LookOut Series Announces Exciting Spring Lineup Including The Yard's COLUMBINUS

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series is pleased to announce their exciting Spring 2018 Lineup, which will feature LookOut Visiting Company The Yard's production of columbinus, by the United States Theatre Project, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, directed by Mechelle Moe, performed by The Yard's 18 young-person based Ensemble. columbinus is a docu-drama that probes the psychological warfare of alienation, hostility and social pressure that goes on in high schools across America.

Additional LookOut Spring 2018 highlights include Good Evening with Pat Whalen, Haven Theatre's remount of We're Gonna Die, a special Women's History Month edition of SHADE: An ACTUALLY Diverse Comedy Show, B.A.P.S. Comedy, Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings and familiar LookOut favorites as well as acts new to the series. Full lineup below.

Tickets to Spring LookOut programming go on sale Friday, February 16 at 11am through Audiences Services (1650 N Halsted), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. Steppenwolf Red and Black Card Members may use credits towards shows in the 1700 Theatre. Lineup below; prices vary. For information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.

LookOut performances take place in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, an 80-seat cabaret-style space connected to Steppenwolf's own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks. Located at 1700 N Halsted St., Front Bar is an inviting space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Guests can take drinks into the theater.

LookOut Spring 2018 Lineup

Listed in date order. All artists, dates and prices subject to change.

*Doors open 30 minutes before performance time

SHADE: An ACTUALLY Diverse Comedy Show Presents

WOKE WOMEN

Friday, March 23

8pm

$15

Just in time for women's history month, join Chicago's best women and LGBTQIA comedians for a fun night celebrating the impending dismantling of the patriarchy. #TimesUp #DrinkUp.

Let's be frank: Comedy has a ways to go when it comes to making space for diverse voices and bodies. Across the country, there are strong, vibrant, and hilarious stand-up comics striving to break into the conversation. SHADE: An ACTUALLY Diverse Comedy Show is a showcase of standups of color and LGBTQI comedians. All are welcome, Shade is mandatory.

Featuring Sonal Aggarwal, Whitney Wasson, and Collier Free. Hosted and Produced By Colette Gregory.

Haven Theatre Presents

We're Gonna Die

By Young Jean Lee

Directed by Josh Sobel

Monday Nights, March 26 - April 16

8pm

$18

A singer takes the stage, backed by her rock-band compatriots, to share Young Jean Lee's life-affirming show about the one thing we all have in common: "we're gonna die." Drawing from true stories of people's experiences with tragedy, despair and loneliness, this personal and rejuvenating play with live music reminds us that in our darkest, most isolated moments, we are not alone.

Named one of the best of last year by the Chicago Tribune, Time Out Chicago, Newcity Stage and Rescripted, Haven Theatre is thrilled to blow the roof off and melt some faces once again with Young Jean Lee's life- and humanity-affirming rock concert event, We're Gonna Die!

"Tender" and "head-thrashing" (Chicago Reader), "badass" and "visceral" (Time Out Chicago), and with "a lot of soul" (Chicago Tribune), We're Gonna Die is a full-voiced reminder while our world is in crisis that even in our most trying, tumultuous and isolating moments, we are not alone.

Malcolm London: The Right Away Series

Sunday, April 1; Tuesday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 4

8pm

$25

Malcolm London comes to Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre to close out his Right Away Series music tour. London calls this project "a note on self-discovery; a compilation of love poems, political commentary & emotional turmoil." Join us for a night at the intersection of music, poems & social justice.

Malcolm London, called the Gil Scott-Heron of this generation by Cornel West, is an internationally recognized Chicago poet, activist, educator and musician. London brings vim and vigor to his energetic performances tackling tough contemporary issues head on.

Good Evening with Pat Whalen

Friday, April 6

9pm

$10

Join Chicago's only late-night talk-show news-alternative for its triumphant return to Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre for an evening of live music, performances, interviews, and prizes. Get your tickets early for what many smart people are telling us is sure to be the #BESTEVENINGEVER!

Good Evening with Pat Whalen has been Chicago's only late-night talk-show news-alternative for over three years. Combining civic and state-wide issues with the comedic format of late-night, Pat has interviewed some of the city's movers and/or shakers, including: Debra Shore at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Illinois comptroller Susana Mendoza, gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Daniel Biss, journalists Amanda Vinicky and Paris Schutz, candidate for lieutenant governor Ra Joy, Alderman Scott Waguespack, State Representative Will Guzzardi, and more.

