VIDEO: Playwright Antoinette Nwandu Talks PASS OVER at Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu, directed by Danya Taymor. A bold, incendiary riff on Waiting for Godot, the complete cast features ensemble member Jon Michael Hill (Moses), Julian Parker (Kitch) and Ryan Hallahan (Mister). Steppenwolf recently sat down with the playwright to discuss her new work - see what she had to say below!

Two young black men stand around on the corner-talking shit, killing time and hoping that maybe today will be different. When a white man wanders into their space, an escalating crisis threatens to prevent their escape from the block. In Pass Over, pop culture, historical and religious references collide to create a hilarious and disturbing mediation on manhood, race and the cycle of violence that prevents too many from realizing their full potential.

Playwright Antoinette Nwandu shared in a statement, "At its core, this play asks us collectively to consider the value of black lives, specifically the lives of young black men who are not extraordinary, who are not entertainers, they're not athletes, they're not secret math geniuses. They're young men who might never get better, who might never be different. This play challenges us to envision a society that does not ask these young men to prove their worth."

Antoinette Nwandu is a member of the Ars Nova Play Group. Her plays have been produced and developed by Page73, Ars Nova, The Flea and Naked Angels, among others. She is the recipient of the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, the Negro Ensemble Company's Douglas Turner Ward Prize and a Literary Fellowship at the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference. In spring 2016, Pass Over received a workshop as part of the Cherry Lane Mentor Project under the mentorship of Katori Hall.

Pass Over runs June 1 - July 9, 2017 in the Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N Halsted St.