Steppenwolf to Present 'Dream Chicago' on 9/8

Steppenwolf Traffic presents Dream Chicago, a collection of short stories and songs exploring the "Chicago Dream."  Dream Chicago will be presented Monday, September 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion as part of the 4th annual Blockbuster Week.  Admission is FREE.

Dream Chicago will feature seven pieces by contemporary Chicago writers performed by Steppenwolf ensemble members Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, Robert Breuler, K. Todd Freeman, Frank Galati, Ora Jones and Martha Lavey.  Writers include Sandra Cisneros, Elizabeth Crane, Stuart Dybek, Tony Fitzpatrick, Idris Goodwin, Billy Lombardo and Dawn Tuner Trice.  Chicago Jazz singer Maggie Brown will also perform several songs that represent the spirit of Chicago, written by her late father – musician, playwright, poet and civil rights activist Oscar Brown, Jr. – and others.  Dream Chicago highlights the visionary dreams from the past that gave character to the "City of Big Shoulders" and inspired its people to imagine a collective future.  Dream Chicago is directed by Steppenwolf associate artist Jessica Thebus, with story adaptations by Laura Eason and produced by Sylvia Ewing.

Millennium Park's 4th annual Blockbuster Week runs from September 3 – 11, featuring free performances by Chicago's world-renowned performing arts organizations The Joffrey Ballet (Sept. 11), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Sept. 6) and Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Sept 8.) along with a live taping of NPR's Wait Wait…Don't TellMe! (Sept. 4) and Andrew Bird in Concert (Sept. 3).

Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago.  It is bordered by Michigan Ave. to the west, Columbus Dr. to the east, Randolph St. to the north and Monroe St. to the south.  Convenient parking is located in the Millennium Park Garage (entrance on Columbus at Monroe or Randolph) and at the Grant Park North and East Monroe Garages, all located within a short walking distance to Millennium Park.

Steppenwolf's Traffic Series brings together artists of all disciplines and casts them as storytellers in one night only presentations on the Steppenwolf stage. Traffic provides an intimate and unique intersection of language, lyrics, poetry and music, creating a fresh perspective on expressing the American story.

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.  For more information, visit www.steppenwolf.org.

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers.  Among Millennium Park's prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture.  Since its opening in July 2004, Millennium Park has welcomed more than 12 million people, making it one of the most popular destinations in Chicago.  For more information about Millennium Park, call 312.742.1168 or visit www.millenniumpark.org.

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