Pass Over Sunday Discussion Series

Artistic Producer Aaron Carter works closely with Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro to select the plays in Steppenwolf's Main Series. In the case of Pass Over he shepherded the project through its life at the theater, from selection to script development, casting to design, and he worked closely to support Director Danya Taymor and Playwright Antoinette Nwandu in the rehearsal process. Get the behind-the-scenes story, direct from Aaron, on Pass Over's genesis and development.

Featuring a small cast and filled with fast-paced lyrical language, Pass Over presents unique challenges for its actors. Meet the cast of Pass Over and learn about their work on the play, hear stories from the rehearsal process, and what they hope audiences take away from the play.

The characters of Pass Over, two young Black men, are trapped in an indifferently violent world. In partnership with the DuSable Museum of African American History, we invite experts to discuss Pass Over through an historical lens. From slavery to the civil rights movement, the great migration to the Black Lives Matter movement, this panel will explore the history of Black people in America attempting to "pass over," the forces that keep them from doing so, and the cyclical nature of this history. Panelists include Clinée Hedspeth, Dr. Lionel Kimble and Dr. Christopher Reed.

Pass Over presents an absurd cycle of violence and inertia. We see that cycle playing out right here in Chicago year after year. In this panel we invite scholars, activists and educators to connect the work of Pass Over to their understanding of a Chicago in (perpetual) crisis. Panelists include Quenna Barrett, Natalie Moore and Jahmal Cole.

Pass Over takes Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a work that majority culture has deemed valuable, and uses that cultural value as a theatrical tool to also assert the value of Black lives. In this panel we welcome artists across disciplines who are also asking their audiences and viewers to reflect on the Black experience. How do they think about form and audience as they craft and deliver their message, and how do they respond to Pass Over? Panelists include Eve L. Ewing , Jefferson Pinder and Anna Martine Whitehead.