Namir Smallwood

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG & More Lead Chicago's October 2026 Top Theatre Shows
by Team BWW - Oct 1, 2026

Chicago is never lacking outstanding theatre, whether epic Broadway shows, engrossing dramas or bold fringe offerings. BroadwayWorld is rounding up our top recommended theatre every month. Selections for October 2026 include TOPDOG/UNDERDOG and more.

Video: Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood in TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Steppenwolf
by Stephi Wild - Sep 30, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has launched its 51st Season with Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog, helmed by Kenny Leon. Check out an all new video clip from the show here!

Review: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - Sep 28, 2026

Steppenwolf opens its 51st season with a blistering and captivating production of Suzan Lori-Parks’s Topdog/Underdog. This play has long been on my theater bucket list, and it’s absolutely what I think of when I think of a “Steppenwolf play”: A gritty family drama about brothers undergoing hard times, grappling with racial injustice and the fallacy of the American Dream.  With direction by Kenny Leon, Steppenwolf Co-Artistic Director Glen Davis and Ensemble Member Namir Smallwood are dazzlingly suited to take on the roles of Lincoln and Booth. While they tell us their names are a joke by their parents, it’s also revealing of their sibling dynamic and their fates. Though American society at large may view them as insignificant and non-contributors to capitalism, Lincoln and Booth nonetheless feel pressured to constantly one up each other — though they may have few means to do so. 

Video: Watch Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood in TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Nicole Rosky - Sep 25, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company shared a new video promoting its current production of Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning TOPDOG/UNDERDOG, running in Chicago through November 1.

Photos: Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood in TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Steppenwolf Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 23, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has launched its 51st Season with Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog, helmed by Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon. See photos!

Video: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG Preview Teases Steppenwolf Season Opener
by Allison Henry - Sep 11, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company shared a preview clip of Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning TOPDOG/UNDERDOG, opening its 51st season in Chicago this fall.

Photos: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG in Rehearsal at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Stephi Wild - Sep 2, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company will launch its 51st Season with Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog, helmed by Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon. Check out rehearsal photos here!

Video: Director Kenny Leon Discusses TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Steppenwolf
by Joshua Wright - Aug 28, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company shared a new video featuring director Kenny Leon discussing his production of Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning TOPDOG/UNDERDOG, opening the theatre's 51st season.

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG to Open Steppenwolf Theatre's 51st Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 26, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company will launch its 51st Season with Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog. Topdog/Underdog will play a limited engagement

Steppenwolf Theatre Names Laura D. Glenn Newest Ensemble Member
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 21, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company will welcome veteran Production Stage Manager Laura D. Glenn into the company’s ensemble. Glenn, whose journey with Steppenwolf began as a summer intern in 1988, has worked on more than 100 Steppenwolf productions.

Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood to Star in TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Steppenwolf Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 25, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is launching its 51st Season with Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog. Ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood star in the production.

Photos: Steppenwolf Celebrates Opening Night of WINDFALL
by Nicole Rosky - May 4, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is presenting Windfall by Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney, directed by Awoye Timpo, playing through May 31, 2026 in Steppenwolf’s Ensemble Theater. Check out photos from inside opening night here.

2026 Tony Nominations- The Biggest Snubs
by Nicole Rosky - May 5, 2026

Nominations for the 2026 Tony Awards were announced this morning, and while a select, talented few will spend the day celebrating their achievements, there are many who (while still great!), didn't get a nomination this year. Check out who else was eligible below and here's to their great work this theatre season!

2026 Tony Awards Nominations- A Complete Guide
by Nicole Rosky - May 5, 2026

The 79th Annual Tony Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, May 5, by Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss. The announcement can be viewed LIVE (9am ET) in their entirety here on BroadwayWorld. Catch up on everything you need to know before the announcement!

Recap Tony Awards Eligibility Decisions of the 2025/26 Season
by Nicole Rosky - May 1, 2026

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has been meeting all year to discuss the eligibility of the 2025/26 Broadway productions all leading up to Tuesday's big announcement... the Tony nominations.

BWW Q&A: Michael Potts Talks WINDFALL at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Joshua Wright - Apr 24, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company continues its 50th Anniversary Season with WINDFALL, a gripping world premiere from Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney. Directed by Awoye Timpo and performed in the round, the production runs April 9 through May 31, 2026 in Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater.

Video: Namir Smallwood, Esco Jouléy and More in WINDFALL at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 21, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is presenting Windfall by Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney, directed by Awoye Timpo. Get a look at a clip from the production here!

Review: WINDFALL at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - Apr 20, 2026

Tarrell Alvin McCraney’s world-premiere play WINDFALL is part somber, part whimsy — which is true to his unique playwriting style. It’s a poignantly topical play, yet sometimes too on the nose. I enjoyed how McCraney blends the hyperreal and the surreal in a play that asks the question: Should we reject the system altogether (in this case, law enforcement), or should we take what it offers us as a form of fighting from within? While WINDFALL certainly sways audiences towards one side, it genuinely ponders both.

Video: First Look at WINDFALL at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Joshua Wright - Apr 16, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has released first look footage of WINDFALL, the world premiere of a new work by Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney, now playing through May 31, 2026 in the Ensemble Theater.

Photos: Namir Smallwood, Jon Michael Hill and More in WINDFALL at Steppenwolf
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 13, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is presenting Windfall by Tarell Alvin McCraney, directed by Awoye Timpo. The production is currently onstage, and running through the end of May. See production photos here!