Steppenwolf Theatre Announces New Virtual Workshops and Podcast Dates; KING JAMES Postponed

Steppenwolf Theatre Company will move the world premiere production of King James by ensemble member Rajiv Joseph to the 2021/22 Season. Originally scheduled to open May 7, 2020, King James is a co-production with the Center Theatre Group (CTG) and will be directed by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro.

"We had sincerely hoped to be able to move forward with this production and are heartbroken to have to press pause, but in continuing to follow government guidelines the timeline just became too tight to be able to stay on schedule. We are grateful to still be co-producing King James with our friends at CTG and can't wait to bring Rajiv's beautiful script to life in the 21/22 season. In the meantime, we have launched several initiatives to keep the 'virtual lights' on and have a specific digital project in the works for Members that we'll be able to share soon - stay tuned!" shares Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro.

Upcoming Virtual Workshops

Steppenwolf Education continues to offer three FREE virtual events each week for the teens, educators and early-career professionals. Since launching just last week, more than 300 people have participated in these virtual sessions from across the globe.

Upcoming virtual workshops include:

WHAT'S NEXT? CONVERSATION WITH DAVID "DSTEW" STEWART

David "dstew" Stewart is the Production Manager at Disney Parks Live Entertainment

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

12:00pm-1:00pm CST

Each Tuesday, Steppenwolf Education hosts "What's Next?" a series featuring conversations with established industry professionals about their careers, the industry, and tips for early-career professionals entering the field in the wake of COVID-19.

The "What's Next?" series launched on Tuesday, March 31 with ensemble members Anna D. Shapiro and Ian Barford. An attendee in a post-workshop survey shared:

"The conversation with [Shapiro and Barford] was insightful, inspirational, and incredibly grounding for me. It reminded me of why we do what we do and that this isn't permanent. Cheers to the Chicago theatre community for lifting each other up and being fundamentally good humans!"

SCENE STUDY: ENSEMBLE MEMBERS Kate Arrington AND Jon Michael Hill

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

3:00pm-4:30pm CST

Part workshop and part panel conversation, join Steppenwolf Ensemble members Kate Arrington and Jon Michael Hill as they take us inside their process approaching scenes as an actor with input from our audience of teens, and share with us some of their most cringe-worthy audition and rehearsal tales.

ADAPTING CURRICULUM AND ART-MAKING TO ONLINE PLATFORMS

Thursday, April 9, 2020

11:00am-12:30pm CST

Join us for a panel discussion with an incredible group of educators from across the country who share ideas for how performing arts institutions and educators can innovate for online platforms.

To RSVP to individual workshops, visit steppenwolf.org/virtualStepEd. Use #virtualStepEd and #justbringyourself to help us spread the word.

Half Hour Podcast Launches April 7th

Tune in April 7th to hear the first episode of Half Hour: A Steppenwolf Theatre Podcast, featuring special guest co-founding ensemble member Jeff Perry. The podcast will be available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Heart Radio and Pandora. Learn more at steppenwolf.org.

Half Hour is a Steppenwolf produced, Ensemble member hosted, interview-style podcast that uses the most magical amount of time there is in the theatre - the half hour before a show begins - to sit down and make connections between artists in the Steppenwolf family.

Hosted by Audrey Francis, Caroline Neff, Cliff Chamberlain and Glenn Davis, four of Steppenwolf's newer ensemble members, Half Hour takes audiences behind the scenes for candid, intimate, one-on-one conversations between members of the nation's premier ensemble theatre.

Half Hour is produced by Patrick Zakem and recorded and engineered by Matthew Chapman.

Chicago Acts Together

Steppenwolf's ethos is ensemble-the guiding principle that we are always stronger when we act together. With COVID-19 presenting a massive threat to the well-being of not only Steppenwolf but the entire Chicago arts ecosystem, the company has designed a limited edition "Chicago Acts Together" t-shirt, and will be donating half of all proceeds to The Chicago Theatre Workers Relief Fund, a League of Chicago Theatres initiative which will directly assist theatre workers who have lost work as a result of COVID-19 and are facing financial uncertainty. The remainder will help sustain Steppenwolf's "virtual" stages and education programs during this hiatus.

T-shirts are $30 each with an option to donate more. To purchase, visit Rowboat Creative and their Creatives Who Care initiative at https://creativeswhocare.org/collections/steppenwolf.

Behind-the-Scenes of ...Miz Martha

Today would've been the first preview performance of The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington by James Ijames. Explore a selection of never-before-seen content that is rarely shared with audiences. From costume renderings and photos of the set model to rehearsal photos and a new interview with the director and playwright, take an insider's peek at what had already begun-and what will come when the show is produced in the 21/22 Season. Visit steppenwolf.org/mizmartha.

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