Steppenwolf Announces Art Access Campaign; Skadden Matching Gifts to Make Theatre Possible for Everyone

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announces an exciting new matching gift campaign to help make the Steppenwolf experience accessible for people with disabilities (as well as their friends and families) with a gift to Steppenwolf's Art Access campaign. Art Access is a one week campaign to raise funds for Steppenwolf's accessibility services. All gifts between April 9-16 will be matched up to $10,000 by Skadden. Gifts to Steppenwolf's Art Access campaign can be made at https://www.steppenwolf.org/support-us/art-access.

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Gifts made between April 9-16 will support:

Guests who are deaf or hard of hearing by helping Steppenwolf offer Open Captioning, ASL-interpretation and Assistive Listening Devices for all of mainstage and Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) productions

Guests who use personal hearing devices by helping Steppenwolf maintain induction hearing loops in our Downstairs and 1700 Theatres. (A hearing loop is an amplification system that transmits sound directly to guests' individual hearing aids-Steppenwolf is one of the first non-profit theaters in the country to make this feature available.)

Guests on the autism spectrum and people with sensory sensitivities by helping Steppenwolf present Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly performances of SYA productions. (Again, Steppenwolf is one of the first non-profit theaters in the country to offer this this programming for teenagers and adults.)

Guests who are blind or have low vision by offering Audio Description, pre-performance explorations of the set, curb-to-seat assistance, and playbills in Braille, large print and audio formats.

Guests who require physical access by helping Steppenwolf upkeep accessible parking spaces, seating, restrooms and staff training.

Arts patrons with disabilities throughout Chicago by helping Steppenwolf - in partnership with the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium - manage an accessible equipment loan program that shares Open Captioning and Audio Description technology - free of charge - with sister theaters and arts organizations.

Accessibility

Committed to making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each play. Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance, and the Downstairs and 1700 Theatres are each equipped with an induction hearing loop. All theaters feature wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, and Front Bar features a push-button entrance, all-gender restrooms and accessible counter and table spaces.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County-and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards-have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programming includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago's diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Chicago Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. RENT (Highland Park Players)

7.3% of votes

2. HAIRSPRAY (Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park)

7.2% of votes

3. THE WIZARD OF OZ (Up and Coming Theatre/Elgin Summer Theater)

6.5% of votes

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