Since the early 90s, Steppenwolf Theatre has hosted local performing arts companies in its ever-expanding space on North Halsted.
While Garage Rep was solely focused on theatrical productions, LookOut covers a broader range of performances.
Both productions also have ties to key players in Steppenwolf’s current season—Plano is directed by Audrey Francis, a Steppenwolf ensemble member most recently seen in Dance Nation, and White was written by James Ijames, who also wrote The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, which will run semi-concurrently with White at Steppenwolf later this spring.
“We have a chance to introduce our work to [Steppenwolf’s] audiences, and they have the chance to get younger folks in their building, which is exciting for both of us,” says Pimentel. “We have such a young group of ticket buyers at our company, so we’re looking to find those folks who go see Steppenwolf shows and Goodman [Theatre] shows, and bring them into our theater, and I think [Steppenwolf’s] looking to find the next generation of ticket buyers and audience members, who are the people who come to see our shows. It’s a great mesh of sharing our audiences, but it’s also an exciting artistic opportunity. Steppenwolf’s ensemble is the preeminent acting ensemble in the world. It’s exciting for us to be collaborating with one of their members, in their house, on a show that is a really interesting intersection of our interests.”
“It kind of seemed like a natural fit that we would do this as part of the LookOut series,” Jones says. “That was the plan from the beginning.”
Plano, 2/16-3/28; White, 4/17-5/24; Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650, steppenwolf.org. For complete schedule and prices, see website.
