Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series keeps the party going this summer with a packed slate of eclectic and daring performances from Chicago artists of all stripes. The summer series includes concerts from Grammy Award-winning musicians, showcases of the city’s brightest comedians, fantastic drag shows, provocative performance art, readings of plays in development – and everything in between.
Grammy Award winner Nico Segal gets things started this May with three cozy concerts celebrating the release of his new album, Tell the Ghost Welcome Home. In June, Las Locas Comedy presents an evening of Latina/x comedians, and nostalgia queen Alex Grelle collaborates with Jeff winner Rob Lindley for a comedic spectacle in tribute to 1998’s cult classic Stepmom. July welcomes drag artist Másha Potato’s love letter to the transformative power of drag performance and a series of readings from The Story Theatre. And the summer comes to close in August with presentations from Steppenwolf ensemble member Austin Pendleton, Carissa Lee and the Black art collective Suspended Culture and the puppetry geniuses at Rough House Theater.
Additionally, throughout the summer Chicago drag artist Bambi Banks-Couleé hosts a monthly musical theater-inspired drag show, and Chicago’s celebrated Eighth Blackbird ensemble hosts two concerts featuring Grammy winner Karim Sulayman and daring composer Matthew Burtner.
LookOut Series Summer 2023 highlights include (left to right) a comedic spectacle from Alex Grelle and Rob Lindley, a new work by Ilse Zacharias, Grammy-winning musician Nico Segal and drag artist Bambi Banks-Couleé.
With 44 performances of 25 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 - $40, are now on sale by visiting steppenwolf.org/lookout or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.
The full Lookout 2023 Summer season (in chronological order):
Welcome Home
With Nico Segal
Dates: Thursday, May 18 at 8 pm and
Friday, May 19 at 7 pm & 9 pm
Ticket Price: $40
Description: Scored by the innovative new release Tell the Ghost Welcome Home, Grammy Award-winning musician Nico Segal shifts from side stage to the spotlight in an intimate portrait of self-discovery. Welcome Home explores how memory, our past and the myriad versions of self can co-exist through a dazzling waltz of visual and sonic expression.
How To Lobster
Written and performed by Cassie Slater
Dates: Tuesday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 24 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: How To Lobster is part storytelling, part concert and part art installation. Riffing on the oral tradition of passing down life lessons, this is the story of a mother's love for her daughter, the lengths she'll go to become the healthiest, best version of herself and the discoveries she makes along the way.
Bambi Banks-Couleé Presents:
Bambi’s Black Box
Dates: Saturday, May 27, Thursday, June 29, Thursday, July 27 and Thursday, August 31 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $15
Description: Returning to the Steppenwolf stage, Chicago drag artist Bambi Banks-Couleé hosts a monthly musical theatre-based drag show! Get ready to goop, gag, wig and be shook as hilarity ensues and legs are split.
D-Composed Presents:
D-Composition: Love Is…
Date: Friday, May 26 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: D-Composition: Love Is… uses the music of Black composers to breathe new life into poetry and the written word. This performance features the D-Composed string quartet with poetry and storytelling by Shanta Nurullah, Jamila Woods, avery r. young, Krista Franklin, Raych Jackson and Davon Clark and compositions by Sharon Udoh, Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon and Ahmed Al Abaca. Featured throughout are audio and visual vignettes of footage from the South Side Home Movie Project.
A staged reading of
The Knockout
By Ilse Zacharias
Dates: Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $30
Description: Elena is a seemingly average cleaning gal until she runs into the man who turned her life upside down. Written and performed by Ilse Zacharias, this workshop world premiere explores heartbreak, humor and the utmost certainty that love is the greatest power we possess – and with it, we truly are unstoppable.
Las Locas Comedy Presents:
Locas y Chingonas
Dates: Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: Locas y Chingonas is a Chicago-based comedy showcase that highlights Latina/Latinx talent. A must-see comedy show, Las Locas Comedy continues to produce a variety of Latina/x forward comedy showcases at theaters, venues and comedy clubs across Chicagoland and the country.
NOT AMERICAN
Written, directed and performed by Benjamin Larose
Dates: Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17 at 8 pm
Sunday, June 18 at 3 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: Inspired by his own immigration journey from French-speaking Québec to the American Midwest, Benjamin Larose lays bare the desperate throes of a middle-aged artist who realizes he has not made it big. NOT AMERICAN is an assemblage of performative moments including drag, musical numbers, fashion fittings, endurance workouts and more.
