Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series is pleased to announce its action-packed summer 2024 lineup of local comedy, storytelling, music and more! The summer series includes captivating solo works from some of Chicago’s most accomplished storytellers; showcases of drag, burlesque and poetry artists; and the return of the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. produced by Kokandy Productions.
Among the highlights, the enduringly popular Chicago show Karaoke Storytellers comes to Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater for an evening of confessional storytelling and singing. Soon after, the dynamic dance troupe Body Confidence for Queens brings electrifying burlesque to Halsted Street. And of course, throughout the summer you have four chances to see Bambi’s Black Box, the bombastic musical-theater-themed drag show. In August, the Gift Theatre presents a two week run of Obliteration, a new two-hander by Andrew Hinderaker, that fuses stand-up comedy and theater, featuring Michael Patrick Thornton and Cyd Blakewell.
With 42 performances of 18 engagements featuring hundreds of local artists, this summer is jam packed with offerings for everyone!
All LookOut performances take place in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, an intimate and flexible venue nestled behind Front Bar, 1700 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets, which range in price from $10 – $50, are now on sale at steppenwolf.org/lookout or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.
LookOut Summer 2024 highlights include (left to right) a new piece from Andrew Hinderaker and Michael Patrick Thornton, the return of Bambi Banks Coulee’s hit drag showcase, music from Sharon Udoh and several intimate, daring and innovative solo works including comedian Gwen La Roka.
The full LookOut 2024 Summer Season (in chronological order):
The Jewish Comedy Project Presents:
JEWISH COMEDY NIGHT!
Dates: Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: The Jewish Comedy Project is bringing the best of their comedy sketches, songs and stories to Steppenwolf for the first time ever! This wild night of laughs feels like a whole bunch of holidays wrapped up in one.
Karaoke Storytellers
Dates: Saturday, May 4 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $15
Description: Music affects each of us individually, and the emotions we associate with a song are determined by our specific history. Karaoke Storytellers lends a microphone to four Chicago entertainers who have a story to tell about a song that means something to them—and then they might just sing it, too.
Bambi Banks-Couleé Presents:
Bambi’s Black Box
Dates: Thursday, May 9, Thursday June 20, Thursday July 18 and Thursday, August 15 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $18 - $35
Description: Returning to the Steppenwolf stage for the third year in a row, Chicago drag artist Bambi Banks-Couleé hosts a monthly musical theatre-based drag show! Serving show stopping group numbers, fierce ballads and more. Each month you can expect a new group of queens ready for the spotlight.
The Hunt
By Gina DeLuca
Dates: Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: Essayist, satirist and comedian Gina DeLuca reads stories about an unlikely bow hunting trip she took to Montana. Through her sharp observations and sardonic wit, DeLuca challenges commonly held beliefs about animals, people and the many conflicting truths that keep us from seeing each other clearly.
Body Confidence for Queens Presents:
The Making of A Queen
Dates: Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $30 - $50
This show is for audiences 21 and over.
Description: The Making of A Queen takes you on a journey of finding body confidence, self love and inner peace through an evening of burlesque and dance hosted by the dynamic dance troupe, Body Confidence for Queens.
Grandma's House: In the Living Room
Hosted by Caroline M. Watson
Dates: Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $10
Description: In the Living Room is a poetic exploration of all of the messy, comfy, hilarious, heartbreaking and nostalgic feelings that make up a home. Lovingly sewn together by Caroline M. Watson, this evening explores how poetry can forge new connections between us all.
GenderFucked Productions Presents:
Trans Voices Cabaret Chicago
Dates: Saturday, June 1 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $30
Description: Trans Voices Cabaret Chicago hosts an evening of incredible Transgender and Gender Nonconforming talent here in the Windy City! Performing hits from across the musical theatre canon, don’t miss this night of musical celebration.
You're Being Ridiculous: Win
Dates: Thursday, June 6, Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $27
Description: Everyone has a story to tell, what's yours? At You're Being Ridiculous, real people tell true stories about their lives. Each performance is linked by a rotating theme and by the desire to make you laugh and once in a while, cry.
