Chicago Shakespeare Theater's ILLINOISE January 28–February 18, 2024

 ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List: 

Family Friendly Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces the cast and creative team of

ILLINOISE

A new kind of musical based on Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed concept album

With music and lyrics by Grammy and Oscar-nominated Sufjan Stevens

Story by Tony Award winner Justin Peck and Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury

Directed and choreographed by Justin Peck

Running January 28–February 18, 2024

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces today the cast of the highly anticipated Illinoise, a new kind of musical based on Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed concept album. Illinoise embraces Grammy and Oscar-nominated Stevens’ landmark album in a genre-bursting theatrical experience that inspires hope. With a story crafted by Tony Award winner Justin Peck (New York City Ballet, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story) and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (Fairview), and original choreography by Peck, Illinoise glows around a campfire as virtuosic dancers, singers, and a live band lead audiences on a mighty journey.

Beginning performances in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare on January 28, 2024, the cast features Kara Chan, Ben Cook, Jeanette Delgado, Gaby Diaz, Robbie Fairchild, Christine Flores, Jada German, Zachary Gonder, Rachel Lockhart, Dario Natarelli, Tyrone Reese, Craig Salstein, Ahmad Simmons, Byron Tittle, Ricky Ubeda, and Alejandro Vargas. The band includes vocalists Shara Nova and Tasha Viets-VanLear, and instrumentalists Christina Courtin, Sean Forte, Domenica Fossati, Daniel Freedman, Kathy Halvorson, Nathan Koci, Eleonore Oppenheim, Brett Parnell, Brandon Ridenour, Kyra Sims, and Jessica Tsang.

With inclusion on several “best of the decade” lists, including those of Paste, NPR, and Rolling Stone, Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed 2005 concept album Illinois enjoys cult status for its lush orchestrations and wildly inventive portrayal of the state’s people, landscapes, and history—complete with UFOs, zombies, and predatory wasps. This ambitious work weaves together delicate folk narratives about blossoming queerness, orchestral anthems destined for cinematic montages, and jazz tunes about the state’s ghost towns. Featuring new arrangements of the entire album by composer and pianist Timo Andres, this bold, new kind of musical adds live music and impressionistic choreography to revisit these themes of self-discovery. Following a premiere production at the Fisher Center at Bard in summer 2023, Illinoise marks its official press opening at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, before a New York run at Park Avenue Armory in March.

Featured in the cast of Illinoise is Gaby Diaz, winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 12, whose film credits include West Side Story, tick, tick…BOOM!, Spirited, and the upcoming Maestro. Diaz starred Off-Broadway in Only Gold, for which she won the Chita Rivera Award. Also in the company are Ben Cook, who appeared in the film West Side Story and on Broadway in Ragtime, Billy Elliot (for which he was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award), Tuck Everlasting, Mean Girls, and West Side Story; Robbie Fairchild, whose performance in An American in Paris was nominated for a Tony Award and won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Chita Rivera Awards, and who starred in the film Cats and the Netflix series Soundtrack; and Ricky Ubeda, winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 11, who appeared in FX’s Fosse/Verdon, in the films West Side Story and Maestro, and on Broadway in West Side Story, On The Town, Cats, and Carousel.

The cast of Illinoise also includes Kara Chan (Twyla Tharp Dance, American Ballet Theatre), Jeanette Delgado (Miami City Ballet, West Side Story film), Christine Flores (Dance Heginbotham, Pam Tanowitz Dance), Jada German (Twyla Tharp Dance, Metropolitan Opera), Zachary Gonder (Carmen at Lyric Opera, Pam Tanowitz Dance), Rachel Lockhart (Juilliard’s Choreographic Honors program, Jacob’s Pillow), Dario Natarelli (New York City Center Encores!, Maestro film), Tyrone Reese (Juilliard School), Craig Salstein (Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, associate choreographer for West Side Story and Maestro films), Ahmad Simmons (Fosse/Verdon on FX, Hadestown, West Side Story, Carousel, and Cats on Broadway), Byron Tittle (Dorrance Dance, In the Heights film), and Alejandro Vargas (Juilliard School). The band includes vocalists Shara Nova and Tasha Viets-VanLear, and instrumentalists Christina Courtin, Sean Forte, Domenica Fossati, Daniel Freedman, Kathy Halvorson, Nathan Koci, Eleonore Oppenheim, Brett Parnell, Brandon Ridenour, Kyra Sims, and Jessica Tsang.

