Steppenwolf Announces CONSTELLATIONS with Jon Michael Hill runs May 26 – July 3
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is pleased to announce the addition of Constellations by Nick Payne to this summer’s lineup. Directed by Steppenwolf Artistic Producer Jonathan Berry, the Chicago premiere production features ensemble member Jon Michael Hill as ‘Roland’ (CBS’s Elementary, Steppenwolf’s Superior Donuts). Casting for the role of ‘Marianne’ will be announced at a later date.Constellations debuted in London at the Royal Court to critical acclaim before moving on to successful runs in both The West End and on Broadway. Previews begin May 26, 2016 and the production runs through July 3, 2016in Steppenwolf’s Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N Halsted St. Tickets ($20 – $89) go on sale Friday, March 18 at 11am through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.Roland (a bee keeper) and Marianne (a theoretical physicist) meet at a party. In that single moment, an unfathomable multitude of possibilities unfold. Their chance meeting might blossom into a meaningful relationship or a brief affair: it might lead to nothing at all. Each step along those possible paths in turn offers a new series of potential outcomes: a marriage can exist alongside a breakup and a tragic illness can exist on a parallel plane to a happily ever after. In this clever, eloquent, and moving story, Roland and Marianne’s romance plays out over a myriad of possible lifetimes, capturing the extraordinary richness of being alive in the universe.
“Constellations is a play that has been on my radar for some time. It’s a beautiful navigation of all that is extraordinarily complex and imminently possible within a human relationship. I can’t imagine a better place to explore this work than at Steppenwolf, where the focus can so fully be on the work of the two actors in this intimate space,” shares director Jonathan Berry.
Nick Payne is a British playwright and screenwriter. He won the prestigious George Devine Award in 2009 with his play, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, which was produced at the Bush Theatre in 2009 and went onto the Roundabout Theatre, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Michael Longhurst. Constellations opened at the Royal Court in 2012 and transferred to the West End where it received universally glowing reviews, won the Evening Standard Best Play Award and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Play. In 2015 Constellations transferred to Broadway starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson and directed by Michael Longhurst to critical acclaim. Payne is currently under commission at Paines Plough, the Royal Court and Manhattan Theatre Club/Alfred P Sloan Foundation writing a new play about Nobel Prize-winning mathematician, Paul Dirac.
Jonathan Berry joined the Steppenwolf staff as Artistic Producer in June 2015. A prolific director, he began his work in Chicago as Steppenwolf’s Artistic Office intern in 1998, and has continued a strong relationship with the company. His Steppenwolf directing credits include Melinda Lopez’s Gary for the First Look new play series and A Separate Peace for Steppenwolf for Young Adults, as well as assisting on The Weir, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Mother Courage and Her Children and This is Our Youth. He makes his Steppenwolf main season directorial debut with Constellations. Since 2009, Berry has taught Viewpoints for the School at Steppenwolf. A company member of both Steep and Griffin Theatres, Berry has also directed for many Chicago companies, including Goodman Theatre, Steep, Griffin, Remy Bumppo, Lifeline, The Gift and Fox Valley Theatricals. He recently directed Griffin’s critically acclaimed production of Pocatello, and Steep’s production of Posh, now playing through March 12, 2016.
Constellations production team includes Joe Schermoly (scenic design),Izumi Inaba (costume design), Heather Gilbert (lighting design) andChristopher Kriz (sound design and original music). Additional credits include Christine D. Freeburg (stage manager), Jessamyn Fuller (casting) and Hallie Gordon (artistic producer).
Jon Michael Hill currently appears as ‘Detective Marcus Bell’ in the CBS-TV series, Elementary. He was nominated for a Tony Award and won an Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Award for his role as ‘Franco Wicks’ in the Broadway production of Superior Donuts by Tracy Letts, a role which he originated at Steppenwolf. A Steppenwolf ensemble member since 2007, Hill has performed in many productions including Hot L Baltimore, The Tempest,Kafka on the Shore and The Unmentionables. Additional television and film credits include Detroit 1-8-7, Eastbound and Down, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Person of Interest.
Production Info:
Single tickets for Constellations go on sale Friday, March 18 at 11amthrough Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 andsteppenwolf.org: Previews: $20 – $54 and Regular Run: $20 – $89. Prices subject to change. 20 for $20: twenty $20 tickets are available through Audience Services beginning at 11am on the day of each performance (1pmfor Sunday performances). Rush Tickets: half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show. Student Discounts: a limited number of $15 student tickets are available online. Limit 2 tickets per student; must present a valid student ID for each ticket. For additional student discounts, visit steppenwolf.org/students. Group Tickets: all groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance throughout the season. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org/groups. For subscription options, call 312-335-1650.
Accessible performances include American Sign Language interpretation on Friday, June 17 at 7:30pm, Open Captioning on Saturday, June 25 at 3pm and Audio Description and Touch Tour on Sunday, June 26 (1:30 touch tour; audio-described performance at 3pm). For more information, visitsteppenwolf.org/access.
J.P.Morgan is the Corporate Production Sponsor of Constellations.
Steppenwolf’s 2015/16 Subscription Season opened with the world premiere adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, adapted by ensemble member Frank Galati, directed by co-founder Terry Kinney (September 17 – November 15, 2015); followed by the Chicago premiere of Domesticatedwritten and directed by ensemble member Bruce Norris (December 3, 2015 – February 7, 2016). Currently playing is the Chicago premiere of The Flick by Annie Baker, directed by Dexter Bullard (February 4 – May 8, 2016). Concluding the season will be the world premiere of Mary Page Marlowe by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro (March 31 – May 29, 2016); and the Chicago premiere of Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov (June 23 – August 21, 2016).
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is America’s longest standing, most distinguished ensemble theater, producing nearly 700 performances and events annually in its three Chicago theater spaces—the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat Garage Theatre. Formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an ensemble of 44 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season, First Look, a new play development series and Visiting Company engagements. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Off-Broadway, Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf has the distinction of being the only theater to receive the National Medal of Arts, in addition to numerous other prestigious honors including an Illinois Arts Legend Award and 12 Tony Awards. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Managing Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. For additional information, visitwww.steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/