Half Hour

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep2 - Amy Morton: "Never What You Think" Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

Karen Rodriguez hosts this candid interview with esteemed actor, director and ensemble member Amy Morton. Morton shares her favorite (and least favorite) moments on stage, and dishes out advice for young actors eager to jumpstart their careers. Listen to hear Amy talk about her path, from growing up as a shy kid with a fantastical imagination, to seeing her first Steppenwolf production, and finally to performing in the theatre’s legendary production of August: Osage County thirty years later.
Interview begins at 3:37. This episode of Half Hour is generously sponsored by Michele Kenner.
Amy Morton is a director and actor at Steppenwolf. She has directed or performed in over 30 plays at Steppenwolf including Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Tony nomination), August: Osage County (Tony nomination), One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (also on Broadway), Hir, Cherry Orchard, The Berlin Circle, Three Days of Rain, The Unmentionables, Space, The Royal Family and many others. She has directed Guards at the Taj (both Atlantic Theatre and Steppenwolf), Glengary Glen Ross, Clybourne Park, America Buffalo, The Dresser, The Pillowman, Topdog/Underdog, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Alliance Theatre), Awake and Sing (Northlight Theatre), and many others. Film: Rookie of the Year, 8MM, Falling Down, Backdraft, Up in the Air, Bluebird. Television: Bluebloods, Girls, Homeland, currently on Chicago PD as Trudy Platt. Before joining Steppenwolf, Amy was a member of the Remains Theatre for 15 years.

Learn more at Steppenwolf.org
Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org
A transcript of this episode can be found HERE

S2 Ep1 - Jon Michael Hill: "I Don't Get Bored" Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

Half Hour's second season launches with a charming and insightful conversation between longtime friends Jon Michael Hill and James Vincent Meredith. Hill discusses his relationship with music from childhood days performing music routines outside of Six Flags to composing the music for The Brother/Sister Plays and creating his own Hip Hop album in 2021. The conversation also touches on the success he found as a young actor in Chicago, his first humbling experience working within an ensemble dynamic, and his dreams for the future.

Interview begins at 3:54.

Jon Michael Hill joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2007. Steppenwolf: True West, Pass Over, Constellations, Head of Passes, The Hot L Baltimore, The Tempest, Kafka on the Shore, The Unmentionables. Broadway: Superior Donuts. Regional: Pass Over (Lincoln Center)Film: Pass Over, Windows, In The Radiant City, No Pay, Nudity. Television: Elementary, Detroit 1-8-7, Eastbound and Down, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Person of Interest.

Learn more at steppenwolf.org
Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org
Transcript of this episode can be found HERE

Season 2 Trailer Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Half Hour returns for an all-new second season, starting on March 30. Enjoy this sneak peek of just some of the candid, inspiring, and thoughtful conversations to come.

Ep12 - Carrie Coon: "Relaxed Readiness" Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

In the final episode of Half Hour's first season, Cliff Chamberlain sits down with his long time pal and Steppenwolf ensemble member Carrie Coon to talk about her preparation in the moments before a performance, whether on stage or on screen. Coon shares backstage stories from her enviable career, and chats about how she thinks an ensemble of actors isn't all that different from a soccer team.
Interview begins at 5:10. This episode of Half Hour is exclusively sponsored by Helen Zell.

Carrie Coon joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2019. Steppenwolf: Mary Page Marlowe, Tracy Letts’s adaptation of Three Sisters, The March, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Broadway: Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Tony nomination – Best Featured Actress in a Play; Theatre World Award). Off Broadway: Mary Jane (2018 Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, Drama Desk nomination); Placebo (Playwrights Horizons). Film: Gone Girl, The Post, Widows, Avengers: Infinity War. Upcoming: The Nest, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Summer 2020). Television: The Sinner (Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination), HBO’s The Leftovers, FX’s Fargo. She won a Critics’ Choice Television Award for her performance in HBO’s The Leftovers and a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama for her performances in The Leftovers and Fargo.
Learn more at steppenwolf.org.
Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org
Transcript of this episode can be found here: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep12-transcript.pdf

Ep11 - Emjoy Gavino: “Show Them Chicago” Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

