Chicago’s premier drama company

Noteworthy for: Steppenwolf helped nurture Chicago’s now-booming storefront theater scene, and continues to showcase the city’s best small theater companies through its Garage Rep seasons.

Steppenwolf is, quite simply, one of the United States’ finest theater companies. Founded in 1974, its productions have won handfuls of Tony Awards and launched the careers of actors such as Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, Joan Allen, John Mahoney and Laurie Metcalf. It also has a reputation as the launch pad for nationally and internationally successful productions, with past shows such as ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and ‘August: Osage County’ going on to be great hits.

The company has three different stages within its building. Large-scale productions are presented in the larger Downstairs Theater, while new material from up-and-coming playwrights is performed in the small and intimate Garage and Upstairs theaters.