Displaying items by tag: Glenn Davis

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, under the leadership of Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis and Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan, today announced its 2026/27 Season, marking the next chapter of the company's bold, visceral and muscular work, while celebrating a dynamic range of exciting new voices and Steppenwolf legends. The 51st Season features five Steppenwolf Membership Series productions: two world premieres, a Chicago premiere, an English-Language premiere and a modern masterpiece – all emblematic of Steppenwolf's indelible impression on the American Theatre. Steppenwolf also doubles down on its decades-long mission to immerse Chicago's youth in the arts through its lauded educational initiatives – and provide much-needed artistic space for the city's bustling community of multi-disciplinary artists, along with itinerant theatre companies.

Steppenwolf Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis comment, "It is perhaps clearer today than at any other moment in our 50-year history: Steppenwolf is the place to experience the next big thing in American theatre. From Broadway transfers of plays that were born right here on Halsted Street, to world premieres that go on to be produced all over the country, this company continues to define cutting-edge, risky and damn fine theatre for audiences around the world."

Davis and Francis continue, "But, if you know Steppenwolf, you know that the awards, the recognition, the platitudes: it's all secondary to what drives us forward. Everything we do begins with our North Star of bringing Chicago audiences theatre they can sink their teeth into, brought to life by our ensemble of world class artists. In planning our 51st season, we knew we wanted to bring Chicago a slate of plays that deliver on Steppenwolf's promise of teeing up gritty, provocative and riotous drama – before you might see it somewhere else."

Raising the curtain on Steppenwolf's 51st Season, Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog returns to North Halsted more than two decades after the company's celebrated 2003 production. Helmed by Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood go head-to-head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride. Up next, Steppenwolf continues its tradition of bringing new works to the American theatre canon with the world premiere of Chicago playwright Stephanie Alison Walker's biting satire Adirondack Chair Circle, directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon and featuring ensemble member Audrey Francis. The 2026/27 continues with the Chicago premiere of The Comeuppance, a riveting dark comedy from Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright of Purpose. Ensemble member Tina Landau ​directs this co-production with American Conservatory Theater featuring an ensemble-stacked cast including Celeste M. Cooper, Caroline Neff, Karen Rodriguez and Namir Smallwood​. Next spring, Steppenwolf presents the English-Language premiere of Ellen B., a psychological thriller by internationally-lauded playwright Marius von Mayenburg, translated by Daniel Brunet and directed by Whitney White. Concluding the 2026/27 season, ensemble member Terry Kinney directs the world premiere of Adam Rapp's haunting and emotional The Night Fawn, featuring ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain. 

The 2026/27 Season is presented at Steppenwolf's expanded campus, which includes three theaters: the Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell, the Downstairs Theater and the intimate 1700 Theater.

Steppenwolf Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan adds, "Moving into the theater's next half century, Steppenwolf continues our commitment to the core values that have made us a global leader of theatrical innovation and a cultural citizen for the City of Chicago. The five dynamic plays produced by our company will be complemented by robust teen programming and education programs that throw open our doors for the next generation of learners, makers and appreciators. Additionally, our three stages will welcome a wide variety of local and visiting artists across discipline, expanding our service as a neighborhood hub for art and innovation."

2026/27 Classic Memberships are now on sale starting as low as $165* and include all five Membership Series productions – three plays in the Downstairs Theater and two in the Ensemble Theater. Classic Members receive priority access to seats along with full membership benefits, including unlimited ticket exchanges. The Black Card, Steppenwolf's flex membership, offers six ticket credits starting as low as $128* that allow patrons flexibility for when and how they see shows at Steppenwolf. For patrons under 30, RED Card Memberships offer six ticket credits for just $107*. Discounted packages for students and teachers and accessible packages are also available. For more information and to purchase Memberships, visit Audience Services at steppenwolf.org or call (312) 335-1650. *Prices include handling fees

Throughout the 2026/27 Season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to education and the next generation of audiences with dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions (Topdog/Underdog, Adirondack Chair Circle, The Comeuppance and Ellen B.). Reaching nearly 15,000 teens, educators and community members annually, Steppenwolf Education and Engagement also includes in-school residencies, teen programs, community partnerships and public programs, educator trainings and Maker Workshops – a series of on-site workshops in artmaking and theater production. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education.

Additionally, Steppenwolf's 2026/27 Season reaffirms the organization's commitment to spotlighting the work of Chicago's vibrant and eclectic artistic communities in the 1700 Theater. Since opening its doors in 2016, this malleable, intimate space has hosted over 1,000 performances featuring the wide breadth of innovative, bold and adventurous work from more than 3,200 artists across a variety of performance genres. As it steps into its second decade of programming, the 1700 Theater will be the home of an ongoing collaboration with Teatro Vista Productions as part of a multi-year partnership between the two organizations while also continuing to feature performing artists across theatrical disciplines of dance, drag, music, storytelling, comedy, puppetry and more.

Steppenwolf also plans to continue presenting the work of exciting visiting artists and companies in the Downstairs Theater and Ensemble Theater, after the success of presentations of comedy, musical theater and theater artists in recent seasons. These engagements are announced on a rolling basis, with Steppenwolf Members enjoying early access. 

STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY'S 2026/27 SEASON

Topdog/Underdog 
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks 
Directed by Kenny Leon​ 
September 17 — November 1, 2026 
Featuring ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood​ 
in the Downstairs Theater 
Press opening: Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 6 pm

Brothers Lincoln and Booth, named in jest, are two Black men living in America just trying to get by. Lincoln dresses like his namesake, reenacting his assassination for money and laughs. Booth stays stuck in their apartment, working tirelessly on his three-card hustle. Sibling rivalry and a lifetime of resentment come to a head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride from Suzan-Lori Parks. The deck is stacked with a Tony Award-winning director, a Pulitzer Prize-winning script and a tour-de-force showdown for ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood. "Take thuh cards and show me whatcha got!" 

Adirondack Chair Circle – World Premiere!
Written by Stephanie Alison Walker 
Directed by Pam MacKinnon 
Featuring ensemble member Audrey Francis​ 
October 22 — December 6, 2026 
in the Ensemble Theater 
Press opening: Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 6 pm

Banna has it all... or at least that's what the other suburban moms think. Beneath the charcuterie boards, backyard soirees and pickleball, there's a funny feeling bubbling underneath this seemingly perfect facade. Is it the pressure to save her children from the beliefs of the school district? Or is it just that suspicious crow watching her every move? A piercing world premiere from a playful Chicago voice, Stephanie Alison Walker's Adirondack Chair Circle exposes the hilarious hypocrisy of the clubs we join and the company we keep. And has a damn good time doing it. 

