#steppenwolfthtr

I've been stuck on writing about this play for weeks now.  It was powerful and brilliant and all the adjectives that can be used to describe the incredible work at Steppenwolf.  It was provocative and complex and exactly what theater should be.  But it struck a raw, very scary nerve in me; and I haven't been able to process it beyond wanting to just assign it to a closed-off dark corner of my brain and leave it there.

I was so overwhelmed I'm not even sure I really grasped what the playwright meant to convey.  Based on the post-play discussion, it seemed it was supposed to be about the human need to create beauty and the tragic loss of that ability.  For me, though, it portrayed a terrifying loss of independence and personal dignity.  And betrayal and abandonment by those closest to you - being left alone at your lowest, most vulnerable point by the very people you trusted to have your back.

I can't examine the play any more closely than that without spiraling into a horrible bubbling panic. It haunted me for days afterward and resurfaced painful memories of hurt and loss not even related to the actual plot.  It triggered a lot of stuff I had packed away a long time ago.  I finally managed to push it all back into the dark corner.  And it needs to stay there.

This was the second comedic play Steppenwolf staged this season, which was quite a treat.  As I've said before on this blog, they don't stray toward the lighter side of things often; and when they do, it should not be missed. 

The Roommate started out quietly - not slowly exactly, but I wasn't quite sure whether it was going anywhere.  After I settled into it, though, I realized how much it had built, subtly, and how many wonderful new details were all around.  And then the surprises started - holy cow!  Parts of it were laugh-out-loud funny, others were poignant and a little sad, still others were dark and unsettling; but it was never predictable or what I thought it was going to be.  It managed a lovely balance of being entertaining on a summer Sunday afternoon and giving me a lot to think about on the ride home. 

One of my favorite ride-home reflections was about how we bloom as we age - and how I think I've started doing just that over the past few years.  I'm much more accepting of myself and others, much more willing to try new things, live and let live, and absorb experiences without having to be completely comfortable with them.  I'm pretty sure the younger me would shake her head and say I've drifted off track - my apartment is often a jumbly cozy mess, I leave half-read books all over the place, I can never find my glasses, I don't work out enough, I eat too much cheese, I sometimes cut my own hair, and I go out in yoga pants and without make-up all the time.  I've taken weird dance classes and stared confusedly at modern art and done vision boarding and rambly meditation I sort of made up myself.   But those things make me smile - and it is so much more important to me to be happy and spend time with people I care about, doing things I enjoy, than to care if I'm turning into a weird old lady.  Heck, that actually sounds like a lot of fun! 

I don't know if those changes reflect something that was always inside of me - or if they've been cultivated by people and experiences along the way.  I don't know if they're all good for me.  But I do know I'm happier and more content - and have more friends and go out and have fun a lot more.   And I worry so much less. 

Okay, listen kids, because this is good stuff.  Steppenwolf only does comedy about once every decade.  When they do it, they have a very good reason, and you can bet it's going to be terrific.  So if anyone in cyber-land is actually reading this, break out your Visa card already and get over to the box office. 

The Doppelgänger is a political farce that is wonderfully, wickedly, hilariously relevant to our present..........um...........world climate? .... situation?  ... mess? ... pending disaster?    (Well, yeah.  You get the idea.)  It's full of larger-than-life characters that do appalling, outrageous, funny things, yet are not that different from the principals in our daily newscasts.  The plot is extreme on the surface but then again is not that much weirder than the past couple of years out here in the real world.  And then there are wonderful moments of physical comedy and mistaken identity and slapstick that are just pure entertainment. 

Our group saw You Got Older at Steppenwolf the day after we saw Breach at Victory Gardens, and it made for an interesting set of comparisons - a long-standing tradition of season tickets vs the spontaneity of a random last-minute deal, the huge establishment of Steppenwolf vs the quirkiness of Victory Gardens, the wistfully mature and sad themes of You Got Older vs the humor and energy of Breach.

Gosh.  This is why I love theater.  It's all of life, broken down, approached from different angles, all somehow rolled together and complementing rather than competing.  You can't beat that.

You Got Older was indeed wistful and thoughtful and sad......and real.  The plot followed a not-quite-middle-aged woman's return home to sort through a life almost half gone and at least half broken - her mother deceased, her father in decline, her career fallen apart, her relationships frayed, her teenage crush a huge disappointment.  

Yep.......that's middle age on the horizon.  As my mother has often said, it is not for wimps.

The power of You Got Older was not in the plot itself, but in the world and mood it created that left you completely enmeshed in the main character's experience (and held you there reflecting back on it days later).  Its pacing was slow - sometimes painfully - yet illuminated how it really feels to visit aging parents.  Their lives have often narrowed and become focused on home and what feel like tediously mundane matters - doctor's appointments, side effects of prescription medications, grocery lists, the condition of the lawn, never-ending news programs, and TV Guide.  It's a natural and benign process, yet it can provoke even the most patient adult child into tantrums of frustration.

