Steppenwolf's Virtual Season to Include Works by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, James Ijames, Rajiv Joseph, Sam Shepard, More | Playbill

Regional News Steppenwolf's Virtual Season to Include Works by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, James Ijames, Rajiv Joseph, Sam Shepard, More Steppenwolf NOW will launch in November with Ijames' What is Left, Burns, directed by Whitney White.
Donnetta Lavinia Grays Jensen Studios

Steppenwolf's lineup for its first virtual stage, Steppenwolf NOW, will feature both commissioned and established work by playwrights Rajiv Joseph, Vivian J.O. Barnes, Isaac Gómez, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, James Ijames, and Sam Shepard. Virtual memberships will be available later this month.

The upcoming season from the Chicago venue will feature performances by Randall Arney, Ian Barford, Carrie Coon, Audrey Francis, K. Todd Freeman, Jon Michael Hill, Sandra Marquez, William Petersen, Karen Rodriguez, and more. The previously scheduled December 2020 opening of the world premiere of Matt Charman's Good Night, and Good Luck will be moved to a future season due to the ongoing pandemic.

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James Ijames Beowulf Sheehan

"While we are heartbroken to delay our first live production of the 2020–2021 season, our commitment to continue creative ways of storytelling has deepened. We are investing even more in our virtual work and six astonishing projects that will bring meaning and joy into the homes of our audiences, the people of our city, and our growing number of friends worldwide,” shares Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro. “More than ever, we seek to uplift our community through the shared experience of storytelling. The Steppenwolf NOW lineup is a true manifestation of who we are—a celebration of artists sharing courageous, challenging, and at times deeply personal stories. We share a collective belief that it’s critical to make space for creation and connection during this time of societal separation.”

The current Steppenwolf NOW lineup follows:

What is Left, Burns
By James Ijames
Directed by Whitney White
Featuring ensemble members K. Todd Freeman and Jon Michael Hill
Streaming in November
Two poets separated by age and distance engage in a video call rendezvous after 15 years.

Wally World
By Isaac Gómez
Co-directed by Isaac Gómez and Lili-Anne Brown
Featuring ensemble members Audrey Francis, Sandra Marquez, and Karen Rodriguez with Sydney Charles
Streaming in December
It's Christmas Eve, and a group of Wally World employees are about to lose it. On the one day of the year the mega-department superstore is supposed to close its doors, secrets come to life that may destroy more than their holiday cheer. Their manager Andy is doing everything in her power to keep her store in line and her employees in check.

Red Folder
Written and directed by ensemble member Rajiv Joseph
Featuring ensemble member Carrie Coon
Streaming in January 2021
The red folder belongs to a first grader. It is the source of all his woes. Years later, he seeks vengeance.

Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!
By Vivian J.O. Barnes
Streaming in February 2021
A royal wedding is looming. The Duchess and Soon-to-be-Duchess are meeting face to face for the first time to go over everything you ever needed to know to become a duchess.

Where We Stand
By Donnetta Lavinia Grays
Directed by Tamilla Woodard
Featuring Grays
Streaming in April 2021
When a man who has been shunned by his town makes a deal on behalf of it with a mysterious stranger, he must stand before his community to ask for forgiveness as they determine his fate.

Ages of the Moon
By Sam Shepard
Directed by ensemble member Ian Barford
Featuring ensemble members Randall Arney and William Petersen
Streaming June 2021
Byron and Ames are old friends, reunited by mutual desperation on a hot summer day. As day turns into night and the bourbon keeps flowing, they sit, reflect, and bicker about 50 years of love, friendship, and their rivalry.

 
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