Steppenwolf’s production of The Minutes, the new American play by Tracy Letts, directed by Anna D. Shapiro, will resume performances on Broadway two years after its originally scheduled opening, at Studio 54. When COVID-19 shut the industry down, The Minutes was scheduled to be the next play to open on March 15, 2020; the anticipated production will now return—in a new Broadway home—in March 2022.The Minutes will officially open on Thursday, April 7, 2022. The cast for the 2022 production will be announced soon.
The Minutes, the record-breaking hit production from Steppenwolf Theatre Company, takes a hard look at the inner workings of a city council meeting and the hypocrisy, greed and ambition that bubble to the surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions. Why is someone on the council mysteriously missing? What happened to all those bicycles? Is there skullduggery afoot with the city’s finances? What’s the deal with the available parking space? What the F is going on with the Lincoln Smackdown? And why are the minutes from the last meeting being kept secret? “Nothing in this explosive 90-minute play is as it seems...A real-life heart-in-the-mouth experience,” declares the Chicago Tribune. Part “Parks & Recreation,” part “Twilight Zone,” this powerful, resonant, and funny portrayal of democracy in action proves that everything you know can change—it’s just a matter of minutes. After all, the smallest towns keep the biggest secrets.
The production features scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Ana Kuzmanic, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt, sound design and original music by André Pluess, hair and wig design by Tom Watson, dramaturgy by Edward Sobel and casting by Caparelliotis Casting.
The producing team is led by Jeffrey Richards, Rebecca Gold, Carl Moellenberg, Spencer Ross, Louise Gund with Jayne Baron Sherman, Elizabeth Armstrong, Blakeman Entertainment, HornosBerger, Across the River Productions, Stewart F. Lane/Bonnie Comley/Leah Lane, Kathleen K. Johnson, Emily Dobbs, Robert Flicker,Jacob Soroken Porter, and The Shubert Organization. Though it is being performed at Studio 54, The Minutes is not a Roundabout Theatre Company production.
Steppenwolf Theatre Companyis the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed in 1976 by Gary Sinise, Jeff Perry and Terry Kinney, the ensemble has grown to over 50 members who are among the top actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling productions fromAugust: Osage CountytoPass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary.Steppenwolf produces a mainstage season; a two-play Young Adults season, LookOut, a multi-genre series; and Steppenwolf NOW, its virtual stage. In fall 2021, Steppenwolf opens its new 50,000 sq. ft. Arts and Education Center in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, designed by world-renowned Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture with theater and acoustics by Charcoalblue. With this campus expansion, Steppenwolf Education will increase youth engagement to more than 30,000 participants annually from Chicago’s communities. More than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director, E. Brooke Flanagan is the Executive Director and Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of the Board of Trustees. www.steppenwolf.org