A SIGN TRIBUTE FOR STEPPENWOLF LEGEND
Part of Halsted to be named for longtime creative director Martha Lavey who died in April
Make way for Martha Lavey Way.
The Chicago theater community mourned deeply when Lavey, the hugely influential artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre from 1995- 2015, died on April 25, 2017 due to complications from a stroke, at the age of 60.
Now, plans have been announced for a celebration of her life and legacy, with news that the section of North Halsted Street on which the theater she called home stands will be renamed in her honor.
An indoor celebration will bring together the city’s cultural leaders and the public beginning at 7 p. m. on Oct. 9 at Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted. The event, which is being curated by Steppenwolf’s current artistic director Anna D. Shapiro and longtime ensemble member Amy Morton, will be free and open to the public, but reservations are required and will be accepted beginning at 11 a. m. on Sept. 13. Call ( 312) 335- 1650. ( Be advised: Seating is limited and demand for seats will be great.)
The honorary street naming — the result of an ordinance submitted by Ald. Michele Smith ( 43rd), and granted by the City Council — will take place the following day, Oct. 10. The public is invited to gather at 10 a. m. for remarks from Steppenwolf leadership and Smith, followed by a ceremonious sign unveiling. More details on both events will be released at a later date.
As the Steppenwolf announcement noted, “Faithful friends, audience members, donors, staff, artists, mentees, members of the Steppenwolf family and the national theater community were all indelibly impacted by Martha’s passion, commitment, vision and unmatched intellect. She will be dearly missed.”
Lavey joined the Steppenwolf ensemble as an actress in 1993, and as the company notes: “Under her transformative leadership, Steppenwolf became a national leader in producing new plays and commissioning playwrights, doubled the size of its ensemble and diversified its base of artists, added two performance spaces, expanded and deepened its partnerships in public schools and the community, created Steppenwolf for Young Adults, and instituted a platform for engaging audiences after every performance. She oversaw the production of hundreds of plays and transferred dozens of Steppenwolf productions to Broadway and abroad, gaining national and international recognition for the company and Chicago as a vital theater destination.”
Services for Lavey were held in May 2017 in her parents’ home of Vienna, Virginia.