The Comeuppance – Chicago Premiere!
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by ensemble member Tina Landau ​
A co-production with American Conservatory Theater 
Featuring ensemble members Celeste M. Cooper, Caroline Neff, Karen Rodriguez and Namir Smallwood​ 
February 4 — March 21, 2027 
in the Downstairs Theater 
Press opening: Saturday, February 13, 2027 at 7:30 pm

Welcome back, St. Anthony's graduating class of 2002! On the night of their 20th high school reunion, a group of misfit Millennial classmates reconnect for a familiar pregame: drinks, pot, a limo ride and a whole lot of messy memories. But, in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' riveting dark ensemble comedy, a specter looms over the proceedings, reminding us that time only marches forward, even for '90's kids. This Chicago premiere from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Purpose is a contemplative, hilarious and grave reflection on life and death. 

Ellen B. – English-Language Premiere!
Written by Marius von Mayenburg ​
Translated into English by Daniel Brunet
Directed by Whitney White
April 1 — May 9, 2027 
in the Ensemble Theater
Press opening: Sunday, April 11, 2027 at 6 pm

Astrid, a teacher, lives with Klara, her considerably younger partner – and also her former student. When Wolfram, the school's headmaster, drops by for a visit, he brings with him uncomfortable accusations, and the search for truth erupts into a wicked game of power and desire. In this psychological thriller with no easy answers, internationally-lauded playwright Marius von Mayenburg touches the nerve between past and present, professional and private, truth and lie.

The Night Fawn – World Premiere!
Written by Adam Rapp
Directed by ensemble member Terry Kinney
Featuring ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain​
May 27 — July 3, 2027 
in the Downstairs Theater
Press opening: Sunday, June 6, 2027 at 6 pm

Brendan has a story, one that hurts to tell. He's lost his job, his marriage has ended and he's headed back home to settle his late mother's affairs. It's there that he finds the need to talk, as an unthinkable secret from his childhood demands attention. A provocative confession with haunting implications about memory and revenge, Adam Rapp's The Night Fawn offers a sunset to our season – but real monsters don't wait to come out after dark. 

2026/27 SEASON ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Topdog/Underdog 

Suzan-Lori Parks (Playwright) is a multi-award-winning writer and musician. She is the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Topdog/Underdog, which recently won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival. Her other plays include Sally & Tom (2024), Plays for the Plague Year (Drama Desk Award, Best Music, 2023) and Father Comes Home From The Wars (2014). Parks' first marathon-writing "micro diary plays," 365 Days/365 Plays were produced worldwide in what was the largest grassroots collaborative theatre project to date. She is a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, a novelist: Getting Mother's Body (Random House); and a screenwriter: Girl 6, Genius: Aretha, and The United States vs Billie Holiday. Parks also writes songs and fronts her band "SLP& The Joyful Noise," with her punk-couture medicine show, The Tune Up, world-premiering this summer. As a college student Parks is grateful to have studied creative writing with James Baldwin, who encouraged her to write for the theatre.

Kenny Leon (Director) is a Tony Award-winning director. Broadway: Othello, Our Town, HOME, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Topdog/Underdog, Ohio State Murders, A Soldier's Play, American Son, Children of a Lesser God, Holler If Ya Hear Me, A Raisin in the Sun, The Mountaintop, Stick Fly, August Wilson's Fences, Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. Off-Broadway: This World of Tomorrow (The Shed), King James, The Underlying Chris, Everybody's Ruby, Emergence-See! (The Public), Smart People (Second Stage). Opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors, Margaret Garner. Television: Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, Colin in Black & White, 4400, Amend: The Fight for America, American Son (adapted for Netflix), Hairspray Live!, The Wiz Live!, Steel Magnolias, Dynasty, In My Dreams. Author: Take You Wherever You Go. Artistic Director Emeritus: Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company. Senior Resident Director: Roundabout Theatre Company. Awards: Obie, Actors Fund Medal of Honor, George Abbott Lifetime Achievement for American Theatre, Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre.

Glenn Davis (Lincoln) is an actor, producer and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, alongside Audrey Francis, where he has been an ensemble member since 2017. His Steppenwolf credits include Downstate, The Christians, You Got Older, The Brother/Sister Plays, Head of Passes, King James (also Mark Taper Forum), Describe the Night, and, most recently, Purpose. Broadway credits include Purpose (Tony nomination–Best Featured Actor, Tony Award–Best Play) and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (also Kirk Douglas Theatre, Mark Taper Forum). Off-Broadway credits include Transfers (MCC Theatre), Wig Out! (Vineyard Theatre), Downstate (Playwrights Horizons, Outer Critics Circle Nomination) and King James (MTC). Other regional credits include Moscow x6 (Williamstown Theatre Festival). International credits include: Downstate (National Theatre, UK); Edward II, The Winter's Tale and As You Like It (Stratford Festival); Othello (The Shakespeare Company). Television credits include Billions, 24, The Unit, Jericho and The Good Wife. Glenn is an Artistic Associate at the Young Vic in London and at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. He is also a partner in Cast Iron Entertainment, a collective of artists consisting of Sterling K Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Michael Hill, Andre Holland and Tarell Alvin McCraney. Cast Iron is currently in residence at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2021, Glenn founded The Chatham Grove Company along with his producing partner Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Namir Smallwood​ (Booth) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2017. Steppenwolf: Mr. Wolf, You Will Get Sick, The Book of Grace, The Seagull, Bug, True West, BLKS, Monster, Man In Love, The Hot L Baltimore, Last Night and the Night Before. Broadway: Bug, Pass Over. Off-Broadway: Pipeline, Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Chicago: Primary Trust (Goodman); Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre); East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theatre). Regional: Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Guthrie Theater. International: True West (Galway International Arts Festival). Television: Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Elementary, American Rust (Showtime/FreeVee), Power Book IV: Force (STARZ). Film: Rounding, About Time, Bailey's Blues.

Adirondack Chair Circle

Stephanie Alison Walker (Playwright) is an internationally-produced, award-winning playwright whose work is known for the personalization of the political, humor in darkness and the dramatization of the resilience of women. She is a native Chicagoburbian who has lived all over including London, Buenos Aires, San Juan Island and fifteen years in Los Angeles. She received her Bachelors in English/Creative Writing and Spanish from the University of Colorado and her Master of Professional Writing from the University of California. She began writing plays while working for Fox Theatricals in Chicago. Her play about the housing crisis, American Home, was the inaugural winner of American Blues Theatre's Blue Ink Award. Her play about the mothers of the disappeared in Argentina, The Madres, received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at Teatro Vista in Chicago, Skylight Theatre Company in L.A., Moxie Theatre in San Diego and Shrewd Theatre Company in Austin. It was the 2019 Winner of the Francesca Primus Prize, winner of the Ashland New Plays Festival, the Generations Prize and semi-finalist for the CTG/ Humanitas Prize for playwriting. Her follow-up play The Abuelas, premiered at Teatro Vista and was recently adapted into a short film titled The Birthday Gift. The Art of Disappearing was a finalist for the Primus Prize and enjoyed critical praise for the world premiere in Chicago by 16th Street Theater in 2015. Friends with Guns, her play about liberals and gun ownership was an O'Neill Finalist, winner of Best New Play at the 2019 Valley Theatre Awards, and had its Chicago premiere by A Short Leap Theatre Company in 2025. Sophia Hayden Deserves Better tells the story of the architect of the Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and was recently a part of Gglassfest by Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago. The Ordeal of Water, inspired by the first women to work as Longshoremen at the Port of Los Angeles, was most recently a part of Bay Street Theater's New Works Festival. Adirondack Chair Circle, her play that tackles suburban book-banning moms, was developed at The Inkwell Theater Company and A Red Orchid's Studio at A Red Orchid. Her short plays have been anthologized by Smith & Kraus. Her full-lengths are published by Broadway Publishing, Inc. In addition to writing plays, she is currently adapting Friends with Guns and The Abuelas as features while raising two spirited boys and selling real estate in the suburbs of Chicago. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Honor Roll Playwrights, NNPN Affiliated Artist, and a proud alumni of the Playwrights Union. stephaniealisonwalker.com

