WHAT IS LEFT, BURNS
A FILMED PLAY
By James Ijames
Directed by Whitney White
Featuring ensemble members K. Todd Freeman and Jon Michael Hill
Streaming now through August 31, 2021
Run time: 20 minutes
Two poets separated by age and distance engage in a video call rendezvous after 15 years. Keith, a distinguished poet and professor of literature is moving towards retirement after a recent divorce from his wife. Ronnie, his younger former lover and mentee, has a New York Times bestselling book and a burgeoning career ahead of him. The two men wade through the connection they once had as they struggle with the desires that still bind them.
What Is Left, Burns is one of six virtual productions on the Steppenwolf NOW virtual stage. Get access to all six productions with the purchase of a virtual membership for only $75. Discounts available for essential workers, artists, students and teachers. Find more information at steppenwolf.org/now.
Check out this behind the scenes conversation with ensemble member Jon Michael Hill and stage manager Laura D. Glenn: Closer than Ever: How Collaboration Ignited What is Left, Burns.
Watch & Listen
GET ACCESS WITH A VIRTUAL MEMBERSHIP
This show is one of six virtual productions on the Steppenwolf NOW virtual stage featuring breakthrough stories written by America’s most talented voices. Get access to ALL SIX productions by purchasing a Steppenwolf NOW virtual membership. Learn more at steppenwolf.org/now.
Log in now
All virtual members will receive an email with their unique login username and password, as well as instructions. This login information grants you access to one viewing session of this exclusive virtual event. If you would like to see more detailed log in instructions, please watch this video or read the Virtual Content FAQ.
CAST & ARTISTS
Artists
Playwright James Ijames
Director Whitney White‡
Sound Design & Original Music Justin Ellington+
Creative Director Joel Moorman
Director of Photography & Video Editor Lowell Thomas
Artistic Producers JC Clementz, CSA & Leelai Demoz
Production Manager Claire Haupt
Casting Director JC Clementz, CSA
Production Stage Manager Laura D. Glenn*
Assistant Stage Manager Christine D. Freeburg*
Additional Staff: Martha Wegener (Sound Engineer), Matthew Chapman & Rick Haefele (Projection Support), David Chu & Captioning Coalition (Captioning), Bridget Melton (Audio Describer)
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for nonprofit professional theater.
† denotes a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble.
* denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
+ denotes a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829 of the IATSE.
‡ denotes a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
What people are saying
“A brief but highly intriguing little play… I was completely gripped” – Chicago Tribune
“This quiet, elliptical work will burn brightly in your mind long after the screen fades to black” – Broad Street Review
“A simple but compelling piece of work featuring two dynamic performers dealing with the complexity of human relationships. It’s pure Steppenwolf, and it’s good to see them back” – Chicago Onstage
“Tailor-made for our current state of mind. By now we are used to watching others on our computers like never before, and Tony nominees [K. Todd] Freeman and [Jon Michael] Hill do an outstanding job of making us feel just the right amount of uncomfortable as we peer into their private conversation” – This Week in New York
“The most artfully realized virtual theater production I’ve seen to date” – WTTW
Press Articles & Reviews
"A Digital Stage the Steppenwolf Way – Catching Up with Leelai Demoz About Steppenwolf NOW" – Broadway World
"See a Steppenwolf Play… Online" – Chicago Magazine
"Chicago’s fall theater season offers diverse online productions — and some in-person options, too" – Chicago Sun-Times
"Chicago theater’s Top-10 best bets for fall 2020, both live and on-screen" – Chicago Tribune
"Review: ‘What is Left, Burns’ from Steppenwolf is a short, gripping video play about a professor and his former lover" – Chicago Tribune
"Tapping Into the Intimate Potential of Virtual Performance With ‘What is Left, Burns’" – WTTW News
"Steppenwolf's Anna D. Shapiro and Leelai Demoz Take the Chicago Theater Virtual" – Theatremania
"Steppenwolf debuts new digital play by award-winner James Ijames" – Daily Herald