Steppenwolf Announces THE BIRTHDAY PARTY & More for Late 2012-13 Season

The Steppenwolf Theater Company of Chicago have announced their season for 2012-13, including GOOD PEOPLE, Pinter's THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, and BELLEVILLE.

GOOD PEOPLE by David Lindsay-Abaire

Directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman, Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas, Mariann Mayberry, Molly Regan. Runs September 13 — November 11, 2012.

When Margie Walsh loses her job at a South Boston dollar store, she reaches out to her old friend and flame Mike, a Southie boy who made good when he became a successful doctor. What begins as an attempt to hit Mike up for a job takes on a threatening cast when Margie realizes the power that secrets from Mike's past life hold over his current one.

THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT by Stephen Adly Guirgis

Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro. Runs December 27, 2012 — February 24, 2013.

Things are on the up-and-up for recovering alcoholic Jackie and girlfriend Veronica— until Jackie spots another man’s hat in their apartment, and embarks on a sublimely incompetent criminal quest for vengeance. Fast-paced and uproarisous, Mother asks probing questions about the havoc addiction wreaks. Ensemble member Anna Shapiro, director of the acclaimed premiere on Broadway, returns to direct the Steppenwolf production.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY by Harold Pinter

Directed by ensemble member Austin Pendleton, Featuring ensemble members Ian Barford, Fran Guinan and John Mahoney with Sophia Sinise. Runs January 24 — May 19, 2013.

Petey, Meg, and their long-time tenant Stanley live comfortably, if without particular flair, in a seaside boarding house in England. But their humdrum daily routine of cornflakes, newspapers, and naps comes to a sudden end when two mysterious men appear, bringing with them menace, mystery, and one overwhelming question: What exactly are they searching for? When the group gathers together to celebrate Stanley's birthday, alliances are re-drawn, scandals are revealed, and all are left teetering on a precipice.

HEAD OF PASSES by Tarrell Alvin McCraney

Directed by ensemble member Tina Landau and Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas, K. Todd Freeman, Jon Michael Hill, Tim Hopper and James Vincent Meredith. Runs April 4 — June 9, 2013.

Shelah's family and friends plan a surprise birthday party for her. But the festivities are quickly over-shadowed by a series of revelations that point to a dark secret in the family's past—revelations that leave Shelah trying to find faith, a footing, and a truer sense of God.

BELLEVILLE by Amy Herzog

Directed by Anne Kaufman and Featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas and Kate Arrington. Runs June 27 — August 25, 2013.

Twenty-something American expats Zack and Abby live an enviably hip, do-gooder existence in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Belleville, Paris. But a single encounter one morning in the apartment they rent from their Senegalese landlords Alioune and Amina tips the scales of their relationship, revealing that the bubble they've built abroad is much closer to bursting than it appears. Dubbed a "thrillingly good" drama with elements of a "nail-biting psychological thriller" by the New York Times, Herzog's play asks unsettling questions about upheaval, the ease and power of a lie.