Pam MacKinnon (Director) is a Tony, Drama Desk and multi-Obie Award winning director. She is the artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She has directed more than eighty productions. Her Tony Award-winning production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? originated at Steppenwolf. Her production of Bruce Norris's Downstate (Steppenwolf, National Theatre and Playwrights Horizons) was celebrated with several Jeff Awards and won Pam her second Obie. She served as president of SDC, the national Union of choreographers and directors.

Audrey Francis​ (Cast) currently serves as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, alongside Glenn Davis, where she has been an Ensemble member since 2017. Audrey directed You Will Get Sick in Steppenwolf's 2024/25 season and POTUS in the 2023/24 season. She has performed on stage in Catch as Catch Can (upcoming), Noises Off, The Thanksgiving Play, The Herd, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Fundamentals, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and Dance Nation. TV and film credits include Justified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Empire, Perpetrator, Knives and Skin and Later Days. Audrey is an acting coach for NBC, Fox, Showtime, and Amazon. She is also the co-founder of Black Box Acting and the co-creator of Steppenwolf's corporate training program, Steppenwolf IMPACT.

The Comeuppance

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins ​(Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright. Recent theatre credits include Purpose (Tony Award; Pulitzer Prize; Broadway, Steppenwolf), Appropriate (Tony Award; Broadway, Second Stage), The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre), Girls (Yale Rep), Everybody (Signature Theatre), War (Yale Rep; Lincoln Center/LCT3), Gloria (Vineyard Theatre), Appropriate (Obie Award; Signature Theatre), An Octoroon (Obie Award; Soho Rep, Theatre for a New Audience) and Neighbors (The Public Theater). He currently teaches at Yale University and serves as Vice President of the Dramatists Guild council and on the boards of Soho Rep, Park Avenue Armory, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Dramatists Guild Foundation. Honors include a USA Artists fellowship, a Guggenheim fellowship, the MacArthur fellowship, the Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama and the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award.

Tina Landau ​(Director) is a writer, director and Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1997 where her 20 productions include Ms. Blakk for President (also writer with Tarell McCarney), The Brother/Sister Plays, The Wheel, The Time of Your Life, Head of Passes, Space (also writer), The Berlin Circle, The Tempest, Superior Donuts, and more. Many of these productions then moved on to play at multiple theaters such as The Public in NYC, the Taper in LA, Seattle Rep, American Conservatory Theater and Berkeley Rep. On Broadway, Tina wrote the book for and directed the musical Floyd Collins (Lincoln Center Theater, 6 Tony noms including Best Revival), wrote book, co-lyrics and directed Redwood (starring Idina Menzel), and conceived and directed The SpongeBob Musical (12 Tony noms, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle winner–Best Direction and Best Musical.) Her other Broadway credits include Paula Vogel's Mother Play (with Jessica Lange, 4 Tony noms including Best Play), Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts and the musical Bells Are Ringing (also both Tony nominated). Her Off-Broadway productions include Bill Irwin and David Shiner's Old Hats, Chuck Mee's Big Love and Iphigenia 2.0 (all Signature), Paula Vogel's A Civil War Christmas (NYTW), Tarell McCraney's Head of Passes and In the Red and Brown Water (both at the Public) and Wig Out! (Vineyard). Regionally, Tina has directed the musicals Transparent (CTG in Los Angeles) and Dave (Arena Stage), among numerous others. She's been additionally recognized by the Drama League, New Dramatists, Lucille Lortel and Obie awards, and is the recipient of a United States Artist Fellowship and a Princess Grace Statuette. Tina was an Artist-in-Residence at Little Island in NYC and is the co-author with Anne Bogart of The Viewpoints Book.

Celeste M. Cooper (Cast) is joyful to join the cast of The Comeuppance and is grateful to the creative team, fellow performers and audience for the opportunity to explore and share another story together. Steppenwolf: BLKS, Doppelgänger, Familiar, A Doll's House, Part 2, virtual show Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! (New York Times Critic pick); The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, POTUS. Chicago Theatre: Blues for an Alabama Sky (Court Theatre–Jeff Awards Best Production); Measure for Measure (Goodman Theatre); Stick Fly (Windy City Playhouse); Ruined (Eclipse Theatre); Corduroy (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); and more. Regional: For Colored Girls... (Kansas City Repertory); Building The Wall (Curious Theatre in Denver); Mrs. Harrison (Indiana Repertory); What I Learned in Paris (South Coast Repertory); Confederates (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis). TV: Recurring on Chicago P.D.; guest roles on 4400 and Sense8. Film: Spike Lee's Chiraq; leading role in indie feature Range Runners (currently streaming). Radio: Unshackled Radio Program – voicing dramatized true stories. Awards: Most Promising Actress (Black Theater Alliance); Best Actress – Range Runners (Twister Alley); NewCity Stage magazine's "People Who Really Perform for Chicago" (2020 & 2023). Education: BA – Tennessee State University; MFA – The Theatre School at DePaul University. IG: @be_that_light | Represented by: Paonessa Talent Agency

Caroline Neff (Cast) is a Steppenwolf ensemble member. At Steppenwolf, she was last seen in Mr. Wolf, Fool for Love, POTUS, Another Marriage, Describe the Night, Seagull, Dance Nation, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, You Got Older, Linda Vista (also Taper Forum and Broadway), The Fundamentals, The Flick, Airline Highway (also Broadway), The Way West, Three Sisters, Annie Bosh is Missing and Where We're Born. Select theatre credits include: Lettie (Jeff Award Best Actor; Victory Gardens Theater); Uncle Vanya (Goodman Theatre); A Brief History of Helen of Troy (Jeff Award for Best Actress), The Knowledge, Harper Regan, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Steep Theatre); The Downpour (Route 66 Theatre); Port (Griffin Theatre); 4000 Miles (Northlight Theatre); Moonshiner (Jackalope Theatre). Regional credits include: Peerless (Yale Repertory Theatre). Film and television credits include: Parallax (upcoming Apple TV), FBI, Three Women, Let the Right One In, The Red Line, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, Open Tables and Older Children, and heard in multiple Audible Projects such as: Song of the Northwoods, Crowded Hours, Denali and Boar's Nest. She is a proud company member of Steep Theatre and holds her BA from Columbia College.

