Upstairs Theater

The lobby of the Upstairs Theater features a comfortable lounge and a fully-stocked bar.

Formerly the Steppenwolf Studio, the Upstairs Theater was inaugurated in 1993 with Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Some of the notable productions in the Upstairs space include ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays, Conor McPherson’s Dublin Carol, Laura Eason’s Sex with Strangers, Anton Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard, Frank Galati's after the quake and Joel Drake Johnson's The Fall to Earth. The intimate confines of the Upstairs Theatre also hosted solo performers Karen Finley, Jeff Garlin, Ricky Jay, David Sedaris and Heather Woodbury, among others.

The Upstairs Theater has hosted a number of acclaimed Chicago theaters, including City Lit Theatre, European Repertory Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Naked Eye Theatre Company, Roadworks Productions, Second Stage Theatre, 500 Clown and TurnAround Theatre. Redmoon Theater Company has presented world premiere adaptations, such as Frankenstein, Hunchback, Unbinding Isaac and Seagull. About Face Theatre presented the Chicago premiere of Take Me Out and world premieres of Theater District and the Jeff-winning musical Winesburg, Ohio, first produced in a one-act version under Steppenwolf for Young Adults.