Half Hour Steppenwolf Theatre Co.

In this, the final episode of Half Hour’s second season, the five hosts look back on two years of insightful, candid, and inspiring conversations with Steppenwolf ensemble members, activists, and vital voices in the American theater. Then, Cliff Chamberlain interviews Steppenwolf’s incoming Co-Artistic Directors, Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, at the very beginning of their tenure.
Interview begins at 17:12 
Originally from Chicago, Glenn Davis is an accomplished actor and producer. He garnered widespread acclaim for his performance in the world premiere of ensemble member Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at L.A.’s Kirk Douglas Theatre, and transferred with the production to Broadway, where he starred alongside Robin Williams. Davis joined the ensemble in 2017, where he has performed most recently Downstate by ensemble member Bruce Norris in Chicago and at the National Theatre in London. Additional Steppenwolf performing credits include You Got Older, The Christians, fellow ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays and Head of Passes, and the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of A Lesson Before Dying.
 Audrey Francis is an acclaimed actor, director, teaching artist, and co-founder of Black Box Acting. Audrey Francis attended The School at Steppenwolf in 2004, and since then has been acting professionally in Chicago, working with an array of companies in the storefront and regional theater scene. Audrey became a Steppenwolf ensemble member in 2017 and has performed in ten productions with the company to date, including The Doppelgänger (an international farce), Dance Nation, The Fundamentals, Between Riverside and Crazy, and The Herd. Francis has also been in many acclaimed independent films, namely Knives and Skin, Later Days, Signature Move, and the award-winning web series Distant Learners. Her most recent directing credits include Plano with First Floor Theatre, The Invisible Hand at Steep Theatre, and the audio play of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.

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

A transcript of this episode can be found HERE

In this inspiring and revealing conversation, Jacinda Bullie and Darius Parker of Kuumba Lynx sit down with Audrey Francis to talk about the vital and empowering work they do with youth across Chicago. Through performances, film screenings, art making workshops, and more, Kuumba Lynx brings a Hip Hop lens to their work of urban artistry and activism. Listen to learn about the philosophy, history and future of one of the most treasured youth centered organizations in the city.
Interview begins at 5:22.

Kuumba Lynx is an urban arts youth development organization founded in 1996 by three women, Jaquanda Villegas, Leyda "Lady Sol" Garcia, and Jacinda Bullie. For two decades, alongside many of Chicago’s artists, activists, educators, and youth communities, Kuumba Lynx has honed an arts making practice that presents, preserves and promotes Hip Hop as a tool to resist systemic violence where black and brown youth can reimagine and demonstrate a more just world. KL’s Program Facilitators are a collective of artists, activists, educators, and healers.

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

A transcript of this episode can be found HERE

In this engaging conversation, Karen Rodriguez sits down with fellow actor, ensemble member and Half Hour host, James Vincent Meredith. Join these two friends as they share stories of stage fright, family, laughter, legacy, and proving their skeptics wrong by securing a sense of belonging within the Steppenwolf ensemble.
Interview begins at 4:12.
James Vincent Meredith received critical acclaim as John Proctor in The Crucible, his first role as an ensemble member. At Steppenwolf he has also appeared in Clybourne Park, The Hot L Baltimore, The Bluest Eye (also Off-Broadway at the New Victory Theater), The Pain and the Itch, Carter's Way, Doppleganger, The Tempest, The March, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Minutes, Hot L Baltimore, and Superior Donuts. Broadway credits include Superior Donuts (Music Box Theater) and Book of Mormon (Eugene O’Neill Theater— also 3 years, National Tour). Other selected Chicagoland appearances include Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting at Lookingglass Theatre, Lottery Day at Goodman, Radio Golf and Blues for an Alabama Sky at Court and Othello at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, as well as work at About Face Theatre, Writer's Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook and Piven Theatre Workshop, where he is a member of the company ensemble. Movie credits include Widows, Princess Cyd, and Knives and Skin. Television credits include Fargo, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, FBI, Empire, BOSS, and Exorcist, among others.
Learn more at Steppenwolf.org
Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org

A transcript of this episode can be found HERE

This week, the Half Hour team sits down with Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, the architects behind the newest additions to Steppenwolf's campus: the Arts and Education Center and a 400-seat Round Theater. Ensemble member James Vincent Meredith leads a fascinating conversation with Gill, exploring the similarities between the seemingly disparate disciplines of architecture and theatre. Listen, too, for a sneak peek into what to expect when the new building opens its doors this fall.

