In the same way the names behind True Grit - Cohen! Bridges! Damon! - had movie-lovers drooling before the first take, Steppenwolf’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was set up to be this season’s smash-hit - Albee! Morton! Letts! - before the first rehearsal. And thanks to what the LA Times calls “the great Albee-Steppenwolf Thaw of 2010” (more on that later), the production lives up to the hype. And more. more ›

We've already raved about Steppenwolf's current production of Endgame, Samuel Beckett's post-apocalyptic puzzler which runs through June 6. Now we get a rare chance to see a revival of one of the best Beckett homages of all time. more ›

Here's a trio of literary events - two happening tonight and one still a few months - that caught our attention. more ›

Endgame takes place in a post-apocalyptic world (or perhaps in the mind of Hamm, the crotchety would-be King of this microcosmic, bizarre realm), in a nonspecific, dank, grey room with towering walls and two teeny, barred windows reachable only by ladder. Surrounded by a dark void (in the form of an empty orchestra pit between audience and stage), the setting could be a fortress, a prison, a mental hospital, an exceptionally depressing nursing home, or, well, nowhere. As with practically everything else in the play, the metaphors are endless, and making a specific decision is neither required nor desirable. Beckett certainly makes you think - but there is a looming danger of overthinking. Be careful, or your brain will explode. more ›

Before we get to the heart of things, a few words of explanation. The Brother/Sister Plays is the name given to a trilogy of plays by Tarell Alvin McCraney: In The Red and Brown Water, The Brothers Size and Marcus; Or The Secret of Sweet. In The Red and Brown Water is a full-length play being performed by itself. The Brothers Size and Marcus are one-act plays being performed together. The characters in all three plays are connected, whether by blood or community, but their stories, running in repertory in Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre, can be seen in any order. In The Red and Brown Water can be seen without the other two, and vice-versa, but we're willing to bet that if you attend one performance, you'll be itching to see the rest of it. We saw the whole trilogy on one marathon Saturday, and it was some of the best theatre we've ever seen. more ›

When you have a famous playwright headlining your show, it’s almost always a good thing. Steppenwolf has two. more ›

Tracy Letts' August:Osage County is coming full circle. The play, which debuted at Steppenwolf, went on to win a Pullitzer, snag five Tony Awards, and then hit Broadway, is coming back to Chicago as part of a nationwide tour of the play. Academy Award winning actress Estelle Parsons (1967, Bonnie & Clyde) leads the cast. The play will be at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph) from February 2 through 14, 2010. Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 4th, at 10 am via Ticketmaster. more ›

Superior Donuts, playwright Tracy Letts' follow-up to blockbuster hit August:Osage County, will close on Broadway in January, according to playbill.com. As we've written many times before, the show originated at the Steppenwolf, and a booking period through March has originally been on schedule for the show's run at the Music Box Theatre. The critics generally enjoyed the show, but unfortunately, Broadway longevity is not the easiest thing to come by. more ›

Tickets might be going for $1800 on Craigslist for Second City, but you can still hear and see some funny (and cultural) things on the cheap at the Chicago Humanities Festival. From the dance lecture “Foot is a Funny Word” to the panel “Laughter and the First Amendment” and, a personal favorite, “Laughter Bollywood Style,” the final weekend seems to be full of reasons to chuckle. So what if Tony Kushner was a round last weekend and we missed it? more ›

Last week was a big week for Chicago plays on Broadway. Steppenwolf’s Superior Donuts opened at The Music Box Theatre, the same venue where August: Osage County recently closed. Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain, which ran at Chicago Dramatists last year, opened at Gerald Shoenfeld Theater, and Brighton Beach Memoirs, helmed by Chicago director-of-the-moment David Cromer, began previews Friday. more ›

