Steppenwolf’s 2016- 17 season: New plays, options
Chicago theaters are on a building binge at the moment, increasing both performance space and programming while at the same time trying to adapt to the changing patterns of ticket buyers.
Steppenwolf Theatre’s announcement of its 2016- 2017 season is a perfect example of this phenomenon, with signs of change and expansion as Anna D. Shapiro— who has been affiliated with the company since 1995 and was named artistic director in 2015— is putting her first full stamp on the company.
The subtle shifts involve the choice and number of plays produced, with an expanded six- play ( as opposed to the previous five- play) subscription season, in a new format that features four plays in the 515- seat Downstairs Theatre, with the opportunity for subscribers to choose between two productions in the 299- seat Upstairs Theatre.
The lineup will include four world premieres by David Rabe, Erika Sheffer and, for the second season in a row, Tracy Letts, with another, by Antoinette Nwandu, as an extra summertime offering.
In May, Steppenwolf’s new 80- seat black box at 1700 N. Halsted will open under the name 1700 Theatre, replacing the Merle Reskin Garage Theatre.
Kicking off the Lookout performance series will be the Chicago premiere of Justin Tanner’s “Voice Lessons” ( May 31- June 12), a one- act touring comedy starring ensemble member Laurie Metcalf. It’s about the unlikely romance between a deluded community theater actress ( Metcalf) and the overeducated vocal coach ( French Stewart, “3rd Rock From the Sun”) she hires to make her a star.
“The learning curve in my new job has been quite steep,” said Shapiro, the Tony Award- winning director of “August: Osage County,” who is currently in rehearsal for Letts’ newest grand- scale play, “Mary Page Marlowe,” which begins performances March 31. “The biggest surprise is how differently people see you. I have to be farmore mindful of how I talk and how I listen. And I often joke that the places I now feel most comfortable in are the rehearsal room and my kids’ bedroom when they are sick in the middle of the night.”
For Steppenwolf subscriptions, call ( 312) 335- 1650 or visit steppenwolf. org.