STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
"Wedding Band" runs through March 30, 2003.
review by Ed Vincent

"Powerful writing, powerful words,
powerful shame, powerfully performed"  OPJ
 

Steppenwolf adds another hit to their ever growing list of
wonderful productions.  Having been written many
years ago this play shows us that little has changed
since the writing of this drama.  Some laws have been
removed as borders to interracial marriages and now
statistically mixed marriages have a higher success
rate than standard marriages.  There are smaller 
numbers and people who choose to marry in other 
then their own race or religion seem to give more
thought to the act of marrying, not a bad idea.

The sets are realistic and also very creative in their
designs.  The acting by all the characters is top notch
and the story is all too topical.  This is a thought
provoking piece and worthy of a good run so that
all theater patrons will get a chance to see it, and 
bring a friend with you.

The combined efforts of the two ensemble companies,
Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Congo Square Theatre 
Company is a perfect match for a great show.  I hope
the day will come when more people see beyond the
color of their skins.  They try in this play and it is not easy.

Julia Augustine..............Libya Pugh
Teeta.............................Jasmine Randle
Mattie............................Monifa Days
Fanny Johnson ........... TaRon Patton
Lula Green....................Ann Joseph
Nelson Green ..............Will Sims ll
Bell Man.......................Robert Breuler
Princess .......................Rae Gray
Herman.........................Rick Snyder
Annabelle......................Jennie Moreau
Herman's Mother ..........Deanna Dunagan

UNDERSTUDIES

For Teeta, Princess: Mia Noelle Akers; for Nelson: 
Leonard House Jr.; for Herman, Bell Man: John
Fenner Mays; for Julia, Mottie:Taylar; for Fanny, 
Lula: Pam Mack; for Herman's Mother, Annabelle:
Franette Liebow.
 

SETTING

Place:..............South Carolina, U.S.A.
Time:...............1918

PRODUCTION STAFF OF WEDDING BAND

Assistant Director........................Adero Fleming
Assistant Lighting Designer ......Gregory Bloxham, Ja Kyung Seo
Carpenters........................Shawn Cook,Jason Wolf
Scenic Artist .....................Scott Gerwitz (Chargeperson)Julie Ruscitti
Properties Assistant......... Micki Lemieux
Wardrobe Crew..................... Amy Rosenblatt
Wigs........................................Christina Carlson
Stage Management intern...... Kathryn Porter

Chicago-Steppenwolf Theatre Company, in association with Congo 
Square Theatre Company, presents Wedding Band by Alice Childress. 
The production is directed by Ron OJ Parson, and features
Steppenwolf ensemble members Robert Breuler and Rick Snyder, and 
Congo Square ensemble members Monifa Days, Ann Joseph, TaRon 
Patton, Libya Pugh, and Will Sims II. Wedding Band begins performances 
on the Steppenwolf Mainstage on February 6, 2003.

Marshall Field's Project Imagine is the Exclusive Corporate Production 
Sponsor of Wedding Band. Major sponsorship support for Wedding 
Bandy/as also provided by The Joyce Foundation.

Summer 1918. Julia Augustine, an industrious young African-American 
woman, moves to a small seaside town in South Carolina, hoping to live
a quiet, anonymous life. Her discreet manner arouses the interest of her
boisterous neighbors who discover her secret - a long-standing love affair 
with Herman, a white man. Tensions explode when Herman's family 
arrives in the neighborhood. Alice Childress's searing drama, featuring
members of the Steppenwolf and Congo Square ensembles, is a passionate
tale of star-crossed lovers and their shattered dreams of a life together.

"As a major theater in a racially and culturally diverse city, we look for
opportunities to reflect the stories of that myriad cultural life," says 
Steppenwolf artistic director Martha Lavey. "Partnering with an
ensemble-based company whose mission is to tell the story of the 
African Diaspora provides that opportunity in a way that is authentic
to the artistic and cultural missions of both theaters. We relish the
opportunity, as an established theater with the resources of multiple
spaces, to collaborate with younger artists and companies. We are re-
animated by their energy and talent and we hope that our experience
is helpful to their growth."

The cast for Wedding Band includes Steppenwolf ensemble members 
Robert Breuler (Bell Man) and Rick Snyder (Herman), and Congo 
Square Theatre ensemble members Monifa Days (Mattie), Ann
Joseph (Lulu Green), TaRon Patton (Fanny Johnson), Libya Pugh 
(Julia Augustine), and Will Sims II (Nelson Green). Other cast members
are Deanna Dunagan (Herman's Mother), Rae Gray (Princess), Jennie
Moreau (Annabelle), and Jasmine Randle (Teeta).

The designers for Wedding Band are Todd Rosenthal (set design), 
Myrna Colley-Lee (costume design), Katherine Perkins (lighting design), 
and Joe Cerqua (sound design). Robert H. Satterlee is the stage manager
and Nadine Warner is the dramaturg.

Previews for Wedding Band we February 6-15, 2003. The production 
opens Sunday, February 16, 2003, and runs through March 30, 2003.
Please note our curtain times: all performances run Tuesday through
Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. and 
7:30 p.m. There will be Wednesday matinees on March 19 and 26, 2003,
at 2:00 p.m. There will be no Sunday evening performances on 
Sunday, March 23 and 30, 2003.

The performance on Wednesday, March 5, 2003, will be sign language 
interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing. The performance on 
Thursday, March 6, 2003, will be audio-described for the blind and 
sight impaired.

Ticket prices are $35 to $50. Box office hours are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
every day and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on days with evening 
performances. Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before
show time. Group tickets are available through the group sales office 
at (312) 654-5629.

The box office number is (312) 335-1650. Tickets can also be ordered 
online at www.steppenwolf.org.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is located near all forms of public
transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking
are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every
performance.

Steppenwolf gratefully acknowledges its 2002-2003 season sponsors:
Premier Benefactors-Ogilvy & Mather, Sara Lee Foundation; 
Grand Benefactors- Marshall Field's Project Imagine, Mercedes-Benz, 
The Shubert Foundation, Inc., Target Corporation and United Airlines;
Benefactors-Ariel Mutual Funds, Deloitte Consulting, Lord, Bissell 
& Brook, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and Vinci.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's programs are partially supported 
by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois 
Arts Council, and by a City Arts Program 4 grant from the City of
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Congo Square Theatre Company is an ensemble of actors dedicated
to artistic excellence. In producing definitive and transformative
theater spawned from the African diaspora, as well as other world
cultures, Congo Square Theatre Company seeks to establish itself
as an institution of multicultural theater.

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the 
collaboration of a company of actors, directors and designers, 
Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality 
and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging
repeatable creative relationships, and contributing new works to 
the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective
of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect 
and the development of artists through on-going group work. 

Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company
of thirty-four artists whose talents include acting, directing, play writing,
film making, and textual adaptation.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is located near all forms of
public transportation and is wheelchair accessible.
Assistive listening devices are available for every
performance. Street and lot parking are available.
 

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's programs are partially
supported by grants from the National Endowment for the
Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and
by a CityArts Program 4 grant from the City of Chicago
Department of Cultural Affairs.
 

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago-based
international performing arts institution committed
to ensemble collaboration and artistic risk through
work with its permanent ensemble, guest artists, partner
institutions and the community. Founded in 1976 as an
ensemble of nine actors, Steppenwolf has grown into
an internationally renowned company of thirty-three
artists whose talents include acting, directing,
playwriting, filmmaking, and textual adaptation.