Chicago—Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Traffic series presents Studs Terkel’s concert-style staged reading of Will the Circle Be Unbroken?, adapted by Derek Goldman from Terkel’s book Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith. The evening features ensemble members Robert Breuler, K. Todd Freeman and Sally Murphy, along with Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Jeff Dumas, Kurt Elling, Ernest Perry Jr., Mary Ann Thebus, Dennis Zacek and special guest Garrison Keillor. Associate artist Jessica Thebus directs, with musical direction by Robert Reddrick and musical accompaniment by vocalists Tina Brown, Carla Janzen and Direoce Junirs. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? will take place in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park on Monday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m. The event is FREE and open to the public.
This production will be part of a “Blockbuster Weekend,” when the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park will be home to free public programs by three of the world’s most renowned performing arts institutions – Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra– all throughout the weekend of September 10-12, 2005.
"Millennium Park is an incredible center of creativity for the people of Chicago, the city's many artists, and its visitors from all over the world," says Millennium Park Executive Director Helen Doria. "We are especially excited to be presenting this free performance by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which will be the first spoken word presentation on the stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion."
“Steppenwolf is enormously proud to present the work of Studs Terkel, one of Chicago’s most beloved writers in the splendor of Millennium Park,” adds Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. “This rich intersection of the arts and public space is surely one of Chicago’s great accomplishments and joys.”
Steppenwolf once again collaborates with literary legend Studs Terkel for an unforgettable evening of song, story and celebration. With a cast that includes both Steppenwolf ensemble members and renowned performers, the concert-style reading will incorporate music to illuminate Studs’ poignant book of interviews on death and dying. Recognizable interviewees portrayed on stage include author Kurt Vonnegut, actress Uta Hagen and Chicago Reader theater critic and AIDS activist Justin Hayford. There are also everyday Chicagoans—parents, medics and teachers—who share wise words and meaningful memories. The result is a vibrant tapestry of life's full process, sure to stir compassion and inspiration in Traffic audiences of all ages.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Traffic series brings together artists of all disciplines and casts them as storytellers on the Steppenwolf stage. Traffic provides an intimate and unique intersection of language, lyrics, poetry and music, creating a fresh perspective on expressing the American story.
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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