Steppenwolf Announces THE AFTER PARTY as Part of Garage Rep 2013

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is pleased to announce The After Party, a line-up of late-night, cross-genre performances Thursday nights during Garage Rep 2013, starting March 7. Curated by Steppenwolf Associate Producer Jacob Padrón, The After Party includes performances by Salonathon; experimental rock trio, Paper Mice; genre-bending classical musicians, Spektral Quartet; solo performer and spoken word artist Shannon Matesky; Route 66 Theatre Company; comedy-variety show, The City Life Supplement; and soul dance party, Windy City Soul Club. The After Party performances are in The Steppenwolf Garage (1624 N Halsted St) at 11pm, following Thursday evening Garage Rep performances; full schedule below. Tickets ($5) are on sale now through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.

"Steppenwolf has an ongoing commitment to making the Garage a space for young artists and audiences, and so we launch The After Party," comments Associate Producer Jacob Padrón. "We welcome all artists in the Garage and this series complements Garage Rep, where we welcome Chicago companies into our space. We aim for an eclectic line-up for The After Party, and hope to see new faces there."

The After Party Line-up
(All performances, artists and dates are subject to change)

March 7
Salonathon

Since its inception in July 2011, Salonathon has shared hundreds of performances with a burgeoning community of artists and supporters. Expanding upon her endeavors to bring art out of people and people to see art, founder and head curator Jane Beachy launched Salonathon Presents in December 2012 with a curated night of apocalyptic performances at the Metro called "You're Gonna Die." Salonathon Presents is also co-producing the annual Anti-Valentine's Day Party with Chicago Reader and The Empty Bottle on February 14, 2013 and has several other events in the works. facebook.com/salonathon.

March 14
Paper Mice and Spektral Quartet

Paper Mice are an experimental rock trio whose music plays with irregular time signatures, extreme shifts in dynamics and tempo, and lyrics crafted from news-coverage sound bites. Their energetic live performances have become a staple in Chicago's DIY punk music scene. papermice.com.

With its innovative programming consistently filling venues with a "crowd that other classical presenters would kill to attract" (Chicago Classical Review), the Spektral Quartet has established itself as one of Chicago's most intrepid and adroit ensembles. With a priority on evaporating the perceived boundary between traditional masterworks and the music of the present, Spektral concerts feature the likes of Beethoven and Mozart alongside Carter and Adés. spektralquartet.com.

March 21
Shannon Matesky presents She Think She Grown

Shannon Matesky has been seen on numerous stages across the country as a poet and actress. Some of her theatrical credits include: The March (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Hit the Wall (The Inconvenience, Steppenwolf Garage Rep); Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses (The Hypocrites); and Sonnets for an Old Century (UrbanTheater Company, Steppenwolf Garage Rep). Shannon was a featured spoken word artist of the Brave New Voices College Tour and the final season of HBO's Def Poetry Jam. She has performed with the likes of Talib Kweli, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Danny Hoch, Rachel McKibbens, George Watsky, Rafael Casal and countless others. She is featured in the award-winning documentary 2nd Verse: The Rebirth of Poetry (Corduroy Media). Shannon is an activist and teacher who has worked with such organizations as Young Chicago Authors, Youth Speaks, Step-Up Women's Network, Kuumba Lynx and others, aiding young adults in technical and life skills. She Think She Grown is her first solo play. shannonmatesky.com.

March 28 and April 11
Route 66 Theatre Company presents a reading of Next Stop: A New Chicago Musical

Next Stop: A New Chicago Musical is a collaboration between eight Chicago playwrights (Alice Austen, Danny Bernardo, Aaron Carter, Ike Holter, Alexander Lubischer, Brett Neveu, Caitlin Parrish and Emilio Williams) and one phenomenal Chicago singer-songwriter (Diana Lawrence). First performed as a staged workshop in the summer of 2012 at Theater Wit, this unique musical in development received praise and coverage from Time Out Chicago and Chicago Sun-Times. Since the original workshop production, the piece has undergone dramatic re-development, and Route 66 Theatre Company is thrilled to share this work-in-progress in the Steppenwolf Garage. route66theatre.org.