In addition to Stevens, Peck, and Drury, the creative team includes Music Director and Supervisor Nathan Koci, Music Arranger and Orchestrator Timo Andres, Scenic Designer Adam Rigg, Lighting Designer Brandon Stirling Baker, Sound Designer Garth MacAleavey, Costume Designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung, Props Designer Andrew Diaz, Mask Designer Julian Crouch, Associate Director and Choreographer Adriana Pierce, Associate Music Director Sean Forte, Production Stage Manager Rick Steiger, Production Manager Brian Freeland, Executive Producer Nate Koch, General Management by NVK/Jenna Ready and Joanna Pisano, and Booking Agent ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann. Illinoise was originally commissioned, developed, and produced at the Fisher Center at Bard, is a co-commission of the Fisher Center at Bard, Park Avenue Armory, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Southbank Centre, TO Live, and the Perelman Performing Arts Center, and is produced in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann.

Also onstage at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in early 2024 is Richard III, playing in the Courtyard Theater February 2–March 3, 2024. In his first production as artistic director, Edward Hall directs Tony Award-nominated actor, Paralympic champion, and bilateral above-knee amputee Katy Sullivan in the title role. A divided kingdom is fertile ground for the charismatic and unscrupulous Richard to seize power and exact revenge—and no one is safe from his tyranny. Full of scathing dark comedy and high-stakes family drama, this tale grapples with violence, power, and the gray area between good and evil. This will mark the first major US production of Richard III to feature a woman with a disability in the title role.

Accessible and enhanced performances for Illinoise include:

ASL duo-interpreted performance – Friday, February 9, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters.

Audio-described performance with optional touch tour – Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. A program that provides spoken narration of a play’s key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Touch Tours provide patrons the opportunity to experience, firsthand, a production’s design elements.

Open-captioned performance – Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.

More information at www.chicagoshakes.com/illinoise and www.illinoiseonstage.com, or social media at @chicagoshakes and @IllinoiseOnStage.

Illinoise will be presented January 28–February 18, 2024, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Single tickets starting at $45 are on sale now. Special discounts are available for audience members under the age of 35 and for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com.

ABOUT SUFJAN STEVENS

Sufjan Stevens is a singer, songwriter, and composer living in New York. His preoccupation with epic concepts has motivated two state records (Michigan and Illinois), a collection of sacred and biblical songs (Seven Swans), an electronic album for the animals of the Chinese zodiac (Enjoy Your Rabbit), a full length partly inspired by the outsider artist Royal Robertson (The Age of Adz), a masterwork memorializing and investigating his relationship with his late mother (Carrie & Lowell), and two Christmas box sets (Songs for Christmas, vol. 1–5 and Silver & Gold, vol. 6–10). BAM has commissioned two works from Stevens, a programmatic tone poem for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (The BQE) and an instrumental accompaniment to slow-motion rodeo footage (Round-Up). He has collaborated extensively with the New York City Ballet choreographer Justin Peck (Year of the Rabbit, Everywhere We Go, Countenance of Kings, Principia, The Decalogue, and Reflections). Stevens’ Planetarium, a collaborative album with Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, and James McAlister imbued with themes of the cosmos, was released in 2017 to widespread critical praise. Stevens also contributed three much-lauded songs to Luca Guadagnino’s critically acclaimed film Call Me By Your Name, including the Oscar and Grammy-nominated song “Mystery of Love.” In 2020, he shared Aporia, a collaborative new age album made with his stepfather Lowell Brams, and his eighth studio album, The Ascension, a reflection on the state of humanity in freefall and a call for a total transformation of consciousness. In early 2021, he released Convocations, a five-volume, two-and-a-half-hour requiem mass for present times. The most recent studio album by Stevens—A Beginner’s Mind—features songs inspired in part by popular films. It was released in the fall of 2021 and is a collaboration with singer-songwriter Angelo DeAugustine. In October 2023, Stevens’ tenth solo studio album, Javelin, was released.