Karen Rodriguez (Cast) currently stars as Wanda Salazar in Netflix's The Hunting Wives alongside Brittany Snow and Dermot Mulroney. She'll next star in Spider Noir in 2026 alongside Nicolas Cage and Brendan Gleeson. Ms. Rodriguez joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2018. On the Steppenwolf main stage, she has appeared in POTUS, The Seagull, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Dance Nation, La Ruta, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and The Rembrandt. Select theatre credits include I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Seattle Rep), The Way She Spoke (Greenhouse Theater Center), Breach (Victory Gardens Theater), The Displaced (Haven Theatre), Hookman (Steep Theatre) and Blue Skies Process (Goodman Theatre). Television credits include Acapulco (Apple TV) with Eugenio Derbez, SWARM (Amazon Prime) created by Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, The Big Leap (FOX), Shining Girls (Apple TV) with Elisabeth Moss and Jamie Bell, season 2 and 3 of Power Book IV: Force (STARZ), Chicago Fire and Chicago Justice. She's thrilled to be back on the Steppenwolf stage. Instagram: xkarenxrodriguez.

Namir Smallwood​ (Cast) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2017. Steppenwolf: Mr. Wolf, You Will Get Sick, The Book of Grace, The Seagull, Bug, True West, BLKS, Monster, Man In Love, The Hot L Baltimore, Last Night and the Night Before. Broadway: Bug, Pass Over. Off-Broadway: Pipeline, Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Chicago: Primary Trust (Goodman); Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre); East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theatre). Regional: Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Guthrie Theater. International: True West (Galway International Arts Festival). Television: Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Elementary, American Rust (Showtime/FreeVee), Power Book IV: Force (STARZ). Film: Rounding, About Time, Bailey's Blues.

Ellen B.

Marius von Mayenburg (Playwright) is a playwright, director and translator. Born in Munich, he studied playwriting at the Academy of the Arts, Berlin and was dramaturg and writer in residence at the Schaubühne Berlin. His plays (such as The Ugly One, Fireface, A Piece of Plastic) are translated into more than 30 languages, have been successfully produced worldwide at the Schaubühne Berlin, The Royal Court Theatre/London, the Young Vic, London, the National Theatre Oslo, Théâtre national de la Colline, Paris, La Scala, Paris among many others and have won several awards. As a translator he has translated works by William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, as well as contemporary plays by writers such as Martin Crimp, Alan Ayckbourn and Sarah Kane into German. His most recent trilogy consists of the plays Ex, Ellen Babić and Egal, which have all been premiered internationally at theaters such as Rikstheatre in Stockholm, Sweden, the National Theater of Reykjavik, the Burgtheater Vienna. As a director, Marius von Mayenburg has worked at the Schaubühne Berlin, Residenztheater in Munich, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Riksteater Stockholm, Nationaltheater Oslo and others.

Daniel Brunet (Translator) is a director, performer, producer and translator. He was born in Syracuse, New York, studied theater and film at Boston College and moved to Berlin in 2001 with the support of a Fulbright Scholarship. Brunet became Producing Artistic Director of English Theatre Berlin | International Performing Arts Center in 2012. He has received multiple awards for his over thirty play translations, including the Literary Fellowship in Translation from the U.S. National Endowment of the Arts. His translation of Wolfram Lotz's The Ridiculous Darkness was published by Oberon Books in 2019. In addition to Ellen Babić, Brunet has also translated Ex and Egal (Whatever) by Marius von Mayenburg.

Whitney White (Director) is a Tony Award nominee, Obie Award and Lily Award-winning director, writer and performer. Broadway: Liberation, Jaja's African Hair Braiding, The Last Five Years. Other: All Is But Fantasy (Royal Shakespeare Company), Walden (Second Stage), Jordan's (The Public), Saturday Church (NYTW), The Secret Life of Bees (The Almeida, UK), The Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Steppenwolf), Soft (MCC), On Sugarland (New York Theatre Workshop, Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk nominations, Outstanding Direction), Semblance (NYTW), The Amen Corner (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (WP Theater, Second Stage), What to Send Up When It Goes Down (The Movement Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth, A.R.T., The Public Theater). Staff writer: I'm a Virgo (Amazon Studios). Writer/performer of Macbeth in Stride (A.R.T., Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actress). Recipient of the Herb Alpert Award, Jerome Fellowship, Susan Stroman Directing Award. Part of the Rolex Protegé and Mentorship Arts Initiative. MFA Acting: Brown University/Trinity Rep, BA: Northwestern University. Whitney-White.com

The Night Fawn

Adam Rapp (Playwright) is the author of numerous plays, which include Nocturne (New York Theatre Workshop), Finer Noble Gases (2006 Edinburgh Fringe First Award, 26th Humana Festival), The Metal Children (The Vineyard) and Red Light Winter (Steppenwolf, Barrow Street Theatre), for which he won Chicago's Jeff Award for Best New Work, an Obie and was named a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize. The Sound Inside received its world premiere at the 2018 Williamstown Theatre festival and was named one of the New York Times best plays of 2019. It premiered on Broadway at Studio 54 in the fall of 2019 and went on to be nominated for 6 Tony Awards, including Best Play. He received a Tony nomination for writing the book for the musical The Outsiders, which is currently running on Broadway. The Outsiders went on to win Best Musical at the 2024 Tony Awards. His playwriting honors include Boston's Elliot Norton Award, The Helen Merrill Prize, The 2006 Princess Grace Statue, A Lucille Lotrel Playwright's fellowship, The Benjamin H. Danks Award, the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation Award, a 2021 Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Best Theatre Newcomer prize from List Magazine and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Adam served as executive producer and showrunner for American Rust: Broken Justice and recently published a new novel, Wolf at the Table.

Terry Kinney (Director) is a co-founder and ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. His Steppenwolf acting work includes Balm in Gilead, Orphans, Tracers, The Grapes of Wrath (Tony Award nomination), and Buried Child on Broadway. Steppenwolf (directing): Another Marriage, And a Nightingale Sang..., A Clockwork Orange, A Streetcar Named Desire, Of Mice and Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (also Broadway, winner Tony Award, Best Revival), and The Violet Hour. Other work: reasons to be pretty (Tony Award nomination, Best Play), The Price (Broadway), The Babylon Line (LCT), and Curse of the Starving Class. Film: Fly Away Home, Sleepers, The Firm, Last of the Mohicans, The Little Things, among others. Television: Oz, Good Behavior, Fargo, Billions, Inventing Anna, and The Watcher.

