OPENING: Steppenwolf Theatre's The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington September 1 – October 9, 2022

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The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of 

Miz Martha Washington

By Pulitzer Prize-winner James Ijames

Directed by Whitney White

PHOTOS: First Look at Steppenwolf Theatre's "The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington" - Performances Begin Sept. 1, 2022. Cast members Sydney Charles, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Celeste M. Cooper, Nikki Crawford, Cindy Gold, Victor Musoni and Donovan Session in rehearsal for the Chicago premiere.

FIRST LOOK:

I'll be out for the press opening, September 11th, so check back soon after for my full review. 

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation’s premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to open its 47th season with the Chicago premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames’ fantastical play The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington. Directed by Whitney White, the production features ensemble member Celeste M. Cooper with Sydney Charles, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Nikki Crawford, Cindy Gold, Victor Musoni and Donovan Session.

The recently widowed “Mother of America” lies alone in her Mount Vernon bed, ravaged by illness and attended to by the enslaved people who will be free the moment she dies. This uproarious form-shifting fever dream takes us deep into the ramifications of one of America's original sins. Dizzying and fantastical, this Chicago premiere from Pulitzer winner James Ijames boldly remixes this country's dark history with a delicate balance of truth and humor.

Single tickets for The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at 312-335-1650.

Steppenwolf 2022-23 Memberships are also on sale, including Classic Memberships offering 6-play packages securing dates and seats, and flexible Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production. Also available are Red Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30.  

 

Production Information

The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington

By Pulitzer Prize-winner James Ijames

Directed by Whitney White

Featuring ensemble member Celeste M. Cooper (Doll) with Sydney Charles (Priscilla), Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Davy), Nikki Crawford (Ann Dandridge), Cindy Gold (Martha Washington), Victor Musoni (William) and Donovan Session (Sucky Boy).

In Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago

September 1 – October 9, 2022

Ticket information: Single tickets starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.

The creative team includes Clint Ramos (Scenic Designer), Izumi Inaba (Costume Designer) Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Designer), Fan Zhang (Sound Designer), Manna-Symone Middlebrooks (Associate Director), Rachel Flesher (Fight & Intimacy Choreographer), Benjamin Barnes (Magic Consultant), Silver Fox Wigs (Wig Design), Gigi Buffington (Company Voice, Text Coach & Dialect Coach), Tom Pearl (Director of Production), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting Director), Christine D. Freeburg (Production Stage Manager) and Kathleen Barrett (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, visit https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/seasons/2022-23/miz-martha/.

 

Playwright/Director Biographies:

James Ijames (Playwright) is a playwright, director and educator who received the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for his play Fat Ham. He has appeared regionally in productions at The Arden Theatre Company, The Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Wilma Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Mauckingbird Theatre Company and People’s Light and Theatre. James’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon, Wilma Theatre, The National Black Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Definition Theatre and Shotgun Players, and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright's Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Gardens. James is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and he has two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play for Superior Donuts and Angels in America and two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size (Simpatico Theatre Company) and Gem of the Ocean (Arden Theatre). James is 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, a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, a 2019 Kesselring Prize for Kill Move Paradise and a 2020 Steinberg Prize. James was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective. He received a B.A. in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta and a M.F.A. in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia. James is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University and a co-artistic of the Wilma Theater.

Whitney White (Director) is an Obie Award and Lilly Award winning director, actor and musician based in Brooklyn, New York. She is the current recipient of the Susan Stroman Directing award, an Artistic Associate at the Roundabout and a part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Her original musical Definition was part of the 2019 Sundance Theatre Lab 2016 ANT Fest, and her five-part musical exploration of Shakespeare’s Women and ambition; Reach for It is currently under commission with the American Repertory Theater in Boston. She has developed work with: The New York Times, Ars Nova, The Drama League, Roundabout, New York Theatre Workshop, 59E59, The Lark, The Movement, Jack, Bard College, NYU Tisch, Juilliard, Princeton, SUNY Purchase, South Oxford, Luna Stage and more. Whitney is a believer in collaborative processes and new forms. Her musical discipline is rooted in indie-soul and rock. She is passionate about black stories, reconstructing classics, stories for and about women, genre-defying multimedia work and film. Past fellowships include: New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellowship, Ars Nova’s Makers Lab, Colt Coeur and the Drama League. MFA Acting: Brown University/Trinity Rep. BA Political Science, Certificate in Musical Theatre: Northwestern University.

