Andy Monson, Mark Ulrich and More Join Steppenwolf's 2012-13 Season

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Artistic Director Martha Lavey announced today additional casting for the 2012/13 Subscription and Steppenwolf for Young Adults seasons. Will Allan, Keith Kupferer and Lusia Strus join previously announced ensemble members Alana Arenas, Mariann Mayberry and Molly Regan, completing the cast of the season opener, Good People. The cast of the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of The Book Thief features ensemble member Francis Guinan with Patrick Andrews, Amy J. Carle, Rob Fagin, Rae Gray, Dennis William Grimes, Nikki Klix, Ian Knox, Anthony-Jon LeSage, Clancy McCartney, Andy Monson, Mark Ulrich and Nicole Wiesner. Other additions to the 2012/13 slate include Sandra Delgado, Sandra Marquez, John Ortiz and Gary Perez in The Motherf**ker with the Hat, and Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Glenn Davis and Jacqueline Williams in Head of Passes. Edward Torres has also signed on to direct the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of How Long Will I Cry?: Voices of Youth Violence (previously titled Oral Histories) with Artistic Consultant Kelli Simpkins.

Steppenwolf ensemble members currently confirmed for the 2012/13 Season include: Alana Arenas, Kate Arrington, Ian Barford, K. Todd Freeman, Francis Guinan, Moira Harris, Jon Michael Hill, Tim Hopper, Tina Landau, John Mahoney, Mariann Mayberry, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Austin Pendleton, Molly Regan and Anna D. Shapiro. Additional casting to be announced.

Season subscriptions and individual tickets to The Book Thief are currently on-sale at Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), by calling 312-335-1650, or by visiting steppenwolf.org.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 2012/13 Season
(All plays, artists and dates are subject to change)

Good People
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman
Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas, Mariann Mayberry and Molly Regan with Will Allan, Keith Kupferer and Lusia Strus
September 13 – November 11, 2012 in the Downstairs Theatre

When Margie Walsh loses her job at a South Boston dollar store, she reaches out to old flame Mike, a Southie boy who left the neighborhood and became a successful doctor. Margie’s attempt to hit Mike up for a job takes on a threatening cast when she realizes the power a secret from Mike’s past holds. From Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire, Good People looks at the dangerous consequences of either choosing to hold on to the pass or to leave it behind.

The Book Thief
Based on the novel by Markus Zusak
Adapted by Heidi Stillman
Directed by Hallie Gordon
Featuring ensemble member Francis Guinan with Patrick Andrews, Amy J. Carle, Rob Fagin, Rae Gray, Dennis William Grimes, Nikki Klix, Ian Knox, Anthony-Jon LeSage, Clancy McCartney, Andy Monson, Mark Ulrich and Nicole Wiesner
October 16 – November 9, 2012 in the Upstairs Theatre

Leisel Meminger is a young girl struggling to survive in Nazi Germany. Her life is filled with risk and danger but her love of books guides her through a brutal world. Death watches over her, fascinated by humankind’s will to live. The Book Thief looks at the terrible cost of violence, bearing witness to our compassion and complicity. When Death tells a story, you listen.

The Motherf**ker with the Hat
By Stephen Adly Guirgis
Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro
Featuring Sandra Delgado, Sandra Marquez, John Ortiz and Gary Perez
December 27, 2012 – March 3, 2013 in the Downstairs Theatre

Things are on the up-and-up for recovering alcoholic Jackie and girlfriend Veronica—until Jackie spots another man’s hat in their apartment and embarks on a sublimely incompetent criminal quest for vengeance. Fast-paced and uproarious, Mother asks probing questions about the havoc addiction wreaks. Ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro, director of the acclaimed Broadway premiere, returns to direct the Steppenwolf production.

The Birthday Party
By Harold Pinter
Directed by ensemble member Austin Pendleton
Featuring ensemble members Ian Barford, Francis Guinan, Moira Harris and John Mahoney with Sophia Sinise
January 24 – May 19, 2013 in the Upstairs Theatre

Petey, Meg and their long-time tenant Stanley live comfortably, if without particular flair, in a seaside boarding house in England. But their humdrum daily routine of cornflakes, newspapers and naps comes to a sudden end when two mysterious men appear, bringing with them menace, mystery and one overwhelming question: What exactly are they searching for? When the group gathers together to celebrate Stanley’s birthday, alliances are re-drawn, scandals are revealed and all are left teetering on a precipicE. Lambasted by critics during its 1958 premiere, Nobel laureate Harold Pinter’s play has since gained a reputation as a twentieth-century dark-comic classic.

How Long Will I Cry?: Voices of Youth Violence
By Miles Harvey
Directed by Edward Torres
Artistic Consulting by Kelli Simpkins
February 26 – March 9, 2013 in the Upstairs Theatre

In recent years, violence has devastated the lives of countless young Chicagoans. In the first three months of 2012 alone, homicides in the city have risen nearly 60 percent. And despite extensive media coverage, we rarely hear from the people most directly affected by the problem—young people themselves. Woven together from interviews gathered by journalist Miles Harvey and his students at DePaul University, How Long Will I Cry? provides raw, truthful insight into the complexity of this epidemic. By giving voice to those who know the tragic consequences of violence first-hand—families of the victims, residents of crime-ridden neighborhoods and especially young people—How Long Will I Cry? inspires all of us to join together in search of a solution.

Head of Passes
By ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney
Directed by ensemble member Tina Landau
Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas, K. Todd Freeman, Jon Michael Hill and Tim Hopper with Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Glenn Davis and Jacqueline Williams
April 4 – June 9, 2013 in the Downstairs Theatre

The distant present, at the Mississippi River’s mouth. Shelah’s family and friends plan a surprise birthday party, but the festivities are overshadowed by revelations that point to a dark family secret. Ensemble members Tarell McCraney and Tina Landau—writer and director of Steppenwolf’s lauded The Brother/Sister Plays—team up again for this world premiere drama, told in McCraney’s sweeping, signature style. Head of Passes is the recipient of a Joyce Award.

Belleville
By Amy Herzog
Directed by Anne Kauffmann
Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas and Kate Arrington
June 27 – August 25, 2013 in the Downstairs Theatre

Twenty-something American expats Zack and Abby live an enviably hip, do-gooder existence in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Belleville, Paris. But a single encounter one morning in the apartment they rent from their Senegalese landlords Alioune and Amina tips the scales of their relationship, revealing that the bubble they've built abroad is much closer to bursting than it appears. Dubbed a "thrillingly good" drama with elements of a "nail-biting psychological thriller" by The New York Times, Amy Herzog's play asks unsettling questions about upheaval and the power of a lie.

Free post-show discussions are offered after every performance in the Subscription Season. Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Performances featuring American Sign Language interpretation, open captioning and audio description are offered during the run of each play. Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is America’s longest standing, most distinguished ensemble theater, producing nearly 700 performances and events annually in its three Chicago theater spaces—the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat Garage Theatre. Formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an ensemble of 43 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season and three repertory series: First Look Repertory of New Work, Garage Rep and Next Up. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Off-Broadway, Broadway, London, Sydney and Dublin. Steppenwolf has the distinction of being the only theater to receive the National Medal of Arts, in addition to numerous other prestigious honors including an Illinois Arts Legend Award and nine Tony Awards. Martha Lavey is the Artistic Director and David Hawkanson is the Executive Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Currently on stage is Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, adapted by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro (through August 26, 2012) in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St).

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