If we can’t laugh at our own addiction to outrage, how dare we look down on the impassioned beliefs of others?
That, for us, is one of the central questions in Stephanie Alison Walker’s remarkable new comedy, Adirondack Chair Circle.
This play is not a soapbox sermon. And, thankfully, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, skewering a whole host of “hot button” contemporary topics: school boards, charcuterie boards, parenting, pickleball and political organizing. And, in all honesty, we’ve never encountered a play with quite this much literal bird feces on stage (you should hear the conversations between our props and costume teams).
Steppenwolf is first and foremost a Chicago Theater; Stephanie (who lives in Barrington, IL) wrote this play in our own backyard. And what a perfect pairing to partner Stephanie with Pam MacKinnon, a renowned director and longtime friend of Steppenwolf.
What a beautiful combination of artists who represent both our local and national communities. And it’s not lost on us that we’re producing this play before, during and in the wake of a historically consequential midterm election season that will undoubtedly have a widespread impact.
There is an innate power in art, whether that’s a painting, a play or a young adult novel. Throughout history and up to the present, control over our cultural diet is a power craved by those who seek to shape the future, with good intentions or otherwise. The arguments over the literature in Stephanie’s play are funny, yes, but they are not unserious, nor untimely.
We hope that you leave this play recognizing nuance and humanity in arguments that elicit strong opinions, regardless of your political beliefs. A night at the theater, laughing together, pondering big ideas, poking at our sensibilities, questioning our place in society and, perhaps most importantly, extending our empathy as far as we can. Perhaps that’s exactly the kind of behavior that scares those in power.
Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis
Artistic Directors
STEPPENWOLF PRESENTS
ADIRONDACK CHAIR CIRCLE
Written by Stephanie Alison Walker
Directed by Pam MacKinnon‡
FEATURING
David Darrow*, Katrina Lenk*, Wendy Mateo*, Caroline Neff†* and Sadieh Rifai*
CREATIVE TEAM
Todd Rosenthal+ Scenic Design
Izumi Inaba+ Costume Design
Barbara Samuels+ Lighting Design
Mikhail Fiksel+ Sound Design & Original Music
Nicholas Hussong+ Projection Design
Steph Paul‡ Choreographer
Kate DeVore Voice Coach
Bryar Barborka Dramaturg
Patrick Zakem Creative Producer
Elise Hausken Production Manager
JC Clementz, CSA Casting
Michelle Medvin* Production Stage Manager
Kathleen Barrett* Assistant Stage Manager
Developed at the Colorado New Play Festival, Steamboat Springs, CO, June 2026
Adirondack Chair Circle was developed with The Inkwell Theater in Los Angeles in 2024
Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Shoenman & Annie McVey, Director, Randee Trabitz
† member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble.
* member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
+ member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829 of the IATSE.
‡ member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
CAST
David Darrow* Crow
Katrina Lenk* Banna
Wendy Mateo* Winona
Caroline Neff†* Evelyn Grace
Sadieh Rifai* Libby
UNDERSTUDIES
Tiffany Bedwell* Banna
Brittany Burch Evelyn Grace
Alexandra Casillas Winona
Warren Duncan Crow
Erinn Fredin Libby
ADDITIONAL STAFF
Eileen Tull Assistant Director
Trey Brazeal Assistant Lighting Design
Emily Hayman Assistant Sound Design
Jamie Godwin Video Associate & Programmer
Carli Shapiro Stage Management Apprentice
Savannah Flower Costume Assistant
Brenna Kaplan-Keshguerian, Kyra Pan, William Sweeney Costume Craftsperson
Kenny Behmer, Josh Derby, Billy Earnisse, Johnnie Schleyer Additional Carpenters
Marcus Klein Additional Properties
Adirondack Chair Circle will be presented in two acts, including one 15-minute intermission.
As a courtesy to the actors and your fellow patrons, please turn off your cell phones before the performance. The taking of photographs and the use of any type of recording device are not allowed in the theater during performances and is a violation of state and federal copyright laws; digital media will be deleted, and tape or film will be confiscated.
Entry and re-entry into the theater after the performance begins is not guaranteed.
The theater reserves the right to limit admission of children younger than the age of six.