Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation’s premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to announce full casting for the second production of its 50th Anniversary Season: Peter Shaffer’s Oscar and Tony Award-winning masterpiece Amadeus, directed by Tony Award winner Robert Falls in his Steppenwolf debut.
Ensemble member Ian Barford (Another Marriage, The Minutes, August: Osage County) and David Darrow (Steppenwolf debut) will lead the 18-member cast as rival composers Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, respectively. Amadeus will also feature ensemble members Robert Breuler (Airline Highway, The Christians, Detroit), Francis Guinan (Noises Off, Downstate, August: Osage County) Ora Jones (Noises Off, The Doppelgänger, The Brother/Sister Plays) Yasen Peyankov (Describe the Night, Three Sisters, Superior Donuts) and Karen Rodriguez (POTUS, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, La Ruta) with Andrés Enriquez (Steppenwolf debut), Jodi Gage (Steppenwolf debut), Michael Kingston (The Minutes u/s), Aaron Kirby (Steppenwolf debut), Greg Komorowski (Steppenwolf debut), Gregory Linington (Steppenwolf debut), Matt Miles (Bald Sisters u/s, Seagull u/s) Aja Singletary (Dance Nation u/s) Joey Slotnick (Seagull), Sawyer Smith (Ms. Blakk for President) and Erica Stephan (Steppenwolf debut). Understudies: Nick Sandys.
The cast of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of "Amadeus" includes (top, l to r) ensemble members Ian Barford, Robert Breuler, Francis Guinan, Ora Jones, Yasen Peyankov and Karen Rodriguez with (center, l to r) David Darrow, Andrés Enriquez, Jodi Gage, Michael Kingston, Aaron Kirby and Greg Komorowski (bottom, l to r) Gregory Linington, Matt Miles, Aja Singletary, Joey Slotnick, Sawyer Smith and Erica Stephan.
Amadeus will play November 6, 2025 – January 4, 2026 in Steppenwolf’s Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Single tickets starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. The press opening is Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 6 pm.
About the Production:
Vienna: a cacophony of music and intrigue. The emperor's composer, Antonio Salieri, holds court until the flamboyant entrance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: prodigy and wild child. The two artists begin a vicious and thrilling duet, a rivalry that will define their lives and legacies for years to come. Winner of 5 Tonys and 8 Academy Awards, Amadeus is the ultimate ode to ambition and musical genius, a brilliant requiem for a villain in history – but a hero in his own story. Vi saluto!
Steppenwolf Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis comment, “We're thrilled to welcome so many ensemble members back to their artistic home. as well as this team of extraordinary performers who round out this remarkable cast. To serve as the company’s artistic leaders during Bob Falls's Steppenwolf directorial debut is an honor and feels like a true commitment to recognizing the incredible history of Chicago's theatrical landscape.”
The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Design), Amanda Gladu (Costume Design), Eric Southern (Lighting Design), Connor Wang (Sound Design) Mikhail Fiksel (Original Music), Bryar Barborka & Jonathan L. Green (Dramaturgs), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Tom Pearl (Producing Director), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, click here.
Production Details:
Title: Amadeus
Playwright: Peter Shaffer
Director: Robert Falls
Cast: ensemble members Ian Barford (Antonio Salieri) Robert Breuler (Giuseppe Bonno) Francis Guinan (Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg), Ora Jones (Venticello 1), Yasen Peyankov (Baron Gottfried van Swieten) and Karen Rodriguez (Constanze Weber) with David Darrow (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Andrés Enriquez (Ensemble), Jodi Gage (Ensemble), Michael Kingston (Ensemble), Aaron Kirby (Ensemble), Greg Komorowski (Ensemble), Gregory Linington (Joseph II), Matt Miles (Ensemble), Aja Singletary (Ensemble), Joey Slotnick (Count Johann Kilian von Strack), Sawyer Smith (Venticello 2) and Erica Stephan (Katherina Cavalieri). Understudies: Nick Sandys (u/s Antonio Salieri).
Location: Steppenwolf’s Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, November 6 – Saturday, November 15, 2025
Press performance/Opening: Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 6 pm
Regular run: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 – Sunday, January 4, 2026
Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, November 11, Tuesday, November 18, Wednesday, November 19, Tuesday, November 25, Wednesday, November 26, Thursday, November 27; Tuesday, December 23, Wednesday, December 24, Thursday, December 25, Friday, December 26, Saturday, December 27; Wednesday, December 31 and Thursday, January 1; there will not be 3 pm performances on Saturday, December 27 and Sunday, December 28; there will be added 2 pm matinees on Wednesday, November 26 and Wednesday, December 10.
