Chicago—Steppenwolf Theatre Company is pleased to announce that the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, adapted by Lydia Diamond and directed by Hallie Gordon, will be remounted as part of the Steppenwolf Theatre and The New Victory Theater 2006-2007 seasons. After breaking attendance records for student and family audiences, this critically-acclaimed production will play in the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre (1650 N. Halsted, Chicago) October 6-28, 2006. The production will then make its New York premiere as part of The New Victory Theater season at The Duke on 42nd Street (229 W. 42nd, New York) November 2-19, 2006.
The press opening for the Chicago production is October 7, 2006, at 3:00 p.m.
Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye is a story about the tragic life of a young black girl in 1940's Ohio. Eleven year-old Pecola Breedlove wants nothing more than to be loved by her family and schoolmates. Instead, she faces constant ridicule and abuse. Blaming her dark skin, she prays for blue eyes, sure that love will follow. With rich language and bold vision, this story examines the standards of beauty, a young girl’s coming of age and the devastating events she endures.
The Bluest Eye marks the first time that a Steppenwolf for Young Adults production will travel outside of Chicago. The world premiere production of The Bluest Eye opened in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre on February 5, 2005, and was extended by popular demand. The production received a 2004-2005 Black Excellence Award.
The production will transfer intact with members of the original Steppenwolf cast that the Chicago Tribune proclaimed “the acting ensemble of the year”: Alana Arenas, Monifa M. Days, Noelle Hardy, TaRon Patton, Libya V. Pugh and Chavez Ravine. Victor J. Cole and James Vincent Meredith join the cast.
The designers of The Bluest Eye are Stephanie Nelson (set), J.R. Lederle (lights), Alison Heryer (costumes) and Victoria Delorio (sound). The stage manager is Deb Styer and the choreographer is Ann Boyd.
Previews for the Chicago run of The Bluest Eye are October 6-7, 2006. The production opens Sunday, October 8, 2006, at 6:00 p.m. and runs through October 28, 2006. Curtain times are: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., as well as Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. There will be no Saturday evening performance on October 28, 2006. Due to popular demand, performances have been added on October 25 and 26, 2006, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for all performances are $20. For tickets, visit www.steppenwolf.org or contact Audience Services at 1650 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650. Free post-show discussions are offered after every performance.
Tickets for the New Victory at The Duke engagement are on sale at newvictory.org or by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200.
Steppenwolf for Young Adults is Steppenwolf’s educational program for students, teachers and families, and is focused on making the theater accessible to the most underserved populations in Chicago. Steppenwolf for Young Adults consists of complementary programming components that are designed to enhance education, build self-esteem and social tolerance, and encourage lifelong appreciation of the arts. At the core of Steppenwolf for Young Adults are the professional, full-scale productions produced specifically for young adult audiences each season.
Steppenwolf for Young Adult productions are selected based on their relevance to issues facing young people today, and are taken from books on the Chicago Public School Reading List, which helps the series connect to and enrich the Public School curriculum. To further help audiences to process their theater experience, a post-show discussion with the cast and members of Steppenwolf’s artistic staff occurs after each performance.
Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.
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.
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