THE LEFKOFSKY ARTS AND EDUCATION CENTER IS A LOVE LETTER TO CHICAGO THAT WILL ALLOW US TO EXPAND OUR REACH ACROSS THIS GREAT CITY, PROVIDING A SPACE WHERE AUDIENCES AND ARTISTS CAN GATHER, CONNECT, AND SHARE IN THE LOVE OF GREAT THEATRE.
- Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Artistic Directors, and Brooke Flanagan, Executive Director
Our Expanded Campus
Chicago's Theatre, Home to America's Ensemble
Steppenwolf has inspired generations of theatre audiences and has long been a benchmark for theatre excellence. Our expanded campus offers new opportunities for productions of varying scope and voice, welcoming new generations of audiences, an embracing and humane approach to life both onstage and off, and public spaces that throw open our doors and invite folks to spend more of their lives with us. Opened in 2021, the Lefkofsky Arts and Education Center featuring the Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell and The Loft, our first dedicated education space, is an expression of not just what we do but of who we are: a home for the greatest theatre ensemble in the United States and a thriving center for culture in Chicago.
Steppenwolf’s Building on Excellence Campaign created an urban theater campus that brings people from all backgrounds together to have artistic experiences that are in dialogue with their lives, as vastly different as they can be. Our expanded campus is home to the most talented, brave, compassionate, and diverse ensemble in the country, working alongside engaged and adventurous young adults. We are proud to be a theater that is accessible to all of Chicago.
PRESS
Lefkofsky Arts and Education Center Coverage:
Chicago Sun-Times: ‘Love Letter to Chicago’
Chicago Tribune: ‘Steppenwolf Theatre unveils its new, $54 million campus’
WTTW-TV: Steppenwolf Theatre Returns After 20-Month Intermission
Naming Coverage:
Education and The Loft Coverage:
Tony Fitzpatrick Mural Coverage:
Groundbreak Coverage:
On March 5, 2019, Steppenwolf Theatre Company broke ground on their new building.
THANK YOU
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Steppenwolf raised over $56 million. With gratitude we acknowledge the following lead donors to the Building on Excellence Campaign. A full list of campaign donors can be found by following the link below.
Leaders of the New Steppenwolf
$1 million +
Anonymous, in memory of Martha Lavey
Douglas R. Brown and Rachel E. Kraft
The Bluhm Family Foundation
The Crown Family
The Harris Family Foundation
State of Illinois
Liz and Eric Lefkofsky
Pritzker Foundation
Pritzker Traubert Foundation
The Rowe Family Foundation
Cari and Michael J. Sacks
Bruce Sagan and Bette Cerf Hill
Robert and Louise Sanborn
Mr. Matthew Shapiro
Zell Family Foundation
View the full donor list.
OUR PARTNERS
Steppenwolf’s campus expansion is an invitation to Chicago, offering bold and ambitious opportunities for creative expression, social exchange, unparalleled accessibility, and arts-driven learning for Chicago teens.
Architect: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Theater Design: CharcoalBlue
Construction: Norcon
Project Manager: CBRE
Environmental Engineering: ESD
Structural Engineers: Thornton Tomasetti
Rennovation of Public Spaces: fcSTUDIO
Signage: Studio Blue
YOUR LEGACY
Excellent naming opportunities still exist for supporters who wish to cement their legacy at Steppenwolf.
View the full list of naming opportunities.
The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, Lead Underwriter of Fundraising for The Campaign for Steppenwolf