On top of that, Good Evening has hosted some of the city's most talented up-and-coming musical acts and entertainers; Ric Wilson, White Mystery, Mother Nature, Freesole Chicago, Avantist, Odinaka Ezeokoli, Meghana Indurti, Dewayne Perkins, Sarah Squirm, and many more.

Along with monologue jokes, characters, desk bits, interactive games, giveaways and prizes, Pat and his team strive to leave their audience entertained, educated, and engaged - the ideal trifecta otherwise known as the Best Evening Ever (#besteveningever)!

Now That We're Men

Written and Directed by Katie Cappiello

Tuesday, April 10 at 7pm
Wednesday, April 11 at 7pm
Thursday, April 12 at 1pm
Thursday, April 12 at 7pm

$25 General, $15 Students

In the weeks leading up to prom, the close friendships of five high school guys are put to the test...'cause Andrew must be gay, Marcus knocked up his girl, Derek's falling in love, Nick is a little too addicted to fetish porn, and Evan pushed a hook-up too far and downed a bottle of pills.

Born from conversations with teenage boys, Now That We're Men lays bare what's happening in high schools across the country. Their unfiltered stories - of consent, power, porn, manning up and getting laid - come straight from the mouths of these guys, as they are figuring out what it means to be a man.

Now That We're Men has been performed in theaters and high schools across the northeast, including Dixon Place, LaTea, The Brooklyn Museum, Phillips Andover Academy, St. Francis College, Nassau Community College and Choate Rosemary Hall. The show is now making its Chicago debut as part of Steppenwolf's LookOut Series. Working alongside public, private and charter schools in the Chicago area, over 50% of the tickets have been provided for free to local students. The performances will run in conjunction with The Harold Washington Public Library's Teen Lit Fest. On Saturday, April 14th, the teen cast of Now That We're Men will be hosting a panel at the Lit Fest to discuss masculinity, consent, sexual assault and adolescence to extend the #MeToo/#TimesUp conversation to the generation who needs it most: teens.

Radio Man: The Story of Band Called Catch

Saturday, April 14

8pm

$18

"Radioman" explores the journey of a great band that never became great. Join Tim Frank and the band for an evening of laughs, thoughts, claps, and sips at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre.

The style of Band Called Catch's music is as eclectic as the subject matter of the songs. Blending Folk, Americana, Rock, and more as they explore childhood, risks, politics, temptation, love, and everything in between. BCC has released 4 records over the years with the latest record "we all look the same" just being released in January of 2018. Featuring: Tim Frank, Jess Lyons, David Langley, Tim Koelling, & Darcy Wood.

The Yard Presents

columbinus

A LookOut Visiting Company

by the United States Theatre Project

Written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli

Dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch

Conceived by PJ Paparelli

Directed by Mechelle Moe

Thursday, May 3 - Saturday, May 26

5/3, 5/4 @8pm; 5/5 @4pm & 8pm;

5/9, 5/10, 5/11, 5/17, 5/18 @8pm; 5/19 4pm & 8pm;

5/23, 5/24, 5/25 @8pm; 5/26 @4pm & 8pm

Full price: $25
Students: $10 (1 ticket per ID)
Industry: $15
Seniors: $20
Groups of 10+: $20

columbinus, a docu-drama, explores the cultural and personal pathologies that gave rise to the horrific events in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, when two students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School, killing a dozen students and a teacher before killing themselves.

This examination of the ecosphere of the average American high school presents an anonymous portrait of high school life in the fictionalized first act, before focusing in detail on the devastating events at Columbine in the second. columbinus probes the psychological warfare of alienation, hostility, and social pressure that goes on in high schools across America.

Created by The United States Theatre Project, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, with dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch, and conceived and directed by PJ Paparelli, columbinus weaves together excerpts from discussions with parents, survivors and community leaders in Littleton as well as diaries and home video footage to bring to light the dark recesses of American adolescence. In the wake of our most recent school shooting at Marshall County High School in Kentucky, our country's eleventh in the infant stages of 2018, The Yard's 18 young-person based Ensemble teams with Steppenwolf's LookOut Series to explore an epidemic that continues to plague our society at continually alarming rate.

The Yard, a professional youth theatre company founded in 2015 by Mechelle Moe and Joel Ewing, is committed to producing theatre that is relevant to young people and performed by young people. Originally a collective of Senn Arts Magnet High School students, The Yard partners with established theatre companies to create professional theatrical experiences that immerse students in every aspect of the Chicago storefront theatre-making process.