Alex Grelle and Rob Lindley in
STEPMOM At The Old Ethan Allen Space
Dates: Thursday, June 22 at 8 pm
Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm
Ticket Price: $35
Description: The 1998 millennial cult classic Stepmom comes to life on the Steppenwolf stage. Jeff Award winner Rob Lindley breathes life into Oscar winner Susan Sarandon while VHS collector and nostalgia queen Alex Grelle dawns a new day as Julia Roberts. Sit back, relax and sob on a thrill ride that will take you on a journey that's just in time for Pride Month and too late for Mother's Day.
Gender Fucked Productions Presents:
Queer Dance Freakout
Date: Saturday, July 1 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: Queer Dance Freakout is an interactive choose-your-own-adventure-spectacle, inspired by the Neo-Futurists’ Infinite Wrench. Comprised of queer, trans and/or nonbinary artists and storytellers, Freakout aims to have audiences booty shaking, grooving and connecting with the larger queer community.
The Chicago Artists Workshop Presents:
Stories, Vapor and Mist
The Music of Matthew Burtner; Featuring Jocelyn Zelasko and Matthew Duvall
An Eighth Blackbird Production
Date: Wednesday, July 5 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: Performed by soprano Jocelyn Zelasko and percussionist Matthew Duvall, Stories, Vapor and Mist shares stories both immutable and impermanent and told through the composition of ecoacoustic composer Matthew Burtner.
BIG GAY NIGHTMARE
Written and performed by Jeremy Owens
Dates: Thursday, July 6, Friday, July 7 & Saturday, July 8 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: BIG GAY NIGHTMARE is a hilarious and hopeful panic attack that follows Jeremy Owens on his journey to marriage. Aimed at proving queer people are not everything the mean nasty Republicans have been warning you about, BIG GAY NIGHTMARE proves that everyone has the right to a love story.
Sketchtopia
The annual showcase of writers in the Inclusive Playwright Project
Date: Wednesday, July 12 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $10
Description: Every year for the last 20 years, playwrights in the Inclusive Playwright Project workshop have gotten together weekly to develop works for the stage. This is the annual staged reading of excerpts of this work.
Másha, Másha, Másha!
A drag solo show by Másha Potato
Dates: Friday, July 14 & Saturday, July 15 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $15
Description: Másha, Másha, Másha! follows Chicago drag artist Másha Potato on an exploration of the spectrum of her drag career. Combining live performances, digital drag, personal monologues and more costume changes than you can count – Másha, Másha, Másha! is a love letter to the transformative power of drag performance.
The Story Theatre Presents:
The (W)rites of Summer
Dates: Thursday, July 20, Friday, July 21 & Saturday, July 22 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $10
Description: Kicking off The Story Theatre's fourth season, The (W)rites of Summer is a new play festival like you've never seen before! Featuring three elevated staged readings of world premiere plays by local Chicago playwrights – Lena Barnard, NJ Draine and Gloria Imseih Petrelli.
Fükhaus, Live At Steppenwolf!
A high-energy variety show hosted by Word Brothel
Date: Friday, July 29 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $35
Description: Part punk show, part late-night comedy special and part psychedelic fever dream, Fükhaus, Live At Steppenwolf! is a high-energy variety show featuring sketch comedy, improvisation and stand-up by the most rock ‘n’ roll comics in Chicago.
Chrysalis
With Ondine
An evening of raw and honest musical expressions
Date: Sunday, July 30 at 7 pm
Ticket Price: $12
Description: Chrysalis is an evening of textured music ladened with vocal harmonies and symbiotic movement that explores the cyclical nature of growing up and rediscovering parts of oneself while also asking "how much of who we will be is already who we are?”
The Chicago Artists Workshop Presents:
Bleuet
Performed by Karim Sulayman; Featuring Matthew Duvall and Lisa Kaplan
An Eighth Blackbird Production
Date: Wednesday, August 2 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: A rare, intimate evening with Grammy Award-winning tenor, Karim Sulayman. Ranging from Billy Bragg to Francis Poulence to Sam Cooke, this program explores the music of innocence, age, reconciliation, catharsis and consolation. Sulayman is joined for this program by Eighth Blackbird artists Matthew Duvall and Lisa Kaplan.
Hot Dish!
