Steppenwolf Theatre Company launches its 2009-2010 season, exploring the theme of belief, with the world premiere of Fake, written and directed by ensemble member Eric Simonson. Fake features ensemble members Kate Arrington, Francis Guinan and Alan Wilder with Coburn Goss and Larry Yando. Fake plays September 10 - November 8, 2009 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted.
In 1914, renowned mystery writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle invites four guests to his English country home. Each visitor has a connection to the infamous "Piltdown Man," purported to be the missing link between ape and man-later exposed as a hoax. Swinging back and forth through time, Fake investigates how "Piltdown" rattled assumptions about evolution, faith and science-and how we are transformed by our quest for the truth.Ensemble member Eric Simonson recently completed a documentary on the late Studs Terkel for HBO. Simonson received a Tony® nomination for his direction of Steppenwolf's The Song of Jacob Zulu with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and directed an Oscar®-nominated documentary about the acclaimed South African singing group. Simonson received an Oscar® for Best Documentary Short for his film A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin in 2006. Other directing credits at Steppenwolf include Honest (also playwright), Carter's Way (also playwright), Slaughterhouse-Five (also adaptor) and Nomathemba (Hope).Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.
Fake was developed as part of Steppenwolf's New Plays Initiative. Steppenwolf is recognized as a national leader in the development and production of new work for the American canon. Through this initiative, the company maintains ongoing relationships with writers of international prominence and rigorously discovers and supports the work of early and mid-career playwrights.Photo credit: Michael Brosilow
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