Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre to Host Starry Golf Glassic

Steppenwolf Theatre Company co-founder Gary Sinise and Honorary Host Congresswoman Mary Bono will host the Company's 4th annual Celebrity Golf Classic March 8th-11th in Indian Wells, California. The tournament, which will feature both celebrity and professional players, is a benefit fundraiser for Steppenwolf, now in its 31st season as America's premier actors' theater.

The 2007 Classic features two days of golf, one on a course located on a private estate in Rancho Mirage, and one at SilverRock, an Arnold Palmer Classic course in La Quinta. The weekend also includes three evenings of entertainment and activities at the Esmeralda Resort and Spa in Indian Wells.

The Classic is comprised of fivesomes, each of which will feature a celebrity golfer, including Sinise, Congresswoman Bono, Tom Dreesen, former Eagles band member Don Felder, Peter Gallagher, Carmine Giovinazzo, Bruce Greenwood, Gregory Harrison, Dennis Haysbert, Greg Itzin, Richard Kind, Joe Mantegna, Christopher McDonald, Michael Nouri, Super Dave Osborne, Michael Reagan, Ray Romano, Kevin Sorbo, Karri Turner, and Tom Verica, with others still to be announced. Also participating in the weekend are Steppenwolf ensemble members Joan Allen, Moira Harris and Laurie Metcalf. Steppenwolf co-founder Jeff Perry will also be in attendance.

In addition to the tournament, the Steppenwolf fund-raiser will feature an opening night reception, a "Women of Steppenwolf" luncheon and conversation with Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey and Steppenwolf Ensemble members Joan Allen and Laurie Metcalf, a luncheon with InStyle magazine publisher Lynette Harrison discussing "InStyle's Insider's Look at the Golden Globes and the Oscars," and a closing night awards dinner with live entertainment provided by Sinise's Lt. Dan Band.

"Four years ago, we weren't sure that a celebrity golf outing on behalf of a theatre company was the best way to raise funds for Steppenwolf," Sinise says of the event. "But with three very successful events under our belts, we're happy to say that we've exceeded even our own expectations."

For further information and to purchase tickets, please contact Judith Simons, Director of Special Events at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 312-654-5617 or via email at jsimons@steppenwolf.org.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, founded in 1976 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, is America's premier ensemble theater, renowned for its great acting of challenging material in an intimate theater space. Now a company of thirty-five theater artists whose strengths include acting, directing, playwriting and literary adaptation, Steppenwolf celebrates ensemble acting with rich, intense performances that advance the vitality and diversity of American theater.

Among many accolades, Steppenwolf has received the National Medal of Arts, five Tony Awards, four Obie Awards and sixty-six Joseph Jefferson Awards. Steppenwolf is a proud member of the Chicago community, where it provides arts education through its Steppenwolf for Young Adults programming, which involves the Cross-Town ensemble, Teacher Workshops and professional productions for student and family audiences. World premiere works for the American stage are supported through the New Plays Initiative, acclaimed theater companies are hosted through the Visiting Company Initiative and professional actors receive training in ensemble acting technique through The School at Steppenwolf. Furthermore, Steppenwolf develops and constructs innovative inter-arts performance with its Traffic Series. Through the continued support of loyal subscribers and generous funders, Steppenwolf continues to program innovative productions in three performances spaces, as well as all over the world.

The mission of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's National Committee is to actively involve national civic, corporate, and entertainment industry leaders in providing a foundation for Steppenwolf's national fundraising and audience development endeavors. The National Committee members are: Joan Allen, Carolyn Bivens, John H. Costello, Lynette Harrison, John Malkovich, Frederic N. Richman, Mark Rosenthal, and Gary Sinise.

Steppenwolf ensemble members are: Joan Allen, Kevin Anderson, Randall Arney, Robert Breuler, Gary Cole, Kathryn Erbe, K. Todd Freeman, Frank Galati, Francis Guinan, Moira Harris, Tim Hopper, Tom Irwin, Terry Kinney, Tina Landau, Martha Lavey, Tracy Letts, John Mahoney, John Malkovich, Mariann Mayberry, Laurie Metcalf, Amy Morton, Sally Murphy, Austin Pendleton, Jeff Perry, Yasen Peyankov, Martha Plimpton, Rondi Reed, Molly Regan, Anna D. Shapiro, Eric Simonson, Gary Sinise, Lois Smith, Rick Snyder, Jim True-Frost, and Alan Wilder.