New Steppenwolf season includes Broadway-bound 'The Minutes,' 3 world premieres
"The Minutes," a new political drama (whose Broadway transfer is already assured) by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts, and the return of some familiar faces mark Steppenwolf Theatre's 2017-2018 season showcasing female writers and directors.
John Mahoney, Gary Cole, Amy Morton, James Vincent Meredith, Tim Hopper, Francis Guinan and Alana Arenas are among the ensemble members returning for the theater's 42nd season, an examination of American culture that includes three world and four Chicago premieres.
The season begins Sept. 7 in the upstairs theater, with "The Rembrandt." Mahoney and Guinan star in Jessica Dickey's time-leaping drama about the power of creative expression sparked by a museum guard touching a famous painting. Hallie Gordon directs.
Artistic director Anna D. Shapiro, who directed Letts' award-winning "August: Osage County," reunites with the playwright for the previously announced "The Minutes" (Nov. 9-Dec. 31, in the downstairs theater), starring Ian Barford, Guinan and Hopper. The play about small-town politics will transfer to Broadway in 2018.
Steppenwolf's newest ensemble member Namir Smallwood appears in "BLKS," a world premiere by poet Aziza Barnes chronicling a day in the life of four women of color in New York City. It begins previews Dec. 7 upstairs.
Next up on the downstairs stage is Clare Barron's "You Got Older" (Jan. 25-March 11, 2018) about a lonely, unemployed woman who returns home to care for her ailing father. Steppenwolf artistic producer Jonathan Berry directs.
Ensemble member Tina Landau ("The SpongeBob Musical") helms Matthew-Lee Erlbach's "The Doppelgänger (an international farce)." Back channel dealings involving a copper mine in Africa threaten international order in this comedy, which begins previews April 5, 2018 in the downstairs theater.
Next up is Rajiv Joseph's "Guards at the Taj" (May 31-July 15, 2018, upstairs). Morton, who directed Atlantic Theater Company's 2015 premiere of the play about two imperial guards at India's Taj Mahal, helms Steppenwolf's production featuring original cast members Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed.
The season concludes with Jen Silverman's comedy "The Roommate" (June 21-Aug. 5, 2018, downstairs) featuring ensemble members Ora Jones and Sandra Marquez as a pair of middle-aged strangers whose early-life choices have led them to a Bronx apartment.
Steppenwolf is located at 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago. Season subscriptions include seven-play, six-play and five-play options starting at $100. They're available at the box office, by phone at (312) 335-1650 or online at steppenwolf.org/memberships. Single tickets go on sale at a later date.