Steppenwolf announces additional 30th season programming

Chicago- Steppenwolf Theatre Company is pleased to announce its 2005-2006 Upstairs Theatre, Garage Theatre and Arts Exchange productions. In the Upstairs Theatre, About Face Theatre, as part of Steppenwolf’s Visiting Company Initiative, will present the world premiere of Monsieur Proust by Mary Zimmerman, directed by Eric Rosen. As previously announced, Steppenwolf will also premiere Love-Lies-Bleeding by Don DeLillo, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton. The Hypocrites, as part of Steppenwolf’s Visiting Company Initiative, will present the first of three offerings in The Merle Reskin Garage Theatre, with the Chicago premiere of 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane. Later in the season, ensemble member Tina Landau will paint a theatrical portrait to remain Untitled. Steppenwolf concludes the 2005-2006 Garage programming with First Look Repertory of New Work, the second annual program featuring three new works in rotating repertory. The Arts Exchange Season includes a new staging of Athol Fugard’s modern classic "MASTER HAROLD”…and the boys directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman, as well as the world premiere musical Lady Madeline directed by associate artist Jessica Thebus. Both productions are for student and family audiences. The 2005-2006 Upstairs Theatre productions: Love-Lies-Bleeding April 27-May 25, 2006 Opening May 7 by Don DeLillo directed by ensemble member Amy Morton featuring ensemble member Martha Lavey WORLD PREMIERE Hovering over the artist’s lifeless body are his son, estranged ex-wife and younger wife, locked in metaphysical struggle over the ultimate question: do they agree to a mercy killing or let him die his natural course? As DeLillo masterfully tackles the ethics of their decision, he amplifies what it truly means to be alive. Like the spiky tropical flower that shares its name, Love-Lies-Bleeding is both hauntingly beautiful and sharp as a knife. The production will play at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theatre as part of the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays from June 17-25, 2006. About Face Theatre presents Monsieur Proust June 8-July 16, 2006 Opening June 17 by Mary Zimmerman based on the writings of Celeste Albaret and Marcel Proust directed by Eric Rosen A Steppenwolf Theatre Visiting Company Initiative WORLD PREMIERE For a decade at the dawn of the 20th century, Celeste Albaret – an unlettered girl born to a peasant family – lived a dream. She was Marcel Proust’s housekeeper, confidante and surrogate mother. Proust himself told her, "You know everything about me." Near the end of her life, Mme. Albaret broke her 60-year silence with an alluring memoir about her years with one of the world’s greatest literary figures. Now, Tony Award-winner Mary Zimmerman brings Celeste Albaret’s story to life in a world premiere, one-woman tour-de-force. AFT Artistic Director Eric Rosen, creator of AFT’s Winesburg, Ohio and most recently director of the Take Me Out, will direct the latest collaboration from the creative team that brought you the legendary Eleven Rooms of Proust. The 2005-2006 Merle Reskin Garage Theatre productions: The Hypocrites present 4.48 Psychosis November 10-December 18, 2005 Opening November 20 by Sarah Kane directed by Sean Graney A Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative CHICAGO PREMIERE Take a dark journey through the life of a tormented young woman as she encounters violence and heartbreak. An intensely personal play, written months before the controversial young playwright took her own life, the ominous title refers to the early morning moment when the afflicted mind is said to assume clarity. This provocative masterpiece will receive a startling production by the acclaimed Chicago theater company The Hypocrites. 4.48 Psychosis may initially shock and offend, but its stark poetry and evocative imagery will linger in your mind. Untitled May 25-July 2, 2006 Opening June 3 conceived and directed by ensemble member Tina Landau WORLD PREMIERE Ensemble member Tina Landau has created many innovative and spectacular theatrical landscapes at Steppenwolf including Cherry Orchard, The Time of Your Life and Berlin Circle. In a process mirroring that of her acclaimed 2004 Garage production Theatrical Essays, named “Best Theater Production” by New City, Landau and her ensemble of Chicago artists set forth to create a collaborative work. The production will remain Untitled to reflect the ongoing nature of their work in our most intimate theater. The Second Annual First Look Repertory of New Work Opening July 23 July 20-August 13, 2006 First Look continues Steppenwolf’s commitment to new plays for the American theater: three exciting productions presented in rotating repertory, accompanied by a series of readings, lectures and events around the development of new work. The Arts Exchange season is as follows: "MASTER HAROLD"...and the boys October 11-29, 2005 by Athol Fugard directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman Hally is a white boy in 1950’s South Africa. Sam and Willie are black men who work at his family's restaurant. One afternoon, Hallie does his homework while Sam and Willie train for a ballroom dancing contest. The three share lessons learned and fond memories, but when news comes that Hally’s alcoholic father will return home, the personal becomes political. At once a coming of age drama and a scathing indictment of apartheid, this modern masterpiece continues to speak to the world’s many racial injustices. Lady Madeline February 7-25, 2006 adaptation and additional lyrics by Mickle Maher music and additional lyrics by Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman directed by associate artist Jessica Thebus A musical re-imagining of Edgar Allen Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher. Experience the gothic tragedy of the Usher family, as retold by the heretofore silent character Madeline. Enter the House of Usher through the cellar door to find out exactly what happened between Madeline and her twin brother Roderick that led her to be sealed up in the tomb…alive. Steppenwolf Theatre Company is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Steppenwolf's Visiting Company Initiative provides space and resources to some of Chicago's finest emerging theater companies in order to present their work to a wider local and national audience. Steppenwolf hosts companies in this initiative by invitation, continuing to celebrate the diversity of the Chicago theater community. Steppenwolf Theatre Company dedicates the performance space as the Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage Theatre in honor of board member Merle Reskin. Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Arts Exchange program presents theater to students, teachers and families through professional productions, workshops and mentoring. Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships, and contributing new works to the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of thirty-five artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking, and textual adaptation.