This play was produced as part of the Steppenwolf for Young Adults series. The script is based on The Crucible; and, in fact, Steppenwolf presented The Crucible last fall, with The Burn following this spring, so that audiences could experience and compare both productions.  I love that theater is so accessible to teens and young adults in Chicago, beyond popular Broadway musicals and school productions.  I did not attend dramatic theater until my early 30s, and in hindsight I missed out on so much earlier on.  The plays of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Ibsen, Eliot, Wilde, Miller, and others would have come so much more alive in AP English if I'd been able to see them onstage rather than just the printed page.

The production of The Burn was enjoyable and well done, but my favorite part of this week was attending the post-show discussion afterward. The participants ranged from teens in middle and high school to college students to adults to seniors, and it was fascinating to hear the various generational perspectives and interpretations of the show.  The maturity and depth of understanding of the teens in particular blew me away!  Their comments were insightful and intelligent, unique to their age cohort yet respectful to those of us who were older.  One 13-year-old absolutely nailed an interpretation of the central character, so much so that we broke into applause following her comments.  It was really fun to see these young patrons developing a passion for something I love so much.

BLKS blew me out of my comfort zone and was a slap of cold realities.  I am white, middle class, and middle aged - all of which I prefer not to spend a lot of time thinking about.  And all of which means I don't have a clue about the lives of others who don’t share those circumstances.  I feel that I try to understand and empathize and connect with all kinds of people; but the truth is that I mostly live in my bubble, like everyone else. 

One of the things I appreciated most about BLKS is that its goal isn’t to place blame or shame about that onto white, suburban America.  It’s too busy telling its own story and its own truth.  It’s up to the audience to keep up, embrace the people and world being portrayed on the stage, and work out their own issues about it on their own time.  Its realities are not just racial, but generational, economic, sexual, and gender-based.  It’s complicated and reflects our chaotic times.  I sometimes struggled to find the thread of a plot, especially in the first act, but finally realized the intensity of everything happening all at once to the characters was their plot, their realities, their lives.  Something as conventional as a comfortable, traditional plot line was my expectation, my issue, from my bubble.

I’ve been a season ticket holder at Steppenwolf since 1998.  Buying a subscription was one of the first things I did after moving to Chicago, and theater is one of the reasons I continue to love living here.  It has been influential in shaping my world view and understanding as I’ve built my life. 

I have enjoyed seeking out different theater companies and venues during this challenge - but I was reminded this week why Steppenwolf is my favorite.  They are really, really, really, really good at what they do.   

I’ve been watching Tracy Letts’ work for many years well.  I sound like a super-geeky super-fan - yes, absolutely guilty as charged - but his plays always overwhelm me with their complexity and humor.  They’re a lot to take in, to say the least. You feel like you’re keeping up, but you’re also pretty sure you’re really not. You keep thinking about the play long afterward, and you say, “Wait! I just got that!” to yourself a lot.  The Minutes was no exception.  I was absorbed into its world from the start and rode the ride full-on until curtain call.   

It’s been pretty cool - to say the least - to watch the evolution of such an influential playwright.  Although I have to admit I kind of miss the pre-Osage County days when the theater wasn’t so packed with other super-geeky super-fans.  It was cozier and quieter during my Sunday matinees then.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is seeking candidates for the full time position of Public Relations Assistant. The Public Relations Assistant supports the efforts of the Communications Director and works with Steppenwolf artistic team, marketing/social media staff and education and development department, as well as external parties including members of the media, producers, publicists/managers and outside companies. This position is part of the Marketing Department and reports to the Communications Director.

Key Responsibilities:

·         Assist with the execution of strategic communications campaigns for all productions and programming in Steppenwolf’s three theater spaces, in addition to education and development programs and events, Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks publicity and Steppenwolf institutional campaigns.

·         Write, edit, and distribute press releases, media alerts, bios, post notices and talking points in collaboration with the Communications Director.

·         Collect RSVPs, caption photos, assist in the seating of theater press and compile press kits. Attend press openings for each production.

·         In collaboration with the Communications Director, create and pitch story angles and strategic targeted messaging to media outlets.

·         Compile daily media alerts for internal distribution and track media coverage for each production. Distribute wrap kits of press coverage at the conclusion of each run.

·         Assist in the facilitation of artist interviews with media outlets.

·         Work in collaboration with Communications Director on media training and key messaging for talent prior to interviews.

·         Maintain and update the press database regularly.

·         Work with the Social Media Director and Communications Director on copy creation for Steppenwolf’s social media platforms.

·         Facilitate press requests for photos, videos and archival materials as needed. Oversee and organize the archival database.

·         Provide support to the Communication Director as needed, including on-site supervision at photo and video shoots, interviews and press performances.

More info HERE.

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Applicants: Unless the employer has explicitly indicated, it is not recommended that you call about positions or follow-up.

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