ABOUT JUSTIN PECK

Justin Peck is a director, choreographer, filmmaker, and dancer based in New York City. He is the Resident Choreographer and Artistic Associate of the New York City Ballet, the second person in the institution’s history to hold this title. He has developed and created over 50 dance and theater works that have been presented on stages around the world, including Lincoln Center, the Palais Garnier, Sydney Opera House, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Broadway (most notably with his 2018 Tony Award-winning production of Carousel). His work has been performed by companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, Australian Ballet, Dresden Semperoper Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Boston Ballet, Juilliard, National Ballet of Canada, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, LA Dance Project, Dutch National Ballet, the School of American Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Houston Ballet among many others.

Peck works extensively as a filmmaker with credits including direction of music videos for The National, Chris Thile, and Dan Deacon; choreographing the 2021 film West Side Story in collaboration with director Steven Spielberg; and being commissioned by The New York Times to direct 10 films celebrating the best acting performances of the 2018 year, which included performances by Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Lakeith Stanfield, Glenn Close, Emma Stone, and Toni Collette.

Peck celebrates the art of collaboration and is honored to have worked across mediums with a wide array of luminaries, including Sufjan Stevens, Raf Simons, Elizabeth Moss, Steven Spielberg, Caroline Shaw, Jeffrey Gibson, Renee Fleming, Shepard Fairey, Sofia Coppola, Stephen Sondheim, Shantelle Martin, Humberto Leon, Bradley Cooper, Nico Muhly, John Baldessari, Dries Van Noten, Damien Chazelle, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Marcel Dzama, and Jody Lee Lipes. Peck danced with New York City Ballet from 2006-2019, eventually achieving the rank of soloist in 2013. He has performed a vast repertoire of works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Christopher Wheeldon, and many others.

Peck’s honors include the Tony Award for Best Choreography for the Broadway production of Carousel (2018), the National Arts Award (2018), the Golden Plate Honor from the Academy of Achievement (2019), the Bessie Award for Outstanding Production for Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes (2015), and the World Choreography Award for the film West Side Story (2022).

ABOUT JACKIE SIBBLIES DRURY

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s plays include Marys Seacole (OBIE Award), Fairview (Pulitzer Prize), Really, Social Creatures, and We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915. The presenters of her plays include Donmar Warehouse, The Young Vic, Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3, Soho Rep., Berkeley Rep, New York City Players & Abrons Arts Center, Victory Gardens, Trinity Rep, Woolly Mammoth, Undermain Theatre, InterAct Theatre, Actors Theater of Louisville, Company One, Bush Theatre, and T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Drury has developed her work at Sundance, Bellagio Center, Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep, Soho Rep. Writer/Director Lab, New York Theatre Workshop, Bushwick Starr, LARK, and MacDowell Colony, among others. She has received a PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, a Steinberg Playwright Award, a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a Jerome Fellowship at The LARK, a United States Artists Fellowship, a Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, and a Windham-Campbell Literary Prize in Drama.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, the Theater’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. Chicago Shakespeare is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, the Theater works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On the Theater’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire. www.chicagoshakes.com.

