roger’s Gayborhood podcast; the host of This Way Out Radio's Queerly Yours: Portraits in Courage; and lead mentor of the Marsha P. Johnson Starship Fellowship, Shay Foundation Fellowship, and New Visions Fellowship.

DEREK LEE McPHATTER (he/him), Playwright (underdrown)

Derek Lee McPhatter is committed to new work at intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality and technology. A 2021 Creative Capital Awardee, Derek is currently developing the NightQueen Performance Suite as a triptych of evening-length works spanning theater, music, opera, spoken word and new media.  The project has been supported by a 2022 Chicago Performance Commission from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, as well as additional residency and developmental support from Chicago Dramatists, Prop Thtr, Perceptions Theatre and Primary Stages. Derek served as librettist, book-writer and/or lyricist for five new music-theatre works with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as various theater projects with JACK, Hi-ARTS, and The Drama League, among others. His work has been supported by grants and prizes from the Jerome Foundation, the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund, the Puffin Foundation, the Propeller Fund, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the United States Embassy in the United Kingdom, to name a few. He is a native of Pickerington Ohio and currently splits his time between Chicago, NYC and Los Angeles. www.derekleemcphatter.com

AJ SCHWARTZ (they/them), Artistic Producer / Director (The Model Congressman)

AJ Schwartz is a theatre director and producer in Chicago, making work focused on queerness, relationships, and the fall of the American Empire. You may have seen their production of How You Kiss Me Is Not How I Like To Be Kissed by Dan Giles at Haven Chicago. They have also worked with storefront companies in Chicago including About Face Theatre, Steep Theatre, First Floor Theater, The New Coordinates, Sideshow Theatre Company, and The Syndicate. In their free time they enjoy photography and hosting dinner parties.

LUCKY STIFF (they/them), Director (Lavender Men)

Lucky Stiff is a trans and nonbinary director, writer, and performer working in Chicago and New York. They build original experiences that combine nightclub culture and performance art which have been featured at the Museum of Con­temporary Art Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Blue Man Group Chicago, Boy Friday Dance Company, and Bushwig Festival of Drag, among many others. They hold an MFA in Directing for Theater from Northwestern University and have lectured in performance and directing at UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. luckystiffdrag.com

STEVEN STRAFFORD (he/him), Playwright (The Model Congressman)

Steven Strafford is grateful to be a part of this festival and to return to working with About Face Theatre where he performed his award-winning solo play, Methtacular! He has performed that show across the country for a long time now, and he loves it every single time. Methtacular! was recorded at Steppenwolf Theatre’s 1700 Space in 2019. His play Small Jokes About Monsters won the New American Voices Contest in 2016, was a semifinalist for The O’Neill, and won the 2022 Ready-to-Publish Award and will be published and licensed by Broadway Licensing later this year. Small Jokes About Monsters was produced at Landing Theatre in Houston (Nominated, Outstanding New Play), 16th Street Theater in Chicago, and at Lamb Theatre in Sioux City. His play The Match Game won the 2022 Jackie Demaline Award at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. His play Greater Illinois was semifinalist at The O’Neill in 2021. The play was an official selection of Tantum East’s New Play Development, MATC, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and received a workshop with The Road Theatre in Los Angeles in 2022. His essays have been published on various sites and in the book The Anatomy of Silence. He has an MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University.  As an actor, he's been across the globe on fancy and less fancy stages. He has been on TV, in commercials and movies, and one time played Hepatitis A for an industrial, which is a performance he still receives emails about...so, go figure.

ABOUT FACE THEATRE advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. AFT envisions an affirming and equitable world in which all LGBTQ+ individuals are thriving and free from prejudice and discrimination. About Face Theatre is also dedicated to being an intentionally and increasingly anti-racist organization. Due to the intersectionality of our identities, we understand our work to advance LGBTQ+ equity as directly connected to movements for racial justice.

Chicago Premiere of Last Night and the Night Before Via Steppenwolf April 6 – May 14, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago premiere of Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ 

Last Night and the Night Before

 at Steppenwolf Theatre April 6 – May 14, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: The cast of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere of Last Night and the Night Before includes (top, l to r) ensemble member Namir Smallwood with Ayanna Bria Bakari and Sydney Charles (bottom, l to r), Aliyana Hamood, Kylah Renee Jones and Jessica Dean Turner.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation’s premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to continue its 47th season with the Chicago premiere of Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ Last Night and the Night Before, a powerful, poetic exploration of what it takes to create a future from a past you long to forget. Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, Last Night and the Night Before will play April 6 – May 14, 2023 in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. I'll be out for the press opening, April 16th, so check back soon for my full review.

Last Night and the Night Before will feature ensemble member Namir Smallwood with Ayanna Bria Bakari, Sydney Charles, Aliyana Hamood, Kylah Renee Jones and Jessica Dean Turner.

Monique is on the run. From what, she will not say. Showing up on the doorstep of her sister’s Brooklyn brownstone with her timid daughter Sam – and without her husband – their arrival raises more questions than it answers. As the specter of their abandoned life in Georgia creeps back into focus, the family is forced to consider what must be sacrificed to break a cycle of despair. Poetic and heartbreaking, Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ stunning portrait of Black Love explores what it takes to nurture family in an often-cruel world. 