The Best Band Ever Band

Monday, May 7

8pm

$10

Erik and Jessie and Everyone You Know proudly presents: The Best of the Best Band Ever Band. Everyone's favorite house band performs some of the best material from the past year of Variety Shows with special guests.

About Erik and Jessie and Everyone You Know: For nearly a century, American entertainment was built on the back of the variety show. Our's borrows heavily from the musical variety shows of the 70's. It's a little Sonny and Cher and a little Fozzie the Bear. We start with a killer seven-piece country/soul band and then add the usual suspects: singers, comedians, magicians. And then we mix in some more novel acts: poetry and improv, diarists and dancers, games, stunts, surprises and the occasional baked good. Over nearly a year of doing the show at our home in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, and other venues around Chicago, we have developed a growing family - diverse, tight-knit, supportive - which blurs the lines between audience and performer. Come and be a part of it.

B.A.P.S. Comedy Presents

Fine Wine & Almost On Time

Written and Created by Adrienne Brandyburg, Adrienne Brown & Jillian Ebanks

Sunday, May 20

8pm

$12

Fine Wine & Almost on Time - A melanin infused sketch show filled with fine ass melinated women telling melinated jokes. B.A.P.S.: A Comedy Variety Showcase is based out of Chicago, IL and showcases women of color in comedy. B.A.P.S. was created because we felt a void and created a platform for talented women of color in a typically male-dominated industry.

B.A.P.S. includes everything from stand-up and solo sketches to music and storytelling. Every month we showcase businesses owned and run by women of color. As women of color, it is our job to support, root and cheer for each other every chance we get! Get ready to hear voices that are positive, proud and unapologetic.

Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings

An evening of staged plays readings, written and directed by Midwest Asian American theatre artists

Monday, May 21

7pm

Free

The Asian Pacific American (APA) population is seriously under represented on stage. "Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings" is a staged play reading series intended to provide inspiration, space, and audiences for Midwest APA playwrights, directors, and actors. Curated by Mia Park and produced by Asian Improv Arts Midwest's AA Arts Incubator, "Our Perspective" is a series of four play reading events at The Goodman Theatre and at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2018.

Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW) and Guest Curator Mia Park are proud to present "Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings," Chicago's first-ever staged reading series of short and full-length plays written by Midwest Asian Americans. "Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings," is part of AIRMW's AA Arts Incubator Program and is presented February 12, 2018 in The Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement at Goodman Theatre, 170 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois, from 7 - 9 p.m. The series continues May 21, 2018 in The 1700 Theatre at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1700 North Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois; August 13, 2018 in The Alice at Goodman Theatre and November TBA 2018 in The 1700 Theatre at Steppenwolf Theatre. The February and August presentations will feature readings of short plays; the May and November presentations will feature the reading of a short and a full-length play.

"In our divisive times, it's most important for all voices and faces to be seen and heard. Asian American theatre artists are a vital representation of the Asian Pacific American experience. We intend to provide inspiration, space, and audiences for local Asian American Playwrights, directors, and actors in the series, 'Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings,'" says Mia Park. "Our universal voice will be best developed and strengthened by focusing on local talent. The only way to be heard and seen is to speak up and have presence, and 'Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings' aims to accomplish these goals. We would especially like to thank everyone at the Goodman and Steppenwolf for their tremendous support in helping us get this important program off the ground."

LookOut is Steppenwolf's performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form, emerging artists and performance legends, quintessential Chicago companies and young aspiring ensembles, familiar Steppenwolf faces and new friends. Tickets to all LookOut programming are available through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted), steppenwolf.org or 312-335-1650. Prices vary for each show. Steppenwolf Red Card and Black Card Members may use credits towards any LookOut programming. The LookOut Series is presented year-round and announced on an ongoing basis. John Zinn, Greta Honold and Patrick Zakem are the producers for LookOut. For more information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.

Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks

Connected to the main lobby is Steppenwolf's own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks, offering a warm, creative space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Open Tuesdays - Sundays from 8am to midnight, Front Bar serves artisanal coffee and espresso is provided by La Colombe and food prepared by Goddess and Grocer. The menu focuses on fresh, accessible fare, featuring grab-and-go salads and sandwiches for lunch and adding shareable small plates and desserts for evening and post show service. www.front-bar.com

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble of 49 members represent a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County-and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards-have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago's diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

To post a comment, you must register and login.