Cliff Chamberlain​ (Cast) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2018. Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Dance of Death, You Will Get Sick, Fool For Love, The Minutes, Belleville, Clybourne Park, Theatrical Essays, Superior Donuts. Chicago: The Seagull (Goodman Theatre); The Sparrow (The House Theatre of Chicago). Broadway: The Minutes, Superior Donuts. Television: Homeland, Altered Carbon, The Act, Easy, State of Affairs, Chicago P.D., Paper Girls, The Chair. Film: The Rip, Moses the Black, The Wise Kids. Cliff trained at UCSB and The School at Steppenwolf.

ADDITIONAL 2026/27 SEASON INFORMATION

Accessibility:

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each Subscription Series production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 50 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1975 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of young people in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While 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. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

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.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to continue its 50th Anniversary Season with Windfall, a gripping new work by Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney, directed by Awoye Timpo, playing April 9 – May 31, 2026 in Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Single tickets are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. The press opening is Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 6 pm.

Windfall reunites ensemble members Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis and Jon Michael Hill, who starred in Steppenwolf's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Purpose, joined by ensemble member Namir Smallwood, direct from his Broadway turn in Bug opposite ensemble member Carrie Coon. Additional casting to be announced.

About the Production:

This is a story about money. Don't let them fool you otherwise. When a father loses his child in a clash with the police, he is visited by three strangers who advise him to take the city's cash settlement, relocate and forget his grief – or else remain, haunted by memories of the world his child fought so hard to protect. This lyrical world premiere is a vital and timely look at the spirit of activism set against the most indifferent system of them all: the almighty dollar.

Steppenwolf Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis comment, "When we commissioned ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney to write a new play specifically built for our in-the-round Ensemble Theater as a centerpiece of Steppenwolf's 50th season, we weren't sure what he'd create. But, given that Tarell is one of the most talented writers of his generation, we were not at all surprised that he delivered a stunning, lyrical and undeniably bold script. This is a play for our moment, for our city, tailor made for an ensemble cast and this unique venue. We eagerly anticipate sharing this vital Chicago story with our community."

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (Scenic Design), Qween Jean (Costume Design), Jason Lynch (Lighting Design), Willow James (Sound Design), Bryar Barborka (Dramaturg), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Tom Pearl (Producing Director), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), Michelle Medvin (Production Stage Manager) and Kathleen Barrett (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, click here.

Production Details:

Title: Windfall
Playwright: ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney
Director: Awoye Timpo
Cast: ensemble members Alana Arenas (First Lady, Second Wife, Miss Second, The Last One) Glenn Davis (Marcus), Jon Michael Hill (Nurse, Cori) and Namir Smallwood (Officer, Brother 1). Additional casting to be announced.

Location: Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, April 9 – Saturday, April 18, 2026
Opening: Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 6 pm
Regular run: Tuesday, April 21 – Sunday, May 31, 2026
Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, April 14, Wednesday, April 22, Tuesday, April 28, Tuesday, May 5, Saturday, May 9 (Steppenwolf Gala) and Tuesday, May 26; there will not be at 3 pm performance on Saturday, May 9 (Steppenwolf Gala); there will be an added 7:30 pm performance on Sunday, April 26; there will be an added 2 pm matinee on Wednesday, May 20.

Tickets: Single tickets for Windfall ($20 – $148.50*) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are currently on sale at steppenwolf.org/memberships: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30. *Pricing includes an $8.50 handling fee

Steppenwolf offers 20 tickets for $20 (no added fees) for each performance of every membership series production. Use promo code 20FOR20 to redeem this offer online, available in advance until they're sold out for every main series show. Limit 2 tickets per person. You can also purchase by phone at (312) 335-1650 on the day-of show at 12 pm for main series performances. Limit 2 tickets per person.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-Described and Touch Tour:  Sunday, May 24 at 3 pm (1:30 pm Touch Tour)
Open-Captioned: Saturday, May 16 at 3 pm & Thursday, May 21 at 7:30 pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, May 29 at 7:30 pm

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2025/26 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions including Mr. Wolf, Amadeus, The Dance of Death and Windfall, in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. Additionally, Steppenwolf is reimagining their community engagement and will pilot new public programming, continue accessibility programming and offer opportunities for deeper explorations for audiences throughout the season. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education-and-engagement/steppenwolf-field-trip-series.

Artist Biographies:

Tarell Alvin McCraney (Playwright, he/him) is Artistic Director of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, he is responsible for identifying, developing and programming new works and re-envisioned classics. He sets the strategic artistic course for the Geffen's Gil Cates and Audrey Skirball Kenis Theaters. McCraney is an award-winning writer, producer and educator, best known for his acclaimed trilogy, The Brother/Sister Plays. His script In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue is the basis for the Oscar–winning film Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins, for which McCraney and Jenkins also won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. He is an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre and a member of Teo Castellanos D-Projects in Miami, a graduate of New World School of the Arts, The Theatre School at DePaul University and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick. He was recently Co-Chair of Playwriting at the David Geffen School of Drama, where he remains on faculty. He is an associate at the Royal Shakespeare Company, London, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Writers Branch).

Awoye Timpo (Director) is a Brooklyn-based Director and Producer. She recently directed Ngozi Anyanwu's Leroy & Lucy at the Steppenwolf. Her recent New York credits include The Swamp Dwellers by Wole Soyinka (TFANA), Syncing Ink by NSangou Njikam (Apollo Theater), Elyria by Deepa Purohit (Atlantic Theater), Wedding Band by Alice Childress (Theatre for a New Audience), In Old Age by Mfoniso Udofia (New York Theatre Workshop), Carnaval by Nikkole Salter (National Black Theatre), Good Grief by Ngozi Anyanwu (Vineyard Theatre and Audible) and The Homecoming Queen by Ngozi Anyanwu (Atlantic Theater Company). Regionally she has directed at the Huntington, Studio Theatre, Paradise Blue, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkeley Rep, Marin Theatre Company. Other projects include concert performances for independent artists as well as for the NBA, Ndebele Funeral (59E59, Edinburgh, South African Tour), "Black Picture Show" (Artists Space/Metrograph), and Bluebird Memories (Audible). Awoye is a Creative Arts Consultant for the African American Policy Forum and the Founding Producer of Classix, a collective of 5 artists created to explode the classical canon through an exploration of dramatic works by Black writers and Black performance history, theclassix.org.

