About This Show

THE STEPPENWOLF REVIVAL OF SHEPARD'S MASTERPIECE. CRAFTED WITH A NEW GENERATION OF ARTISTS.

In 1982, Steppenwolf exploded onto the American Theatre scene with its now legendary production of Sam Shepard's True West. This American classic traces the volatile relationship of Austin and Lee, estranged brothers who find themselves holed up together in their mother's well-kept suburban house with a typewriter, a set of golf clubs and the undeniable call of the desert. In its first Steppenwolf revival, our new generation of artists take on Shepard's masterpiece.

FROM PLAYWRIGHT SAM SHEPARD

"I wanted to write a play about double nature, one that wouldn't be symbolic or metaphorical or any of that stuff. I just wanted to give a taste of what it feels like to be two-sided. It's a real thing, double nature. I think we're split in a much more devastating way than psychology can ever reveal."

FROM THE 1982 NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW

“A rambunctious and spontaneous tale about sibling rivalry… the seductiveness of Hollywood and with the battle between art and business. Lee and Austin are fraternal opposites… Lee is a scurvy desert rat, Austin a hot shot intellectual screenwriter. An exhilarating confluence of writing, acting and staging… True West is acted for its reality even when the events are surreal.”