Welcome!

Thank you for attending Catch as Catch Can by Mia Chung, playing through July 12 in our Downstairs Theater.

Please explore the content below as you process the themes in this production. Provided by our Education and Community Engagement Team, the following sections are intended to offer support as you contemplate our innovative work. 

WATCH: AN INTERVIEW WITH ENSEMBLE MEMBER AUDREY FRANCIS

Join our Teen Curators in conversation with Artistic Director Audrey Francis, who sheds light on the final play in our 50th Anniversary Season.

"I don't think that being courageous is the absence of fear, but it's the willingness to dance with your fears. I believe that that is what Steppenwolf loves to do, and does greatly. We have a really healthy relationship with risk, in the sense that we really value taking risks together because it's not about succeeding or failing, it's about the effort. So when all of us got together for Catch as Catch Can and we said, ‘We don't know how we're going to pull this off.’ That's what's fun, and that's I think what Catch as Catch Can is for the Steppenwolf ethos."

DIG IN: DISCUSS

Consider, Converse, Contextualize
  1. What does the double casting in the play make you think about? What connections can you make between these characters?
  2. What do you notice about the generational differences in the story – particularly as they relate to perspectives around marriage?
  3. Each of the characters is asked to interrogate their own worth – particularly in the eyes of their families. How does Catch as Catch Can invite us to consider our worth in this place in relationship to societal and familial expectations?

WATCH: INTERVIEW WITH GARY COLE


We recently sat down with Gary to discuss this highly-anticipated reunion of some of Chicago's greatest artists, and why he's excited about the particular challenge of playing dual roles (Robbie and his own mother Roberta).

Read before the show

Check out this Q+A conversation between Playwright Mia Chung and Steppenwolf’s Dramaturg Jonathan L. Green.

READ THE Q+A

DIG DEEPER: ENGAGE

Describe, Analyze, Interpret

 

“So, part of the Steppenwolf ethos is saying that it's our bodies on stage – we should be able to have a say. Your voice is important. It is not only important, it is necessary. And with the ensemble ethos, every voice in the room is essential. The playwright, the director, the stage manager, the actor. So, I think that Steppenwolf strives to make sure that every voice in the process is necessary, and we believe in each other's unlimited potential.”

- Audrey Francis, Co-Artistic Director

 

 

At Steppenwolf, we believe that anyone can be an artist, and anyone can engage deeply with art. Like Audrey explains – everyone has a voice, and your voice is more than enough to have an opinion and explore a piece of art.

We utilize the practice of Describe, Analyze, and Interpret. A process that offers a moment for audiences to slow down and discover multiple ways into a piece of art. So often in life we jump to making bold claims. However, we find that slowing down the process allows us the opportunity to move towards new meaning and compose a deeper relationship with the play.

Step One: Describe

Be Honest

We invite you to take a moment to reflect and discuss through the lens of observation and noticing. Simply describe what you saw without interpretation. Feel free to consider the prompts below as you begin your conversation:

  • Questioning: What did you see? What did you notice? What did you hear?
  • Noticing: I saw. I noticed. I observed. I heard...
  • Examples: I noticed the actors play multiple roles. I observed that the actors rarely left the stage, and that we could see some of the costume changes occur.

Step Two: Analyze

Be Curious

Next, we begin to turn those observations into questions. Consider how the parts that you noticed in the step above perhaps connect to each other. What patterns did you notice, and what relationships are you curious about? Consider the prompts below as you continue your conversation:

  • Questioning: What do you wonder? What are you curious about?
  • Noticing: I wonder. I question. I am curious about....
  • Examples: I wonder why the actors played multiple characters? I am curious about the relationships between parent and child in this play.

Step Three: Interpret

Be Courageous

Now we are ready to delve deeper with stronger claims in the final step. Consider your observations and questions from the steps above and create your own interpretations of Catch as Catch Can. Feel free to use the prompts below as jumping off points:

  • Questioning: What do you think is going on here? What do you think the artist is trying to convey? What meaning can you make here?
  • Noticing: I imagine. I assume. I think. I believe...
  • Examples: I imagine that the actors are asked to play multiple characters across generations to help highlight what the parents pass down to their children in this play. I believe that the parents in this story leave much unsaid, and that leads to repeated behavior in the children down the line.

Resources

Mental Health Support

CPDH Mental Health Centers Map

This map displays the location sites of city-funded mental health service providers and city-operated mental health clinics, alongside City of Chicago public facilities and boundaries.

NAMI Chicago

Mental health support that meets people where they are. From crisis to recovery, we help people find care, navigate the system, and work to make that system better.

The Family Institute at Northwestern

Through research, education and therapy, The Family Institute at Northwestern University provides compassionate, evidence-based care for individuals, couples, children, and families.

The Juniper Center

Find individual, couples, family and group counseling, as well as Medication Management & Psychiatry services in person at one of our 6 Chicagoland locations or from the comfort of your home, using a secure, online platform.