Alana Arenas (First Lady, Second Wife, Miss Second, The Last One) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2007. She most recently appeared in Steppenwolf's world premiere of Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins in Chicago and on Broadway (Tony Award – Best Play). Alana also created the role of Pecola Breedlove for the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of The Bluest Eye, which also played at the New Victory Theater Off-Broadway. Recent Steppenwolf appearances include: the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of Monster, The Fundamentals, Marie Antoinette, Tribes, Belleville, Head of Passes, Good People, Three Sisters, The March, Man in Love, Middletown, The Hot L Baltimore, The Etiquette of Vigilance, The Brother/Sister Plays, The Tempest, The Crucible, Spare Change and The Sparrow Project. Broadway: Purpose. Other theatre credits include Disgraced (American Theater Company), The Arabian Nights (Lookingglass Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Kansas City Repertory Theatre), Eyes (eta Creative Arts), SOST (MPAACT), WVON (Black Ensemble Theater) and Hecuba (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Television and film credits include David Makes Man, Canal Street, Crisis, Boss, The Beast, Kabuku Rides and Lioness of Lisabi. She is originally from Miami, Florida, where she began her training at the New World School of the Arts. Alana holds a BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Glenn Davis (Marcus) is an actor, producer and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, alongside Audrey Francis, where he has been an ensemble member since 2017. He most recently appeared in Steppenwolf's world premiere of Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins in Chicago and on Broadway (Tony Award – Best Play, Tony nomination – Best Featured Actor). Other Steppenwolf credits include Downstate, The Christians, You Got Older, The Brother/Sister Plays, Head of Passes, King James (also Mark Taper Forum), Describe the Night. Broadway credits include: Purpose; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (also Kirk Douglas Theatre, Mark Taper Forum). Off-Broadway credits include Transfers (MCC Theatre), Wig Out! (Vineyard Theatre), Downstate (Playwrights Horizons, Outer Critics Circle Nomination) and King James (MTC). Other regional credits include Moscow x6 (Williamstown Theatre Festival). International credits include Downstate (National Theatre, UK); Edward II, The Winter's Tale and As You Like It (Stratford Festival); Othello (The Shakespeare Company). Television credits include Billions, 24, The Unit, Jericho and The Good Wife. Glenn is an Artistic Associate at the Young Vic in London and at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. He is also a partner in Cast Iron Entertainment, a collective of artists consisting of Sterling K Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Michael Hill, Andre Holland and Tarell Alvin McCraney. Cast Iron is currently in residence at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2021, Glenn founded The Chatham Grove Company along with his producing partner Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Jon Michael Hill (Nurse, Cori) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2007. He most recently appeared in Steppenwolf's world premiere of Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins in Chicago and on Broadway (Tony Award – Best Play, Tony nomination – Lead Actor). Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Leroy and Lucy, True West (also Galway Arts Festival), Pass Over, Constellations, Head of Passes, The Hot L Baltimore, The Tempest, Kafka on the Shore, The Unmentionables. Broadway: Purpose, Superior Donuts, Pass Over. Off-Broadway: The Refuge Plays (New York Theatre Workshop) Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Film: Pass Over, Widows, In The Radiant City, No Pay, Nudity. Television: A Man in Full (Netflix), Elementary (CBS), Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC), Eastbound and Down (HBO), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) and Person of Interest (CBS).

Namir Smallwood (Officer, Brother 1) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2017. He is currently starring in ensemble member Tracy Letts's Bug on Broadway opposite, ensemble member Carrie Coon. Steppenwolf: Mr. Wolf, You Will Get Sick, The Book of Grace, Seagull, Bug, True West, BLKS, Monster, Man In Love, The Hot L Baltimore, Last Night and the Night Before. Broadway: Pass Over, Bug. Off Broadway: Pipeline, Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Chicago: The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theater); Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre); East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theatre). Regional: Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Guthrie Theater. International: True West (Galway International Arts Festival). Television: Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Elementary, American Rust (Showtime/FreeVee); Power Book IV: Force (STARZ). Film: Rounding.

Accessibility:

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and Braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:

Windfall is supported in part by Conagra Brands Foundation, Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, and CNA. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Steven and Nancy Crown, Conagra Brands Foundation, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, Joyce Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theater and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While 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. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

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.

The expansive, opulent home exudes an air of solid middle-class comfort, boasting a formal dining area, an upright piano, and multiple doors leading to various sections of the house. A bay window graces an alcove, while a grand staircase ascends to the sleeping quarters on the second floor. Adorning the walls are portraits commemorating significant moments in the family's history, including images of MLK and Rosa Parks alongside the patriarch. This residence, nestled in the Jackson Park Highlands—an economically segregated enclave on Chicago's South Side—radiates a sense of peace, tranquility, and nobility. Soon, however, it will transform into a bustling hive of activity.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist is a chameleon in the world of dramatist.  He wrote the controversial Obie Award-winning “An Octoroon”; the satirical  thriller “Gloria”, and the southern plantation drama “Appropriate” which received its world premiere in Chicago. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is not a Black playwright, he is a playwright who just happens to be Black.  He would have it no other way. He doesn’t allow himself to be classified to any specific genre of storytelling. His influences are as varied as the plays he writes.

"Purpose," directed by the Tony Award-winning actress and director Phylicia Rashad, is nothing short of extraordinary. It transcends the confines of a mere family drama, delving deep into the realms of a virtual character study.

(left to right) Harry Lennix and Ayanna Bria Bakari with ensemble members Glenn Davis and Jon Michael Hill in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s world premiere of Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Phylicia Rashad.

The Rev. Solomon "Sonny" Jasper is a civil rights icon. He has marched for justice and witnessed important moments in the Civil Rights Movement. He has met with influential figures like Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. His income comes primarily from speaking engagements and donations. He has dedicated his life to helping others. He tried to raise his two sons according to his values, church and state. Naz was to be a pastor and  Solomon Jr. was in politics.  Now retired, he has taken up beekeeping, perhaps to find purpose in his life.

His wife Claudine Jasper is the proverbial women behind the man. She takes care of her family and is the strength they rely upon. A lawyer by degree, she uses it in service of her family. She’s shrewd  and disarmingly warm at the same time. She likes to be in control and she’s not one to cross.

Solomon "Junior" Jasper, son of Sonny and Claudia Jasper, embodies both his parents' strengths. A former congressman, he has recently been released from prison after serving time for using campaign funds for his personal use.   Despite his challenges, he stays positive and believes in himself. He blames his troubles on his recently diagnosed mental health issue. He craves attention and shows signs of narcissism, but his charisma makes it easy to overlook.

Morgan Jasper is the wife of Solomon Jr.  When we meet her she is soon to enter prison to serve her time for tax fraud. She was caught up in her husband’s financial improprieties. Since they have  children Morgan and Junior cannot serve their prison time at the same time.  She is more bitter than a slice of lemon in a jar of three-day old Kool-Aid. She feels she is taking the fall for her husband and by default his family. She warns anyone within earshot to be wary of The Jaspers. She denies them the company of their grandchildren, knowing this drives Claudia to distraction.

Nazareth “Naz” Jasper is the youngest son of Solomon and Claudia. He is an introvert in a family of extroverts, in essence, the weird one. He photographs nature scenes for a living and enjoys his solitude. He dropped out of divinity school much to the chagrin of his father who wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a pastor. He’s possibly on the spectrum (aren’t we all) and asexual. He’s also our narrator, giving us valuable insights into the Family Jasper.