Tickets: Single tickets for Amadeus ($20 – $143.50*) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Classic Memberships for Steppenwolf’s 2025/26 season starting as low as $160 are available at steppenwolf.org/myseason. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30. *Pricing includes an $8.50 handling fee
Steppenwolf offers 20 tickets for $20 (no added fees) for each performance of every membership series production. Use promo code 20FOR20 to redeem this offer online, available in advance until they’re sold out for every main series show. Limit 2 tickets per person. You can also purchase by phone at (312) 335-1650 on the day-of show at 12 pm for main series performances. Limit 2 tickets per person.
Accessible Performance Dates:
Audio-Described and Touch Tour: Sunday, December 21, 2025 at 3 pm (1:30 pm touch tour)
Open-Captioned: Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 3 pm & Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 7:30 pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, January 2, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Education and Engagement:
Throughout the 2025/26 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions including Mr. Wolf, Amadeus, The Dance of Deah and Windfall, in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. Additionally, Steppenwolf is reimagining their community engagement and will pilot new public programming, continue accessibility programming and offer opportunities for deeper explorations for audiences throughout the season. For additional information about Steppenwolf’s Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education-and-engagement/steppenwolf-field-trip-series.
Artist Biographies:
Peter Shaffer (Playwright) Sir Peter Shaffer, in full, Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (1926-2016), was a British playwright of considerable range who moved easily from farce to the portrayal of human anguish. Educated at St. Paul’s and Trinity College, Cambridge, Shaffer first worked for a music publisher and then as a book reviewer. His first play, Five-Finger Exercise (1960), is a tautly constructed domestic drama that almost overnight established his reputation as a playwright. It was followed by The Private Ear, The Public Eye (both 1962) and The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964), a portrayal of the conflict between the Spanish and the Inca – “hope and hopelessness, faithlessness and faith.” In 1965, Shaffer’s adroit farce Black Comedy was first performed. Equus (1973; filmed 1977), dealing with a mentally disturbed stableboy’s obsession with horses and Amadeus (1979; filmed 1984), about the rivalry between Mozart and his fellow composer Antonio Salieri, were successes with both critics and the public. Later plays include the biblical epic Yonadab (1985), Lettice and Lovage (1987) and The Gift of the Gorgon (1992). Shaffer was knighted in 2001 and sadly passed away in 2016.
Robert Falls’ (Director) theater and opera work over four decades has included groundbreaking new plays, reimagined classics, large-scale musical works, and more. Falls’ major recent projects include his adaptation of The Cherry Orchard; Rebecca Gilman’s Swing State (Minetta Lane/Audible) at the Goodman Theatre; a new production of Don Giovanni (Lyric Opera of Chicago/Dallas Opera); David Cale’s We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time (Goodman/Public Theater NYC); The Winter’s Tale; An Enemy of the People; Two of Falls’ most highly acclaimed Broadway productions – Death of a Salesman and Long Day’s Journey into Night – first staged at the Goodman, were honored with seven Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. Other noteworthy Broadway productions include Desire under the Elms; The Night of the Iguana; Conor McPherson’s Shining City (Tony Award nomination); Eric Bogosian’s Talk Radio; The Rose Tattoo at Circle in the Square; Horton Foote's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man from Atlanta; and Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida. Off-Broadway productions include Beth Henley’s The Jacksonian; Rebecca Gilman’s Blue Surge; Nicky Silver’s The Food Chain; and Eric Bogosian’s subUrbia at Lincoln Center Theater (Obie Award). For the Goodman, Falls’ extensive credits include King Lear; Uncle Vanya; Measure for Measure; Galileo; The Tempest; A Touch of the Poet; The Misanthrope; Landscape of the Body; Three Sisters; his own adaptation of The Seagull; and the Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey for which he wrote a new book. He also directed the American premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s House and Garden and the world premiere of Arthur Miller’s final play, Finishing the Picture; and with Seth Bockley, an adaptation for the stage of Roberto Bolaño’s epic novel 2666; and The Iceman Cometh, starring Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy (Brooklyn Academy of Music). He is the recipient of multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards, as well as such prestigious honors as the O’Neill Medallion (Eugene O’Neill Society) and the Savva Morozov Diamond Award from the Moscow Art Theatre. In 2015, Falls was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Ian Barford (Antonio Salieri) is a Steppenwolf ensemble member. He first appeared at Steppenwolf in 1988 in A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Rondi Reed. Since then, he has originated 11 roles in plays that premiered at Steppenwolf including the Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning play August: Osage County by Tracy Letts. On Broadway: Linda Vista (Tony nomination and Outer Critics Award for Best Lead Actor in a play), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Tony for Best Play), August: Osage County (also at London's National Theater), The Minutes and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Outer Critics nomination for supporting Actor). Other Chicago credits include: Betrayal, All the Rage and Design for Living at the Goodman. The Little Prince at Lookingglass. In Los Angeles, he appeared at the Geffen Playhouse in: The Weir, God's Man in Texas and Take Me Out – all directed by ensemble member Randall Arney – and in Dead End at the Ahmanson. Favorite Steppenwolf productions include: The Libertine, Three Days of Rain, As I Lay Dying, Berlin Circle, Love Song, Art, The March and Linda Vista.