JOYFUL CARIBBEAN-INFLUENCED COMEDY

Twelfth Night 

by William Shakespeare 

directed by Tyrone Phillips

Courtyard Theater 

Now through December 3, 2023 

SPELLBINDING FOLK MUSICAL FROM SCOTLAND

Islander

A WorldStage production from Scotland

conceived and directed by Amy Draper

associate direction by Eve Nicol

book by Stewart Melton

music and lyrics by Finn Anderson

Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare

Now through December 17, 2023 

STUDENTS IN CONVERSATION WITH SHAKESPEARE

Chicago Shakespeare SLAM

in high schools across the region and onstage

at Chicago Shakespeare

December 11, 2023

A NEW KIND OF MUSICAL

Illinoise

music & lyrics by Sufjan Stevens  

based on the album Illinois 

story by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury 

directed and choreographed by Justin Peck  

The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare

January 18–February 28, 2024 

RE-EXAMINING SHAKESPEARE’S INFAMOUS KING

Richard III

by William Shakespeare

directed by Edward Hall

starring Katy Sullivan

Courtyard Theater 

February 2–March 3, 2024

ABRIDGED SHAKESPEARE FOR STUDENTS

Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare

adapted and directed by Mikael Burke

Courtyard Theater 

February 22–March 20, 2024

RIOTOUSLY FUNNY WORLD PREMIERE STARRING JASON ALEXANDER

Judgment Day

by Rob Ulin

directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel

The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare 

April 23–May 26, 2024

CAN YOU CRACK THE CODE?

The Enigmatist

written and performed by David Kwong

Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare 

May 29–June 30, 2024

ADULT NIGHT OUT: Chicago Premiere of Fairview Via Definition Theatre April 28 - May 21, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Definition Theatre  

presents the Chicago Premiere of 

Fairview 

the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner by Jackie Sibblies Drury 

directed by Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips 

 

Here at ChiIL Mama, we not only cover family friendly theatre, but also productions that deal with family relationships and dynamics. We're particularly jazzed for Definition Theatre's latest, the Chicago premiere of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Fairview by Jackie Sibblies Drury and directed by Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips. We've been big fans of Tyrone Phillips' excellent work for years. I'll be out for opening night on May 4th, so check back soon after for my full review.  

Fairview runs from April 28 - May 21, 2023 at The Revival, 1160 E 55th Street in Hyde Park. Tickets for Fairview are general admission and start at $35. Visit definitiontheatre.org to buy tickets.  

The Chicago premiere features ensemble members Carley Cornelius and Martasia K. Jones with Barbara Figgins, David Goodloe, Jada Jackson, Collin Quinn Rice, Kandice Robins and Max Stewart.  

At the Frasier household, preparations for Grandma’s birthday party are underway. Beverly is holding on to her sanity by a thread to make sure this party is perfect, but her sister can’t be bothered to help, her husband doesn’t seem to listen, her brother is MIA, her daughter is a teenager, and maybe nothing is what it seems in the first place. Fairview is a searing examination of families, drama, family dramas, and the insidiousness of white supremacy. 

“Our ensemble is eager to share this Chicago Premiere at The Revival in Hyde Park. Fairview is a stirring family comedy that tackles complicated issues and asks big questions about identity, race, stereotypes, ownership, and the all-too-common white gaze that is applied to the lives, culture, and stories of BIPoC communities,” said Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips. “I am thrilled to direct this masterpiece by Jackie Sibblies Drury with an incredible team of artists on and off the stage who have assembled to create a theatrical experience that our audiences will not soon forget.”  

The production team for Fairview includes Tiffany Renee Johnson (Assistant Director), Sydney Lynne Thomas (Scenic Design), Alexandria Richardson (Costume Design), Brenden Marble and Razor Wintercastle (Lighting Design), Willow James (Sound Design), Mariah Bennett (Props Design), Jyreika Guest (Intimacy & Fight Choreography), Kenya Hall (Dramaturg), Ellen Willett (Production Manager), Julie Jachym (Stage Manager), Octavio Montes De Oca (Assistant Stage Managers), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), Louis Lothan (Master Electrician), ensemble member Alexandra Oparka (Assistant Producer), and AJ Links (Casting).

Location: The Revival, 1160 E 55th Street in Hyde Park 

Previews: Friday, April 28 at 7:30pm; Saturday, April 29 at 3:00pm and 7:30pm;  

Sunday, April 30 at 3:00pm  

Regular run: May 5 - 21, 2023 

Ticket prices: $35 

Box Office: Tickets are available online at definitiontheatre.org. Tickets will also be available to purchase in person at The Revival on the day of the performance.  