Acclaimed actor, casting director, and founder of the Chicago Inclusion Project, Emjoy Gavino, joins Caroline Neff on the podcast to discuss the history of her vital work advocating for inclusion in the city’s theatre scene, as well as how she approaches her craft. Learn how Gavino begins to cast a production, what is on her pre-show playlist, and why she can relate to an image of a dachshund in a lobster costume.
Interview begins at 4:04
Emjoy Gavino is an actor, casting director, teaching artist, producer and food enthusiast based in Chicago. Her acting credits include A Red Orchid Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Court Theater, About Face Theatre, The Hypocrites, The Second City, House Theatre, Northlight, Remy Bumppo, Victory Gardens Theatre, Paramount, The Broadway Playhouse, Lookingglass, The Neo-Futurists, The Goodman Theatre, Studio Theatre, The Village Theatre, Repertory Actors Theatre, 5th Avenue Theatre, Book-It Repertory and The Gift Theatre, where she is the casting director and an associate artistic director. She is a 2017 3Arts Make a Wave grantee and the founder and training series producer of The Chicago Inclusion Project, through which she has cast for American Theater Company, The Hypocrites, Circle Up (Jackalope Theatre), and In the Works (Theater on the Lake). She is represented by Stewart Talent.
The Chicago Inclusion Project is a non-profit organization currently made up by business manager Elana Elyce, founder/training series director Emjoy Gavino, Grant Writer Stephanie Diaz, Community Organizer/Literary Manager Abhi Shrestha and facilitators Arti Ishak and Jessica Vann. CIP is a collective of artists, committed to creating inclusive theater experiences by bringing together Chicago artists and audiences normally separated by ethnic background, economic status, gender identity, physical ability and countless other barriers. By emphasizing inclusive hiring practices and season curation, cultivating a diverse audience by bringing new combinations of artists to as many communities in Chicago (and its surrounding suburbs) as possible, choosing facilities for the multiple projects that are handicap-accessible and keeping price of tickets and classes affordable, The Chicago Inclusion Project programming aims to unite diverse collections of Chicagoans. More at thechicagoinclusionproject.org.
A transcript of this episode can be found here: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep11-transcript.pdf
Learn more at steppenwolf.org
Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org

Ep10 - Matthew-Lee Erlbach: "Defend Arts Workers Now" Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

Playwright, actor, and activist Matthew-Lee Erlbach joins Half Hour to share insights from the ongoing advocacy movement, Be An #ArtsHero. In this conversation with ensemble member Audrey Francis, Erlbach relates data and stories about the vitality of the arts in American life, speaks to the struggle facing the Arts and Culture field during the COVID Crisis, and suggests how we can reshape our American society to place a higher value on art—and the workers who make art possible.

Interview begins at 4:38

Matthew-Lee Erlbach is a Co-Organizer of Be An #ArtsHero, a national labor movement of Arts Workers urging Congress for an extension of FPUC, a 100% COBRA subsidy, and the passage of the DAWN Act, the nation’s only comprehensive arts worker relief bill. Playwright credits include THE DOPPELGÄNGER (an international farce), starring Rainn Wilson and directed by Tina Landau (Steppenwolf); his solo-play HANDBOOK FOR AN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY (Gym at Judson/Tony Speciale.); EAGER TO LOSE: A BURLESQUE FARCE IN RHYMING VERSE (Ars Nova/ Wes Grantom/Portia Krieger); SEX OF THE BABY (Access/Michelle Bossy); and his work has been developed/produced with The New Group, Steppenwolf, Vineyard, Ars Nova, MCC, Williamstown, NYTW, Gym at Judson the Orchard Project, and SPACE on Ryder Farm, among others. He has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Puffin Foundation, was a member of Ars Nova's Play Group, MVMNT Theatre’s Play Group, and is a HUMANITAS New Voices recipient. TV, credits include MASTERS OF SEX/Showtime, GYPSY/Netflix, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS/ Netflix, and WWE, MTV, and Nickelodeon. He is currently writing an UNTITLED FEATURE with Rainn Wilson and has TV projects set up with SONY, Killer Films, Cavalry, and Mermade/Merman; he is also the writer/director of HUMAN INTEREST which won “Best Digital Short Series” at SeriesFest. A proud graduate of the public school system from K-College, his civic work includes a writing program for single mothers transitioning out of homelessness and prison, building shelters with Habitat for Humanity, and working with labor on economic justice issues.
BE AN #ARTS HERO is a national, non-partisan grassroots movement that emphasizes Arts & Culture’s contribution to the economy, urging Congress for immediate relief. We are a united, intersectional, sector-wide coalition calling for an extension of FPUC, a 100% COBRA subsidy, and the passage of the DAWN ACT, the only comprehensive arts worker relief bill which would authorize $43.85B to the NEA, NEH, IMLS, CPB, and SBA to make grants to the operators, employees, and artists of live venues, recording venues, cultural spaces, and related businesses to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on all Arts Workers across the national Arts Economy. Be An #ArtsHero has appeared on Morning Joe, TODAY, GMA, Late Night w/Seth Meyers and the viral Open Letter to the US Senate has been signed over 13K times by the leaders of every major Arts Org; Pulitzer, Oscar, Tony, and Emmy winners; and countless high-profile names across the Arts. More info at www.BeAnArtsHero.com.
Learn more at steppenwolf.org.
Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org.

You can find a transcript of this podcast here:
https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep10-transcript.pdf

Ep9 - Yasen Peyankov: “I Had To” Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

In this friendly and fascinating conversation, Ensemble Member Yasen Peyankov reunites with his old student and cast mate Cliff Chamberlain. Peyankov shares stories about growing up in Eastern Europe, starting his career anew in Chicago, and the differences between theater in Bulgaria and America.