Robert Breuler (Giuseppe Bonno) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in1987 and has appeared in over 40 Steppenwolf productions, making him a well-known favorite among Chicago audiences. He won a Joseph Jefferson Award for his acclaimed turn as a Russian negotiator in Steppenwolf's A Walk in the Woods. He was last seen in The Christians, and other memorable Steppenwolf roles include Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Les Moss in The Infidel, Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, Father Lux in Our Lady of 121st Street and The Armenian in Time of Your Life. Broadway credits include The Grapes Of Wrath, Carousel, The Song Of Jacob Zulu and Death Of A Salesman. Film credits include The Crucible, A Piece of Eden, Love and Action in Chicago, Shimmer, Trial By Jury, Painted Heart, Miles From Home and Purple Haze. Television credits include Chicago Fire, Prison Break, Early Edition, NYPD Blue, Angel Street, Keeper of the City, Father Clements Story and The Untouchables. Breuler is the recipient of a William and Eva Fox Fellowship and a Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship from the Ten Chimneys Foundation. He directed and performed in the cabaret show Torch, Sass and Swing for Steppenwolf's LookOut Series, written by and starring his wife Suzanne Petri. Bob is a founding member of Perennial Theatre, actors of a certain age, perennialtheatrechicago.com
David Darrow (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Debut; Off-Broadway: Memnon (Classical Theatre of Harlem), All Is Calm (Drama Desk Award), The Revival (Project Y Theatre); Regional: Over ten productions at The Guthrie including A Little Shop Of Horrors, Juno And The Paycock and The Tempest; Sweat (ACT); Ragtime, Sweeney Todd (Asolo Repertory Theatre); Lookinglass Alice, Twelfth Night (Baltimore Center Stage); Romeo And Juliet (Ten Thousand Things); Television: RJ Decker; Education: MFA Grad Acting – Tisch School of the Arts. David has written several musicals which have been developed/produced at theatres around the country.
Andrés Enriquez (Ensemble) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Debut. Chicago: Waitress, School of Rock (Paramount Theatre); Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Somewhere Over the Border (Teatro Vista); A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Porchlight); The Killing Game (A Red Orchid); The Adding Machine (Hypocrites); Regional: The Cottage (The Rep); The Angel Next Door, Million Dollar Quartet, The Stranger (Peninsula Players); A Comedy of Errors (Orlando Shakes); It Came From Outer Space (TheatreSquared). TV: Chicago P.D. Audio Drama: The Harbingers. MFA from University of Iowa. Represented by Gray Talent Group. www.andres-enriquez.com
Jodi Gage (Ensemble) Chicago: Coronation (Refracted - Jeff Award - Best Performer-Supporting) Romeo & Juliet (Oak Park Festival); Inanimate (Theater Wit); Night Watch (Raven Theatre); The Writer (Steep Theatre); Merrily We Roll Along (Blank Theatre); Bust (u/s) (Goodman); Falsettos (u/s) (US Court & Timeline) Richard III (u/s), Judgment Day (u/s) (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Regional: Christmas Carol (Pittsburgh CLO); Lady Windermere's Fan (PICT Classic Theatre); Next to Normal (Dunes Summer Theater); As You Like It (u/s) (Milwaukee Rep). Gage toured internationally in Song of Home (Theatre Lumina). TV credits: Chicago Med. jodigage.com
Francis Guinan (Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg) has been a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble since 1979. He has appeared in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions including Noises Off, Downstate, The Rembrandt, The Herd, The Night Alive, Tribes, The Birthday Party, The Book Thief, Time Stands Still, Endgame, American Buffalo, Fake, The Seafarer, Balm in Gilead and August: Osage County. He has also appeared in productions for Northlight Theatre, Goodman Theatre (appearing in Chekhov’s The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard), Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, TimeLine Theatre Company and American Blues Theater. Television appearances include The Exorcist, Boss, Mike & Molly, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Frasier, and several Star Trek episodes. Film work includes roles in The Last Airbender, Typing, Low Tide, Ghostlight and Constantine. For Kate.
