Steppenwolf Adds Public Performances of THE BOOK THIEF

Steppenwolf Theatre Company adds two Friday evening public performances to the world premiere of Markus Zusak'sThe Book Thief, adapted by Heidi Stillman, directed by Hallie Gordon, after selling out all school and public performances. The production is still scheduled to close on Friday, November 9 and plays in Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Single tickets to all public performances are $20, and are currently on sale through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.

Added performances of The Book Thief include:

Friday, November 2 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 9 at 7:30pm

Leisel Meminger is a young girl struggling to survive in Nazi Germany. Her life is filled with risk and danger but her love of books guides her through a brutal world. Death watches over her, fascinated by humankind's will to live. The Book Thief looks at the terrible cost of violence, bearing witness to our compassion and complicity. When Death tells a story, you listen.

The cast of The Book Thief features ensemble member Francis Guinan with Patrick Andrews, Amy J. Carle, Rob Fagin, Rae Gray, Dennis William Grimes, Nikki Klix, Ian Knox, Anthony-Jon LeSage, Clancy McCartney, Andy Monson, Mark Ulrich and Nicole Wiesner. The production team includes: Lizzie Bracken (scenic design), Sally Dolembo (costume design), J.R. Lederle (lighting design), Rick Sims (sound design and original music), Mike Tutaj (projection design), Trudy White (illustrations) and Ryan Bourque (fight choreography). Additional credits include: Erica Daniels (casting) and Deb Styer (stage manager).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the Corporate Sponsor of Steppenwolf for Young Adults. Target is the sponsor of the Target 2-for-1 matinees.

Steppenwolf for Young Adults' unique approach combines play production with educational components to enhance arts education for young audiences, as well as their teachers and families. SYA creates two full-scale professional productions each season specifically for teens. Working closely with the Chicago Public and metropolitan area schools and other community partners, SYA annually ensures access to the theater for more than 12,000 participants from Chicago's diverse communities. The initiative also includes post-show discussions with artists; classroom residencies led by Steppenwolf-trained teaching artists in more than 30 classrooms in 12 public high schools; professional development workshops for educators; and the Young Adult Council, an innovative year-round after school initiative that uniquely engages high school students in all areas of the theater's operations.

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 43 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season and three repertory series: First Look Repertory of New Work, Garage Rep and Next Up. 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 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 nine Tony Awards. Martha Lavey is the Artistic Director and David Hawkanson is the Executive Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.