Single tickets for Last Night and the Night Before starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.

Steppenwolf 2022-23 Flex Memberships are currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production, and Red Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30.  

The creative team includes Regina García (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design) Mary Louise Geiger (Lighting Design), Larry Fowler (Sound Design), Kirsten Baity (Intimacy Choreographer), Gigi Buffington (Company Voice & Text Coach), Tom Pearl (Producing Director), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting Director), Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, visit steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/seasons-/2022-23/last-night-and-the-night-before/.

 

Artist Biographies:

Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Playwright) is the author of Where We Stand (Lucille Lortel, Drama League, and AUDELCO award nominee), Last Night and the Night Before, Warriors Don’t Cry, Laid to Rest and The Review or How to Eat Your Opposition. She is the recipient of The Whiting Award for Drama, Helen Merrill Playwright Award, The National Theater Conference’s Stavis Playwright Award, Lilly Award, Todd McNerney National Playwriting Award and the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. For television, she has staffed on Spectrum’s Manhunt, FX’s Y: The Last Man and served as Executive Story Editor on Joe Vs. Carole for Peacock. Broadway acting credits include The Skin of Our Teeth, In The Next Room, or the vibrator play and Well. Off-Broadway: Where We Stand (WP Theater/Baltimore Centerstage), Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons/Clubbed Thumb) O, Earth (The Foundry Theatre), In the Footprint (The Civilians, as an Associate Artist) and Shipwrecked! An Entertainment (Primary Stages). Film: The Book of Henry, Wild Canaries, The English Teacher and The Wrestler. TV: Recurring roles on New Amsterdam, Happy, Rubicon, Mercy and Law and Order: SVU. And guest starring roles on High Maintenance, The Night Of, Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, A Gifted Man, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI and The Sopranos.

Valerie Curtis-Newton (Director) is currently Head of Directing at the University of Washington School of Drama and serves as the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional African American theatre lab. She has worked with professional theatres across the country including: The Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep, Playmakers Repertory Company, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop and Southern Repertory Theatre, among others. Awards: 2020: Seattle Times Most Influential People of the Last Decade; 2019: Theatre Puget Sound - Gregory Falls Award for Sustained Achievement; 2016: Seattle Times Footlight Award (Best in Show); 2014: Stranger Genius Awards in Performance and the Crosscut Courage Award for Culture; 2012: Gypsy Rose Lee Award for Excellence in Direction; 2001: Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s (SDCF) Gielgud Directing Fellowship; 1997-1999: NEA/TCG Career Development Fellowship for Directors.

 

The Expanded Steppenwolf Campus

Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s trailblazing new 50,000 square foot theater building and education center, the Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Arts and Education Center, was designed by world-renowned architect Gordon Gill FAIA of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, with construction by Norcon. The centerpiece of the new Arts and Education Center is the new 400-seat in-the-round Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell—one of its kind in Chicago—with theater design and acoustics by Charcoalblue.

The expanded Steppenwolf campus is a cultural nexus for Chicago, offering bold and ambitious opportunities for creative expression, social exchange, unparalleled accessibility, and arts-driven learning for Chicago youth in The Loft, Steppenwolf’s first-ever dedicated education space. The campus expansion also features bright new lobbies and two new full-service bars for socializing designed by fc STUDIO, inc. The $54 million new building is part of Steppenwolf’s multi-phase $73 million Building on Excellence expansion campaign. Learn more about Steppenwolf’s campus expansion at steppenwolf.org/buildingonexcellence.

A Safe Return

As the Chicago theatre community continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Steppenwolf Theatre remains committed to the safety of its patrons and staff. For the most up-to-date information on our venue’s COVID precautions, please visit steppenwolf.org/welcomeback.

Accessibility

Steppenwolf offers accessible services to ensure all audience members have access to our work, including American Sign Language interpretation, Spanish Language captions, wheelchair accessible seating and more. With questions, email access@steppenwolf.org.

Sponsor Information 

Last Night and the Night Before is supported in part by Conagra Brands Foundation. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from Northern Trust, Allstate Insurance Company, Amazon, ComEd, JPMorgan Chase, PNC and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theater that is home to America’s ensemble. The company began performing in the mid-1970s in the basement of a Highland Park, IL church—today Steppenwolf is the nation’s premier ensemble theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Deeply rooted in its ensemble ethos, the company is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to all. Groundbreaking productions from Balm in Gilead and August: Osage County to Downstate and Pass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony® Awards—have made the theatre legendary. Artistic programming includes a main stage season; a Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; LookOut, a multi-genre performance series; and the Steppenwolf NOW virtual stage. The nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education engages more than 20,000 participants annually in Chicagoland communities promoting compassion, encouraging curiosity and inspiring action. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. 2021 marked the opening of Steppenwolf’s landmark Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Arts & Education Center—deepening the company’s commitment to Chicagoland teens and serving as a cultural nexus for Chicago. Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis are the Artistic Directors and E. Brooke Flanagan is Executive Director. Keating Crown 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. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.