VOICE LESSONS with Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts World Premiere & More Set for Steppenwolf's Expanded 2016-17 Season

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced today the 2016/17 Season, the first to be curated by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro and the Steppenwolf artistic team. The new season brings many exciting changes that embrace expanded artistic offerings, flexibility and a diverse selection of experiences, featuring the ensemble in ways both familiar and new. In 2016/17, Steppenwolf will produce an expanded six-play Subscription Season, as opposed to the previous five-play season, in a new format that features four plays in the Downstairs Theatre with the opportunity for subscribers to choose between two productions in the Upstairs Theatre.

Highlights of the expanded 2016/17 Subscription Season include a moving and enthralling world premiere from playwright David Rabe (Streamers, Hurlyburly) to be directed by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro; a smart and insightful new play commissioned by Steppenwolf from playwright Erika Sheffer to be directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov, the team behind Russian Transport; a world premiere comedy from ensemble member Tracy Letts; a sly and subversive family comedy from Taylor Mac; and Chicago premieres from acclaimed playwrights Lucas Hnath and Young Jean Lee. Ensemble members Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, K. Todd Freeman, Francis Guinan, Jon Michael Hill, Tim Hopper, Amy Morton, Sally Murphy and Alan Wilder will be featured next season.

An additional seventh play, the world premiere of Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu, will be produced in May 2017 in the Upstairs Theatre. Winner of the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, Antoinette Nwandu is an exciting new voice in the American theater. Pass Over will run in the non-subscription summer slot; however, subscribers will have access to pre-sale tickets.

"Putting this season together, the first curated by our new artistic team, has been hugely exciting and deeply rewarding. I have been a part of the Steppenwolf family for over 20 years and I share a deep commitment to the continued excellence of our theater. As artistic director, it is my goal to generate more opportunities to make manifest that excellence, with both increased opportunities for our current ensemble as well as more chances to feature younger and more diverse artists we hope will help shape our future," shares Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro.

In May 2016, Steppenwolf's new 80-seat black box at 1700 N Halsted opens under the name, 1700 Theatre. A casual, intimate and flexible space, the new theater will be dedicated to showcasing the work of the Steppenwolf ensemble and emerging local theater companies. It will also be the home of Lookout-a new performance series presenting a wide variety of genres and shows, from dance to live music to spoken word and beyond.

Kicking off the Lookout series is the Chicago premiere of Voice Lessons, an outrageous one-act comedy starring ensemble member Laurie Metcalf (May 31 - June 12, 2016) in the 1700 Theatre.

As part of Steppenwolf's continuing commitment to Visiting Company engagements, this summer the 1700 Theatre will host a remount of Definition Theatre Company and The New Colony's hit production of Byhalia, Mississippi (July 22 - August 21, 2016). Details enclosed.

The complete summer lineup for the new Lookout series will be announced in April 2016.

With the increased programming, Steppenwolf has created a new flexible membership option called the Steppenwolf Black Card providing audiences with a new and easy way to access the offerings. The Steppenwolf Black Card goes on sale August 1, 2016. Season subscription packages will still be available and are currently on sale. Packages start at $100. Student, educator and access discount subscriptions available. To purchase a 2016/17 subscription, visit Audience Services at 1650 N Halsted St, call 312-335-1650 or visit steppenwolf.org.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 2016/17 Subscription Season

World Premiere
Visiting Edna
By David Rabe
Directed by Artistic Director and ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro
Featuring ensemble members Ian Barford, K. Todd Freeman and Sally Murphy
September 15 - November 6, 2016 in the Downstairs Theatre

Edna has suffered a number of losses as she has aged, and now faces the stealthy advance of cancer embodied by an intimate figure that she could do without. Home for a visit, Edna's son Andrew is trying to bridge the gulf between the childhood love they shared and the aggressively polite but baffling relationship they now live with. Mother and son stumble toward honesty as they wrestle with the distractions-both mundane and profound-that keep us from real connection.

David Rabe is a Tony Award-winning playwright well-known for Streamers, Hurlyburly, Sticks and Bones and the Gift Theatre's recent world premiere production of Good for Otto. Anna D. Shapiro is a Tony Award-winning director well-known for August: Osage County, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, Larry David's Fish in the Dark, Of Mice and Men and This Is Our Youth. She directs the upcoming world premiere of Mary Page Marlowe by Tracy Letts (March 31 - May 29, 2016).