Folding theaters, plunging box office numbers and mass layoffs have dominated the theater headlines of late. And as journalism suffers along with the stage, reviews, profiles and upcoming show previews have become few and far between in some publications. So as we were flipping through our Wall Street Journal this morning (O.K., O.K., it was a press release), we were surprised and excited to hear that there is some hope out there for the business we call show. Our very own Steppenwolf Theatre Company has been named on of the top 15 places to work by the Wall Street Journal’s Top Small Workplaces 2009. more ›

The omnipresent Chicago-born international phenomenon August: Osage County will travel to Sydney, Australia next year for a one month engagement at Australia's Sydney Theatre Company. The same design team from the Steppenwolf and Broadway production will go down under with the show. Fun fact: Cate Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, are the artistic directors for the company. more ›

The Steppenwolf is on it. The Broadway musical Next to Normal took it to the next level. And now, The Playground Theater is bringing it to the stage. (We're talking about Twitter in case you were wondering.) The Tweet Life is an improv show that uses one guest's tweets as scene suggestions for the performance. Each week, a different twitter follower of @the_playground will be chosen as the subject of an original show. If you want to participate, follow @the_playground and @reply "I want in on #thetweetlife." The selected follower will receive two complimentary tickets to that week's show. If you're not on Twitter, we can't help you. Or just sign up. more ›

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman still prefers the Steppenwolf, even after his HUGE slip-up when he basically said the Steppenwolf and Goodman are better than whatever theater there is in Peoria, IL. (Well, he said he didn't know of a theater in Peoria and he wanted to fund the kind of art at the Steppenwolf and Goodman. Close enough.) more ›

Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for non-profit theater, named Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey its new board president. TCG is also the U.S. center of the International Theatre Institute. Goodman Executive director Roche Schulfer joins the board for the first time, and Rachel Kraft, Lookingglass executive director, returns to the board. It’s great to see such strong Chicago representation in the national organization! more ›

A few days a go, new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Rocco Landesman couldn’t tell you whether there was theater in Peoria, Illinois and now, he’s probably going to have to visit to remove the taste of shoe from his mouth. In his first interview since his confirmation as chairman last Friday, Landesman told The New York Times, “I don’t know if there’s a theater in Peoria, but I would bet that it’s not as good as Steppenwolf or the Goodman.” more ›

Steppenwolf and Tracy Letts received their millionth award together - not really but it feels that way - for Superior Donuts, which takes August: Osage County’s place on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in October. Superior Donuts won a citation, i.e. “runner up,” for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Award, administered by the American Theatre Critics Association. The award comes with $7,500, which isn’t a hefty sum considering Broadway tickets cost about half that. Lynn Nottage’s Ruined, which premiered at the Goodman last fall and won this year’s Pulitzer, was also named one of the 2008-2009 Best Plays by The Best Plays Theater Yearbook, an annual publication celebrating American theater. more ›

Brace yourself. You might want to sit down for this one. Ready? Ok, here goes: there are other things to do this weekend besides go to Lollapalooza. We know it’s almost blasphemous to discuss other entertainment options, but seeing as we haven’t been struck by lightning yet, here are a few shows that you’d miss if you spent your weekend in Grant Park. more ›

• David Cromer’s acclaimed production of Our Town, which originated at Hypocrites last fall, has been extended Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre until January 31. However, Cromer, who also plays the role of the stage manager, will only be in the production until August 16, and then he has to go onto his bigger Broadway obligations - directing Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound and Brighton Beach Memoirs. His replacement has not been announced.
• The original cast of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts, which premiered at the Steppenwolf last summer, will keep the same cast for its Broadway run, opening in October at the Music Box Theatre. The cast includes Michael McKean, known for his roles in Christopher Guest mockumentaries, as the donut shop owner, and ensemble member Jon Michael Hill as his only employee. We’re happy about the cast, but from what we’ve heard, the script should definitely not remain the same. Good luck editing Mr. Letts.

