Steppenwolf Theatre Presents Clybourne Park 9/8-11/6

Steppenwolf Theatre Company kicks off its 2011/12 season with Bruce Norris' Pulitzer Prize-winning play Clybourne Park directed by ensemble member Amy Morton, playing September 8 - November 6, 2011 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Clybourne Park features ensemble member James Vincent Meredith with Karen Aldridge, Cliff Chamberlain, Stephanie Childers, Kirsten Fitzgerald, John Judd and Brendan Marshall-Rashid. The press performances are Saturday, September 17 at 3 pm and Tuesday, September 20 at 7:30 pm. Single tickets are currently on sale.

On two separate afternoons, 50 years apart, a modest bungalow on Chicago's northwest side becomes a contested site in the politics of race. September 1959: Russ and Bev are moving out to the suburbs. They've inadvertently sold the house to the neighborhood's first black family and ignited a community showdown. September 2009: the neighborhood is ripe for gentrification and the house is again changing hands. This time to a young white couple with plans for demolition and a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. In a provocative nod to A Raisin in the Sun, longtime Steppenwolf collaborator Bruce Norris takes a hilarious look at what happens when home becomes a battleground.

Bruce Norris won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Clybourne Park. His other works at Steppenwolf include A Parallelogram, The Unmentionables, The Pain and the Itch, We All Went Down to Amsterdam, Purple Heart and The Infidel. An ensemble member since 1997, Amy Morton's many Steppenwolf directing credits include American Buffalo, Dublin Carol, The Weir, The Pillowman, Love-Lies-Bleeding (also Kennedy Center) and Glengarry Glen Ross (also Dublin and Toronto).

Steppenwolf's 2011/12 season explores how everyday lives are touched by war. In each of the five plays, war exerts a pressure-sometimes centrally, sometimes obliquely-on the lives of the characters-a purpose, a deep need that moves them into action.

The production team for Clybourne Park includes: Todd Rosenthal (scenic design), Nan Cibula-Jenkins (costume design), Pat Collins (lighting design) and Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen (sound design). Additional credits include: Erica Daniels (casting), Deb Styer (stage manager) and Michelle Medvin (assistant stage manager).

Title: Clybourne Park
Playwright: Bruce Norris
Director: Ensemble member Amy Morton
Featuring: Ensemble member James Vincent Meredith (Albert, Kevin) with Karen Aldridge (Francine, Lena), Cliff Chamberlain (Karl, Steve) Stephanie Childers (Betsy, Lindsey) Kirsten Fitzgerald (Bev, Kathy), John Judd (Russ, Dan) and Brendan Marshall-Rashid (Jim, Tom, Kenneth).

Location: Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

Dates: Previews: September 8 - 17, 2011.
Press Performances: Saturday, September 17 at 3 pm and Tuesday, September 20 at 7:30 pm.
Opening: Sunday, September 18 at 6 pm
Regular Run: September 20 - November 6, 2011.

Curtain Times: Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30 pm
(Sunday evening performances through October 16 only)
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 pm
Wednesday matinees on October 19 & 26 and November 2.
Note: There is no 7:30 pm performance on Tuesday, September 13; there is no 3 pm performance on Sunday, September 18; the evening performance on Sunday September 18 begins at 6 pm.

Ticket prices: Previews: $20-$52
Regular Run: $20-$75
20 for $20: Twenty $20 tickets are available at Audience Services beginning at 11 am on the day of each performance (1 pm for Sunday performances).
Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show. Student Discounts: $15 student tickets are available online using promo code: "PARK15."(Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket). For additional student discounts, visit www.steppenwolf.org/students.

Audience Services: 1650 N. Halsted St., 312-335-1650
Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org.

Accessible Performances:
Open captioned performance: Saturday, October 22 at 3 pm
Sign-interpreted performance: Sunday, October 16 at 7:30 pm
Audio-described performance plus touch tour: Sunday, October 30 at 1:30 pm (3 pm performance)

Free post-show discussions are offered after every performance.

Sara Lee Foundation is the Corporate Production Sponsor of Clybourne Park. Major Foundation Production Support for Clybourne Park is provided by the Chicago Community Trust. ComEd is the Official Lighting Sponsor. Partial support for open captioning provided by Theatre Development Fund.

Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available for every performance.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, IL (Martha Lavey, Artistic Director; David Hawkanson, Executive Director) is where great acting meets big ideas. Our passion is to tell stories about how we live now. Our mission is to engage audiences in an exchange of ideas that makes us think harder, laugh longer, feel more. The company was formed in 1976 by a collective of actors and is dedicated to an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through ongoing group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned ensemble of 43 artists who represent a remarkable generation of actors, directors and playwrights. For additional information, visit www.steppenwolf.org, www.facebook.com/SteppenwolfTheatre and www.twitter.com/SteppenwolfThtr.

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