CHICAGO PREMIERE OF WHITE BY DEFINITION ENSEMBLE MEMBER JAMES IJAMES in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater from March 10 – April 10, 2022

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DEFINITION THEATRE PRESENTS

THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF  

WHITE

BY DEFINITION ENSEMBLE MEMBER JAMES IJAMES,

DIRECTED BY ERICKA RATCLIFF

Definition Theatre opens its 10th anniversary season with the Chicago premiere of WHITE by ensemble member James Ijames and directed by Ericka Ratcliff. Produced in partnership with Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s LookOut Series, WHITE will run in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater from March 10 – April 10, 2022. I'll be out for the press opening March 17th so check back shortly after for my full review. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at steppenwolf.org or in person at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company box office.

“After much anticipation, we are elated to present this incredible piece of theatre from Definition ensemble member James Ijames,” shared Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips. “I am also looking forward to collaborating with director and Chicago theatre treasure Ericka Ratcliff, who is embarking on this new journey with us. Much like America V2.1, the theatrical film production Definition released in fall 2021, WHITE invites the audience to grapple with themes of power and authorship. This hilarious, thought-provoking piece holds our society accountable to artists as it is asks, ‘Who is allowed to create art? And how do we decide what creative work is worth?’”

Gus is a painter expecting his big break with a prestigious contemporary art museum in 'The New America' exhibition. When he's told by the museum's new curator that "white dudes" aren't a part of New America, he enlists the help of Vanessa, a black actress, and together they create Balkonae Townsend, a bold, young radical artist to serve as the face of his work. But when things start to spiral out of control, Gus is left to deal with the mess he created and Vanessa must come to terms with her own agency as an artist. Audacious and bitingly funny, WHITE explores white privilege, racial politics and the fine line between appropriation and opportunity.

*The cast of WHITE includes ensemble member Carley Cornelius with Jonathan Allsop, Kierra Bunch, and Niko Kourtis. 

The production team for WHITE includes Joey Stone (Associate Director), Yeaji Kim (Scenic and Projections Designer), Rea Brown (Costume Designer), Levi Wilkins (Lighting Designer), Willow James (Sound Designer), Lonnae Hickman (Properties Designer), Gaby Labotaka (Intimacy Director), Kayla Menz (Assistant Intimacy Director), JQ (Original Composition), ensemble member Jared Bellot (Dramaturg), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), Emmy Weldon (Assistant Lighting Designer), AJ Links (Casting Director), Ariel Beller (Floor Manager), Julie Jachym (Production Stage Manager), and Jennifer Aparicio (Production Manager).

Previews:  Thursday, March 10 at 8:00pm; Friday, March 11 at 8:00pm;

Saturday, March 12 at 3:00pm; Saturday, March 12 at 8:00pm;

and Wednesday, March 16 at 8:00pm

Regular run:  March 18 – April 10, 2022

Ticket prices: $20 - $40

Box Office:  Ticket orders will be processed at steppenwolf.org and in person at Steppenwolf 

   

                

ABOUT DEFINITION THEATRE

Definition Theatre is a culturally diverse theater dedicated to telling language-driven, relationship-oriented, socially relevant stories about and created with underrepresented communities in Chicago. Our ensemble is a collective of artists, art administrators, educators, and designers who prioritize working towards and representing a more equitable theatre industry.

Definition has built its reputation on work that reflects its unique voice. It shared the words of Academy Award- Winner Tarell Alvin McCraney in The Brothers Size; it grooved with Amiri Baraka’s whirlwind story of a chance meeting on a train in Dutchman. In partnership with, The New Colony staged the world premiere of Byhalia, Mississippi, which starred Academy Award nominee ensemble member Kiki Layne. In association with the Goodman Theatre, Definition staged the Chicago premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon, a subversive take on race in America that captivated audiences. Most recently, Definition sent us all to the moon with ensemble member James Ijames’s Moon Man Walk, explored the challenges of America’s public-school system through Nilaja Sun’s No Child… and highlighted the first- generation experience in the world premiere of Sam Kebede’s ETHIOPIANAMERICA.

