Cherry Orchard will be the first subscription series production to be performed in the Upstairs Theatre. Steppenwolf's production of Cherry Orchard, Chekhov's final and greatest play about family and change, appropriately marks an exciting transition for the Steppenwolf family of artists and subscribers. Cherry Orchard is the first subscription series production to be performed in the Upstairs Theatre, a dynamic and flexible space housing 200-250 seats. In order to accommodate all Steppenwolf subscribers, the number of previews and regular run performances for Cherry Orchard are doubled. Instead of the usual eight-week run, the production runs for 16 weeks. The Upstairs Theatre is convenient, exciting and allows for a more intimate connection with an audience.
Getting to the Upstairs Theatre is easy. Simply walk into the Steppenwolf lobby and proceed to the elevators on the left or south side, near the main floor restrooms. Once you arrive at the third floor, there is a ticket counter to your immediate right that handles all of the Cherry Orchard ticketing. If you need additional assistance finding your way to the Upstairs Theatre, please ask our Front of House staff, which includes House Manager Amanda Sheehan, greeters, ushers and Audience Services associates.
If you haven't yet been to the lobby of the Upstairs Theatre, it's arguably one of the most exciting spaces in the entire Steppenwolf building. The room is decorated with comfortable, modern furniture. The walls are adorned with striking images: nostalgic posters of past productions, photographs of Steppenwolf ensemble members and a unique collage of oil paintings of the ensemble by Tim Anderson. The Upstairs lobby is well stocked with a variety of snacks and pours everything from cappuccino to champagne, from Pilsner to Pepsi. For your convenience, the Parking Garage will be open 90 minutes following the performance.
The driving artistic purpose of the move Upstairs is to provide you with a more intimate theatrical experience. As you will see upon entering the space, the seating is arranged differently than it is in the Downstairs Theatre. The audience is placed on three sides of the stage like a wide letter U. In this arrangement, there are more first-row seats than in the current Downstairs space, and the audience is no further than seven rows from the stage. The seating arrangement of the Upstairs Theatre combined with ensemble member Tina Landau's direction of ensemble members Robert Breuler, Francis Guinan, Amy Morton, Yasen Peyankov and Rondi Reed will make Cherry Orchard an easily accessible, thrilling and truly Steppenwolf experience.
Uncle Vanya, 2001