Ora Jones (Venticello 1) was most recently seen at Steppenwolf as Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett in Noises Off. She also appeared as the mother in True West for the Galway Arts Festival in Ireland. Other Steppenwolf shows include The Children, Familiar, The Roommate, and The Doppelgänger in the past few seasons there. Other Steppenwolf productions include The Wheel, Middletown, The Brother/Sister Plays, Three Sisters, The Unmentionables, The Violet Hour, Carter’s Way and Morning Star. Chicago roles include Catherine Adams Green in The Nacirema Society, Essie Miller in Ah, Wilderness, Mrs. Rittenhouse in Animal Crackers, Claire in Proof, C Ana in Seeking the Genesis and Elizabeth I in The Beard of Avon, for the Goodman Theatre; the Abbess in The Comedy of Errors, the Countess in All's Well that Ends Well, Katherine of Aragon in Henry VIII, Queen Charlotte in The Madness of George III, Maria in Twelfth Night, Lucienne in A Flea in Her Ea, and the Nurse in Sunday in the Park with George, for Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Jaclyn in Rasheeda Speaking for Rivendell Theatre; Rita Jeffries in My Kind of Town for Timeline Theatre; the Stage Manager in Our Town for Writers Theatre; and Gwen in Execution of Justice for About Face Theatre. Her Broadway roles include Madame de Volanges in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Booth and Mrs. Phelps in Matilda the Musical, both at the Shubert and in the first national tour. Regional and other New York credits include Dr. Therese Stockmann in The Messenger for Pioneer Theater and performances at Long Wharf Theatre, Yale Repertory, Manhattan Theatre Club, Public Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, Next Act, and a particular favorite, the role of Mrs. Muller in Doubt for The Weston Playhouse in Weston, VT, directed by Malcolm Ewen. Television: Emperor of Ocean Park, Somebody Somewhere, 61st Street, Betrayal, Chicago Fire. Film: Stronghold, Consumed, Were the World Mine, Stranger than Fiction, The Weatherman. Awards: Chicago Magazine 2011, Best Actress; Black Theatre Alliance Award, Seeking the Genesis; After Dark Award, A Flea in Her Ear, Our Town.
Michael Kingston (Ensemble) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Minutes (u/s). Chicago: Beauty and the Beast (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Fiddler on the Roof (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Miracle the Musical (Miracle Productions LLC); Ideation (Jackalope Theatre); Bat Boy (Griffin Theatre); Fiorello!, The Farnsworth Invention, The Front Page (TimeLine Theatre Company); White Christmas, Damn Yankees (Marriott Theatre); Cinderella, Groundhog Day, Hairspray (Paramount Theatre). Touring: Flashdance the Musical (NETworks Productions LLC). Television: Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire. “For Jo, Thelma, Pat, and Dixie.”
Aaron Kirby (Ensemble) is elated to make his Steppenwolf Theatre Company debut. Select Chicago credits: Red & Geezers (Redtwist Theatre; both Jeff Nominations: Actor in a Leading Role); Peter and the Starcatcher (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Cicada (Route 66); Luna Gale u/s (Goodman); and Dark Play or Stories for Boys (Collaboraction; Jeff Award: Actor in a Supporting Role). Regional: Indiana Repertory Theatre, Tipping Point and Trinity Shakespeare. International: Edinburgh Fringe. Television: Chicago Fire, Shameless, Chicago Med and Dark Matter. Education: MFA, Wayne State University; BFA, TCU; Moscow Art Theatre summer intensive. “Endless love to Emma, Phil, fam and Stewart Talent!”
Greg Komorowski (Ensemble) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Debut. Chicago: A Red Line Runs Through It, Do You Believe In Madness? (The Second City). #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment (UP Comedy Club). International: The Price Is Right LIVE, Press Your Luck LIVE (Norwegian Cruise Lines). Television: Chicago Med, Chef In Your Ear. Education: Hon BA, University of Toronto. Komorowski is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. “Love to my entire supportive family, especially Tabetha, Kathryn, David and Max. I dedicate this to the memory of my amazing parents, Barabara and George. Keep smiling!”
