Breaking: THE MINUTES Will Arrive on Broadway in Spring 2021

There is big news for Big Cherry! BroadwayWorld has just learned that Steppenwolf's production of The Minutes by Tracy Letts, directed by Anna D. Shapiro, will return to Broadway opening exactly one year after its original opening date of Sunday, March 15, 2020 at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th Street). The Minutes was a limited engagement and was originally scheduled to close Sunday, July 26.

Performances for The Minutes will begin the week of March 1, 2021 on Broadway, and officially open on Monday, March 15, 2021! The Minutes, the record-breaking hit production from Steppenwolf Theatre Company, takes a hard look at the inner workings of a city council meeting and the hypocrisy, greed and ambition that bubble to the surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions. Why is someone on the council mysteriously missing? What happened to all those bicycles? Is there skullduggery afoot with the city's finances? What's the deal with the available parking space? What the F is going on with the Lincoln Smackdown? And why are the minutes from the last meeting being kept secret? "Nothing in this explosive 90-minute play is as it seems...A real-life heart-in-the-mouth experience," declares the Chicago Tribune. Part "Parks & Recreation," part "Twilight Zone," this powerful, resonant, and funny portrayal of democracy in action proves that everything you know can change-it's just a matter of minutes. After all, the smallest towns keep the biggest secrets.

Statement from the producers of American Buffalo and The Minutes: "It is the intent to open these plays-both powerful, funny and relevant dissections of Americana-in the spring of 2021, on the exact dates they were scheduled to open in 2020. However, we will only do so knowing that there are safeguards in place that will encourage audiences to return to the theatre, and that our government will allow us to have gatherings of more than 500 people. We, the producing team, believe that a vaccine is essential as part of that process, and we are hopeful that progress will be made in that area to ensure that artists and theatregoers will return to support this vital element of our theatrical heritage: the American play."

The production features scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Ana Kuzmanic, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt, sound design and original music by André Pluess, hair and wig design by Tom Watson, dramaturgy by Edward Sobel and casting by Caparelliotis Casting.

Ian Barford, Cliff Chamberlain, K. Todd Freeman, Tracy Letts, Sally Murphy, Austin Pendleton and Anna D. Shapiro are members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble.

The producing team is led by Jeffrey Richards, Rebecca Gold, Carl Moellenberg, Spencer Ross, Louise Gund with Jayne Baron Sherman, Elizabeth Armstrong, Blakeman Entertainment, HornosBerger, Across the River Productions, Stewart F. Lane/Bonnie Comley/Leah Lane, Kathleen K. Johnson, Emily Dobbs, Robert Flicker, Jacob Soroken Porter, and The Shubert Organization.

Further details will be announced in the coming months.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier ensemble theater. Formed in 1976 by Gary Sinise, Jeff Perry and Terry Kinney, the ensemble has grown to over 50 members who are among the top actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling productions from August: Osage County to Downstate-and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards-have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces a mainstage season; a two-play Young Adults season; and LookOut, a multi-genre series at its Chicago campus, currently undergoing a major expansion. Steppenwolf Education engages 20,000 participants annually from Chicago's communities. More than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director, David Schmitz is the Executive Director and Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of the Board of Trustees. www.steppenwolf.org

Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow