Steppenwolf Announces 2019/20 Season; LINDIWE, BUG, KING JAMES, and More

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced the 2019/20 Season today. With seven Steppenwolf main series productions and two Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) productions, the 44th season brings together the talents of revered Steppenwolf legends and captivating new ensemble members in a powerful lineup that celebrates a dynamic range of exciting voices. Composed of stories as unique as each audience, the 2019/20 Season is an invitation to experience work that sparks curiosity, empathy and even a new perspective.

"The 2019/20 Season reflects our collective commitment to create more stories for more of us and is sure to stoke novel conversation and broaden our appreciation of the everyday and the extraordinary. Whether it makes you laugh, cry or even ache, you will feel a little bit richer for having been a part of it," shares Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro.

The season features three thrilling world premieres: the large-scale production of ensemble member Eric Simonson's Lindiwe with music written and performed by the world-renowned Ladysmith Black Mambazo in a stunning love story that travels from Chicago's Kingston Mines to South Africa and beyond; new ensemble member Rajiv Joseph's King James, inspired by King Lebron James's impact on the city of Cleveland, directed by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro, featuring ensemble member Glenn Davis and produced in association with the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles; and the celebrated Chicago playwright and director team of La Ruta, Isaac Gomez and ensemble member Sandra Marquez, collaborate again for SYA's world premiere of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, adapted from the novel by Erika L. S nchez, starring ensemble member Karen Rodriguez.

For the first time at Steppenwolf, Pulitzer Prize-winning ensemble member Tracy Letts's cult classic Bug will be produced in the Downstairs Theatre, helmed by Tony Award-winning director David Cromer and featuring ensemble members Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood. Steppenwolf for Young Adults will open its season with Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney's acclaimed lyrical play, The Brothers Size, directed by Monty Cole in his Steppenwolf directorial debut.

Four Chicago premieres bring more exciting new voices to Steppenwolf: in-demand playwright Lauren Yee's witty and weighty Chicago premiere of The Great Leap, directed by Jesca Prudencio, explores American and Beijing relations in the late 1980s. Following its hit NYC run, the fiercely funny Dance Nation by Clare Barron receives its highly anticipated Chicago premiere, directed and choreographed by Lee Sunday Evans, featuring ensemble members Audrey Francis, Caroline Neff and Karen Rodriguez. Compelling and bold, The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington showcases the daring new voice of James Ijames, under the direction of Whitney White and featuring ensemble members Celeste M. Cooper and Ora Jones. Closing out the season is a play that bends both generation and gender in a theatrical tour-de-force, Catch as Catch Can by the gifted Mia Chung, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll and featuring ensemble member Audrey Francis.

Watch the season announcement video to learn more:

2019/20 Classic Memberships are now on sale. Memberships start as low as $100 and can save audiences up to 50% off single ticket purchases. The entire season can be experienced by securing your seats to all seven main series productions. Members enjoy perks of discounted tickets, easy and free exchanges, access to insider events, 15% discount at Front Bar & Steppenwolf Shop as well as pre-sale notices before public announcements. Five, six and seven play membership packages are also available. Discounted packages for students and teachers and accessible packages are offered, and current members who renew by May 15, 2019 can guarantee their seats in the Downstairs Theatre. Group sales are also now available. For more information and to purchase Memberships, visit Audience Services at 1650 N Halsted St, call 312-335-1650 or visit steppenwolf.org/memberships.

**Members also have the opportunity to secure their seats to the Steppenwolf for Young Adults performances before they are on sale to the public at a special price of $30 for both plays.

"We believe that there shouldn't be a distance between our artists and our audience and that's why we look at members as contributors to the ecosystem of our Steppenwolf culture in a very real way. Our conviction that theatre in Chicago is critical to our cultural and social well-being is shared by our members, and as a participant in this incredible Chicago arts community, we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards," shares Executive Director David Schmitz.