Steppenwolf Theatre Sets World Premiere and More for 50th Anniversary Season
The season will feature a world premiere, two Chicago premieres and two modern masterpieces.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 12, 2025
Steppenwolf Theatre Company has revealed its its 50th Anniversary Season. Ensemble members from across generations are coming back to their home on Halsted to celebrate the last fifty years and secure the launch of the next fifty. The 50th Season features five Steppenwolf Membership Series productions: a world premiere, two Chicago premieres and two modern masterpieces – all emblematic of Steppenwolf’s indelible impression on the American Theatre. Steppenwolf also doubles down on its decades-long mission to immerse Chicago’s youth in the arts through its lauded educational initiatives – and provide much-needed artistic space for the city’s bustling community of multi-disciplinary artists, along with itinerant theatre companies.
Founded in the mid-1970s by Gary Sinise, Jeff Perry and Terry Kinney in the basement of a suburban church, the ensemble has expanded to 49 celebrated artists – among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the industry. Productions launched from the theatre – from The Grapes of Wrath and August: Osage County – to Pass Over and Purpose – have earned the company accolades including the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards. More than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally and more than 130 world premieres have left an indelible mark on the American Theatre. Learn more about the full Steppenwolf anniversary season here!
Steppenwolf Theatre Company’S 50th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Mr. Wolf – Chicago Premiere!
Written by ensemble member Rajiv Joseph
Directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman
Featuring ensemble members Kate Arrington, Tim Hopper, James Vincent Meredith and Caroline Neff
September 11 – November 2, 2025
In the Downstairs Theater
14 years ago, the infant Theresa was stolen from her parents. Now, the precocious 15-year-old has been rescued, and quickly returned to a family that had nearly forsaken hope – a family she neither recognizes nor understands. In ensemble member Rajiv Joseph’s unflinching play, a miraculous reunion sets the stage for provocative conversations: what makes a house a home? What nightmares are we willing to face for the sake of our children? And ultimately, what part do we play in the grand saga of human existence?
Amadeus
Written by Peter Shaffer
Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro
Featuring ensemble members Ian Barford, Robert Breuler, K. Todd Freeman, Francis Guinan, Sally Murphy and Yasen Peyankov
November 6, 2025 – January 4, 2026
In the Ensemble Theater
Vienna: a cacophony of music and intrigue. The emperor's composer, Antonio Salieri, holds court until the flamboyant entrance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: prodigy and wild child. The two artists begin a vicious and thrilling duet, a rivalry that will define their lives and legacies for years to come. Winner of 5 Tonys and 8 Academy Awards, Amadeus is the ultimate ode to ambition and musical genius, a brilliant requiem for a villain in history – but a hero in his own story. Vi saluto!
Topdog/Underdog
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Kenny Leon
Featuring ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood
January 29 – March 22, 2026
In the Downstairs Theater
Brothers Lincoln and Booth, named in jest, are two Black men living in America just trying to get by. Lincoln dresses like his namesake, reenacting his assassination for money and laughs. Booth stays stuck in their apartment, working tirelessly on his Three-Card hustle. Sibling rivalry and a lifetime of resentment come to a head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride from Suzan-Lori Parks. The deck is stacked with a Pulitzer Prize-winning script and an unforgettable showdown for ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood. “Take thuh cards and show me whatcha got!”
Windfall – World Premiere!
Written by ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney
Directed by Awoye Timpo
Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis and Jon Michael Hill
April 9 – May 31, 2026
In the Ensemble Theater
This is a story about money. Don’t let them fool you otherwise. When Mac loses his child in a clash with the local police, he is visited by three strangers who advise him to take the city's cash settlement, relocate and forget his grief – or else stay and remain impoverished surrounded by memories of the world his child fought so hard to protect. This world premiere from Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney explores how grief, justice, sexuality, gender, history and even pride become secondary concerns in the wake of currency.
Catch as Catch Can – Chicago Premiere!
Written by Mia Chung
Directed by ensemble member Amy Morton
Featuring ensemble members Gary Cole, Audrey Francis and Tim Hopper
June 4 – July 12, 2026
In the Downstairs Theater
Press opening: Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 6 pm
When a prodigal son returns to blue collar New England, his homecoming sets off a spiraling crisis for two families, threatening not only their relationships but their very identities. In Mia Chung’s wildly inventive Catch as Catch Can, three actors take on six roles, bridging generation and gender, in a theatrical tour-de-force that upends the kitchen sink drama and asks what happens when we refuse to play the roles we’re prescribed. Spanning hilarity, stunning virtuosity and outright horror, this ferocious Chicago premiere – featuring an all-ensemble cast – must be witnessed to be believed.
Comments
Videos