To mark the first full season in its transformed Halsted Street home, Steppenwolf Theatre will stage four premieres as part of its 2022-2023 season — including the debut effort from ensemble member Kate Arrington directed by co-founder Terry Kinney.
The season begins Sept. 1 with the Chicago premiere of James Ijames “The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington,” about the mother of America who, on her deathbed, is attended by the slaves who will be freed upon her passing. That’s followed by the premiere of “Bald Sisters” (Dec. 1-Jan. 15, 2023), Vichet Chum’s play about two estranged sisters settling the affairs of their late mother and reconciling their Cambodian heritage. Next up is the Chicago premiere of ensemble member Rajiv Joseph’s “Describe the Night” (March 2-April 9, 2023) about the mysteries surrounding a 1920 journal belonging to a Jewish writer that was recovered from a suspicious plane crash.
The Chicago premiere of Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ “Last Night and the Night Before,” about a woman who shows up unexpectedly at her sister’s home with her daughter and without her husband, runs April 6-May 13, 2023. The premiere of Arrington’s “Another Marriage,” which examines an evolving relationship, begins previews on June 15, 2023. The main season concludes with a revival of Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” (July 13-Aug. 20, 2023) featuring ensemble members Austin Pendleton and co-founder Jeff Perry as a wealthy homeowner and his new acquaintance whose bacchanal is interrupted by a pair of sinister young men.
Steppenwolf’s young adults series includes a pair of premieres. “1919” (Oct. 4-29) is J. Nicole Brooks’ adaptation of Eve L. Ewings’ poems about the 1919 racially motivated slaying of Eugene Williams on the shores of Lake Michigan and the riots that erupted in Chicago in the wake of the murder. That’s followed by “Chlorine Sky” (Feb. 14-March, 11, 2023) adapted by Mahogany L. Browne from her coming-of-age, young adult novel about two girls who are best friends until they aren’t.
Performances take place at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Memberships start at $126. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.