Aziza Houston, an independent self-sufficient woman, is the friend of Nazareth Jasper. She walks into this situation blind. She is shocked Naz, is the son of the civil rights icon. She is elated to be in the company of the Jaspers until she is truly in the company of the Jaspers.

Director Phylicia Rashad effectively maintains the motivation and focus of her cast throughout the production, fostering a sense of familial unity among the actors, which I find particularly appealing in collaborative efforts. The casting couldn't have been more apt, with each actor perfectly suited to their respective roles.

Jon Michael Hill embodies the charm of Naz, evoking empathy as the outlier within his family. Whenever he steps into the spotlight, anticipation mounts for the forthcoming revelations, delivered with a blend of wit and sincerity. Glenn Davis delivers his best performance yet as Solomon Jr., infusing the character with a delightful humor that effortlessly captivates the audience. Alana Arenas mesmerizes with her portrayal of Morgan, conveying volumes with just a single glance. Her entrance into the dining room is etched into memory, portraying a woman whose words cut like a dagger.  Ayanna Bria Bakari navigates the complexities of Aziza's character with finesse, charting a compelling arc from excitement to dread as she becomes entangled with The Jaspers. Harry Lennox brings a dignified presence to the role of patriarch Solomon Jasper, embodying the essence of strength and authority. Tamara Tunie shines as the family matriarch, Claudine Jasper, striking the perfect balance between assertiveness and subtlety in her delivery, effectively communicating her message without overpowering force.

Todd Rosenthal's set design is teeming with intricate detail, evoking the sensation of a hive with its distinct compartments—a captivating and thought-provoking choice. Amith Chandrashaker's realistic lighting design further accentuated the set, seamlessly integrating even the more fantastical elements such as the special spotlight on Naz, lending them an air of naturalness. Dede Ayite's costume design elevated the character portrayals, skillfully complementing them without ever overshadowing the performances.

While the playwright never explicitly mentions the name, it's difficult to miss the parallels to the Jackson family……..Jesse,  not Michael. Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins is known for tackling controversial themes, prompting the question: would a white playwright be afforded the same latitude in crafting such an interesting narrative?   Discuss!

“Purpose” is a cautionary tale.  Imagine we are all worker bees in a giant hive called life.  Each bee has a specific role within the hive, whether it's building comb, collecting nectar, or caring for the young. These roles contribute to the greater good of the hive's survival and success.  Just like bees, we all have a unique purpose within the larger ecosystem of life.  Our purpose may not always be readily apparent,  but it's there and only we can live our purpose.

“Purpose” is arguably the best play I’ve seen at Steppenwolf Theatre. It’s going to be the best play seen on Broadway.

Highly Recommended

When: Through April 28

Where: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

Running time: 3 hours

Tickets: $52-$116 at 312-335-1650 and www.steppenwolf.org

*Extended through May 12th

“Describe the Night” at Steppenwolf is serious theater that is seriously entertaining. Intellectually challenging yet side-splittingly funny, it has sat with me for days after as I’ve puzzled over what it is telling us.

Written by celebrated playwright Rajiv Joseph, whose sly wit enthralled audiences in Steppenwolf’s “Guards at the Taj,” the somewhat enigmatic script is also a captivating mystery story. It follows the emergence of famed Russian Jewish author Isaac Babel’s wartime journal, an uncensored record of his war time impressions.

Depicting real and fictional characters, Joseph spins a possible recount of how Babel’s journal survived while much of his writing was banned and destroyed. The title of the play was taken from that journal kept while Babel served as a war correspondent and propagandist for the Soviets in their 1920 war against Poland. Babel was a rising fiction writer when he signed into the military, and soon after the war wrote Red Cavalry, drawn from his personal impressions of the war, quite at odds with the positive spin he delivered in the news.

Eventually, under increasingly oppressive censorship, much of Babel’s fiction writing was banned by Russian authorities, the author imprisoned in 1939, and executed in 1940, with his working manuscripts, notes, and the journal offered in evidence at his trial. In the play's portrayal of the search for the surviving journal, we see two fictional connections to Babel—the grandmotherly babushka Yevgenia (Sally Murphy) and her granddaughter Urzula (Charence Higgins)—tailed by KGB operative Vova (Glenn Davis is pitch perfect).

The KGB wanted not just the writer dead, and his manuscripts and books destroyed, but his source material too. Hence the ongoing search for Babel’s journal. Vova's menacing presence is palpable, but his efforts are thwarted by the ditzy Yevgenia who charms him and all of us with an earnest insistence that he join them for soup. Vova acquiesces, and the playwright gives as a surreal dinner scene—foreshadowed deftly in Act 1—that is one for the ages, the laugh until you cry type.

It also encapsulates one powerful truth in “Describe the Night,” that a great antidote to disinformation and oppression is to laugh at it, buttressed with “alternative facts” as "truth" in our own age of disinformation and “the big lie” is in danger of becoming. In other words, we live in a time when truth and lies are harder to distinguish. And this evolving dynamic of confusion within society is at the core of "Describe the Night."

Written in 2014 and produced in 2017, “Describe the Night” predates our own unfortunate circumstances, with libraries censored, school curricula bowderlized, and news content cued to television ratings rather than impartiality. Reviews of other stagings have recognized the importance of this play, but it seems in Steppenwolf's production under the direction of Austin Pendleton, the actors have nailed the comic timing that makes the show so effective.

Kudos too, for scenic design by Collette Pollard, whose representation of the extensive KGB files on parties of interest is another high point of the show, played also to great comic effect. On Steppenwolf’s newest in-the-round theater space is a blank tablet with minimalist sets introduced only when required. Sound design by Pornchanak Kanchanabanca is noteworthy, from light touches of evocative music to dramatic sound effects such the roaring inferno where many of Babel’s writings are destroyed.

In some ways “Describe the Night” is an absurdist style play, the characters not naturalistic. But Joseph, who also won a Tony for his "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo," leavens this with his signature style of natural contemporary speech. We see this particularly as two real life characters, Isaac Babel (James Vincent Merredith) and his military minder and friend Nikolai (Yasen Peyankov) who joust about the nature of truth. Likewise with two fictional characters from scenes in post-Soviet times, airport car rental agent Feliks (Jack Cain) and reporter Marikya (Caroline Neff, who I never can get enough of on stage). Mariyka also comes under questioning Vova in the search for the missing journal, making a connection to contemporary times.

This show flies by in two hours and forty-five minutes, and the first act is engaging and promising, on which the second act delivers in spades. I had no idea how much time had passed when the lights came up. “Describe the Night” runs through April 9, 2023 at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. It’s a great production of what is proving to be a seminal play.