 

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 (available for student matinees as scheduled with education staff or per public performances below), Spanish Language captions, wheelchair accessible seating and more. With questions, email access@steppenwolf.org.

 

Sponsor Information 

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from the Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts, Northern Trust, Allstate Insurance Company, ComEd, Conagra Brands Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, PNC and Vinci Restaurant.

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 marks 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.    

WORLD PREMIERE OF DOUG WRIGHT’S GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR AT GOODMAN THEATRE MARCH 12 – APRIL 17, 2022

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EMMY AWARD-WINNER SEAN HAYES IS OSCAR LEVANT, WITH EMILY BERGL, PETER GROSZ, BEN RAPPAPORT, ETHAN SLATER, TRAMELL TILLMAN AND JOHN ZDROJESKI

***LISA PETERSON DIRECTS THE NEWEST PLAY BY THE PULITZER-PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF I AM MY OWN WIFE AND WAR PAINT IN THE ALBERT THEATRE MARCH 12 – APRIL 17, 2022***

This spring, the nostalgia of 1950s late-night talk-shows takes the stage in the world premiere of Good Night, Oscar—Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright’s exploration of the nexus of humor and heartbreak, the ever-dwindling distinction between exploitation and entertainment, and the high cost of baring one’s soul for public consumption. 

Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor Sean Hayes leads the cast of seven as Oscar Levant—character actor, pianist and wild card. Director Lisa Peterson’s production also features Emily Bergl (June Levant), Ben Rappaport (Jack Paar), Peter Grosz (Bob Sarnoff), Ethan Slater (Max Weinbaum), Tramell Tillman (Alvin Finney) and John Zdrojeski (George Gershwin). Good Night, Oscar appears March 12 – April 17; opening night is Monday, March 21. Tickets ($25 - $98, subject to change) are now available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Oscar or by phone at 312.443.3800. The Goodman is grateful for the support of JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Lead Corporate Sponsor) and Winston & Strawn LLP (Corporate Sponsor Partner); in addition, Good Night, Oscar is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.

“We are thrilled to produce the world premiere of this incredible new play by Doug Wright—an author I’ve long admired for illuminating his characters’ personal truths while infusing their stories with humor and wit. And we welcome director Lisa Peterson, who tackles classics and new works with equal vivacity and skill; her versatility makes her a perfect fit for Doug’s psychologically rich and highly theatrical new play,” said Artistic Director Robert Falls. “And we warmly welcome this stellar cast—led by Emmy Award-winning actor Sean Hayes, best known for his masterful portrayal of Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. Sean has stepped elegantly between the screen and stage for many years, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Promises, Promises, and appearing in films such as The Bucket List, The Three Stooges and Pixar’s Monster’s University. I am delighted that Sean, who grew up in Glen Ellyn, makes his Goodman debut playing the brilliant and achingly human Oscar Levant.”

Halfway into the 20th century finds Americans glued to their TVs as Jack Paar’s amusing and always unpredictable banter echoes across living rooms. One night, he is joined by the equally unbridled pianist and character actor Oscar Levant. During an evening of witty one-liners—“there’s a fine line between genius and insanity; I have erased this line”—Oscar lays bare the necessity of insanity in the making of brilliant work and the cost he is willing to pay to entertain the masses in an episode that Paar’s audience, and the rest of America, won’t soon forget. 

“I’m very excited to be back at the Goodman for a third time, with another play about a character plucked from history,” said playwright Doug Wright, whose previous work at the Goodman includes the musical War Paint (2016) and I Am My Own Wife (2005), for which he earned the Pulitzer Prize. “I hope Chicago audiences find Oscar Levant as irascible, lovable, infuriating and unexpectedly moving as I have during the process of writing about him.”

THE COMPANY OF GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR

Oscar Levant…….Sean Hayes 

June Levant…….. Emily Bergl 

Jack Paar………….Ben Rappaport 

Bob Sarnoff………Peter Grosz 

Max Weinbaum.. Ethan Slater 

Alvin Finney………Tramell Tillman 

George Gershwin…John Zdrojeski

Understudies for this production include Sam Bell-Gurwitz—Max Weinbaum/George Gershwin; Daniel Cantor—Bob Sarnoff/Jack Paar; Chiké Johnson—Alvin Finney; Tiffany Scott–June Levant; and David Turner—Oscar Levant.

Set Design by Rachel Hauck

Costume Design by Emilio Sosa

Lighting Design by Ben Stanton and Carolina Ortiz Herrera 

Sound Design by Andre Pluess

Wig, Hair & Makeup by J. Jarad Janas

Casting is by Stephen Kopel. Dramaturgy is by Jacqueline Lawton. Kimberly McCann is the Production Stage Manager and Mario Wolf is the Stage Manager.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

Visit  Goodmantheatre.org/Access  for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.

