Half Hour

In this episode of Half Hour, ensemble member Caroline Neff interviews Cydney Cleveland and Tamara Drew from Storycatchers Theatre, as well as Abhi Shrestha from Steppenwolf Education. Listen to learn about the vital performing arts programs that Storycatchers run inside and outside of juvenile justice facilities in Illinois, as well as their methodology and philosophy underpinning that work, and how their programs intersect with Steppenwolf Education’s.

 Interview begins at 2:30.

 This episode of Half Hour is sponsored by John Hart and Carol Prins in memory of Louise Hart, and co-sponsored by Winston & Strawn LLP.

 Cydney Patrice Cleveland is the Production Director for Storycatchers Theatre.  As Director, she oversees all production elements for the annual original one-act musicals presented at three juvenile justice facilities, and for the touring production of musical stories created by the Changing Voices Ensemble, Storycatchers’ post release performance employment program.  Ms. Cleveland began her career at Storycatchers while a junior in high school at Young Women's Leadership Charter School of Chicago during a time when the organization worked in CPS schools in addition to juvenile facilities. Quickly moving up the ranks from participant, to administrative support, to program manager, and Production Director, Cleveland became a member of Storycatchers’ leadership team this year.  She is responsible for creating a multi-year partnership with Steppenwolf Theatre Company.  Together, the companies co-produce a multiple facility tour of a Steppenwolf Theater for Young Adults professional production. 

 Tamara Drew is a graduate of Millikin University where she earned a degree in both Theatre & Sociology. Currently, Tamara is the Artistic Manager of the Storycatchers Firewriters ensemble at IYC Chicago, is the Artistic Coordinator for Storycatchers Changing Voices Program, and is the Project Manager of the Storycatchers CPD training program. She is a mother to three sons, and serves as chair of the Fine Arts Magnet Education Committee at Ravenswood Elementary School.

 Abhi Shrestha is a Chicago-based poet, arts educator, and theatre artist originally from Kathmandu, Nepal. Abhi is the Education Associate at Steppenwolf Theatre, serves on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH) and is the Resident Dramaturge and a Community Organizer with The Chicago Inclusion Project.

 About Storycatchers Theatre: Storycatchers Theatre is dedicated to creating a safe, inclusive environment that uses the performing arts to prepare marginalized youth to envision and pursue productive futures. Through their healing-centered process, they believe that these resilient young people build agency and capacity to make productive life choices.

About Steppenwolf Education: Every season Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) creates two full-scale professional productions specifically for teens. Programs include classroom residencies led by Steppenwolf-trained teaching artists; the Young Adult Council, an innovative year-round after-school initiative that uniquely engages high school students in all areas of the theater’s operation; in-depth mentorship programs for early-career professionals who will one day lead the American Theater.

Learn more at steppenwolf.org.  Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org

For a transcript of this podcast, go to: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep5-transcript.pdf

Ensemble member William Petersen shares stories and insights from his remarkable career in this interview conducted by Glenn Davis. The lively conversation covers Petersen's school days in Idaho, his love for Chicago's theater scene, and the origins of his industry-shifting television series CSI.

 Interview begins at 4:50.

 William Petersen first appeared at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in the seminal production of Balm in Gilead in 1980 and has since appeared in Slowgirl, Fool for Love, Dublin Carol, Endgame and The Minutes. In 1979, Petersen founded the Remains Theater Ensemble in Chicago with a group of fellow actors, including Steppenwolf ensemble members Gary Cole and Amy Morton. In 1996, Petersen made his Broadway debut in a revival of Tennessee Williams’s The Night of the Iguana. He served as executive producer on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and was nominated in 2004 for a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Gil Grissom, the lead investigator.

Learn more at steppenwolf.org. 
Want to get in touch? Email [email protected]

For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep4-transcript.pdf

In Episode Three of Half Hour, Caroline Neff interviews Kathryn Erbe. In the conversation, Erbe shares stories about the first time she saw a Steppenwolf show, her eleven years starring on Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and the challenges of balancing a busy acting career with a family life.

 Interview begins at 4:51.