Hosted by Lauren Hooberman
Co-hosted by Amy Sumpter and Colleen Brennan
Date: Friday, August 4 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $27
Description: Hot Dish! is a comedy cooking interview show that dishes up hot goss and hot food with little skill, but a lot of heart, combining cooking and comedy. A pandemic project that started out in Lauren Hooberman's kitchen, we guarantee you will laugh a lot while Lauren interviews a very special guest.
ARCANA: The Fool’s Errand
A Front Porch Oracles Creation
Date: Saturday, August 5 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: ARCANA: The Fool’s Errand is a semi-immersive tarot adventure through the Fool’s journey. Through collaborative divination, improv and audience interaction, the Front Porch Oracles will explore the ways in which one small choice can change the stories we hold.
A staged reading of
Was Dinner Good, Dear Sister?
By Riad Ismat, presented by Sami Ismat and SWANASA Central
Date: Tuesday, August 8 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $15
Description: Sami Ismat pays tribute to his late father’s legacy and celebrates intersecting identities with this staged reading of Riad Ismat’s absurdist play, Was Dinner Good, Dear Sister? Ismat’s play captures the spirit of existentialism from a Southwest Asian perspective.
Lampkin Music Group Presents:
Barbara and Austin Sing Steve and Oscar
With Barbara Bleier and ensemble member Austin Pendleton
Dates: Wednesday, August 9 at 7:30 pm
Ticket Price: $20
Description: Steppenwolf ensemble member Austin Pendleton and his longtime singing partner Barbara Bleier perform the Chicago debut of their critically acclaimed tribute concert: Barbara and Austin Sing Steve and Oscar. Chicago’s own Beckie Menzie music directs and accompanies on piano.
LA OSA MENOR (or Ursa Minor/the Little Bear)
Written and Performed by Isabel Quintero
Original music by Gonzalo Córdova
Directed by Esteban Arévalo Ibáñez
Dates: Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: Chicago actor Isabel Quintero and her musical guests perform original Latin American music by Gonzalo Córdova, exploring her father's journey of love, loss, family and his beautiful patria, Colombia.
Rough House Theater Company Presents:
We Missed the Train and Had to Wait
By Claire Saxe
Dates: Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19 at 8 pm
Sunday, August 20 at 7 pm
Ticket Price: $10 – $25
Description: We Missed the Train and Had to Wait playfully re-envisions Anton Chekhov’s 1904 play The Cherry Orchard in a palette of clown, mime and found-object puppets. An exploration of property, progress and the places we call our own, We Missed the Train invites audiences to join in the party – before it’s too late.
ingress
By Carissa Lee, featuring Suspended Culture
Date: Saturday, August 26 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $15
Description: ingress asks how we enter an afro future; years from now and in the now? Crafted by Carissa Lee and featuring performances by Black art collective Suspended Culture, ingress explores Blackness as a chameleon through movement and sound.
2nd Story Presents:
YEAR 25
Date: Friday, September 1 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: Celebrating 25 years of heart-changing stories, 2nd Story presents a night of real stories by real people for real change.
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.
COVID Precautions
As the Chicago theatre community continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Steppenwolf Theatre remains committed to the safety of its patrons and staff. For the most up-to-date information on our venue’s COVID precautions, please visit steppenwolf.org/welcomeback.
Sponsor Information
United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from Northern Trust, Allstate Insurance Company, Amazon, ComEd, Conagra Brands Foundation, PNC 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 a Chicago theater that is home to America’s ensemble. The company began performing in the mid-1970s in the basement of a Highland Park, IL church—today Steppenwolf is the nation’s premier ensemble theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Deeply rooted in its ensemble ethos, the company is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to all. Groundbreaking productions from Balm in Gilead and August: Osage County to Downstate and Pass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony® Awards—have made the theatre legendary. Artistic programming includes a membership series; a Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; LookOut, a multi-genre performance series; and the Steppenwolf NOW virtual stage. The nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education engages more than 20,000 participants annually in Chicagoland communities promoting compassion, encouraging curiosity and inspiring action. While firmly 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. 2021 marked the opening of Steppenwolf’s landmark Lefkofsky Arts & Education Center—deepening the company’s commitment to Chicagoland teens and serving as a cultural nexus for Chicago. Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis are the Artistic Directors and E. Brooke Flanagan is Executive Director. Keating Crown is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees.
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.