Interview begins at 4:15

Yasen Peyankov has been a Steppenwolf ensemble member since 2002. He last directed Virtual Seagull at Steppenwolf and before that appeared as The Keeper in Lindiwe. His Steppenwolf main stage directing credits includethe world premiere of Erika Sheffer’s The Fundamentals, Between Riverside and Crazy (Jeff Nomination for Best Production 2016), Grand Concourse, Russian Transport, as well as Hushabye for First Look and The Glass Menagerie for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. Other directing credits include Macbeth, Uncle Vanya, Go Away Go Away, Stars in the Morning Sky (European Repertory), Ladybird (The Evidence Room, Los Angeles), Overweight, Unimportant, Misshape: A European Supper (Trapdoor Theatre). His translations/adaptations of Chekhov plays include Ivanov, Uncle Vanya and Seagull as well as Zoyka’s Apartment by M. Bulgakov, Ladybird, Plasticine and Black Milk by V. Sigarev, Stars in the Morning Sky by A.Galin, and Go Away Go Away by N. Kolyada. He also translated and directed the Bulgarian premiere of August: Osage County at the National Theatre in Sofia. He has appeared in 20 productions at Steppenwolf, some of which are: Time of Your Life (also in Seattle and San Francisco), Morning Star (Jeff Award), Hysteria, Lost Land, Cherry Orchard, Frankie and Johnny at the Claire De Lune (also in Dublin), Superior Donuts ( also on Broadway), Pillowman, The Tempest, Three Sisters, Penelope, A Doll's House Part 2, The Children and others. Some of his many film and television appearances include Chicago PD, Madam Secretary, Stranger Things, Captive State, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, Gifted Hands, Alias, The Practice, The Unit, Numb3rs, and many others. Mr. Peyankov is Professor and the Head of Theatre at the School of Theatre and Music at UIC where he teaches acting and directs plays.

Learn more at steppenwolf.org. Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org.
You can find a transcript of this podcast here:
https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/ep9-transcript.pdf

Ep7 - Sydney Charles: “Triumph and Trouble” Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

Ensemble member Audrey Francis hosts actor, director, activist (and all-around bad ass) Sydney Charles for this frank, funny and warm conversation. Listen to learn about many of the vital movements in Chicago’s theater scene that are pushing institutions and individuals towards a more equitable field.

Interview begins at 2:35.

Sydney Charles is a Chicago-based actor, activist, and art maker and creator. Selected theatre credits include: The Color Purple (Drury Lane); Nina Simone: Four Women (Northlight Theatre); Flyin' West (American Blues Theatre); Lottery Day, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Goodman Theatre). Sydney can also be seen in episodes of The Haven, The T, Shameless and The Chi. She has lent her directing eye to Steppenwolf Theatre and Red Tape Theatre. She is particularly proud to be an artistic associate with Firebrand Theater. Sydney thanks God for every opportunity she is able to experience and her circle for supporting her every step of the way. Represented by Stewart Talent. AEA/SAG-AFTRA member

Follow Sydney Charles on twitter @mssydchas; on Instagram @mssydchas; or on her website at www.sydneycharlesexp.com

Learn more about We See You White American Theater at www.weseeyouwat.com or on Facebook and Instagram. Follow Second Act Chi on Instagram @thesecondactchi.

Learn more at steppenwolf.org. Want to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.org.
You can find a transcript of this podcast here: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep7-transcript.pdf

Ep6 - Frank Galati: "Stumbling Forward" Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

Cliff Chamberlain catches up with ensemble member Frank Galati in this conversation that covers Galati's first theatrical experiences, his attachment to Illinois, and what drew him to a career as a director and adapter. A master storyteller, Galati takes a deep dive into some of his most beloved Steppenwolf productions, including The Grapes of Wrath and Kafka on the Shore.

Interview begins at 3:03

Frank Galati has been a member of the Steppenwolf ensemble since 1985. Frank won two Tony Awards for his adaptation and direction of Steppenwolf's production of The Grapes of Wrath on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1998 for directing the musical Ragtime. Although he is known primarily as a director of epic plays and musicals (Steppenwolf's Homebody/Kabul, Broadway's Ragtime) he is an equally adept actor (Steppenwolf's The Drawer Boy, The Tempest) and adaptor (Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for The Accidental Tourist.) he directed his adaptation of Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore at Steppenwolf in 2008. His productions at the Goodman Theatre, where he was an associate director from 1986-2008, include She Always Said Pablo, The Winter’s Tale, The Good Person of Setzuan and Cry the Beloved Country and Mr. Galati is a professor emeritus in the department of performance studies at Northwestern University. He now is an artistic associate at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. Frank is also currently working on a new musical called Knoxville with Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

This episode was co-sponsored by Lynn Lockwood Murphy, honoring Aidan Murphy and Kenyon College Class of 2020.

The excerpted poetry in this episode is from “The Waking” by Theodore Roethke (1953).

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

For a transcript of this episode, got to: https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/half-hour-podcast/half-hour-ep6-transcript.pdf

Ep5 – Storycatchers Theatre & StepEd: “I got your back” Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

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