Steppenwolf Presents New Letts Play 'Superior Donuts'

Steppenwolf Theatre Company concludes its 32nd season with the world premiere Superior Donuts by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by ensemble member Tina Landau.  The production, featuring ensemble members Jon Hill, Yasen Peyankov and James Vincent Meredith, runs June 19 - August 17, 2008 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.  The press performance is Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $20-$68.

"Arthur Przybyszewski owns a decrepit donut shop in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago.  Franco Wicks, a black teenager who is his only employee, wants to change the shop for the better.  Superior Donuts is a provocative comedy about the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship," press notes state.

Ensemble member Tracy Letts' critically-acclaimed play August: Osage County is currently playing on Broadway following a sold-out run at Steppenwolf in 2007.  Mr. Letts is also the author of Man from Nebraska, which was produced at Steppenwolf in 2003 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize; Killer Joe, which has been produced in Chicago, London and New York; and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago and London.

Ensemble member Tina Landau most recently directed Steppenwolf's 2007 production of The Diary of Anne Frank.  Other Steppenwolf directing credits include Cherry Orchard, The Time of Your Life (also Seattle Rep, A.C.T.), Theatrical Essays, Maria Arndt, The Ballad of Little Jo, The Berlin Circle, Time to Burn, and her own play, Space (also NY's Public Theater, Mark Taper Forum).

Superior Donuts is directed by Tina Landau.  The design team includes:  Loy Arcenas (sets), Ana Kuzmanic (costumes), Christopher Akerlind (lights) and Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (original music and sound).  Edward Sobel is the dramaturg.  Laura Glenn is the stage manager and Lauren V. Hickman is the assistant stage manager.  

Twenty $20 tickets are available at Audience Services beginning at 11:00 a.m. on the day of each performance (1:00 p.m. for Sunday performances).  Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.  Student discounts available. Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org

Production Sponsor of Superior Donuts is United Airlines.

Free post-show discussions, sponsored by AT&T, are offered after every performance.

Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible.  Street and lot parking are available.  Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.

Superior Donuts was developed as part of Steppenwolf's New Plays Initiative.  Steppenwolf is recognized as a national leader in the development and production of new work for the American canon. Through this initiative, the company maintains ongoing relationships with writers of international prominence and rigorously discovers and supports the work of early and mid-career playwrights.

Steppenwolf's New Plays Initiative is generously sponsored by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Zell Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and members of the Directors Circle.  Additional support for the development and production of Superior Donuts is provided by the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon.  The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work.  Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of forty-one artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation. 

Photo Credit: Sando

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