Virtue and Grace
By Isabella Van Houzen
Dates: Tuesday, June 11 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: In the fall of 1814, four friends ready themselves to enter society as one schemes to attend events dressed as a man in order to court other women. Virtue and Grace is a farcical tale of love, gender and societal pressure. Written by Isabella Van Houzen, this show brings to the stage a cast and crew made up largely of current and former members of the Steppenwolf Front of House team.
Nora Sharp's
DISCIPLINE
Dates: Wednesday, June 12 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $15
Description: DISCIPLINE is a night of action, experimentation and commitment to the bit. Blending comedy, choreo, confessional, criticality and plenty of community too. DISCIPLINE embraces the perpetual motion of works in progress and the un-pin-down-ability of live performance.
Songs for Someone Loyal
By Sharon Udoh
Dates: Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: Songs For Someone Loyal is a night of music dedicated to Sharon Udoh’s relationships with three people: her dad, her chosen ancestor Nina Simone and herself: a gay first-generation Nigerian-American woman-ish who has attempted to make sense of the way she loses, yearns and loves.
Spank Bank Time Machine
By John Michael
Dates: Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 at 8 pm; Sunday, June 30 at 3 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: It's Angels in America meets Snakes on a Plane, but with DRUGS! Time travel with Trauma Clown John Michael who creates a space to mourn and celebrate those who we might have lost. This show raises awareness about life-saving interventions and offers us a chance to go back for a do-over.
Mi Casa Es Tu Casa!
By Gwen La Roka
Dates: Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July, 6 at 8 pm; Sunday, July 7 at 3 pm
Ticket Price: $30
Description: Join Comedian Gwen La Roka as she takes you on a hilarious and heartwarming ride through her childhood life in her "casa," a home filled with chaos, cumbias and old school remedies.
OUT OF CONTEXT
By Eunji Kim
Dates: Thursday, July 11, Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: Chicago-raised comedian and immigrant, Eunji Kim presents OUT OF CONTEXT a show about navigating social media, the politics of wokeness and the real work of being a decent human being.
Muslim Writers Collective Chicago Presents:
Blind Spots
Dates: Saturday, July 20 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: Muslim Writers Collective Chicago hosts an evening of multi-talented local artists who set out to uncover their blind spots and challenge the audience to contemplate their own.
The Gift Theatre Presents:
Obliteration
By Andrew Hinderaker
Performed by Michael Patrick Thornton and Cyd Blakewell
Dates: Thursday, July 25, Friday, July 26, Saturday, July 27, Wednesday, July 31, Thursday, August 1, Friday August 2 and Saturday, August 3 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $30
Description: Obliteration is a fusion of stand-up and theater that tells the story of two comedians, trying to make sense of a world that's falling apart, even as their own lives are hanging on by a thread.
Chicago Musical Theatre Festival
Produced by Kokandy Productions
Dates: Thursday, August 8, Friday, August 9 and Saturday August, 10 at 8 pm; Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11 at 3 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival showcases new musicals from Chicago and beyond! This celebration of musical theatre, emerging authors and innovative artists looks to push the boundaries of storytelling within the form.
Order of Service
By Rae Chardonnay
Dates: Friday, August 16 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $12 - $40
Description: Order of Service is a personal and universal ode to an ancestral legacy in which sound is a tool for healing. Using sound design, film and structural installation, this performance contemplates the complexities between the sacred and the secular.
Accessibility
Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater is equipped with an induction hearing loop and assistive listening devices are available upon request. Our building features wheelchair-accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair, and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility or e-mail access@steppenwolf.org.
Sponsor Information
The LookOut Series is supported in part by the Walder Foundation. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Good Chaos, Joyce Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Ron and Paula Mallicoat, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Robert Rivkin and Cindy Moelis, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, ArentFox Schiff, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Steven and Nancy Crown, CRC Group, Rich and Margery Feitler, Julius Frankel Foundation, FROST CHICAGO, Goldman Sachs, Shmaila Tahir and Asheesh Goel, Bob and Amy Greenebaum, Kirkland & Ellis, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Christopher and Eileen Murphy, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, Gary Sinise Foundation, Elliot A. Stultz, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premiere Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions - from Balm in Gilead and Grapes of Wrath to August: Osage County, Downstate and The Brother/Sister Plays - have made this theatre legendary. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 12 Tony Awards, and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair, Keating Crown - Steppenwolf continually redefines the landscape of acting and performance.
Steppenwolf’s Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.