With the world being what it is, war and rumors of war, racial unrest, and division, it was comforting to see a play where two unlikely people form a friendship. A friendship based solely on basketball, more specifically, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“King James” opened with the Marvin Gaye version of the national anthem. It took everything within me to not stand with my hand over my heart. It felt like the opening of a championship game. This was special, the DJ Khloe Janel, playlist demanded that we get involved.

Matt is the manager of a wine bar. Because of bad investments and a need for money, he must sell his seats to the 19 remaining games of a season pass to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In walks Shawn, a writer, who just sold his first short story. He has some extra money and would like to splurge on something he couldn’t afford, season tickets to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two only haggle over the price of the tickets, they complain about bandwagon fans, the meaning of fandom and the “the problem with America” (a theme that comes up in several scenes) as well as all things LeBron James. Matt & Shawn learn a lot about each other, especially how different they are. Shawn, a graduate of the prestigious private school St. Ignatius and Matt, who barely got by in public school, find common ground in their fandom. By the end of the first quarter, I mean scene, Shawn realizes, after scoring the tickets, he has no one to go to the games with him. Matt offers to go to the games with Shawn. It’s better to go with someone who appreciates the game and not just a bandwagon, fair weather fan.

During the next three quarters, spanning 12 years, these guys have a lot to say, yet they are constantly learning new things about each other’s lives. Matt didn’t know how close his mother is to Shawn. Shawn didn’t know how many girlfriends Matt goes thru. As a matter of fact, the longest relationship either of these guys have is between each other

In a departure from “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” Rajiv Joseph’s tale about the psychological weight and horrific circumstances of war, nothing in “King James” will make one feel uncomfortable. Still in all, Joseph has written a quick-witted, sharp tongue play. Issues are brought up and just as easily put to rest because of the friendship of these characters…I wish America was like this.

Renowned Director Kenny Leon has directed this show with an eye on pacing. The ball is always in the air and never allowed to rest for long. Every silence is earned. Great job!

Chris Perfetti known mostly for his role on “Abbott Elementary” plays Matt as a neurotic risk-taking super-fan to wonderful results. It is a great contrast to Glenn Davis’s stoic super-fan Shawn. Watching them together is like watching a championship game of verbal gymnastics.

The game is played on Todd Rosenthal’s realistic set. A wine cellar and a fully realized vintage & upholstery store

King James continues at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., through April 10. Tickets are $20-$88 for performances Tuesday-Sunday. Running time is 115 minutes with one intermission.

“Downstate” is a bit of a dog whistle for Chicagoland, suggesting a cultural distinction between urbanites in the north, and the vast agrarian expanses to the south – downstate - where trash goes, sewage flows, and where the state government builds prisons.

The word becomes generalized in Downstate, a new play by Pulitzer Prize winner Bruce Norris, which looks at the fraught issue of finding housing for convicted pedophiles after they serve time for their crimes. During parole, these men are returned to the” community,” but not to their home.

Instead they live in halfway houses operated by non-profits, sited in carefully proscribed areas that must be so-many hundreds of feet away from schools and other areas children may gather. The inhabitants are not allowed to go online, or possess a smartphone, keep alcohol, use Facebook, or move about freely.

Norris takes the less politically correct position of empathy in showing the suffering imposed on these pariahs, who in the world of #MeToo are unlikely to get a second thought. They are subject to regular inquisitions by parole officers, and a concatenation of rules and restrictions means there are few locations for them to live in such transitional halfway houses. So, they are shipped Downstate.

“I started doing a lot of reading about the things paroled sex offenders increasingly face– registries, residency restrictions, neighborhood watches, self-appointed vigilante groups,” says Norris. “These are post-incarceration punishments, that don’t exist for any other category of criminal.”

That in a nutshell is what Downstate is about: four men holed up in a house run by a Lutheran social service agency. They can go to work and come home, and that’s about it – even the local IGA grocery store is only 2,450 feet from the elementary school. They are indeed strange bedfellows, and Norris gives us the nuance of the caliber of their individual violations:

• the piano teacher Fred (Steppenwolf stalwart Francis Guinan) who had sex with two adolescent male students. Guinan, in an understated performance, shows the range that can be expressed within a very constrained character.

• Gio (Glenn Davis in an amazing, hyperbolic performance) a frenetic man on the make with a plan in his hand, whose crime was considered Category 1 (lower level) statutory rape of a young woman below age.

• Felix (Eddie Torres) who was convicted of incest with his daughter. Torres conveys the abject suffering and torment as he loses access to his family.

• A Broadway choreographer and accomplished promoter and musical artist, Dee, who fell in love with a 14-year-old boy in a road show of Peter Pan.

As Dee, K. Todd Freeman gives what will certainly become a definitive expression to the role. He is the settled voice of reason and a nurturant center of gravity within this ad hoc family of men, shopping for them and helping to make a home for them. As audience, we listen to Dee: he dishes and gives back as good as he gets – and he becomes our guide and the closest thing to a voice of reason.

Norris may be toying with us, then, by making Dee a very sympathetic character, while at the same time making him an unrepentant advocate for man-boy love – the movement that sees adult male love of minor boys as a victimless crime, and which advocates for release of those convicted of it. 

“There’s not many cases of death by blowjob!” Dee asserts. Gio, for one, abhors Dee both for his gayness and for his pederasty, with some violent outbursts in the house as a result.

Norris focuses this tension with the introduction of Andy (Tim Hopper), a Northshore suburbanite who with his wife Em (Matilda Ziegler) comes to visit Fred to seek redress, to “process” the issue and obtain formal emotional closure by getting him to sign an explicit statement acknowledging his wrongs. Norris contrasts Andy’s suffering with the experience of Dee, who comes to the defense of Fred, while revealing that he, too, was abused as a child – and claims to be none the worse for it. Fred and Em bring all the conventional middle class psychological expression to their claims - but framed within the context of Downstate, it begins to sound more like "white people's problems." 

Norris seems fearless in treading into such troublemaker territory. His Pulitzer winning Clybourn Park visited historic efforts in 1959 to block African Americans from moving into a white Chicago neighborhood, then returned 50 years later to watch a reversal of prejudice as whites tried to gentrify the same now-black area. Downstate will test its audience even further, since pedophiles are largely today's lepers.

Downstate is directed by Pam MacKinnon, and she had her hands full to balance the energy emanating from this remarkable company of performers. A call out to Cecilia Noble as parole officer Ivy - it's almost a thankless role to play the character who has a thankless job, in a play like this. But thank you, Ivy, for very good performance. 

Of particular note, the production is a joint effort by Steppenwolf and the National Theatre of the U.K. It may surprise you to learn the cast is transatlantic. The flawless, broad, working class accent of extreme south suburban Effie (played by Aimee Lou Wood, a Manchester, England native) and the dulcet Kenilworth articulation of Em (played by Londoner Matilda Ziegler) were learned right here on Halsted street, under the tutelage of Gigi Buffington.

Downstate plays through November 18 at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. After that it moves to the National Theatre London in January 2019.