Prodigal Playwright
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Sidney Bechet Killed a Man caught the attention of Shinner and artistic director Dennis Zacek, who wasted no time in scheduling a staged reading last winter. If there was one question they had about the script, says Shinner, it was whether its long monologues would play as well onstage as they did on the page. The reading was an unqualified success, and since then Flack has only fiddled with the ending.
The Steppenwolf Theatre’s plan to build a multimillion-dollar structure adjacent to its home is now on hold indefinitely, according to managing director Michael Gennaro. The new building was to include both commercial retail space and additional offices and rehearsal rooms for the theater company. But since the project was first announced about a year ago, the idea has been reconsidered. Gennaro says the organization wants to get a better sense of what its space requirements will be five to ten years from now. He says the immediate need for rehearsal quarters has been met with the recent completion of the parking structure south of the theater. The garage’s bottom floor has been glassed in and is now being used as a rehearsal space.
