Lauren Yee's THE GREAT LEAP Kicks Off 2019/20 Season At Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 2019/20 season of complex, beautiful and maddening theater kicks off with a thrilling Chicago premiere by in-demand playwright, Lauren Yee, directed by Jesca Prudencio. Set in 1989, The Great Leap tells the story of Manford Lum, a local star of the sidewalk basketball courts of San Francisco's Chinatown who talks his way onto an American college team travelling to Beijing for a "friendship" game. Set amidst the friction of the post-Cultural Revolution era, The Great Leap keeps tensions high right up to the final buzzer.

Previews begin September 5, 2019 (opening is Monday, September 16) and runs through October 20, 2019 in the Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Press performances are Sunday, September 15 at 3pm and Wednesday, September 18 at 7:30pm. Single tickets ($20 - $89) are on sale now through Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Classic and Flex Memberships are currently available for the 2019/20 Season. To purchase a Membership and secure the best seats at the lowest prices, contact Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org/memberships.

When an American basketball team travels to Beijing amidst tensions in the late 80s, past relationships collide with present day revelations. Witty and weighty, this Chicago premiere explores cultural barriers, political risks and personal sacrifice. Lauren Yee's The Great Leap is sure to be compelling to basketball fans, history buffs and everyone who has ever had a dream.

"Growing up, my father dominated the basketball courts of San Francisco's Chinatown, and in the 1980s, his legendary game won him a spot on a friendship team headed to a newly open China to play a series of exhibition games against the best teams in the People's Republic. That nugget of his history formed the inspiration for my play The Great Leap nearly 40 years later," shared Lauren Yee.

"I'm thrilled to be back in Chicago, which has become the most warm and welcoming artistic home imaginable, and with director Jesca Prudencio, who is a bold, gutsy new visionary I think Chicago will fall in love with."

Director Jesca Prudencio adds, "Lauren's thrilling language in The Great Leap is fast-paced, high-stakes, and full of energy, just like a basketball game. In our production, we will create an experience that is not only theatrical, but athletic in every aspect."