Midwest premiere like 'coming home' for Naperville playwright

When Mat Smart was growing up in Naperville, he took a trip to see “The Crucible” at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre.

“It was the most powerful piece of art I'd ever seen,” Smart said. “I decided if that was what theater could be, I wanted to be a part of it.”

So Smart became a playwright, penning “The Hopper Collection,” “The 13th of Paris,” “The Bebop Heard in Okinawa” and “Samuel J. and K.,” which will have its Midwest premiere at Steppenwolf for Young Adults.

“It feels like coming home to do a show there because it was a place that had such an impact on me growing up,” Smart said. “I came back into the city all the time to see shows at Steppenwolf. I think it's the best theater in America.”

“Samuel J. and K.” draws on Smart's experiences from a trip to Cameroon he took more than five years ago. The play follows two brothers who grew up in Naperville. One of the brothers is adopted from Cameroon, and the Naperville native buys him a trip to Africa as a college graduation present.

“They're essentially culturally Americans,” Smart said. “It's essentially about Americans going out there and experiencing Cameroon and what it's like for them.”

The characters are also inspired by Smart's suburban upbringing.

“I think one of them embraces suburban life and thinks it's great and the other one really can't wait to get away from it,” Smart said. “With my friends, there are people who loved it there and people who hated it there, and sometimes you did both.”

The play premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. Smart was concerned about how the show would be received by audiences who weren't familiar with Naperville or Cameroon, but he said that everyone could appreciate the show's focus on the nature of brotherhood. The play's good reception was also helped by casting actor Justin Long.

“There were young teenage girls that came out to see the show,” Smart said.

“I think they really weren't interested in the story; I think they were there to see Justin Long.”

Smart said he never thought of “Samuel J. and K.” as a show for young adults before he was approached by Steppenwolf. He's cleaned up some of the language in the original script and has also entirely rewritten the second act. Smart said he usually keeps working on his plays for a few years after writing his first draft.

“I try to put out of my mind that I wrote this thing and just think ‘Is this interesting? Is this engaging? I think this might be the most boring scene. What can I do to make it more exciting?'” he said.

Even while the play was in rehearsal, Smart was still making small changes. After the NFC Championship Game, he inserted a dig at Bears player Jay Cutler during a scene where one of the brothers gets hurt playing basketball and the other makes fun of him.

“I don't think I've quite figured out the ending, so I'm still tweaking it,” Smart said.

<b>“Samuel J. and K.”</b>

<b>Location:</b> Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, call (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

<b>Showtimes:</b> 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Feb. 27) through March 13; school-only matinee performances also available during the week

<b>Tickets:</b> $20