Gregory Linington (Joseph II) Steppenwolf: Debut. Off Broadway: BAM and Joe's Pub. Chicagoland: Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre. Regional: Milwaukee Rep, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Yale Rep, Ford’s Theatre, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre DC, The Kennedy Center, Center Theatre Group, Rogue Theater Co.; 12-year company member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 5-year company member of Misery Loves Company – Prague, CZ. Television: Dark Matter, Emperor of Ocean Park, Station Eleven, Fargo, Shining Girls, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., West Wing, Grey’s Anatomy, Shameless. Awards: Helen Hayes Award, Lunt-Fontanne Fellow at 10 Chimneys. Teaching: Northwestern University, DePaul University, Lake Forest College, Georgetown University, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Southern Oregon University, and OSF. “For Jonah...”
Matt Miles (Ensemble) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Seagull, Bald Sisters. Chicago: Comedy of Errors (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Billy Elliot, Peter and the Starcatcher (Paramount Theatre); Long Christmas Dinner (TUTA Theatre); Ernest Shackleton Loves Me (Porchlight Music Theatre); Avenue Q (Mercury Theater Chicago); Peter and the Starcatcher (Drury Lane Theatre); Violet (Griffin Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Theo Ubique); Trial in the Delta (Collaboraction). Regional: Noises Off (Gulfshore Playhouse); The Great Divide, Airness, Gift of the Magi (Breckenridge Backstage Theatre); Great American Melodrama; Jim Henson Productions. Film: Chicago Rot. Television: Trial In the Delta (Peacock); Chicago Fire, Chicago Med (NBC). Awards: Three-time Emmy Award winner for Trial In the Delta. Education: BFA, University of Tulsa. Miles is proudly represented by Big Mouth Talent. “Thank you to Jackie, Tony and JC. Much Love to Agnes, Mom/Dad and Amadeus.”
Yasen Peyankov (Baron Gottfried van Swieten) who was last seen in Describe the Night, has been a Steppenwolf Ensemble Member since 2002. He has appeared in over 20 productions at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, some of which include: Time of Your Life (also in Seattle and San Francisco), Morning Star (Jeff Award), Hysteria, Lost Land, Cherry Orchard, Frankie and Johnny at the Claire De Lune (also in Dublin), Superior Donuts (also on Broadway), The Tempest, Pillowman, Penelope, Three Sisters, The Children, A Doll's House: Part 2, and others. Steppenwolf main stage directing credits include: Seagull, The Fundamentals, Between Riverside and Crazy, Grand Concourse, Russian Transport, as well as Hushabye for First Look and The Glass Menagerie for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. He also translated and directed the Bulgarian premieres of August: Osage County and last fall Doll's House, Part 2 at the National Theatre in Sofia, Bulgaria. Film: Maestro, Captive State, Contagion, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, Transformers 3, The Company, US Marshalls. Television: Upload, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Madame Secretary (recurring), FBI, Stranger Things, The Mob Doctor, The Beast, Gifted Hands, Karen Sisco, Alias, The Practice, The Unit, Numb3rs, and others. Mr. Peyankov is Professor and Head of Theatre at the School of Theatre and Music at UIC where he teaches acting and directs plays.
Karen Rodriguez (Constanze Weber) currently stars as Wanda Salazar in Netflix’s The Hunting Wives alongside Brittany Snow and Dermot Mulroney. She’ll next star in Spider Noir in 2026 alongside Nicolas Cage and Brendan Gleeson. Ms. Rodriguez joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2018. On the Steppenwolf main stage, she has appeared in POTUS, The Seagull, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Dance Nation, La Ruta, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and The Rembrandt. Select theatre credits include I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Seattle Rep), The Way She Spoke (Greenhouse Theater Center), Breach (Victory Gardens Theater), The Displaced (Haven Theatre), Hookman (Steep Theatre) and Blue Skies Process (Goodman Theatre). Television credits include Acapulco (Apple TV) with Eugenio Derbez, SWARM (Amazon Prime) created by Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, The Big Leap (FOX), Shining Girls (Apple TV) with Elisabeth Moss and Jamie Bell, season 2 and 3 of Power Book IV: Force (STARZ), Chicago Fire and Chicago Justice. She’s thrilled to be back on the Steppenwolf stage. Instagram: xkarenxrodriguez.