Ensemble members include: Owais Ahmed, Jared Bellot, Carley Cornelius, Ari Craven, Danielle Davis, Martasia Jones, Slick Jorgensen, Kristy Hall, James Ijames, Kiki Layne, Kelson Michael McAuliffe, Neel McNeill, Sophiyaa Nayar, Karyn Oates, Alexandra Oparka, Julian Parker, Tyrone Phillips, Jacqueline Rosas, Christopher Sheard, and Dujon Smith. Artistic Advisory Board members include: director May Adrales, Steppenwolf ensemble member Alana Arenas, actress Shannon Cochran, Erica Daniels, actor Brandon Dirden, actor Jason Dirden, director Pam Mackinnon, Equity Quotient CEO Keryl McCord, professor JW Morrissette, director Ron OJ Parson, professor/lighting designer Kathy Perkins, Tony Award-winning actress and stage director Phylicia Rashad, and Goodman Theatre director in residence Chuck Smith. Tyrone Phillips is the Artistic Director and Neel McNeill is the Executive Director. For additional information, visit definitiontheatre.org and @definitiontheatre on Facebook and Instagram #stayinit

ABOUT STEPPENWOLF’S LOOKOUT SERIES

LookOut is Steppenwolf’s performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form, emerging artists and performance legends, quintessential Chicago companies and young aspiring ensembles, familiar Steppenwolf faces and new friends. Patrick Zakem and Lauren Steinberg are the Producers for the series. For more information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout. Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater is a flexible and intimate venue connected to Steppenwolf’s own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks at 1700 N Halsted St., an inviting space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night.

 

TICKETS ON SALE AND CASTING ANNOUNCED: Steppenwolf's The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington and Catch as Catch Can

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The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of 

Miz Martha Washington

By James Ijames 

and Catch as Catch Can

By Mia Chung

Chicago Native and SNL Star Nora Dunn to make Steppenwolf Debut in …Miz Martha alongside Ensemble Member Celeste M. Cooper

Ensemble Member Gary Cole Returns to the Stage and Ensemble Member Amy Morton to Direct Catch As Catch Can

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced complete casting for two productions today: The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington by James Ijames, directed by Whitney White (April 2 – May 17, 2020); and Catch as Catch Can by Mia Chung, which also announced ensemble member Amy Morton as director (June 4 – July 26, 2020). 

Single tickets ($35 - $93) to The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington go on sale this Friday, January 31 at 11am through Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org. Presale access is now available for Members. To learn more about Membership, call 312-335-1650 or visit steppenwolf.org/memberships.

Chicago Premiere 

The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington

By James Ijames 

Directed by Whitney White 

Featuring ensemble member Celeste M. Cooper 

April 2 – May 17, 2020 

In the Downstairs Theatre

The cast features (pictured top row L to R) previously announced ensemble member Celeste M. Cooper (Doll) who will be joined by Nora Dunn (Martha Washington), (pictured bottom row L to R) Sydney Charles (Priscilla), Nikki Crawford (Ann Dandridge), Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Davy), Victor Musoni (William) and Travis Turner (Sucky Boy).

The recently widowed “Mother of America” lies helpless in her Mount Vernon bed, ravaged by illness and attended to by the very enslaved people who are free the moment she dies. The form-shifting fever dream that follows takes us deep into the ugly, uncomfortable and thorny ramifications of America’s original sin. Both fantastical and fraught with cruel reality, this Chicago premiere from a daring new voice pulls no punches as it puts our idols, and ourselves, on trial.

Playwright and Director Bios


James Ijames is a Philadelphia-based performer and playwright. Ijames’s plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre (NYC) and Ally Theatre (Washington, D.C.), among others. He is the recipient of the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist and has won two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play and Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size. Ijames is an 2011 Independence Foundation Fellow, a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for …Miz Martha, the 2018 Kesselring Prize Winner for Kill Move Paradise and a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award. His play WHITE will be produced by Definition Theatre Company as part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series, April 17 – May 24, 2020 in the 1700 Theatre. More info here.


