Synopsis
In a cluttered, run-down Chicago junk shop, three small-time crooks plot to steal a valuable coin collection. As the heist unravels, the men's frustration and paranoia intensify. Ensemble member Amy Morton directs this groundbreaking American play that weaves humor and menace throughout an emotionally charged struggle for identity and dominance.
World-renowned playwright and Chicago-area native David Mamet has a successful writing and directing career in theatre, film and television. Steppenwolf has produced Mamet's productions of The Water Engine and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Glengarry Glen Ross (also directed by ensemble member Amy Morton). Amy Morton received a 2008 Best Actress Tony® nomination for Steppenwolf's August: Osage County on Broadway. Steppenwolf directing credits include Dublin Carol, The Weir, The Pillowman, Love-Lies-Bleeding (also Kennedy Center) and Glengarry Glen Ross (also Dublin and Toronto).
Running Time
Content Advisory
Watch & Listen
Cast & Artists
The Artists
- Author: David Mamet
- Directed by: ensemble member Amy Morton
- Scenic Design: Kevin Depinet
- Costume Design: Nan Cibula-Jenkins
- Lighting Design: Pat Collins
- Sound Design: Michael Bodeen
- Sound Design: Rob Milburn
- Original Music: Michael Bodeen
- Original Music: Rob Milburn
- Stage Manager: Malcolm Ewen
- Assistant Stage Manager: Christine D. Freeburg
Featured Ensemble Members
The Cast
Program Articles
Open the script of American Buffalo and you'll find the setting simply reads "Don's Resale Shop. A junkshop."
Set Designer Kevin Depinet on the creation of the American Buffalo set
American Buffalo, David Mamet's 1975 play, set in Chicago, is the second production in our season of belief.
Director Amy Morton and Tracy Letts discuss American Buffalo with David New
Theater is a series of ongoing interpretations.