Aja Singletary (Ensemble) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Dance Nation (u/s). Chicago: Rooted (Bramble Theatre Company); Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea, Eclipsed (Pegasus Theatre); The Nacierma Society (Goodman Theatre u/s); The Buddy Holly Story (Marriott Theatre u/s); Is God Is (A Red Orchid Theatre); Factotum (Lyric Opera pf Chicago u/s); Athena (Writers Theatre); Relentless (Timeline Theatre u/s), As You Like It (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre). Film: Saint Isaac, Rot, Edendale, Like What You Like. Education: BA, Fordham College at Lincoln Center; School at Steppenwolf 2019. Representation: Gray Talent. “Offstage, you'll catch Aja quoting Spongebob, liking food and teaching dance. Aja thanks her family, friends and the Amadeus team for their support!”
Joey Slotnick (Count Johann Kilian von Strack) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Seagull, Slotnick Katz & Lehr. Broadway: Junk (Lincoln Center); The Front Page (Broadhurst); The Big Knife (Roundabout). Off Broadway: Dying For It, The New York Idea, Happy Hour, Offices, Almost an Evening (Atlantic Theatre Company); Tchaikovsky: None but the Lonely Heart (Signature); The Altruists (Vineyard). Chicago: Marriage: A Work in Progress (Piven Theatre Workshop); The Lehman Trilogy (Timeline/Broadway In Chicago); Animal Crackers (Goodman Theatre, Jeff Nomination); Our Town, Wants & Needs, Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22, Arabian Nights, Master & Margarita, Up Against It (Lookingglass Theatre Company, Ensemble Member). Regional: A Play is a Poem (Center Theatre Group); Animal Crackers (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Chapter Two (Bucks County Playhouse); Romance (Bay Street Theatre). International: Marriage in Progress (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Film: Drive-Away Dolls, Plane, They/Them/Us, The Cobbler, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Too Big to Fail, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, Hollow Man, Pirates of Silicon Valley, Blast From the Past, Since You’ve Been Gone, Dinner and Driving, Twister, A League of Their Own. TV: Chicago Med, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Search Party, The Goldbergs, Blue Bloods, Law & Order; SVU, Psych, Boston Legal, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Family Guy, Entourage, Nip/Tuck, Alias, Boston Public, The Single Guy.
Sawyer Smith (Venticello 2) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Ms. Blakk For President. Pre-Broadway: The Devil Wears Prada. Chicago: Disney’s The Little Mermaid, A Chorus Line, The 39 Steps, An American in Paris, Rock of Ages, Mary Poppins, Hairspray (Drury Lane Theatre); Gypsy, Something Rotten (Marriott Theatre); The Producers, CATS, RENT, A Chorus Line (Paramount Theatre); Pippin, The Producers, The Addams Family, The Bardy Bunch (Mercury Theatre); Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas ( Studebaker Theatre). Regional: Hedwig and The Angry Inch (Signature Theatre). Education: BFA, CCPA Roosevelt University. All my love to Ben, my family, and Anna D. Shapiro. @thesawyersmith
Erica Stephan (Katherina Cavalieri) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Debut. Chicago: Beautiful (Jeff Award Nomination); Titanic, Damn Yankees (Marriott Theatre). Cabaret (Jeff Award, Porchlight Music Theatre); Clue (Mercury Theater Chicago); Guys and Dolls, Holiday Inn, Beauty and the Beast, South Pacific, Saturday Night Fever, Crazy for You, White Christmas (Drury Lane Theatre); Emma, Madagascar, The Little Mermaid (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Penelopiad, Wonderful Town (Goodman Theatre). Nice Work If You Can Get It, White Christmas (Theatre at the Center). Les Misérables, Tommy (Paramount Theatre). Regional: Waitress, Rent (The Muny); I Do, I Do (Totem Pole Playhouse); The Drowsy Chaperone, Living on Love (Peninsula Players Theatre); Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid (Variety Children’s Theatre). Proud graduate of The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.
Accessibility:
As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and Braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. 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/access or e-mail access@steppenwolf.org.
Sponsor Information:
Amadeus is supported in part by Northern Trust. 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, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, 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, Steven and Nancy Crown, Conagra Brands Foundation, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, Joyce Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Orlebeke Foundation, PNC, Polk Bros. Foundation, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theater and Chicago's cultural landscape. 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, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions 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 boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits 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.