Interview begins at 3:46

Gordon Gill FAIA, is a founding partner of the award-winning Chicago design firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. His work includes the design of the world’s first net zero-energy skyscraper, Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China; the world’s first large-scale positive energy building, Masdar Headquarters design for Abu Dhabi, UAE; the world’s tallest tower, Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Al Wasl Plaza, an open space that will be the centerpiece of Expo 2020 Dubai, featuring an intricate domed trellis that will be the world’s largest immersive projection experience. Gordon also designs smaller, more intimate spaces like the recently completed The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Chicago Architecture Center, and the soon to be completed Steppenwolf Theatre Expansion. Gordon’s work is driven by his philosophy that there is a purposeful relationship between formal design and performance; and that there is a Language of Performance, which is the basis of his practice: Form Follows Performance.

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

A transcript of this episode can be found HERE

This week on Half Hour, acclaimed star of stage and screen Leslie Odom Jr. catches up with his longtime friend, ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain. Odom shares stories from his early career, reflects on his legendary performance as Founding Father Aaron Burr in Hamilton: An American Musical and discusses his recent take on singer Sam Cooke in the film One Night in Miami. This candid and funny conversation offers a glimpse into the perspective of one of contemporary musical theatre's most vital artists.

This episode of Half Hour is exclusively sponsored by Sidley Austin LLP

Interview begins at 3:45.

Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted, award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor. With a career that spans all performance genres, he has received recognition with Tony and Grammy Awards as well as Emmy and, most recently, two Academy Award nominations for his excellence and achievements in Broadway, television, film, and music. Odom currently stars and performs the songs of legendary singer Sam Cooke in the critically acclaimed Amazon film adaptation of the Olivier Award-nominated play, One Night in Miami, directed by Regina King. His portrayal of the soul icon has been met with widespread praise and critical acclaim, earning him nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, among others. Odom has released four highly lauded studio albums, including two holiday records and his chart-topping, self-titled debut. He has performed at the White House, Super Bowl, and on hallowed stages such as Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 2018, he published his first book, Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learning. Odom can also be heard voicing the character of Owen Tillerman in the Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy series Central Park, for which he received a 2020 Emmy nomination, as well as captivating audiences as Aaron Burr in the filmed musical performance of the original Broadway production of Hamilton released in 2020 on Disney+. His other upcoming projects include The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase’s Award-winning HBO series The Sopranos set to be released this Fall and Needle in A Timestack written and directed by John Ridley.

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

A transcript of this episode can be found HERE

In this riveting conversation, Audrey Francis sits down with legendary director and ensemble member Tina Landau who shares insightful glimpses into her unique process of directing, including how she has learned to trust actors to bring all of themselves into rehearsal. The two also discuss the Viewpoints method, Tina’s current projects in development, and the seemingly unlikely pairing of Landau’s directing practice and Steppenwolf’s aesthetic.

Interview begins at 3:32

Tina Landau is a writer, director and teacher whose work includes directing/conceiving SpongeBob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical, Tarell Alvin McCraney's Head of Passes (Steppenwolf, The Public and the Mark Taper Forum), WIG OUT! (Vineyard Theatre), and In the Red and Brown Water (The Public), Bill Irwin/David Shiner's Old Hats, Chuck Mee's Big Love and Iphigenia 2.0 (Signature Theatre), and her musical Floyd Collins (Playwrights Horizons). On Broadway, Landau has also directed Tracy Letts's Superior Donuts and the revival of Bells are Ringing. At Steppenwolf, directing credits include MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT, The Wheel, Hot L Baltimore, The Brother/Sister Plays, The Tempest, The Time of Your Life (also Seattle Rep, ACT), The Diary of Anne Frank, The Cherry Orchard, The Ballad of Little Jo, Berlin Circle and her own play Space (also Mark Taper Forum, the Public). Landau has co-authored The Viewpoints Book with Anne Bogart and has taught regularly at such schools as Yale, Columbia, Harvard and Northwestern.  
Learn more at Steppenwolf.org
Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org

A transcript of this episode can be found HERE