World Premiere
The Fundamentals
By Erika Sheffer
Directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov
Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas and Alan Wilder
November 10 - December 23, 2016 in the Upstairs Theatre

Millie is a smart, resourceful young mother who works as a housekeeper in one of New York's premiere luxury hotels. When an opportunity to move into management gives her the chance to leave behind her blue collar life, Millie must decide how much, and who, she's willing to sacrifice to secure her family's future. A funny and scathing look at America's corporate culture, The Fundamentalsexamines the compromises we make in order to fulfill our dreams.

The Fundamentals was commissioned by Steppenwolf and developed as part of the First Look new play series in 2015. Erika Sheffer and ensemble member Yasen Peyankov last teamed up for Steppenwolf's critically acclaimed production of Russian Transport in 2014.

Chicago Premiere
The Christians
By Lucas Hnath
Directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman
December 1, 2016 - January 29, 2017 in the Downstairs Theatre

Pastor Paul has spent 20 years successfully growing his church from a small storefront to a gleaming megachurch, but now he fears that there may be a crack in the theological foundation. As he shares his new belief in the nature of salvation, the message is met with surprise and then growing trepidation from his closest confidantes in the congregation, threatening to create a schism within the church. Hnath's fascinating new play looks with great complexity and compassion at the relationship between belief and behavior-and its evenhanded, unbiased take on faith in modern America can be appreciated no matter what you believe.

Acclaimed playwright Lucas Hnath makes his Steppenwolf debut with The Christians. The play premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2015. Ensemble member K. Todd Freeman last directed the critically acclaimed production of Good People at Steppenwolf in 2012.

Chicago Premiere

Straight White Men
Written and directed by Young Jean Lee
Featuring ensemble members Tim Hopper and Alan Wilder
February 2 - March 19, 2017 in the Upstairs Theatre

As Ed, a widower, prepares to celebrate Christmas, he calls his three grown sons back to the family home. Games are played, Chinese food is ordered, and brotherly pranks and trashtalk distract them from the ongoing issue that threatens to ruin the festivities: when personal identity is essential and privilege is a problem, what is a straight white man to do? Playwright/ Director Young Jean Lee takes an outside look at the traditional father/son play narrative, shedding new and often hilarious light on a story we think we know all too well.

Young Jean Lee is a writer, director, and filmmaker who has been called "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation" byThe New York Times. She has toured her work to more than 30 cities around the world. Straight White Men was recently produced at The Public (New York); Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin, Germany), World Stage: Harbourfront Centre (Toronto, Canada) and Athens Festival(Athens, Greece).

World Premiere
Linda Vista
By ensemble member Tracy Letts
Director TBA
Featuring ensemble members Ian Barford and Tim Hopper
March 30 - May 21, 2017 in the Downstairs Theatre

Wheeler is 50. His marriage is over, his job is mundane, and the best years of his life appear to be behind him. A move from the cot in his ex-wife's garage to his own apartment opens up new possibilities for love and sex-complicated, painful and hilarious. Full of opinions, yet short on self-examination, Wheeler is a modern misanthrope who must reconcile the man he has become with the man he wants to be.

Tracy Letts is a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright, actor and member of the Steppenwolf ensemble. His works includeAugust: Osage County, Superior Donuts, Man from Nebraska, Killer Joe and Bug, among others. He is also known for his portrayal of Andrew Lockhart in Showtime's Homeland and can be seen in The Big Short and HBO's Divorce. His new play Mary Page Marlowe will premiere at Steppenwolf, March 31 - May 29, 2016.

Chicago Premiere
Hir
By Taylor Mac
Director TBA
Featuring ensemble members Francis Guinan and Amy Morton
June 29 - August 20, 2017 in the Downstairs Theatre

The classic dysfunctional family drama has just crashed through into a wholly original place. Meet Paige, a wife and mother liberated from an oppressive and abusive marriage; Max, her newly out transgender son; and Isaac, Max's PTSD-addled older brother, who discovers a brand new war zone when he comes home from Afghanistan. Hir's crusade to shake up the patriarchy is disarmingly funny, absurd and surprising as it looks at an American family forced to build a new world out of the pieces of the old.