Touch Tour and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, April 9, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset. NOTE: Touch Tours for the 2021/2022 Season will not have access to the stage due to current health and safety protocols, but will feature alternate pre-show sensory introductions.

ASL-Interpreted: Friday, April 15 at 8pm – An American Sign Language interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Open-Captioned: Saturday, April 16 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

Spanish Subtitles: Saturday April 16 at 8pm. 

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. 

Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Goodman Theatre’s Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals. 

REVIEW: Bug at Steppenwolf Now Extended Through March 15, 2020

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Bug

By Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-Winning 

Ensemble Member Tracy Letts

Directed by Tony Award Winner David Cromer 

NOW EXTENDED Through March 15, 2020

A Luridly Funny Tale of Love, Paranoia and Government Conspiracy Makes Its Steppenwolf Debut

Ensemble member Carrie Coon in Bug. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Review:

by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Tracy Letts' Bug at Steppenwolf is a PTSD and crack fueled, descent into paranoia and self mutilation. This visceral production is guaranteed to evoke strong emotions. Bug begins on a hopeful note of friendship and support, but quickly spirals into collective hallucinations and self harm, rife with external enemies real and imagined. Sure, this shared reality is a strong bond and even a love of sorts, yet a twisted and destructive one. It's a testament to Tracy Letts' macabre imagination as storyteller, that this harrowing world exists on stage.

Pictured (L to R) ensemble members Carrie Coon (Agnes White) 

and Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans). All Photos by Michael Brosilow.

I can't fathom the energy and consummate skill it takes to become Agnes White (Carrie Coon) and Peter Evans (Namir Smallwood) night after night, for the run of this show. The supporting cast is strong and the principal characters are compelling. With an impressive array of award winners as cast and creatives, Steppenwolf's powerhouse production is a must see.

Pictured (L to R) ensemble member Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans), Jennifer Engstrom (R.C.) and ensemble member Carrie Coon (Agnes White)

It makes my skin crawl to think of having to live in that head space. And speaking of skin... this production bares it all, with full frontal male and female nudity, for a physical and mental vulnerability seldom asked of actors. Don't expect titilation, though. BUG is a searing indictment on a society that fails its most vulnerable, where skin isn't sexy, but an infested lair to be destroyed. 

Pictured (L to R) ensemble member Carrie Coon (Agnes White) 

and Steve Key (Jerry Goss)

We are given a woman with an abusive ex husband who has tried to murder her, freshly out of prison and back in her life against her will. Add to this her grief, desperation, and inability to find her missing son, abducted at age 6 from a grocery store, and Agnes is ripe for addiction and recruitment to Peter's delusions. Peter is a soldier, back from the Gulf War, and possibly damaged irreparably mentally and physically by combat followed by years in a military hospital psych ward, and a childhood as a home schooled preacher's son. Steppenwolf further adds the storyline of another layer of trauma, due to systemic, societal racism, by not casting a white man as Peter. 

Pictured ensemble member Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans) 

Spiraling into Peter and Agnes' world is not easy, but vitally important. By the climax, BUG brings the audience beyond fear and derision, to empathy and understanding. Through the dual meanings of "bug", this desperate couple battles an infestation of inner demons in the shape of insects, as well as invasive government tracking through transmitting bugs. 

(L to R) Steve Key (Jerry Goss) and ensemble member Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans) 

  
Their alternate reality makes perfect sense in so many ways, and that makes society's failure to save them from self destruction at once even more disastrous and inevitable. This type of hell on earth does exist for all too many, and we need to do better for those who get stuck there, and those who descend into their world with an outstretched hand, and sometimes fatal consequences. With our current politicians bent on dismantling protections for women and safety nets, while amping up the military, this storyline is more vital than ever. I've talked to people who hated BUG and those who've raved about it. Either way, Tracy Letts is a master at world building, and that's a win in my book. Highly recommended. 

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara is a Chicago based writer-theater critic-photographer-videographer-actress-artist-general creatrix and Mama to two terrific teens. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 

They’re Everywhere…  

Due to popular demand, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of Bug, the skin-crawling, mind-bending cult classic by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning ensemble member Tracy Letts, is extending one week and will now close on March 15, 2020. 

Directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer, the cast of this highly anticipated Steppenwolf debut features ensemble members Randall Arney (Dr. Sweet), Carrie Coon (Agnes White) and Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans) along with Chicago favorites Jennifer Engstrom (R.C.) and Steve Key (Jerry Goss). 

Pictured ensemble member Carrie Coon (Agnes White)   

In a seedy Oklahoma motel room, a lonely waitress begins an unexpected love affair with a young drifter. And then they see the first bugs...Tracy Letts’s mind-bending cult classic — a luridly funny tale of love, paranoia, and government conspiracy — roars back to Chicago for its Steppenwolf debut.

Bug will now run through March 15, 2020 in the Downstairs Theatre (1650 N. Halsted St). Single tickets ($20 - $125) are available through Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

 Pictured (L to R) ensemble member Carrie Coon (Agnes White) and ensemble member Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans)

Tracy Letts shares, “Bug explores folie à deux, a psychological term that means the madness of two—it’s when one person literally catches another person’s psychosis, which also seemed to me kind of like love…It’s a love story. Bug has primarily been done in really small spaces, normally in theaters of 100 seats or fewer, so to see it in our theater with the caliber of our actors and David Cromer directing…I can’t wait.”

Cast bios

Randall Arney (Dr. Sweet) has been a member of the Steppenwolf ensemble since 1984 and was the Artistic Director from 1987 to 1995. He was last on the Steppenwolf stage in The Seafarer in 2009. He directed last season’s acclaimed revival of True West and the 2013 production of Slowgirl, among others. Broadway transfers under his leadership as Steppenwolf Artistic Director included The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Song of Jacob Zulu (six Tony Award nominations) and The Grapes of Wrath (1990 Tony Award, Best Play). Arney recently served as the artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles (1999 - 2017). He has an M.F.A. degree in Acting from Illinois State University.

Carrie Coon (Agnes White) joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2019, and was last seen at Steppenwolf in the world premiere of Tracy Letts’s Mary Page Marlowe. Other Steppenwolf credits include Tracy Letts’s adaptation of Three Sisters, The March and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as “Honey,” a role that led to a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award. She won a Critics’ Choice Television Award for her performance in HBO’s The Leftovers and a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama for her performances in HBO’s The Leftovers and FX’s Fargo. For her performance in Amy Herzog’s world premiere Mary Jane, she garnered a 2018 Lucille Lortel Award, an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination. Current film projects include The Nest with Jude Law and Ghostbusters (Summer 2020).

Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans) joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in March 2017, where he has been seen in True West, Aziza Barnes’ BLKS, Steppenwolf for Young Adults’ Monster, Christina Anderson’s Man In Love and The Hot L Baltimore. Other Chicago credits include The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theater); the world premiere of Philip Dawkins’ Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (Gift Theatre) and East Texas Hot Links (Writers’ Theatre). Regional credits include Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things and Guthrie Theater. New York credits include Lincoln Center Theater’s productions of Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau and Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu. Television credits include Chicago Fire and Betrayal.


Jennifer Engstrom (R.C.) was recently on stage at Steppenwolf in Lindiwe. Additional Chicago credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The North Plan, Small Mouth Sounds, Simpatico, The Mutilated, Fatboy, 3C (A Red Orchid); Sweet Bird of Youth (Goodman); A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf (Writer’s); Sky Girls (Northlight); and Hot L Baltimore (Mary-Arrchie). Regional credits include Simpatico (McCarter Theatre); Angels in America (Kansas City Rep); and A Streetcar Named Desire (Williamstown Theatre Fest). In New York, she curated and performed in Excuse My Dust, a Dorothy Parker Portfolio. Film and TV credits include SLICE, Swing Shift and Chicago Fire.


Steve Key (Jerry Goss) was in the National Tour of Steppenwolf’s August: Osage County, and in previous Steppenwolf productions of One Arm, The Libertine, As I Lay Dying. His Broadway credits include SWEAT and Off Broadway The Effect (Barrow Street Theatre) and Blue Surge (The Public Theatre). Additional Chicago credits include Feathers & Teeth, Vigils, Zoo Story and Blue Surge (Goodman); Grace, Better Late (Northlight Theatre); Rest, Circle Mirror Transformation (Victory Gardens); Brothers Karamazov (Lookingglass); The Unseen (A Red Orchid), among others. TV credits include Boss, Chicago Fire, Elementary, Chicago Code, Mob Doctor and on film, Public Enemies, 1,000 Acres, Blackmail.

Playwright and Director Bios

Tracy Letts is a multifaceted award-winning actor and playwright. He is the author of The Minutes (Pulitzer finalist), Linda Vista, Mary Page Marlowe, The Scavenger’s Daughter, Superior Donuts, August: Osage County (Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award for Best Play), Man from Nebraska (Pulitzer finalist), Bug, and Killer Joe. He also wrote the screenplays for the films The Woman in the Window, August: Osage County, Bug, and Killer Joe. He won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance as George in the Tony Award-winning revival of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. He joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2002, where he has appeared in American Buffalo, Betrayal, The Pillowman, The Pain and the Itch, The Dresser, Homebody/Kabul, The Dazzle, Glengarry Glen Ross, Three Days of Rain, many others. Other productions include The Realistic Joneses (Broadway) and Orson’s Shadow (Barrow Street Theatre, NY). Film appearances include Little Women, Ford v Ferrari, The Post, Lady Bird, The Lovers, Indignation, Christine, The Big Short, Imperium, Wiener-Dog, Guinevere. Steppenwolf production of his Letts’s play Linda Vista recently completed a successful run at Broadway’s Hayes Theater and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Steppenwolf’s production of Letts’s play The Minutes begins performances on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on February 25, 2020 with Letts in the cast.


David Cromer is a director and actor originally from Chicago, currently based in New York. As a director, his New York credits include The Sound Inside, which is currently running on Broadway; The Band’s Visit (2018 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical, Ethel Barrymore Theatre); the Broadway revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs and The House of Blue Leaves; The Treasurer (Playwrights Horizons); Man from Nebraska (Second Stage Theatre); The Effect, Orson’s Shadow and Tribes (Barrow Street Theatre); Women or Nothing (Atlantic Theater Company); Really Really (MCC Theater); When the Rain Stops Falling and Nikolai and the Others (Lincoln Center Theater); and Adding Machine (Minetta Lane Theatre). Other directing credits include Next to Normal (Writers Theatre); Come Back, Little Sheba (Huntington Theatre Company); The Sound Inside (Williamstown Theatre Festival); and Our Town in London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Kansas City. As an actor, he recently appeared on Broadway as Howard Fine in the 2018 production of The Waverly Gallery. Prior to that, he appeared on Broadway as Karl Lindner in the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun, and Off-Broadway as the Stage Manager in Our Town, which he also directed, at the Barrow Street Theatre. He appeared in the HBO series “The Newsroom,” the Showtime series “Billions,” and in the motion picture The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Cromer has received a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, three Obie Awards, three Lucille Lortel Awards, a Joe A. Callaway Award, four Jeff Awards, and in 2010 was made a MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

The Bug creative team includes Takeshi Kata (Scenic Design); Sarah Laux (Costume Design); Heather Gilbert (Lighting Design); Josh Schmidt (Sound Design); Matt Hawkins (Fight Choreographer); Tonia Sina (Intimacy Choreographer); Sydney Charles (Dramaturg); Gigi Buffington (Company Voice, Text & Dialect Coach); Hallie Gordon (Artistic Producer); Tom Pearl (Director of Production); JC Clementz, CSA (Casting Director); Christine D. Freeburg (Production Stage Manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). 

Ticket and Production Info
Bug

Dates: Through March 15, 2020
Regular Run: February 6 - March 15, 2020

Ticket prices
Previews: $20 – $98, Regular Run: $20 – $125. Prices subject to change.
20 for $20: A limited number of $20 tickets are available for subscription shows on the day of the performance at 11am (Mon – Sat) and 1pm (Sun), by phone only at 312-335-1650. Limit 2 per person.

Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.
Student Discounts: Limited $15 student tickets are available online with code STUDENT15. Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket. Learn more at steppenwolf.org/students.

Group Tickets: All groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance.

Teen Arts Pass: Steppenwolf is a partner of the Teen Arts Pass (TAP) initiative, which allows teens ages 13 to 19 to attend any Steppenwolf performance for $5. Teens can register for free to TAP at teenartspass.org.

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. Five and six play membership packages are now available; 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.

Accessible performances:
American Sign Language Interpretation: Sunday, February 16 at 7:30pm
Open Captioning: Thursday, February 13 at 7:30pm and Saturday, March 7 at 3pm
Audio Description and Touch Tour: Sunday, March 1 at 3pm (1:30pm touch tour; 3pm curtain)

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
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.

Pictured ensemble member Carrie Coon (Agnes White) in Steppenwolf’s production of Bug by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by David Cromer in the DownstairsTheatre, 1650 N Halsted St. January 23 – March 8, 2020. Tickets are available at 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. Photo by Michael Brosilow.