 Kathryn Erbe first worked with Steppenwolf on the Broadway production of The Grapes of Wrath (1990 Tony Award for Best Play). She was nominated for a Tony for The Speed of Darkness. Kathryn also appeared in The Father on Broadway. Off Broadway credits include Yosemite, Ode To Joy, AZAK (Rattlestick); Checkers (The Vineyard); Nikolai and the Others (Mitzi Newhouse LTC); Something Clean (Roundabout Underground) and Down the Shore (Atlantic Theater Company). She is well-known to television audiences for her work on Oz, Homicide, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order SVU, The Runaway, George Wallace, Breathing Lessons, Sherman Oaks, POSE, The Sinner, City On A Hill, Billions, The Good Fight and How to Get Away With Murder. Film credits include 3 Backyards, Mistress America, Dating My Mother, Assassination Nation, Alex Strangelove, No Alternative, The Good House, Red Pill, Being Dead, Speaking of Sex; Stir of Echoes; Dream with the Fishes; Naked City; Entropy; What About Bob?; D2: The Mighty Ducks; Kiss of Death; The Addiction; and Rich in Love. Upcoming: The Good House.

Half Hour is immediately available on our website and on all of your favorite podcast platforms. New Episodes are released every other Tuesday.

 Learn more at steppenwolf.org

For a transcript of this podcast, please visit: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep3-transcript.pdf

In this second episode of Half Hour, Audrey Francis meets up with fellow Steppenwolf Ensemble Member (and her former acting teacher) K. Todd Freeman. The conversation covers what is was like for Freeman when he joined the ensemble, how he prepares to play unsavory characters onstage, and why he will never perform in a two-man show again.

Interview begins at 6:48.

K. Todd Freeman has been a Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1993. At Steppenwolf, he has appeared in Downstate ( Jeff Award; National Theatre London, Evening Standard nomination), Airline Highway (Broadway: Drama Desk Award and Tony Nomination), The Brother/Sister Plays, The Tempest, Art, Topdog/Underdog, A Clockwork Orange, We All Went Down to Amsterdam, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (also Broadway) and The Song of Jacob Zulu (Broadway; Tony Nomination) and has directed The Christians, Good People (Jeff Award for Best Production starring the wonderful Mariann Mayberry) and Master Harold. . .and the Boys for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. Off-Broadway credits include Fetch Clay Make Man (NYTW: Obie Award); Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, Spunk (The Public Theatre); and Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Drama Department). Regional credits include Miss Evers’ Boys, Angels in America (Mark Taper Forum). Television and film credits include the upcoming Netflix exclusive A Series of Unfortunate Events, Blindspot, The OA, Anesthesia, Weightless, Believe, Law and Order: SVU, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NYPD Blue, A Different World, A Gifted Man, The Dark Knight, The Cider House Rules, Gross Pointe Blank and for a very brief moment in Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

Learn more at steppenwolf.org

The debut episode of Half Hour, a podcast from Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Il. In episode one, meet co-hosts Cliff Chamberlain, Glenn Davis, Audrey Francis and Caroline Neff as they introduce the new show. Then, Chamberlain sits down with Steppenwolf Theatre Company co-founder Jeff Perry for a conversation covering Perry’s half hour routine, coping with jealousy, and how to approach art making with “an explorer’s heart.”  

 Interview begins at 8:12.

 Jeff Perry is a co-founder of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He served as Steppenwolf Artistic Director from 1982 to 1985 and 1986 to 1987 and was integral to the founding of The School at Steppenwolf, where he continues to teach and direct. Jeff's many acting credits at Steppenwolf include August: Osage County (also Broadway and London), Balm in Gilead (also Off-Broadway), The Time of Your Life (also Seattle, San Francisco), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (World Premiere), The Grapes of Wrath (also Broadway and London), The Caretaker (also Broadway) and Streamers (also Kennedy Center). Jeff portrayed Cyrus Beene on ABC’s Scandal and also appeared in Nash Bridges, Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life.

 Learn more at steppenwolf.org

For a transcript of this podcast, go to: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep1-transcript.pdf