Whitney White is a director and musician originally from Chicago based in Brooklyn, New York. Recent work includes What to Send Up When It Goes Down (The Movement, NYT Critic’s Pick), Jump (Rolling NNPN, PlayMakers Rep), Canyon (IAMA Theatre), This Land Was Made (Vineyard Theatre Lab), Rita Tambien Rita (Julliard), Othello (Trinity Rep) and Br’er Cotton (Endstation). Her original piece Macbeth in Stride was part of the 2019 Under the Radar Festival at The Public, and her original concert-play Definition is currently in development with Ars Nova and the Bushwick Starr. Associate Directing credits include Marvin’s Room (Broadway), If I Forget (Roundabout) and Othello (NYTW). White is a recipient of the Susan Stroman Directing Award, an Associate Artist at The Roundabout Theatre and was recently a 2050 Fellow at the New York Theatre Workshop. She is currently in residency with the Drama League as part of their Next Wave Residency where she is developing an African American production of Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters set to original music, and Colt Coeur. MFA Acting: Brown University/Trinity Rep, BA: Northwestern University. whitney-white.com

…Miz Martha creative team includes Clint Ramos (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design), Justin Ellington (Sound Design), Patrick Zakem (Artistic Producer), Tom Pearl (Director of Production); JC Clementz, CSA (Casting Director), Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager), Mary Hungerford (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios visit https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/seasons/2019-20/miz-martha/ .

Chicago Premiere 
Catch as Catch Can
By Mia Chung 
Directed by ensemble member Amy Morton 
Featuring ensemble members Gary Cole, Audrey Francis and Tim Hopper 
July 4 – July 26, 2020 
In the Downstairs Theatre

All Steppenwolf ensemble member cast features (L to R): Gary Cole, Audrey Francis and Tim Hopper.

Two blue collar New England families grapple with a spiraling crisis that threatens not just their relationships, but their very identities. Three actors take on the six roles, crossing both generation and gender, upending the kitchen sink drama in what will surely be a theatrical tour-de-force. A distinctive Chicago premiere by the gifted writer Mia Chung.

Playwright and Director Bios

Mia Chung’s Catch as Catch Can received its world premiere at Page 73 in New York in 2018. Chung’s You for Me for You premiered at The Royal Court (London), the National Theatre Company of Korea (Seoul) and Woolly Mammoth Theatre (DC); and is published by Bloomsbury Methuen. Her awards, commissions and residencies include Clubbed Thumb, EST/Sloan, Huntington Theatre, Ma-Yi Writers Lab NEA, NYTW, Playwrights' Center, Playwrights Realm, South Coast Rep, SPACE at Ryder Farm and New Dramatists. She received a 2019 Helen Merrill Playwriting Award.






Amy Morton has been a Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1997 and directed several Steppenwolf productions including Guards at the Taj (also at Atlantic Theater Company), Clybourne Park, American Buffalo, Dublin Carol and The Pillowman, among others. She has performed in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions, including the Taylor Mac's Hir, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (also on Broadway, Tony nomination) and August: Osage County (also at the National Theatre and Broadway, Tony nomination). Currently she stars as Trudy Platt in the NBC drama series Chicago P.D.

Catch As Catch Can creative team includes Andrew Boyce (Set Design), Jessica Pabst (Costume Design), Yuki Nakase (Lighting Design), Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (Sound Design), Jonathan Berry (Artistic Producer), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting Director), Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). 

Memberships
Classic Memberships starting as low as $100 guarantee seats, offer early access to special events, invitations to behind-the-scenes events and special discounts at the theatre and in the neighborhood. Stay tuned for information about becoming a member to the 20/21 season; discounted packages for students and teachers and accessible packages are also offered.

Flexible Membership options include the Black Card, which starts as low as $180. With a Black Card, you receive six ticket credits to use whenever and however you want for an entire year. Use all six tickets before that year is up? Reload your card to keep those experiences coming.

Under 30? Join Steppenwolf RED Card for just $100 and enjoy the same six flexible tickets (that’s less than $17 a credit and almost 80% off single ticket prices). Black and RED cardholders receive exclusive discounts, special perks and insider access. For more information, visit steppenwolf.org/memberships.

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.

Visitor information
Steppenwolf is located at 1650 N Halsted St near all forms of public transportation, bike racks and Divvy bike stands. The parking facility ($15 or $17, cash or card) is located just south of our theater at 1624 N Halsted. Valet parking service ($15 cash) is available directly in front of the main entrance starting at 5pm on weeknights, 1pm on weekends and at 12noon before Wednesday matinees. Limited street and lot parking are also available. For last minute questions and concerns, patrons can call the Steppenwolf Parking Hotline at 312.335.1774.

Sponsor information
The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington is sponsored by PwC. Catch as Catch Can is sponsored by Ameriprise Financial. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf.

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 Gilead and 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.