From tumbling clowns to flying middle-aged men, the two shows playing at the Steppenwolf couldn’t be more different. One’s a comedic, musical improvisational concoction; the other is a deftly didactic story. Here’s our reviews of both shows. more ›

Tracy Letts’ epic August: Osage County will close its doors on Broadway this Sunday after 648 performances, making it one of the longest running plays in Broadway history. And while you might think we’re finally going to stop hearing about it now, you’re wrong. more ›

Inspired by “Voices Behind the Walls: Women of the Asylum,” a collection of personal stories from women incarcerated in mental institutions between 1840-1945, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE) began holding workshops and conducting research for The Walls more than five years ago. RTE is dedicated to producing plays that “explore the unique female experience” - for us, this tack implies distinctiveness and power, the perfect combination to approach such strong source material. It’s hard to understand how these elements coalesced into something so generic. more ›

We know Chicago is famous for the intimate storefront scene and the omnipresent itinerant theaters, but the powerhouses also have some good stuff to offer. And no, you’re not selling your theatrical soul if you actually enjoy Broadway In Chicago. We do, but sometimes it’s cost, not quality, that prevents us from attending, as we’re sure you understand. So here’s a handful of ways to get cheap cheaper tickets to some of Chicago’s iconic thespian hangouts. more ›

A new location, an inaugural theme, photographers and devisers - oh my! Anthony Moseley, artistic director or Sketchbook, spoke to us about what makes Chicago’s annual seven-minute play festival worth your while. more ›

We've just learned that due to a last minute scheduling conflict, Matt Dillon has had to drop out of Nelson Algren Live: The 100th Birthday Celebration, which is Monday evening at the Steppenwolf. In his stead will be Willem Dafoe. A script written just for the occasion weaves tributes from people who knew Algren with excerpts from his writing. Dafoe will portray Frankie Machine from The Man with the Golden Arm, while author Barry Gifford will play Nelson himself. Among others performing are writers Russell Banks and Don DeLillo, and Steppenwolf ensemble member Martha Lavey. Tickets are available by calling the theater box office. more ›

Chicago theaters have begun announcing their 2009-2010 season lineups, and we’re glad to report that the trend of bringing brand spankin’ new plays to our fair city will continue. Between three of our most prominent companies, we’ll see nine new works. more ›

This Tuesday, try an alternative to melting into the couch while flipping between American Idol and The Biggest Loser and check out the one-night-only, one-woman performance of Last Days of Desmond ‘Nani’ Reese: A Stripper’s History of the World at Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre. more ›

An impressive array of Chicago heavyweights will assemble next Monday evening at 7:30 at the Steppenwolf to pay tribute to Studs Terkel. A staged reading, with music, of Derek Goldman’s adaptation of Terkel’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken makes up the bulk of the program, which will feature David Schwimmer; Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey and ensemble members Robert Breuler, K. Todd Freeman, Tom Irwin, and Alan Wilder; director Joyce Piven (mother of Jeremy); and Trib writer Rick Kogan. Tickets will be free but reservations are required. They'll be available to the public beginning tomorrow by calling the Steppenwolf box-office at 312-335-1650. more ›

Congratulations to Steppenwolf, who was recently named the recipient of two major grants – each helping to fund unique initiatives and programs within the company. more ›

Pulitzer and Tony-winner (August: Osage County) and Steppenwolf scribe Tracy Letts has a new play, Superior Donuts, opening tonight. Set in an old donut shop in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, the comedy focuses on the relationship between owner Arthur Pryzbyszewski and his only employee, a black teenager named Franco Wicks who wants to improve the shop. The production features Steppenwolf ensemble members Jon Michael Hill, James Vincent Meredith, and Yasen Peyankov and also features Jane Alderman, Kate Buddeke, Cliff Chamberlain, Michael Garvey, Robert Maffia, and Michael McKean. Besides August, Letts has also written Man From Nebraska (a Pulitzer finalist), Killer Joe, and the acclaimed Bug. The production is directed by ensemble member Tina Landau. more ›