Steppenwolf Theatre Hosts Conversation with Frank Galati and E.L. Doctorow Tonight

Steppenwolf Theatre Company hosts an evening of conversation about the world of storytelling tonight, April 16 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre. Featured for the event are two expert storytellers, Tony Award-winning ensemble member Frank Galati and Pulitzer Prize-finalist E.L. Doctorow, moderated by Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey.

Galati is currently in rehearsal directing his stage adaptation of Doctorow's sweeping epic novel, The March, about General William Tecumseh Sherman's Civil War march through Georgia. This marks Galati's Second Stage production of a Doctorow novel, following the highly-acclaimed musical, Ragtime. The event is on April 16, 2012 from 7 – 8:30pm in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Tickets ($10) go on sale March 23 at 11am through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted), at 312-335-1650 or at steppenwolf.org. The March runs April 5 – June 10, 2012 in the Downstairs Theatre. 

Frank Galati's many directing credits at Steppenwolf include Endgame, Homebody/Kabul, The Grapes of Wrath and You Can't Take It With You. Other Steppenwolf adaptations include after the quake and Kafka on the Shore. E. L. Doctorow's novels include Homer & Langley, The March, City of God, The Waterworks, Welcome to Hard Times, The Book of Daniel, Ragtime, Loon Lake, Lives of the Poets, World's Fair and Billy Bathgate. His newest collection of short stories, All the Time in the World, has recently been released in paperback. Among his honors are the National Book Award, three National Book Critics Circle awards, two PEN/Faulkner awards, the William Dean Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the presidentially conferred National Humanities Medal.

General William Tecumseh Sherman, Uncle Billy to his men, marches 62,000 Union soldiers through lush Georgia countryside. Bearing along both black and white refugees, the march destroys everything in its path, turning home into exile and exile into home. Its epic force forever changes the lives of those caught up in its sweep: a liberated slave, a sheltered daughter of a Southern judge, a pair of Confederate deserters and Uncle Billy himself. The March is a story of momentous upheaval and the limits of courage and love. 

The March features ensemble members Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, K. Todd Freeman, Martha Lavey, Mariann Mayberry, James Vincent Meredith and Alan Wilder with Will Allan, Phillip James Brannon, Cliff Chamberlain, Patrick Clear, Carrie Coon, Alex Goldklang, Harry Groener, Stephen Louis Grush, Anthony Kayer, Michael Mahler, Shannon Matesky, Luce Metrius, Andy Monson, John Mossman, Alex Newkirk, Alex Ring, Joe Sinopoli, Philip R. Smith, Alex Stage and L.J. Slavin. The production team includes: James Schuette (scenic design), Virgil C. Johnson (costume design), James F. Ingalls (lighting design), Josh Schmidt (sound design and original music) and Stephan Mazurek (projection design). Additional credits include: Erica Daniels(casting), Malcolm Ewen (stage manager), Christine D. Freeburg (assistant stage manager), Matt Hawkins (fight director) and Eva Beneman (dialect coach).