Steppenwolf Theatre Company to Welcome Back In Person Audiences With Tracy Letts' BUG This November

Steppenwolf Theatre Company will welcome audiences back for in-person performances for the first time in 20 months with its acclaimed and extraordinary revival of Bug by ensemble member Tracy Letts, in the Downstairs Theater November 11 - December 12, 2021. Directed by David Cromer with ensemble members Randall Arney, Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood alongside Jennifer Engstrom and Steve Key reprising their roles, the production was shut down before the end of its run in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and the show's return to stage is Steppenwolf's bold refusal to let the disaster of COVID-19 rewrite its story.

Single tickets for Bug ($20 - $110) go on sale this Friday, September 24, at steppenwolf.org or 312-335-1650. Discounts available, including new Artists & Essential Workers discount, expanded 20-for-$20 program, Pay-Your-Age performances, $5 teen tickets through the Teen Arts Pass, and more. Classic and Flex Memberships to the 21/22 Comeback Season are currently available and offer first access to seats and easy exchanges, learn more steppenwolf.org/memberships.

Steppenwolf is part of the growing coalition of over 70 Chicagoland performing arts venues and producers that have agreed upon COVID-19 vaccination and mask requirements for all audiences, artists and staff through the end of 2021. Learn more about Steppenwolf's policies at steppenwolf.org/welcomeback.

In addition, Steppenwolf will be offering four reduced capacity performances for Bug, seating every other row and one seat on either side of each party: Sunday evening November 21, Wednesday evening November 24 and Wednesday matinees December 1 and 8. For more info, visit steppenwolf.org.

Audiences will return in November not to the same building they left, but to a stunning new 50,000 sq. ft. theater building and education center on Halsted Street. As the world came to a pause in 2020, the walls of Steppenwolf's state-of-the-art Arts and Education Center continued to rise, symbolizing hope for the entire Chicago arts community. Bug audiences will be the first to explore the new building and experience a brand-new theatergoing experience. View renderings of the Arts and Education Center here.

Designed by world-renowned architect Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the expanded Steppenwolf campus features bright new lobbies and two new bars for socializing designed by fc STUDIO, inc. The transformed 1650 N. Halsted Street lobby space seamlessly connects Steppenwolf's existing building with the new Arts and Education Center, while the second-floor lobby of the Downstairs Theater has been renovated to house a stylish wine bar and gathering space. The new building's downstairs lobby features a craft beer-focused bar that connects to an outdoor patio area. These two new full-service bars join Steppenwolf's popular Front Bar (1700 N. Halsted Street), offering audiences, artists and community welcoming new spaces for socializing in the Halsted Corridor of Lincoln Park. View renderings of the remodeled Downstairs Theater lobby and new bars here.

The centerpiece of the new Arts and Education Center is a new 400-seat Round Theater-one of its kind in Chicago-with theater design and acoustics by Charcoalblue. The new theater will open in February 2022 with the Steppenwolf for Young Adults world premiere adaptation of Eve L. Ewing's 1919, followed by a grand public opening in April 2022 as ensemble member Yasen Peyankov stages his funny and magical adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Seagull featuring an all-ensemble cast.

The new building also features Steppenwolf's first-ever dedicated education space, The Loft, encompassing the entire fourth floor of the Arts and Education Center. Steppenwolf was founded more than 45 years ago by a circle of students who craved a space to call their own. The Arts and Education Center continues and amplifies that vision, growing the reach of Steppenwolf's education programming from 20,000 to 30,000 students annually.

For more information on the new Arts and Education Center and Steppenwolf's campus expansion, visit steppenwolf.org/buildingonexcellence.

As a bridge to live performances, Steppenwolf is proud to bring audiences a sampler of Tracy Letts's singular voice in their homes with three new virtual plays by Letts, streaming September 29 - October 24, 2021. From on-location filming with Rainn Wilson to handmade 3D puppets brought to life and Letts himself performing, each work is produced for the first-time in a digital format. Single tickets grant access to all three virtual plays for $20. Students, teachers, artists and essential workers get access for $10. To purchase tickets, visit steppenwolf.org/TracyLettsvirtual or call Audience Services at 312-335-1650.

DETAILS

Bug

By ensemble member Tracy Letts
Directed by David Cromer
Featuring ensemble members Randall Arney, Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood with Jennifer Engstrom and Steve Key
November 11 - December 12, 2021

Press Performances: Sunday, November 14 at 6 p.m. & Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m.
In the Downstairs Theater

Steppenwolf raises the curtain once again on its blistering and extraordinary revival of Bug by ensemble member Tracy Letts, featuring ensemble members Randall Arney, Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood. In a seedy Oklahoma motel room, a lonely waitress begins an unexpected love affair with a young drifter. And then they see the first bugs... Tracy Letts' mind-bending cult classic is a luridly funny tale of love, paranoia and government conspiracy.

Shut down two weeks before closing in March 2020, this production's return is the company's bold refusal to let the disaster of COVID rewrite its story. These stunning performances-and this award-winning production-will once again reverberate throughout the building and welcome back audiences to the Steppenwolf they know and love: brave, brazen and defiant.

Single tickets start at $20 and go on sale September 24 at steppenwolf.org or 312-335-1650. Discounts available including new Artists and Essential Workers discount, expanded 20-for-$20 program, Pay-Your-Age performances, and more. Members who wish to see this award-winning production again can add this show to their season package at an exclusive member price.

Learn about the complete 2021/22 Comeback Season here.