 

ABOUT DEFINITION THEATRE 

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

Definition has built its reputation on work that reflects its unique voice. It shared the words of Academy Award- Winner Tarell Alvin McCraney in The Brothers Size; it grooved with Amiri Baraka’s whirlwind story of a chance meeting on a train in Dutchman. In partnership with, The New Colony staged the world premiere of Byhalia, Mississippi, which starred Academy Award nominee ensemble member Kiki Layne. In association with the Goodman Theatre, Definition staged the Chicago premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon, a subversive take on race in America that captivated audiences. Definition sent us all to the moon with ensemble member James Ijames’s Moon Man Walk, explored the challenges of America’s public-school system through Nilaja Sun’s No Child… and highlighted the first- generation experience in the world premiere of Sam Kebede’s ETHIOPIANAMERICA. The company returned to the stage and inspected white privilege, racial politics and the fine line between appropriation and opportunity in ensemble member James Ijames’s WHITE. This Winter, they examined the dark and sweet spots of Black American identity with the choreopoem, ALAIYO.  

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

 

Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) To Produce We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Steppenwolf for Young Adults to Present the Acclaimed Play

We Are Proud to Present a Presentation

About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as

South West Africa, From the German Südwestafrika,

Between the Years 1884-1915

Written By Jackie Sibblies Drury

Directed by Hallie Gordon and Gabrielle Randle

March 2– March 16, 2019

Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) announced today it will produce We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 by Jackie Sibblies Drury as the second production in the 2018/19 season. SYA Artistic Director Hallie Gordon co-directs with Gabrielle Randle. SYA’s 2018/19 Season explores the question, “When you feel lost, how do you find your way?”

We Are Proud to Present a Presentation…will be produced in place of the previously announced production of Radical, a new play inspired by the book White American Youth by Christian Picciolini. SYA Artistic Director Hallie Gordon shares, “After months of discussions with teachers, Young Adult Council members, artists and designers it became clear that adapting this book for the stage would not be of service to our young adult audiences at this time. I am so grateful to the author, playwright, and our incredible community of educators, teens and artists for sharing their voices, and to the Steppenwolf family for trusting me to know when to push forward and pull back.”

“SYA is dedicated to creating work that is both provocative and drives us to think harder and deeper about who we are and the choices we make. We are so excited to be producing We Are Proud to Present a Presentation…a powerful story that explores themes of race, representation, storytelling and the power group-thinking can have on an individual. Our season theme is “When you feel lost, how do you find your way?” – a question that every character in this play must ask themselves. SYA hasn’t yet produced a play structured like this one, and we are thrilled that we have the opportunity to share it with our audiences,” adds Gordon.

When a group of actors gathers together to give a presentation about a long-forgotten—or possibly never remembered—genocide, they realize that summaries based on history books aren’t nearly enough to capture the complexity of human extermination—or human interaction. We Are Proud to Present a Presentation…tells the story of what happens when, in an effort to dig deeper, the nobly intentioned ensemble crashes into their own simmering fears and unconscious prejudices, coming face to face with the potential for brutality in all of us.

Public performances for We Are Proud to Present a Presentation…will take place March 2 (3 & 7:30pm); March 8 (7:30pm); March 9 (3 & 7:30pm); March 15 (7:30pm); March 16 (3 & 7:30pm) in the Upstairs Theatre. Performances Tuesday – Friday at 10am are reserved for school groups only and available by visiting steppenwolf.org/education. This season, more than 15,000 Chicago Public School students, teachers and community will see a Steppenwolf for Young Adults production. Single tickets to public performances ($15-20) go on sale at a later date.

Bios
Hallie Gordon (Co-Director) is an Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf and the Artistic Director for Steppenwolf for Young Adults, where she has directed many productions for the program including Monster by Walter Dean Myers; George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm; The Book Thief; To Kill a Mockingbird; and the world premiere of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye at Steppenwolf and Off-Broadway. In Steppenwolf’s season she has directed The Rembrandt and Taylor Mac’s Hir. She is an ensemble member for Rivendell Theatre where she directed the critically acclaimed Dry Land and Eat Your Heart Out. 