Taylor Mac (who uses "judy", lowercase sic, not as a name but as a gender pronoun) is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer. Named "one of the most exciting theater artists of our time," by Time Out NY, judy is the author of 17 full-length plays and performance pieces including Hir, which placed on the top ten theater of 2015 lists of The New York Times, New York Magazine and Time Out NY.

Additional Summer Show

World Premiere
Pass Over
By Antoinette Nwandu
Director TBA
Featuring ensemble member Jon Michael Hill
May 25 - July 2, 2017 in the Upstairs Theatre

In this bold, incendiary riff on Waiting for Godot, two young, black men stand around on the corner-talking shit, killing time and hoping that maybe today will be different. When a white man wanders into their space, an escalating crisis threatens to prevent their escape from the block. In Pass Over, pop culture, historical and religious references collide to create a hilarious and disturbing meditation on manhood, race, and the cycle of violence that prevents too many from realizing their full potential.

Antoinette Nwandu is a member of the Ars Nova Play Group. Her plays have been produced and developed by Page73, Ars Nova, The Flea and Naked Angels, among others. She is the recipient of the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, the Negro Ensemble Company's Douglas Turner Ward Prize and a Literary Fellowship at the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference. In spring 2016, Pass Over will receive a workshop as part of the Cherry Lane Mentor Project under the mentorship of Katori Hall.

Note: Pass Over is not offered as part of the 2016/17 Subscription Season; however, subscribers and Steppenwolf Black Card members will have the option to purchase tickets before the general public.

1700 Theatre & New "Lookout" Programming Series

Steppenwolf's newest theater, the 1700 Theatre is a casual, intimate and flexible 80-seat space dedicated to showcasing the work of the Steppenwolf ensemble, emerging local theater companies and Lookout, Steppenwolf's new multi-genre performance series, presenting a wide variety of work, coming from a diverse array of voices, artists emerging and established alike.

"Steppenwolf started as a group of friends performing risk-taking work in a small basement space in Highland Park. This new theater space echoes those beginnings, providing opportunities for our ensemble members to experiment in a black box setting without the pressure and restrictions of a mainstage run. It also opens the door to new, diverse artists, companies and a variety of performance styles, in turn welcoming new audiences into our home," shares Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro.

Kicking off the Lookout series is the Chicago premiere of Voice Lessons, a touring comedy starring ensemble member Laurie Metcalfand produced by Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger.

Lookout presents
Voice Lessons
By Justin Tanner
As originally directed by Bart Delorenzo
Produced by Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger
Featuring ensemble member Laurie Metcalf with Maile Flanagan and French Stewart
May 31 - June 12, 2016 in the 1700 Theatre
Tickets go on sale Friday, April 22, 2016 at 11am

Justin Tanner's comedy Voice Lessons, is about the unlikely romance between a deluded community theater actress (Metcalf) and the over-educated vocal coach (Stewart) she hires to make her a star. Maile Flanagan rounds out the cast.

Subsequent Lookout programming will include a wide variety of work ranging from improv and stand up to genre-bending performance pieces, live music to contemporary experimental dance, author readings, live podcasts and everything in-between.

"Our new black box space feeds into our vision of cementing Steppenwolf's reputation as a major cultural and social hub. It will be the place where everything new at Steppenwolf has its beginning," shares Managing Director David Schmitz.

As part of Steppenwolf's continuing commitment to Visiting Company engagements, the 1700 Theatre will host a remount of Definition Theatre Company and The New Colony's hit production of Byhalia, Mississippi (July 22 - August 21, 2016).

Definition Theatre Company and The New Colony present
Byhalia, Mississippi
By Evan Linder
Directed by Tyrone Phillips
July 22 - August 21, 2016 in the 1700 Theatre

Jim and Laurel Parker are about to become new parents. They are broke. They are loud. They are "proud white trash." When Laurel gives birth to their long overdue child, she and Jim are faced with the biggest challenge of their lives. Byhalia, Mississippi explores a couple in the midst of turmoil and a town with a racially-charged past that finds its way into the present. Winner of Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Tennessee, 2014 NewWorks@TheWorks playwriting competition.

Complete Lookout and 1700 Theatre summer calendar will be announced in April 2016.