Steppenwolf Announces Fall 2018 Lineup of LookOut Series

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series is pleased to announce their Fall 2018 lineup, which will feature performances from Destinos, The 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival; Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings; Lucky Plush Productions and Every house has a door.

Tickets to Fall 2018 LookOut programming go on sale today, August 9 at 11am through Audiences Services (1650 N Halsted), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. Steppenwolf Red and Black Card Members may use credits towards shows in the 1700 Theatre. Lineup below; prices vary. For information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.

Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre is an 80-seat flexible and intimate venue connected to Steppenwolf's own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks at 1700 N Halsted St., an inviting space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Guests can take drinks into the theater.

LookOut Fall 2018 Lineup

Listed in date order. All artists, dates and prices subject to change.

*Doors open 30 minutes before performance time

Destinos

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series is proud to be a venue partner for Destinos, the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA),Destinos brings together top Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and around Latin America for seven weeks of shows, panels and student performances held throughout the city. From September 20 - October 14, Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre will feature the work of four daring Latino theater companies over four consecutive weekends.

Water People Theater presents

Musas

By Néstor Caballero, Directed by Iraida Tapias

In a co-presentation with American Writers Museum and The Poetry Foundation
Thursday, September 20 - Sunday, September 23

$25

Produced by Chicago's own Water People Theater, Musas imagines an extraordinary encounter between two icons of contemporary art, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and American poet Sylvia Plath, in which they share the most intimate and passionate moments of their lives. Presented as part of Destinos, the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival.

Teatro Abya Yala presents

El Patio

By Oscar González, David Korish and Janko Navarro, Directed by David Korish

Thursday, September 27 - Saturday, September 29

$25

This play, from Costa Rica's Abya Yala Theater, offers glimpses of masculinity in different situations, exploring the impossibility of fulfilling the societal idea of what it means to be a man today. Presented as part of Destinos, the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival.

Grupo Humo Negro presents

Quiero Decir Te Amo (I Want to Say I Love You)

By Mariano Tenconi Blanco, Directed by Juan Parodi

Thursday, October 4 - Sunday, October 7

$25

In this play, presented by Argentina's Grupo Humo Negro, a young woman falls in love with a man whom she meets by chance in a car accident. This encounter leads to a series of love letters and an unexpected romance. Presented as part of Destinos, the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival.

Cuarzo Blanco presents

Luna de Cristal (Crystal Moon)

Written and Directed by Adriana Pantoja

Thursday, October 11 - Sunday, October 14

$25

There are always reasons and excuses to avoid the truth, to not assume responsibility, and to shift blame. Luna de Cristal, from Puerto Rico's Cuarzo Blanco, tells the story of a dysfunctional family of three confronting the realities of their lives and the unexpected event that unites them. Presented as part of Destinos, the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival.

Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings

Curated by Mia Park

Monday, October 22 at 7pm

Free

The Asian Pacific American (APA) population is seriously under-represented on stage. "Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings" is a staged play reading series intended to provide inspiration, space, and audiences for Midwest APA playwrights, directors, and actors. Curated by Mia Park and produced by Asian Improv Arts Midwest's AA Arts Incubator, "Our Perspective" is the first play reading series of its kind in Chicago and takes place at Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre, where it is presented as part of the LookOut Series. The program will include readings of a short play and a long play.

Lucky Plush Productions presents

The Better Half

Co-created & Co-directed by Julia Rhoads and Leslie Danzig

Devised in collaboration with the ensemble

Friday, November 2 - Saturday, November 17

$40

The Better Half is a dance-theater spin on the 1944 psychological thriller Gaslight, directed by George Cukor. Launching from this classic film, layers of fiction and reality accumulate, revealing the elusive boundaries between performer and character, actual and scripted relationships, life versus borrowed plotlines. Ultimately a new narrative emerges, capturing the habitual patterns, escapist tendencies, and resilience in contemporary relationships through a complex mix of dance and theater languages.

The creation, presentation, and touring of the premiere version of The Better Half (2011-2014) was made possible through the support of many generous individuals, partners, and awards, including: National Dance Project, with support from New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with National Endowment for the Arts; National Performance Network Creation Fund, with commissioning partners Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center; Audience Architects' New Stages for Dance, with leadership from Dance/USA and MetLife Foundation; Pamela Crutchfield; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; and Boeing.

Lucky Plush Productions presents

A Work-In-Progress Showing of Rink Life

Saturday, November 10 and Saturday, November 17 at 5pm

$60 The Better Half and Rink Life double feature

$25 Rink Life only

Join Lucky Plush for a double feature at a discounted price to see both The Better Half and a special work-in-progress showing of its upcoming world premiere Rink Life.

In Rink Life, Lucky Plush brings its highly-integrated brand of dance-theater into a communal space that nods to the visual aesthetics and social dynamics of 1970's roller rink culture. Launching from a collision of plot points in several one-act plays, the script-turned-libretto is both spoken and sung by the ensemble and builds upon fragments of everyday aural input-passing conversations, intimate exchanges, distant whispers, pop song ear-worms. These source inspirations come together in the delightful and moving world of Rink Life, where people navigate relationships, self-expression and rejection in real-time.

Every house has a door presents

Scarecrow

Directed by Lin Hixson

Co-devised and performed by Matthew Goulish and Essi Kausalainen

Friday, November 30 at 8pm; Saturday, December 1 at 8pm; and Sunday, December 2 at 3:30pm

$15

$10 students/faculty

Chicago-based performance group Every house has a door (USA) and Essi Kausalainen (Finland) along with local child performers weave a circuit of language, gesture, video, and elaborate costumes around inter-species communication and the slow progress of the snail.

LookOut is Steppenwolf's performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form, emerging artists and performance legends, quintessential Chicago companies and young aspiring ensembles, familiar Steppenwolf faces and new friends. John Zinn, Greta Honold and Patrick Zakem are the producers for LookOut, which is presented year-round and announced on an ongoing basis. For more information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.