Gabrielle Randle (Co-Director) is a performance scholar, director, and dramaturg based in Chicago. She has a BA in Drama from Stanford University and an MA in Performance as Public Practice from The University of Texas at Austin. She has worked as a dramaturg, producer, and director across the United States including Off-Broadway and internationally on three continents. In Chicago she has worked with Sideshow Theatre Company (Associate Artist), Chicago Dramatists, Victory Gardens Theater, Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, and Court Theatre. She is a third year PhD student at Northwestern in The Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama.

Tour to Juvenile Justice Facilities
Working in collaboration with Storycatchers Theatre, Steppenwolf Education will tour its production of We Are Proud to Present a Presentation… to three Juvenile Justice Facilities in Illinois. This will be the third tour collaboration between Steppenwolf and Storycatchers Theatre, an organization that guides young people to transform their traumatic experiences into powerful musical theatre, inspiring them to develop the courage and vision to become leaders and mentors. By creating support for youth within the criminal justice system, Storycatchers prepares them to change their lives and emerge successfully from court involvement. For more info, visit storycatcherstheatre.org.



The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Opening the 2018/19 SYA Season is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time adapted by Simon Stephens, based on the book by Mark Haddon and directed by Jonathan Berry, October 5 – October 27, 2018 in the Downstairs Theatre. 

Based on the critically acclaimed book by Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time focuses on Christopher, a young boy with an extraordinary brain and an exceptional talent for mathematics. When the neighbor’s dog Wellington is found dead, Christopher launches an investigation into the mystery surrounding the dog’s murder. As he searches for the truth on his first ever excursion by himself, he uncovers surprises about himself and his family, exploring the hidden secrets and challenges in everyday life.

Public performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time are October 5 (7:30pm); October 6 (3 & 7:30pm); October 7 at 3pm; October 12 (7:30pm); October 13 (3 & 7:30pm); October 19 (7:30pm); October 20 (3 & 7:30pm); October 26 (7:30pm); October 27 (3 & 7:30pm). *The October 27 3pm performance will be a Relaxed/Sensory Friendly performance. Tickets to public performances are available at 312-335-1650 or at steppenwolf.org. 

Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly Performances
Steppenwolf is proud to present Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly performances for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time on Saturday, October 27 at 3pm, and We Are Proud to Present… at a TBD date. Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly performances feature a more relaxed environment and minor adjustments to sensory effects such as lighting and sound cues. This performance is open to all but designed to create a safe and welcoming experience for guests who may include, but are not limited to, individuals on the autism spectrum, as well as people with sensory processing and/or integration sensitivities. For more information, please email access@steppenwolf.org.

Major foundation support for Steppenwolf Education is provided by the Polk Bros. Foundation and Alphawood Foundation. Steppenwolf Education is also supported in part by contributions from The Crown Family, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Sage Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Northern Trust Company, Field Foundation of Illinois, Dr. Scholl Foundation, the Helen Brach Foundation, ITW Foundation, Siragusa Foundation, Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc. and Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; as well as the Steppenwolf Associates, a community of dynamic young professionals.


Steppenwolf Education is a citywide partner of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) School Partner Program.

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.



Steppenwolf Education’s unique approach combines play production with educational components to enhance arts education for young audiences, as well as their teachers and families. Every season Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) creates two full-scale professional productions specifically for teens. Working closely with the Chicago Public and metropolitan area schools and other community partners, Steppenwolf Education annually ensures access to the theater for more than 15,000 participants from Chicago’s diverse communities. The initiative also includes post-show discussions with artists; classroom residencies led by Steppenwolf-trained teaching artists in almost 100 classrooms in public high schools; professional development workshops for educators; and the Young Adult Council, an innovative year-round after-school initiative that uniquely engages high school students in all areas of the theater’s operations, as well as other teen and community based programs.



Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County—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. 

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.